which chess player was the best chess player in the end game


Smyslov was considered excellent. Rubinstein and Marshall also fine. Marshall has a reputation as a tactician but he played a good endgame.
A lot of those old guys had adjourned games and could analyze the endgames with other masters overnight in order to save the game. The new guys don't have that luxury!

A lot of those old guys had adjourned games and could analyze the endgames with other masters overnight in order to save the game. The new guys don't have that luxury!
We don't speak of these games of course !

The thing is with engines, Carlsen is deffo the best at endgames
Also no matter what Carlsen's way of winning drawn positions has to be him

For his time, Rubinstein was unbelievable in the endgame. Really unlucky not to be able to get a chance to challenge for the WCC due to WW1.

Its true that in the Smyslov era adjourned games were completed on a 'rest' day, so time for full analysis. However in Marshall and Rubinstein's day adjourned games were completed after dinner without any analysis. Such a practice was deemed unsporting !

Capablanca. He won a couple R+4P vs R+3P (all on one side of the board) that were analyzed for years before it was proved that such endings are theoretically drawn. In all those years of magazine articles, improvements in otb GM games, new ideas in ending books, etc. many ideas and improvements were discussed, but no one was ever able to come up with an improvement on what Capablanca played.