ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pawnless chess endgame

Okay kiddo, you know how when you play chess, you use lots of pieces to try and capture your opponent's king? Well, sometimes when the game gets close to the end, all the pieces have been taken except for a few. And sometimes, there aren't any pawns left on the board. This is called a "pawnless chess endgame."

When this happens, the game can change a lot! Without any pawns, it can be harder to block your opponent's pieces from moving around a lot. And since there aren't as many pieces left, each move you make is even more important than before.

Instead of trying to capture your opponent's king, now you might be trying to "promote" one of your pieces. That means you'll move a piece all the way to the opposite side of the board and it will become either a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Promoting a piece can be really helpful because those pieces can move in lots of different directions and can help you capture your opponent's king.

But your opponent will be trying to do the same thing, so you need to be careful! Each move you make could mean the difference between winning and losing. It's like a really tricky puzzle, and you have to figure out the best way to use your pieces to win the game.