Endgames are the purest calculation in chess. With few pieces on the board, every move counts exactly, and there is no middlegame fog to hide a mistake. That is also why they are hard to train: you cannot memorize your way through a rook ending against a defender who keeps finding the most annoying reply. You have to see the position clearly and calculate it. This guide compares the best chess endgame training tools in 2026, weighted toward the ones that make you do exactly that.
Disclosure: the team behind this blog also builds ChessEndings, the tool ranked first below. We have listed the main alternatives with their real trade-offs so you can compare and judge for yourself.
How we compared them
Some endgame tools teach you to recall theory; others make you calculate and convert a real position against resistance. The second is the harder, more transferable skill, and it is the one that rewards good visualization, so we ranked practice-against-resistance above pure memorization. For the reasoning method itself, see our guide on how to calculate in chess.
1. ChessEndings: best for converting endings against real defense
ChessEndings makes you play each theoretical position out against a tablebase-perfect opponent that never resigns, pushes its pawn to the last rank, and sets the hardest practical traps. The loop is learn the idea in two minutes, beat perfect defense, then keep it forever, because positions you miss return mirrored and color-swapped, so you retain the idea instead of memorizing the squares. It also scans your own games to surface the winning endings you drew or lost.
Because you calculate and convert rather than just recall a line, it trains the exact skill that fails players over the board. The full first-tier curriculum is free, built on 261 tablebase-verified positions.
Approach: play the ending out against a fighting opponent.
Platforms: Web.
Pricing: Free tier (full Foundations curriculum, 5 advanced drills per day); Pro is a one-time 39 EUR, no subscription.
Best for: players who understand endings but misplay them under resistance. Practice endgames free.
2. ChessTempo: best for rated endgame puzzles
ChessTempo offers dedicated endgame training built from real-game positions, with adaptive difficulty and a separate endgame rating so you can measure progress. Its library spans a wide range of piece counts, which makes it strong for high-volume, rated calculation practice.
It is puzzle-shaped, so you solve for the key move rather than playing the whole ending against a live opponent, but for measured, high-volume drilling it is one of the best.
Approach: rated endgame puzzles from real games.
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Free tier (limited daily); paid membership unlocks more.
Best for: players who want high-volume, rated endgame calculation.
3. Chessable: best for learning the theory cold
If your problem is not seeing the position but not knowing the method, Chessable fixes the knowledge gap. Its flagship course, 100 Endgames You Must Know (from Jesus de la Villa's book), pairs the essential positions with the MoveTrainer spaced-repetition engine so you drill each until it is automatic.
The trade-off is that it trains recall rather than resistance, so it works best paired with a play-it-out trainer that forces you to calculate the same ideas live.
Approach: memorize curated theory with spaced repetition.
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Paid per course, plus an optional Pro subscription.
Best for: players who want to learn the essential theoretical positions cold.
4. Lichess: the best free option
Lichess is free, open-source, and ad-free, and it approaches endgames from several angles: an endgame puzzle theme, curated Practice lessons on the basic mates and pawn endings, community studies, and a tablebase built into the analysis board. Together that is a lot of free calculation practice.
There is no single adaptive path and no opponent tuned for maximum resistance, so you self-direct, but for zero budget it is exceptional value.
Approach: free puzzles, practice lessons, studies, and tablebase.
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Free, donation-supported.
Best for: self-directed players who want free endgame material.
5. Chess.com: convenient drills in the big platform
Chess.com bundles endgame practice into the platform you may already use: Endgame Drills let you play set positions out against the computer, and its lessons cover the fundamentals. It is convenient if you already have an account there.
The drills are useful but shallower than a dedicated curriculum, the computer is not tuned for maximum practical resistance, and deeper material needs a premium membership.
Approach: play-out drills plus lessons.
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Free tier; premium tiers unlock more.
Best for: existing Chess.com users who want light endgame practice in one place.
Side-by-side comparison
Tool | Approach | Platforms | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
ChessEndings | Play endings out vs perfect defense | Web | Free; Pro 39 EUR one-time |
ChessTempo | Rated endgame puzzles | Web, iOS, Android | Free tier; paid membership |
Chessable | Memorize theory (spaced repetition) | Web, iOS, Android | Per course + optional Pro |
Lichess | Free puzzles, practice, tablebase | Web, iOS, Android | Free (donation) |
Chess.com | Drills vs computer + lessons | Web, iOS, Android | Free; premium tiers |
Which one should you pick?
If you understand endings but misplay them when the opponent fights, train the conversion itself, so start with ChessEndings. Add ChessTempo for rated puzzle volume, and learn any theory you are missing on Chessable. On a zero budget, Lichess covers a surprising amount for free.
The pattern that works: learn the method once, then calculate and convert it repeatedly against a defender who never helps. That live conversion is the skill that decides real endgames, and it is the half almost everyone skips.
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