Why is the general safer in the endgame than in the middlegame?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
Because there is simply less material left to attack with. The palace is always nine points, but a middlegame attack can bring several pieces to bear on it at once, while an endgame usually has only one or two attackers remaining, which is exactly the attacker count that a solid defence can typically cover.
The arithmetic does not change, the material does
Mating needs roughly two coordinated attackers in most patterns; a full-board attack can gather three or four, overwhelming a defence built for two. In the endgame, gathering even two attackers can be a real task, since so few pieces are left to work with.
When it is still dangerous
A lone chariot and horse, or chariot and cannon, are still enough material to threaten mate if the defensive structure has a gap, which is why converting a material advantage still means watching your own palace, not just attacking theirs.
Related questions
Does this mean I can relax defensively in the endgame?
Not entirely, only that the bar for danger is higher. An intact structure is still doing real work.
Is the general itself a stronger piece in the endgame?
Yes, it becomes a genuine attacker once safe, denying the enemy general a whole file for free.
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