Downloading the PDF is the easy part. Actually improving requires discipline. Do not just scroll through the answers. Use the following training protocol:
Step 1: The Setup (5 minutes) Print the first 10 puzzles. Do not look at the solutions. Set up Puzzle #1 on a real chessboard. Digital boards are convenient, but physical pieces force you to visualize instead of clicking "try again."
Step 2: The Deep Calculation (10-15 minutes per puzzle) This is not a speed drill. Spend at least 10 minutes on a single endgame puzzle.
Step 3: Attempt a Solution (1 minute) Play out your line on the board. Did it work? If not, go back to calculation.
Step 4: Check the Answer (2 minutes) Open the solution section. If you got it right, did you see the opponent's best defense? If you got it wrong, do not move on. Replay the position. Why was your first move a mistake? Did you miss a stalemate trap? Did you promote to the wrong piece?
Step 5: The Spaced Repetition (One week later) The secret to mastery is repetition. After one week, re-do the same 10 puzzles without looking at the answers. If you solve them in under 2 minutes each, you have internalized the pattern. If you get stuck again, repeat the cycle.
Most chess games are decided in the endgame—yet it’s the most neglected phase by club players. While openings come and go, endgame knowledge stays with you forever. Solving endgame puzzles sharpens your calculation, improves piece coordination, and builds the precision needed to convert small advantages into full points.
This PDF contains hand-picked endgame puzzles ranging from basic checkmates to advanced positional subtleties. Each puzzle is designed to train one specific skill.
| Book | Author | Why it’s great | PDF availability | |------|--------|----------------|------------------| | Chess Endgame Training | Bernd Rosen | 300 puzzles, rated by difficulty | Search library genesis / Internet Archive | | 100 Endgames You Must Know | Jesús de la Villa | Practical + 100 exercises | Legal preview on Amazon “Look Inside” → PDF print | | Winning Chess Endgames | Yasser Seirawan | Great for club players | Out-of-print PDF copies online (archive.org) |
⚠️ Only download books in public domain or with author/publisher permission.
For the single best free, ready-to-print PDF right now:
Go to Lichess → Puzzle Themes → Endgame → Set difficulty to your rating → Print as PDF.
You will have 50 fresh endgame puzzles with solutions on a separate page in under 2 minutes.
Here are several reliable sources where you can find chess endgame puzzles in PDF format:
| Title | Publisher | Format | |-------|-----------|--------| | Endgame Labyrinths | Quality Chess | 100+ challenging puzzles | | Winning Chess Endgames (workbook) | Yasser Seirawan | Exercises + solutions | | Chess Endgame Puzzles for Kids | John Nunn | Easy-to-medium puzzles | | The Manual of Chess Endgames (puzzle section) | Karsten Müller | Advanced studies |
📌 Available on: Everyman Chess, New In Chess, Forward Chess (interactive PDF apps)
Look for PDFs that include a "Your Move" section or wide margins. Writing down your calculation (e.g., "If 1...Kf7, then 2. Rd8...") solidifies neural pathways.
These classic texts contain hundreds of endgame puzzles and studies:
| Book | Author | Key Feature | |------|--------|--------------| | Chess Endgame Studies | John Beasley | Collection of composed endgame puzzles | | Practical Chess Endings | Irving Chernev | 300+ endgame positions with solutions | | 100 Endgames You Must Know (workbook version) | Jesús de la Villa | Many sites offer puzzle extracts | | Chess Endgame Training | Bernd Rosen | Puzzle-based approach |
📌 Search on: djm.cc (Chess Library), Project Gutenberg, Archive.org