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white_disc ♡ 31 ( +1 | -1 )
Essential endgames required Recently, I was told of things such as Philidor position and Lucena position in chess endgames... and I simply have no idea what they are...

Are there any fundamental chess endgames that a chess player should be concerned with ? Things like the philidor position for one......


Thanks a lot. Regards.
mlazar ♡ 7 ( +1 | -1 )
It can be complicated but I've found Silman's "Reassess your Chess explains it ..
drgandalf ♡ 51 ( +1 | -1 )
Essential Endgame Knowledge I wrote a book, "Practical Endgame Weapons, Volume One". I am working on Volume Two. The first volume would give someone like you enough knowledge for your level of play to increase 100-200 points. You may be losing many opportunities in the endgame in your actual play, and my book would help you. It is VERY BASIC, and written in a VERY SIMPLE manner, far simpler and clearer than any other book I know of. If interested, contact me. I'll send you a sample chapter. Best in your endgame.
zdrak ♡ 56 ( +1 | -1 )
I got somewhat intrigued by this "Practical Endgame Weapons, Volume One", thing. A catchy title ... so I tried to search it up on google. I mean, if it's a real book, it should appear somewhere on the net, in a catalog, a review, or something ?

So I googled it up, and three matches came up. Match #1 was this thread. Matches #2 and #3 unfortunately didn't add anything new - both where also GameKnot posts where drgandaf tries to advertise his book... so what up, doc? Does this book exist anywhere outside your posts??

Inquiring minds want to know!
roblear ♡ 56 ( +1 | -1 )
yup me too....
i'm currently struggling with "winning endgame technique" by alexander beliavsky and adrian mikhalchisin....
there's some good stuff in it, but as a mid 1300s rated player i think i need more simple advice...the first chapter says they remember when they first started out and learned about opposition, rule of the square etc etc uhhhh hello? i had no idea what opposition meant and i must admit that although this book seems very comprehensive, maybe i need something one step back.....

rob
white_disc ♡ 54 ( +1 | -1 )
One endgame method One endgame method I saw on a post somewhere here is to take a position in which pple resigned (must be quite an advanced position), and get a friend, let him play the attacker and u the defender... see if u really will lose, and why...

more of an OTB method, but I do not belong to any chess-club, so it can't work for me...

Anyone knows of any good endgame books ? Some said "Basic chess endings" was good... but me aren't sure...

what I am looking for is the type of situation, and the idea behind winning or drawing the situation, not mere moves...

anyone can enlighten me ? thanks a lot :)
white_disc ♡ 34 ( +1 | -1 )
mlazar The book "How to reassess your chess" is quite deep, and I cannot grasp even the brief introduction of imbalances in "Amateur's Mind" 1st chapter...

Also, how is the "How to reassess your chess workbook" like ? Is it a source of exercises and examples for concept application ? I have not seen that book before, heard of it though...

Thanks a lot :)
brucehum ♡ 132 ( +1 | -1 )
THE endgame book is: "Fundamental Chess Endings", by Karsten Muller & Frank Lampretch. It is a thick $30 book that has all basic endings in it, and how to play them. This book has been highly praised by reviewers such as Randy Bauer at chessopolis, Silman and Watson at Silman's.

Another interesting endgames book is "Endgame Strategy" by Shereshevsky. This one is ordered by strategical themes, such as "the two weaknesses" and all that. There are many editions of this one: 1981 (original), 1994 (last english). The 1994 is the one I am refering too.

Maybe they are both a bit advanced. With the first one, you probably wont have to buy a general endings book ever. It is that good. And, both books are not so dry as Pachman's or Fine's or the 5 tome monster by Averbakh!

The second one is a classical from the russian school, and Silman and Dvoretsky both swear by it. Maybe you could get both (as I did recently)

Randy Bauer at Chessopolis gives "Fundamental Chess Endings" a 10.

Silman says about "endgame strategy" :
"If you're looking for fun endgame lessons that actually teach you something, this book is, without a doubt, a no-guilt buy."

"Practical Chess Endings" by Chernev would be better for beginners.

"Essential Chess Endings" by Averbakh is similar to Chernev's in scope and level.

