The Top 5 Ways to Study Endgames

People always ask me how to study endgames, how I learned about specific positions, and how they can do the same.

Today, I will share my top five suggestions on where to study endgames so that you can raise your chess skill to the next level and then some! 

1) Endgame Simulator

If you already have a paid subscription with Chess.com, you can practice practically limitless endgame scenarios with their Endgame Trainer.

If you have a free account, you can still use the Chess.com Endgame Trainer but with limited daily use.

That's why my top suggestion for anyone looking to practice fundamental endgames that every player should know, like the Lucena Position, the Philador position, checkmating with a knight and bishop, and WAY more, but you don't want to spend any money, check out Chess Videos Tv Endgame Simulations. 

That's the first thing I did twelve years ago when I wanted to break 1200, and I still highly recommend it today.

If you have a desktop or PC, not only can you practice for free, and they have short, simple instructional videos to explain the thought process behind each piece of the position! 

If you're looking for software for your mobile device, I highly recommend Total Chess Endgames 1600-2400 and Chess Endgame Studies.

You can use each for free with limited use or upgrade for a small fee for unlimited use.

2) YouTube

Are you looking for a channel hosted by a knowledgeable player with some "razamatazz?"

Check out GM Maurice Ashley's YouTube channel! 

This example of his work may be a little lengthy, but you won't regret a single minute you spend watching him! 

GM Daniel Naroditsky is currently ranked as the 149th-best player in the world.

He has twelve videos in his series on endgames, and if you want to learn from the best, this is the way to go.

He shares his thought process when analyzing positions, advanced calculation techniques, and more. The first video in his series is shown lower in the article.

One of my personal favorites to watch is Ben Finegold.

It's probably personal bias because he reminds me of my high school physics teacher.

He's not ranked as high as the other two at a "measly" 3,060 (a global ranking I will probably never come close to). Still, he's entertaining, informative, and a joy to watch.

3) Books

Maybe you're more of a bookworm and prefer to move through materials at your own pace to digest the information thoroughly. 

In that case, you can't go wrong with Silman's Complete Endgame Course - From Beginner to Master.

I doubt that there is a high percentage of living grandmasters who haven't read it.

Another book that comes highly recommended is Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual.

I've never read it but based on the quality and quantity of its reviews, we should all pick up this book at our earliest convenience.

4) Study Master Games

Whether it's a modern master like Magnus Carlsen or a former champion like Lasker, Capablanca, or Kasparov, their games are published.

You can quickly look up world champion matches and look for the games that lasted the longest. 

Copy the png and put it into your chess engine, or better yet, play through the games on an actual board. 

When you get to a spot in an endgame that looks contrary to the results, don't go any further! 

There's a secret hidden in the position waiting for you to discover it. 

If you want to see a serious approach to how to study endgames and see why even King Pawn endgames are so beautiful and magical, here's an endgame study that fooled Stockfish at level 30 depth and every master who saw it except for a single national master months after reading about it. 

5) Study Your Endgames! 

If you commit to playing at least one game daily, you'll have hundreds of games to reflect on in a year. 

Most of those games won't make it to an endgame, but the ones that do are worth reviewing. 

After studying master games, watching videos, and reading books and other instructional materials, you'll find positions where you would have made different choices, notice more of your opponents' mistakes, and you might even find a few clever solutions you haven't come across yet to give yourself an edge in the future. 

Until next time, keep improving, keep learning, and most of all, enjoy every moment!

Do you do something different to study endgame or have any of these helped you along your chess journey?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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