I had a player ask, “Why should they study their endgames?” So i’l share this story.
Once upon a time I had a position on the board, and my opponent offered me a draw. It bothered me because I had never beaten him before. Today was my chance to win! I declined the draw and carefully examined the board, searching for a winning move.
Unfortunately, no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find anything that would give me an advantage. I glanced at my opponent, who now had a wide grin. Why was he smiling? I checked the board again
Nope nothing!
I started wondering if my opponent was trying to play mind games with me, and if so it was working! I found myself overthinking the situation. I looked at the board once more, but still, nothing stood out. I couldn’t figure out the reason behind my opponent’s grin. Maybe it was just their mood. My mind then drifted as I noticed the captured knight piece, shaped like a smile, which made me briefly lose focus.
I quickly straightened up, realising I needed to concentrate on the game. With uncertainty lingering, I decided to make a move and pushed my pawn forward. My opponent sighed and offered me a draw once again.
I declined
Ah haa! That wiped the smile off his face. I confidently pushed the pawn forward. My opponent let out a sigh and once again offered me a draw.
This exchange of moves and sighs continued for a couple more moves, until we reached a position that looked something like this
My opponent let out a deep sigh, placing a hand on his head in frustration. “You can’t see it?” he asked, in disbelief. At the time, I couldn’t see it, and even to the untrained eye of a chess player, it might have been difficult to spot. Sometimes in chess there isn’t a winning move. Sometimes, no matter what you do, the game will end in a draw.
So i end this blog with an important lesson for you all. It is important to study your endgames. This can help you win games from winning positions or take advantage of your opponent’s mistakes if they play the endgame incorrectly. Additionally, studying endgames can prevent the embarrassment of not knowing when to accept draw offers in drawn positions.
đź‘‘ Pryme Chess 