How to end a chess game in 3 moves

A common tactical resource is sacrificing a pawn in order to decoy the enemy King away from the protection of a chain of pawns or an important solitary pawn. Having this principle constantly in mind can help you find a path to victory in many positions, complicated or simple. How many pawn chains, or islands, does each side have? White has four, black has two. Even though material is equal, black has a huge advantage because his pawns can be more easily protected.

An important category to have in mind, a pawn chain is any group of pawns that stand on adjacent files to one another, and thus have at least in principle the possibility of defending each other.

Good players understand the importance of having as few chains as possible, which considerably lightens task of defending individual pawns. White to move wins, since by pushing one pawn white makes sure that the King cannot take the other one without relinquishing control of the promotion square of the other pawn.

Black to play draws easily by holding off the passed pawn with Bishops often have an easy time against passed pawns. Due to their high mobility, Bishops have an easy time controlling solitary pawns.

Unless the pawn is on the verge of promotion, Bishops will invariably have the time to stop it. Knights find their nemesis in Rook pawns, since blocking them means having very little mobility; a Knight on the rim is grim, as Tarrasch said. Knights may find it harder to deal with passed pawns, especially Rook pawns. While this is something to be aware of, a deeper understanding of it is best left for a further level. White must try to stop the pawn, take it, and then checkmate with Rook and King.

This is not always possible, though, especially if the King of the stronger side is far away from the pawn. Rooks usually win against pawns, even ones relatively advanced and supported by their King. An easy win for the stronger side, since the white pawn is far advanced enough.

This kind of ending can happen with relative frequency and is important to be aware of the fact that i f one side has an advanced enough pawn, a series of checks that forces an exchange of Queens will usually lead to a win. Mined squares are sets of corresponding squares. One of the key endgame principles, understanding mined squares ensures that you can make the best use of the opposition principle in slightly more complex situations.

Black to play has an easy draw by giving the opposition. This is the essence of blocking passed pawns in endgames. In the situation above, black to move draws, but white to move wins. Doubled pawns are a liability, but when your opponent has none, they can be a good thing. Here white is better off with the extra pawn, which he can use to sacrifice in order to promote his other pawn. Such endgames are usually a win, since even if the pawns are blocked the stronger side can sacrifice one to reach a pawn-on-the-sixth winning position, as seen in the previous example.

Either side to play is a draw, since the black side will have no legal moves available. The same decoy principle applies here: one side must repair his King away from the main nucleus of pawns, leaving them vulnerable to the opposing King.

Another position where the Knight finds it hard to fight against a pawn on the edge of the board. Here white merely advances the pawn and black has no good options. Gradually approaching with the King, white will be able to defend the pawn and then use the Knight to push the pawn forward.

This always win for the side with the Knight, even if it may seem tricky at first. A huge drawing factor: what one Bishop attacks, the other cannot defend. Bishops of opposite colors are a well-known drawing factor.

Here, for instance, black cannot force a win in spite of being three pawns up: if the pawns are on the same squares as his Bishop, there is no way to force them through the barrier of King and Bishop that the weaker side presents.

Black to play would draw with Kg4, but white to play wins thanks to the threat of pushing one pawn too far. A useful concept, w hen the King attacks one pawn, the other advances, threatening to push forward in case the King captures the other one. The trick here is a back-and-forth by the King. Kg2 Kc5 and the draw is clear. No matter in which rank they stand, these pawns will be safe, since in order to capture one the King must always put itself outside the square of the other.

White wins, but first must make sure that no stalemate occurs. This tricky position relies on an understanding of the pawn-on-the-sixth-rank situations. White wins by sacrificing the Rook pawn.

In the diagram we thus have: 1. Kb7 2. Ka6 Kb8 4. There are many ways to win here; one is by means of a breakthrough. The stronger side can force a breakthrough provided the more advanced pawn is in the fifth rank or farther. Breakthroughs are an elegant and clever way to push a pawn towards promotion.

This is a classic illustration of an important concept in pawn vs pawn endings: the sacrificial pawn break. White to play wins with 1. Long distance o u tflanking. Corollary to the principle of opposition is outflanking, which gradually reduces the distance between the Kings until a simple, short-distance opposition can occur.

