Rookie

Endgames

The Endgame Skewer: How Queen Races End

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Pawn races often finish with both sides promoting, and beginners assume that means a draw. But brand-new queens are born on predictable squares, usually with a king standing right next to them, and that geometry is skewer bait: a check along the right line forces the king aside and scoops up the fresh queen behind it.

This is why winning the race by one tempo isn't the whole story: the player who promotes FIRST gets to start checking, and the player who promotes in the wrong corner can lose the new queen immediately. Before committing to a race, look at where both queens will appear and check the lines between them.

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Both sides promoted, but Black's new queen sits in the corner with its king in front of it on the same file.

Black just promoted too. Win the new queen anyway.

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