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An endgame tablebase is a computerized database of all chess positions within certain endgames. The tablebase reveals the game-theoretical value of each position (win, loss, or draw), and how many moves it will take to achieve that result with perfect play. Thus, the tablebase acts as an oracle, always providing the optimal moves for both White and Black.
Tablebases are generated by retrograde analysis, working backwards from a checkmated or stalemated position. Tablebases have solved chess for every position with six or fewer pieces (including the two kings). The results of the solution have profoundly advanced the chess community's understanding of endgame theory. Some positions which humans had analyzed as draws were proved to be winnable; the tablebase could see a mate in 100 moves or more, far beyond the horizon of both humans and computers. Tablebases have enhanced competitive play and facilitated the composition of endgame studies. They provide a powerful analytical tool, enabling students of chess to discover its deepest secrets.
