In the game of

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, an endgame study, or just study, is a type of

chess problem A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle created by the composer using chess pieces on a chessboard, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is t ...

that starts with a composed position—i.e. one that has been made up rather than played in an actual game—where the goal is to find the essentially unique way for one side (usually White) to win or draw, as stipulated, against any moves the other side plays. If the study does not end in the end of the game, then the game's eventual outcome should be obvious, and White can have a selection of various moves. There is no limit to the number of moves which are allowed to achieve the win; this distinguishes studies from the genre of direct mate problems (e.g. "mate in 2"). Such problems also differ qualitatively from the very common genre of tactical puzzles based around the middlegame, often based on an actual game, where a decisive tactic must be found.

Composed studies

Composed studies predate the modern form of chess.

Shatranj Shatranj (, ; from Middle Persian ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins lie in the South Asian game of chaturanga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as it was introduced to Europe by contacts in ...

studies exist in manuscripts from the 9th century, and the earliest treatises on modern chess by the likes of

Luis Ramirez Lucena Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

and

Pedro Damiano Pedro Damiano (; ''Damiano'' is the Italian form, much like the Latin ''Damianus''; 1480–1544) was a Portuguese chess player. A native of Odemira, he was a pharmacist by profession. He wrote ''Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et d ...

(late 15th and early 16th century) also include studies. However, these studies often include superfluous pieces, added to make the position look more "game-like", but which take no part in the actual solution (something that is never done in the modern study). Various names were given to these positions (Damiano, for example, called them "subtleties"); the first book which called them "studies" appears to be ''Chess Studies'', an 1851 publication by

Josef Kling Josef Kling (19 March 1811 – 1 December 1876), also found in English-language sources as Joseph Kling, was a German chess master and chess composer. He has been called "a pioneer of the modern style of chess." Although Kling was an expert on ...

and

Bernhard Horwitz Bernhard Horwitz (1807 in Neustrelitz – 1885 in London) was a German and British chess master, chess writer and chess composer. Horwitz was born in Neustrelitz and went to school in Berlin, where he studied art. From 1837 to 1843, he was part ...

, which is sometimes also regarded as the starting point for the modern endgame study. The form is considered to have been raised to an art in the late 19th century, with A. A. Troitsky and Henri Rinck particularly important in this respect. Most

composers A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and defi ...

, including Troitsky, Rinck, and other famous figures such as

Genrikh Kasparyan Genrikh Kasparyan (Surname also spelled Kasparian) (27 February 1910 – 27 December 1995) was an Armenian chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies. Kasparyan became a national master i ...

, are known primarily for their studies, being little known as players. However, some famous players have also composed endgame studies, with

Emanuel Lasker Emanuel Lasker (; December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher. He was the second World Chess Champion, holding the title for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially ...

Richard Réti Richard Réti (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian and later Czechoslovak chess player, chess author and composer of endgame studies. He was one of the principal proponents of hypermodernism in chess. With the exception of N ...

Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the seventh World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidates Tournament, Candidate for the World Chess Championship on ...

, and

Jan Timman Jan Timman (born 14 December 1951) is a Dutch chess grandmaster who was one of the world's leading chess players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career, he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known a ...

being perhaps the most notable ones.

Examples

's study is one of the most famous of all time. It is White to play and draw. At first sight, this seems an impossible task: if White tries to chase after Black's pawn he can never catch it (1.Kh7 h4 2.Kh6 h3 etc. is clearly hopeless), while it is clear that Black will simply take White's pawn if he tries to promote it. White can draw, however, by taking advantage of the fact that the king can move towards both pawns at once. The solution is 1. Kg7 h4 (1...Kb6 2. Kf6! h4 3.Ke5! transposes) 2. Kf6! Kb6 (if 2...h3, then 3.Ke6 h2 4.c7 Kb7 5.Kd7 allows white to promote his pawn) 3. Ke5! Now, if 3...Kxc6, then 4.Kf4 stops Black's pawn after all, while if 3...h3 4.Kd6 allows White to promote his pawn. Either way, the result is a draw. (See also .) Not all studies are as simple as the above Réti example. This study (first diagram) is by

(first published in ''Magyar Sakkélet'', 1962). White is to play and draw. The main line of the solution is 1. Ra1 a2 2. Ke6 Ba3 3. Bf4 Bb2 4. Be5 a3 5. Kd5 Bg6 6. Bd4 Bf7+ 7. Ke4 Bc4 8. Rg1, but there are various alternatives for both sides. For example, White could try 1.Bf4 on his first move, with the idea 1...Bxa2 2.Bxd6 and 3.Bxa3 is a draw, but Black can defeat this idea with 1...Bxf4 2.Rxa3 Bc2, which wins. To understand why one move works and another one does not, requires quite advanced chess knowledge. Indeed, it will not be obvious to many players that the position at the end of the given line (second diagram) is a draw at all. One of the most notable studies is Leopold Mitrofanov's 1967 first-prize winner. Unfortunately, Mitrofanov's original study was subsequently found to have a , a miraculous defense that enabled Black either to obtain

perpetual check In the game of chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can play an unending series of checks from which the defending player cannot escape. This typically arises when the player who is checking feels their position in the game i ...

