Queen endgame
A queen endgame is an ending in which each side still has a queen, usually with a few pawns, where checks, perpetual check and passed pawns tend to decide the result.
In a queen endgame both players keep their queens and a few pawns. Because the queen moves so far and checks from so many directions, these positions are sharper and more drawish than they look. The side with the more exposed king is often the one in trouble, even a pawn up.
King safety is the first thing to judge. A king with few pawns around it can be harassed by endless checks, and a perpetual check is the usual way a worse side draws. Keep your own king tucked behind its pawns when you can, and look for ways to stop the opposing queen from checking.
The second thing is passed pawns. A far-advanced passed pawn often counts for more than an extra pawn elsewhere, and a centralized queen can escort it while also blocking the opponent's checks. Trading queens often turns a good queen ending into a won pawn ending, so check that trade carefully before you go for it.
The example shows how quickly a careless king can fall. Black's king is boxed in by its own pawns, and the black queen is too far away to stop the back-rank checkmate, so Qd8 ends the game. Always check whether your king has a flight square before you send the queen on a long trip.
Compare it with Queen versus rook. Queen versus rook is an endgame in which one side has a queen and the other a rook, with no other pieces, and the queen wins in general but only after patient, precise technique.
A neighboring idea is Tarrasch rule. The Tarrasch rule holds that a rook usually belongs behind a passed pawn, whether the pawn is its own or the enemy's, because from the rear the rook gains squares as the pawn moves up instead of losing them.
If "Queen endgame" has cost you half a point, a first lesson is a good place to find the pattern behind it: George Li goes through your games and builds a plan.
Related terms
A perpetual check is a run of checks that the defending king cannot sidestep, so the same positions recur and the game is drawn by repetition, rescuing the side that was losing.
A back rank mate is a checkmate on a player's first or eighth rank, typically by a rook or queen, delivered when the king's own pawns leave it no square to step to.
A passed pawn has a clear road to promotion as far as enemy pawns are concerned: none stands ahead of it on its own file or the two neighboring files, so the opponent must spend a piece or the king to stop it.
King safety is the degree to which a king is protected from attack, as determined by its pawn cover, the defenders nearby, the open lines pointing at it and how quickly the opponent can bring attackers to the area.
Queen versus rook is an endgame in which one side has a queen and the other a rook, with no other pieces, and the queen wins in general but only after patient, precise technique.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
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A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.