If I were to get a book on the endgame which one should I get? I believe thats the next phase of the game that I have to start working on.
I've been looking at Silman's Complete Endgame Course for some time now but figured I'd get some sort of references.
ps. I will not listen to anybody who tells me to just study tactics because I do 300+ tactics problems a day... *cough* *cou-GP-gh*
Originally posted by tomtom232Jonathan Speelman wrote a pair of books a while back, Analyzing the Endgame and Endgame Preparation, and they really changed my whole perception of not only the ending, but of chess in general.
If I were to get a book on the endgame which one should I get? I believe thats the next phase of the game that I have to start working on.
I've been looking at Silman's Complete Endgame Course for some time now but figured I'd get some sort of references.
ps. I will not listen to anybody who tells me to just study tactics because I do 300+ tactics problems a day... *cough* *cou-GP-gh*
They may be out of print, but I know they can still be found in stock with some booksellers.
Glenn Flear also has a pair- Improve Your Endgame Play and Mastering the Endgame, and they are good and very easy to read. I use the beginning of the latter book as one of my review pieces before a tournament.
A long time ago I read through Paul Keres' Practical Chess Endings, and while I learned a huge amount from it, it is a tedious approach, and the newer books are far better in style and presentation.
Originally posted by Paul LeggettI'm beginning to believe the motto that the endgame is the most important phase to actually study other than just doing tactics.
Jonathan Speelman wrote a pair of books a while back, Analyzing the Endgame and Endgame Preparation, and they really changed my whole perception of not only the ending, but of chess in general.
They may be out of print, but I know they can still be found in stock with some booksellers.
Glenn Flear also has a pair- Improve Your End it is a tedious approach, and the newer books are far better in style and presentation.
Which ones would you reccomend to start with?
I have an endgame book!
Buying one and reading it was one of the few pieces of good advice
I followed when the good players were giving me advice.
I bought Practical Chess Endings by Keres when it first came out.
(I have two copies! I bought the algebraic version as well).
It either was buying that or Fine's book on endings and that just looked
like porridge. Norris mentioned "...incredibly tedious to read."
Fine's book looks "...incredibly tedious to read."
Now of course the market is flooded with them.
It served me well, can't recall losing any ending I should have won.
(allowed a few draws though - often in league games where the match was won
and their was a pint waiting for me in the bar.)
And I have infact turned a few lost endings into wins or draws.
The book is user friendly and does give you a solid base for the practical
type of endings you are liable to meet.
Practical end game play is technique as opposed to imagination.
A simple explanation of technique is that you could show someone
who knows nothing about chess how to mate with a K+R v K and nothing else
about the game. Not how the other pieces and pawns move or even
how the pieces are lined up at the start of a game.
After 30 minutes max they would be able to mate anyone in the world
with K+R v K. It's technique.
Originally posted by tomtom232If I had to start all over again, I would start with the Flear books, simply because they are quick, easy, and fundamental. He has a very practical approach that can be applied to games immediately.
I'm beginning to believe the motto that the endgame is the most important phase to actually study other than just doing tactics.
Which ones would you reccomend to start with?
The Speelman books are far easier to appreciate after a healthy helping of fundamentals.
Originally posted by greenpawn34are there any books that take you from middle game and instruct one how to proceed to an advantageous ending?
"Study endings" they said, "Study endings."
"It will raise your grade by 200 points." they said.
So I looked at my grade on line, logged off and went and looked at an ending.
I loggged back on. My grade was the same. 🙁
Five minutes of life wasted.
Originally posted by tortenGreat book and a great post.
Capablanca's best chess endings.
And I guess in pretty much any 'my best games' you'll find a bunch of such examples.
Except maybe Anderssen.
I was thinking mainly OTB when I originally posted, but I have to say that Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual has been my mainstay when playing here on the site.
It's been a great book for identifying "similar" positions where the match isn't exact, but where I can use the book to get an idea of what I should do and how I should calculate. It's an excellent "The idea in this position is to ..." kind of book.
Originally posted by robbie carrobieIf you study an opening book with complete games, you are going to see endings that will directly result from your opening. I think it's a very efficient way to study endings for OTB play.
are there any books that take you from middle game and instruct one how to proceed to an advantageous ending?
Originally posted by robbie carrobieEdmar Mednis has a book, From the Middlegame into the Endgame, that addresses just that. I've heard nothing but good things about it. Most of his books are pretty cheap too.
are there any books that take you from middle game and instruct one how to proceed to an advantageous ending?
Originally posted by NoTrueScotsmanyes that is exactly the kind of thing i am looking for, many thanks.
Edmar Mednis has a book, From the Middlegame into the Endgame, that addresses just that. I've heard nothing but good things about it. Most of his books are pretty cheap too.