"Essential Endgames" by Silman the same as Chernev's and Averbakh's.
getoutofhere ♡ 40 ( +1 | -1 )
a good start I think a good start on the endgames is Pandolfini's
Endgame Course. I lets you work through different
endings starting right at the end and then working
backwards: ie mate in 2 then in 4 then in 8 until you
can work through a knight/bishop mate in 19 moves
without thinking twice. I am still working through it,
and it is not as comprehensive as the Karsten/muller
book, but I think it gets you on your way.
atrifix ♡ 37 ( +1 | -1 )
IMO I would not recommend 'reading' Fundamental Chess Endings or BCE until you get a lot of background in basic endgame positions. I'd recommend Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky and Winning Chess Endings by Seirawan. I would try something like Pandolfini's book or Practical Chess Endings before FCE or BCE, although I haven't read those books, but I have seen them recommended.
zdrak ♡ 21 ( +1 | -1 )
I think that Shereshevky's book is an excellent one, but hardly useful for a player who doesn't know what it the Lucena position ... for a 1400-level player I'd recommend to start with Pandolfini's book.
brobishkin ♡ 84 ( +1 | -1 )
Chess Endings... Michael J. Franett (Editor of Inside Chess Magazine) once stated "Studying the ending is like cheating"... No one likes to study endings... Often the work is solitary and overwhelming...

A genuinely good book I have liked is writen by Russian Grandmaster Yuri Averbach titled "Russian series on endings"... Though it's very advanced it covers all of the basic principles on endings and some advanced formula's...

If you're more on the beginners side of things, try the Winnings Chess series "Endings" by Yasser Seirawan... And most of the requests in the above threads are exceptionally very good too...

In the endings of chess games you must play like a machine... Every move you make must take you towards the promotion or the mate... If not, you lose or draw... But even drawing in the endgame can be a victory with a losing position...

Bro...
janpot ♡ 43 ( +1 | -1 )
Basic endings study I would recommend Averbakh's 'Chess Endings - Essential Knowledge' to start with. Shereshevkhi's 'Endgame Strategy' is a fine follow-up. I also own ChessBase's 'ABC of Endgames'. they have also great training CD-ROMs on openings, middlegame, strategy, tactics. A lot of value for little money. Also on specific openings.
As to Jeremy Silman, he's a great chess-writer. Keeps things understandable.

Jan Pot, Antwerp, Belgium
roblear ♡ 18 ( +1 | -1 )
choice made... so i've just ordered pandolfini's course on the advice of zdrak and no doubt i'll post something to report how it goes.....

rob
raimon ♡ 55 ( +1 | -1 )
white_disk the first endgame book I ever owned was: Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine.
Even now that is the first place that I look because I know where to find what I am looking for.
Endgames are to chess what putting and chipping are to golf - the work that you put in will be repaid 10,000 fold.
Positions that look dull and boring can very often be deceptive.
I recommend starting with king and pawn endings and learn them thoroughly before moving on i.e. learn one thing at a time.
furryfunbundle ♡ 3 ( +1 | -1 )
Golf chip & Put Great Analogy Raimon
tulkos ♡ 16 ( +1 | -1 )
zdrak, practical endgame weapons volume 1--- is also here. www.jaderiver.com/chess/tchnamef.html
zdrak ♡ 7 ( +1 | -1 )
Aha, so it's not a book after all. It's a manuscript. In other words, it's an attempt at a book.


brucehum ♡ 35 ( +1 | -1 )
A manuscript is a kind of book... ... unless the definition has changed recently! ;-)
All books are manuscripts, at first.

Manuscript may probably only mean self-made. I don't think you'll get old paper bounded with a rope and written with a quill... more probably word or pdf in origin! Could also be an eBook.

Maybe the author could explain what is the form of the book?
freakachu ♡ 45 ( +1 | -1 )
RE: Fine's Basic Chess Endings. I started out with Fine's book, and find it to be a convenient reference text. Most of the required corrections to it are available online. Having said that...

For the love of all that is good and decent I would never inflict it upon a student as their first endgame book. It's not over the head of beginning students, it's just mildly less interesting than reading a dictionary of a language you don't understand while waiting for an elevator.