The one principle to have in mind is that the pawns should advance gradually, closely supported by the King as well as supporting each other. As often in such endgames, a close teamwork is key. Holding the seventh means putting the other in a passive situation. The white Rook is more active: after 1.

In Rook endgames, activity is key. Rooks always attack pawns from behind so that the further the pawn moves, the greater the scope and space available for the Rook. Rooks also defend pawns from behind, for the same reason. A passive Rook, that only acts in defense, is a big and very often a decisive liability.

The Bishop roll that we already looked at briefly. Now you should be able to understand how to get here and how to proceed from here. This is a more common endgame than the King, Bishop and Knight vs King. Sacrificing in order to create a pawn avalanche can help tip the balance when the opposite-colored Bishops push the game towards a draw. We know that these are a big drawing factor, even in positions where one side is two or even three pawns up.

However, sometimes one side has winning chances by a timely sacrifice of his Bishop, turning the endgame into a pawns vs Bishop one. Through a series of decoy maneuvers, white manages to draw the black Bishop away from the defense of the promotion square in most such positions. Not Helpful 53 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

For this to work, you need an opponent who is either very cooperative or perhaps not quite awake. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Be wary of trying this in a more serious game, as it is not likely to come off. If they don't play right into your hand, the 3-move checkmate won't work. You Might Also Like How to. How to. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: December 27, Categories: Chess.

Article Summary X To checkmate in 3 moves in chess, start by moving your queen pawn to d3. Italiano: Dare Scaccomatto in 3 Mosse. Nederlands: Iemand schaakmat zetten in drie stappen.

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,, times. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Aria McCracken-Turesky Oct 5, Alex Sep 26, Soumik Sheth Jul 12, Rated this article:. Opal Darling Aug 21, Hope I can figure everything out and get good.

Aditya Kapare Jan 13, Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories. Featured Articles How to. Trending Articles How to. Win quickly as black with only 2 moves. On the opening turn, if white advances a pawn to f4, move the pawn in front of your king to e6 so you can free up your queen and bishop. If they do, move your queen diagonally to h4. Open with a pawn to e4. If your opponent moves their pawn to f6, then advance a pawn to d4.

If the black player makes a mistake by moving a pawn to g5, then move your king to h5 for a checkmate. Method 7. Declare victory in 4 moves as white with this beginner pattern. On your opening turn, advance the pawn in front of your king to e4. If your opponent matches your play by moving a pawn to e5, bring your queen out to h5.

Your opponent will usually move a knight c6. If your opponent then moves their other knight to f6, capture the pawn on f7 with your queen to declare checkmate. Method 8. Sacrifice your queen early on to trap your opponent with your knights.

Open the game by moving a pawn to e4. When your opponent moves a pawn to e5, push your knight forward to f3. Your opponent will usually mirror your play and move a knight to c6.

Slide your bishop to c4. If they move a pawn to d6, move your other knight to c3. When your opponent moves a bishop to g4, move a pawn to h3.

Your opponent will typically move their bishop to h5. Then, move your knight to e5. Let your opponent capture your queen so you can move your bishop to f7 and force a check. Your opponent must move their king to e7, but you can force a checkmate by putting your second knight on d5. Method 9. Method Chess has no rule that sets a specific limit on how many moves your opponent has to checkmate you after you are down to just a king.

But it does have a rule that limits the number of moves allowed during the endgame. This is called the 50 moves rule. If each player makes 50 moves without moving a pawn or capturing a piece, the next player to move may claim a draw. Although this rule does not start its countdown when a king is bared, it becomes more of a going concern when a player has been reduced to a bare king. This is because that player has no pawns to move and no pieces left to be captured, and the bare king is going to have fewer opportunities to capture enemy pieces.

If there are also no pawns left in the game, then it's very likely that no future moves will reset the countdown from the last capture or pawn move. In that case, the 50 moves rule will set a fixed cap on how many moves are left in the game. If your opponent has not checkmated you before those moves get used up, you may claim a draw and end the game. At a certain step in chess education, people learn how to win this position when they are white, but several players do not know how to win here, and keep moving the rook to and fro without actually mating the opponent.

Theoretically, this is a position that is won for white, but many players do not know or have forgotton how to win from this position. This rule was made to prevent players who do not know how to win from having the game continue forever.