ChessRanger
Endgame

Do not hurry

An endgame maxim — improve every piece to the max before committing to the decisive break.

In endgames, rushing the winning idea often lets the defender set up resistance. 'Do not hurry' (Shereshevsky's famous principle) says: before you push the passed pawn or force matters, first bring your king to its best square, put your rook behind the pawn, fix the enemy weaknesses and deny the defender any activity. Only then, with everything maximised, do you strike.

Repeating a position (even to gain time on the clock) and improving your worst-placed piece before acting are part of the same idea. Patience converts more endgames than energy does.

Why it matters

Impatience throws away won endgames — squeezing every ounce of activity out of your pieces first is how technique turns advantages into points.

The mistake everyone makes

Firing off the winning break while a piece is still passive, giving the defender exactly the counterplay a slower approach would have denied.

Related terms

Active king
In the endgame the king becomes a fighting piece — centralise it and use it to attack and support.
Zugzwang
A position where every legal move worsens your position — but passing is not allowed, so you must move.
Prophylaxis
Preventing the opponent's ideas before pursuing your own.
Opposition
Kings facing each other with one square between them; the side NOT to move usually holds the advantage.

See Do not hurry in your own games

Play the engine, train tactics, and analyse your games — ChessRanger points out these patterns as they come up so the word turns into a skill. Free to start.

Start playing