Q: How do I know when I am no longer in the middlegame and have reached the endgame, and how do I know what to do once I've reached the endgame? --
Jonathan, Chicago, IL
A: For a lot of young chessplayers, the endgame can be a difficult challenge. Many of my early games ended in checkmate in the middlegame, so I did not have a lot of early experience playing endgames. Here are two general rules that will let you know that you are in an endgame and that will give you some basic ideas and how to win or draw when you have reached one.
First, the power of the king increases greatly in the endgame. In the endgame position below, notice how useful the white king is as an attacking piece:
Black's king, which is nicely tucked away behind his pawns, is not use in defending his kingside pawns.
Compare that to the following middlegame position, with pawns and kings in the same places:
Here, it should be obvious that white's king is a problem, not an asset. He will not be winning any pawns; instead, he is in danger of being checkmated immediately.
Second, the power of pawns and rooks increased tremendously as you enter the endgame. For example, white's queenside pawns are not very dangerous in the middlegame below:
In fact, white is much more likely to checkmated by a queen and bishop battery on g2 or h1. Compare that to the endgame in the diagram below:
Now white's pawns cannot be stopped unless black gives up his rook. So as you enter the endgame, remember these two pointers: use your king as an attacking piece, and use your pawns and rooks to your advantage.
Keep sending your questions to FalseNarwhal!