If you would like to play relaxed, friendly online chess, then…
Endgame Boot Camp – 30-Day Endgame Focus
This 30-day Endgame Boot Camp is for players who want a concentrated push on endgames. For one month, you will focus mainly on:
- King and pawn endgames
- Rook endings
- Basic minor piece endings
- Practical conversion of advantages
- Defending difficult endings
You can use this plan as a stand-alone project or as an intensive module within a longer training schedule (for example, your 3-month plan).
🎯 Core Goals of the 30-Day Endgame Boot Camp
- Understand king activity and opposition
- Know key theoretical positions (Lucena, Philidor, basic K+P endings)
- Improve your ability to convert extra pawns
- Strengthen your technique in rook endgames
- Gain confidence in reaching and playing endgames
🧱 Structure of the 30-Day Plan
- 20–40 minutes per day (most days)
- Split into:
- Concept learning
- Practical examples
- Puzzle or drill work
- One weekly “lighter” day or rest day
The plan is divided into 4 weekly themes. You can adapt the intensity to your schedule, but try to keep a daily connection with endgame ideas.
📅 Week 1 – King and Pawn Fundamentals
Focus: King activity, opposition, key squares, basic K+P vs K wins/draws.
- Days 1–2: Opposition (direct, distant, diagonal) and key squares
- Days 3–4: Square of the pawn, outside passed pawn, shouldering
- Day 5: Practical K+P puzzles (win/draw identification)
- Day 6: Set up 2–3 positions on a board and play them vs computer
- Day 7: Light review or rest day
The aim is to feel comfortable moving your king aggressively in simplified positions and recognising basic win/draw patterns.
📅 Week 2 – Rook Endgame Essentials
Focus: Activity, cutting off the king, key win/draw techniques.
- Days 8–9: Rooks behind passed pawns, cutting off the king
- Day 10: Lucena position (building a bridge)
- Day 11: Philidor defence (drawing inferior rook endings)
- Day 12: Practical rook endgame puzzles
- Day 13: Play out simplified rook endings vs computer
- Day 14: Light recap or rest
Rook endgames are common, so recognising these themes pays off quickly.
📅 Week 3 – Minor Piece & Simplified Endgames
Focus: Good knight vs bad bishop, opposite-coloured bishops, simple piece endings.
- Days 15–16: Good vs bad bishop, knight vs bishop concepts
- Day 17: Opposite-coloured bishop endings (drawing tendencies)
- Day 18: Knight and bishop vs pawns – typical ideas
- Day 19: Practical minor-piece endgame puzzles
- Day 20: Model game endings featuring minor piece technique
- Day 21: Light review or rest
📅 Week 4 – Practical Conversion & Defence
Focus: Converting extra pawns, avoiding stalemate tricks, defending tough endings.
- Day 22: Converting an extra pawn in simplified positions
- Day 23: Technique for pushing passed pawns safely
- Day 24: Avoiding stalemate and perpetual check traps
- Day 25: Defensive techniques – active defence, fortress ideas
- Day 26: Practical “convert or hold” puzzle set
- Day 27: Play 1–2 slow games aiming for endgames
- Days 28–30: Review your notes and key positions, identify what to revisit later
By the end of Week 4, you should feel more confident both converting advantages and defending difficult endgames.
🧠 Training Methods for Maximum Retention
- Set up positions on a physical or digital board, not just in your head
- Play winning positions vs a computer until you can win them consistently
- Save key diagrams and create a small “endgame notebook”
- Revisit the most important patterns multiple times over the month
Endgames reward repetition: seeing the same type of position several times helps it “stick” permanently in your chess memory.
More Training Plan Templates
- 3-Month Structured Improvement Plan
- 7–14 Day Tournament Preparation Plan
- Blitz Improvement Plan – 2–4 Week Speed & Pattern Focus
- Back to Training Plan Templates
A 30-day endgame boot camp can permanently transform your results. Many games that used to drift into draws or losses will become confident wins once you build solid endgame technique.