A tablebase is a database holding the exact result of every position with seven pieces or fewer, counting the kings, and the fastest way to win or hold each one.
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A tablebase looks the result up rather than estimating it. It shows which endings are won and drawn, and it contains wins far too long for any human plan, which is why players study the patterns instead.
How to do it
- 1Check your endgames against a tablebase after the game.
- 2Learn boundaries, such as which pawns draw against a queen, rather than long winning lines.
- 3Remember the fifty-move rule: some tablebase wins take longer than it allows.
For your level
Use tablebases for boundaries rather than sequences: which structures hold, which pawn draws against a queen. A two-hundred-move win teaches nothing you can carry into a game.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 3
White to play. There is a checkmate in one move — find it.
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Play your move on the board.
Question 2 of 3
Play the moves through. What has happened to the king?
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Question 3 of 3
After the last move, how many legal moves does the mated side have?
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Common mistakes
- Treating a tablebase result as a plan. Knowing it wins does not tell you how to play it.
- Forgetting the fifty-move rule, which turns some tablebase wins into draws over the board.
Questions
- How many pieces do tablebases cover?
- Complete tablebases cover every position with seven pieces or fewer, counting both kings. With more pieces on the board, engines estimate rather than look the answer up.
- Can I use a tablebase during a game?
- No. Consulting a database or engine during a game is cheating. Use it afterwards to find the move where the result changed.