or reach a drawn ending. Solution: 1. b6+ Ka8 2. Re1! Nxe1 3. g7 h1=Q (if 3...Nc4+ then 4.Kb5 h1=Q 5.g8=Q+ Bb8 6.a7 Na3+ 7.Kc6 Qh2 8.axb8=Q+ Qxb8 9.b7+ Ka7 10.Qg1+ Ka6 11.Qb6 mate) 4. g8=Q+ Bb8 5. a7 Nc6+ 6. dxc6 Qxh5+ 7. Qg5 (not 7.Ka6 Qe2+ or 7.Kb4? Qh4+ with perpetual check) Qxg5+ 8. Ka6 (the queen is deflected from the white diagonal where she could give check) 8... Bxa7 (or 8...Qb5+ 9.Kxb5 Nc2 10.c7 and wins) 9. c7! (a silent move; the double threat c8=Q+ and b7 mate forces Black to sacrifice the queen) 9... Qa5+ 10. Kxa5 Kb7 11. bxa7 and White wins.

Early example

Most old

shatranj Shatranj (, ; from Middle Persian ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins lie in the South Asian game of chaturanga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as it was introduced to Europe by contacts in ...

studies are not valid in modern chess because of changed rules. However, the moves of the king, rook, and knight are unchanged. In this Arabic study White wins because the black knight is poorly placed. With White to move the best move is 1. Rd1, but it is not the only winning move. If Black is to move, 1... Kb8! 2. Kc6! Na5+! 3. Kb6! Nc4+ 4. Kb5! Ne5 5. Re1! Nd7 6. Kc6! wins.

Studies and special moves

The special moves or

rules of chess The rules of chess (also known as the laws of chess) govern the play of the game of chess. Chess is a two-player Abstract strategy game, abstract strategy board game. Each player controls sixteen chess piece, pieces of six types on a chessboar ...

, such as castling, underpromotion, double-square pawn advance, and ''

en passant In chess, ''en passant'' (, "in passing") describes the capture by a Pawn (chess), pawn of an enemy pawn on the same and an adjacent that has just made an initial two-square advance. This is a special case in the rules of chess. The capturi ...

'' are commonly a key feature of studies, as are

sacrifices Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks ...

Castling

Castling in the endgame occurs seldom and is more often seen in studies. Here is one example where White wins by privilege of castling rights. : 1.0-0-0? Ra2! 2.d7 Ra1+ 3.Kc2 Rxd1 4.Kxd1 Kc7 drawn. White needs: 1. d7! Kc7 2. d8=Q+! Kxd8 3. 0-0-0+ simultaneously attacking the

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and

rook Rook or rooks may refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess that moves horizontally and vertically * Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game People, characters, individuals *a rookie, a rook * Russell Rook, Baron Rook (The Lord Rook; 21 ...

that is captured next move.

Study engineering

With the creation and popularization of chess-playing computer software programs, many of which have achieved

Elo ratings The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess or esports. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American chess master and physics professor. The Elo system w ...

significantly higher than top human players, many composers collaborate with them both in composing and solving compositions. Though proven to be helpful, positions have been found which cause even the strongest engines to incorrectly evaluate the outcome. Chess master

Frédéric Lazard Frédéric Lazard (20 February 1883, in Marseille – 18 November 1948, in Le Vésinet) was a French chess master, problemist and journalist. He lived in Paris, where he played in many local tournaments. He took twice 4th place in 1905, shared 3 ...

's 1946 composition is White to play and draw. Solution: 1. Ne4+ Kh4 (1...dxe4 2.Be1#) 2. Ng3! Qf8 (2...fxg3 3.Bb6!! and black cannot advance his pawns as the bishop will take them; if he recaptures it is stalemate. Check with the queen is met by Bg8 and stalemate.) 3. Be1 fxg3 4. Bf2! d4 (4...Qxf2 stalemate, 4...gxf2 5.g3+ Kh3 stalemate) 5. Bxd4 c5 6. Bxc5 Qf1+ 7. Bg1 Qf2 8. Bxf2 gxf2 9. g3+ Kxg3 drawn.

References

External links

ARVES biographical data on composers

Handbook of Chess Composition
{{Chess, state=collapsed Chess endgames Chess problems