Middlegame to Endgame Transition

1. When you have a structural advantage. Weak pawn advantages grow stronger in endgames.
2. When you have a material advantage. Extra material is easier to convert with fewer pieces on the board.
3. When the opponent has attacking chances. Transitioning to an endgame can defuse a dangerous middlegame attack.
4. When your endgame skill is superior. If you're a stronger endgame player, steer toward endgames.

Trade: Your opponent's active pieces. Pieces that create threats against you. Queens (when you want to simplify). Keep: Your most active pieces. Pieces that target weaknesses. A rook pair (rook endgames are the most common). See When to Trade Pieces for the complete framework.

1. Avoid endgames where your advantage disappears. Don't trade into opposite-coloured bishops if you want to win.
2. Seek endgames that magnify your advantage. If you have a good bishop vs bad bishop, keep the bishops on.
3. Consider your practical knowledge. Enter endgame types you know well.

Karpov was the supreme master of the middlegame-to-endgame transition. He would accumulate small advantages in the middlegame, then transition to endgames where those advantages were decisive. Study his games for masterful transitions. See Converting Small Advantages.