Best way to improve Endgame technique?

So like ive realized that my endgame technique is terrible and its probably whats keeping me from improving. Ive worked a lot on my middlegame but whenever I get an ending I just blow it sometimes.

Sometimes, I've even gotten get equal or better endgames against experts but then have to end up losing or drawing..especially in stupid knight endings-those are the hardest for me.

Never really bothered to look much at endgames much either cause people say not to worry about them. I just know the basic stuff like opposition, Philidor, Lucena position. But in general, I have trouble figuring out what to do.......

Heres an example:

I liked Silman's "Complete Endgame Course".  I also recommend moving through master games to see how they played the endgame.  When a game is resigned, use the chess engine to play against you while you try and win the "won" game.  Practice in this way will improve your endgame.  You can use SCID, a free database with engines to do this, or look at my program "Guess the Move".

You need to increase your chess knowledge. Try Nunn's Understanding Chess Endgame. The thing with endgame is for you to fully absorb it, you need to re study it a lot. If there are questions in your mind seek for answers..

I try not to outdo my opponents too badly early on, so I get a chance to practice my endgame technique

Reread your post(in my quote-I cut out the unimportant stuff)...

Work on your endgame

Obviously there is more specific advice to give....But, if you haven't worked hard like you have on the middlegame then we can't really say exactly what you need can we? 

Btw....The position you give is not equal at the beginning(at move 45 that is).  IMOP it seems lost(I may be missing something...But, the key factors are whites majority is immobile(as the black king is more restricting of it).  While the black majority can get going AND he has the active rook.  More active rook plus more active king plus more mobile pawns = doom. 

Some others have given some good specific advice on the endgame.  I will just add a few things...Obviously knowledge is essential. 

Start with pawn endings.  If you don't know what a winning pawn ending is then you don't know when to transition to a winning (or sometimes, drawn king and pawn ending).  The thing about pawn endings is that they will greatly improve your calculation ability as well because they are very concrete a lot of times.  When you look over master games, look at when they transition to a pawn ending.  Who do you think is better?  Did the person initiated the exchange have to because they were far worst in the middlegame or were they trying to win the endgame etc...You can do this going to bishop and pawn endgames as well etc etc..

Obviously it would take a LONG time to master all king and pawn endings.  But, a good book to have is secrets of pawn endings.  That really is probably all you need for pawn endings(since you said you understand the basics opposition etc.)  Take a look at it though...there may be some basics you need if I remember right before going to that one. 

If you think the book is appropriate SLOWLY go through it until you understand the ideas.  Move the pawns around just slightly from positions they show and see if you can understand the differences in the positions.

Of course you shouldn't JUST work on pawn endings..BUt, the same principles apply to these other endgames you work on.  ANd there should be a primary focus of the pawn endgames at first.  Once you feel you have at least a sound understanding of the pawn endings shift focus to rook and pawn endings(still working on pawn endings but jsust not the primary focus anymore).  The rook and pawn endings are next most often that come up(but can be quite complex as well.  I think I have given you enough of an idea about specifics know.  Just let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks everyone!

Btw, for the studying master games, I have Chessbase 11. Is there any way I can  search for a specific ending in that? It just seems like studying master games works pretty well for the middlegame but its harder to use it to practice endings.

I'll try the play out resigned/lost position vs computer idea too. Interestingly, in that game, the computer actually says its approximately equal/very slightly better for black (-0.10). I obviously didn't know a defense though and it is always extremely hard to find one during the game.

you can do a material search in chessbase 

LavaRook wrote:

Thanks everyone!

Btw, for the studying master games, I have Chessbase 11. Is there any way I can  search for a specific ending in that? It just seems like studying master games works pretty well for the middlegame but its harder to use it to practice endings.

I'll try the play out resigned/lost position vs computer idea too. Interestingly, in that game, the computer actually says its approximately equal/very slightly better for black (-0.10). I obviously didn't know a defense though and it is always extremely hard to find one during the game.

The beginning position or move 43?.....I have been wrong before. But white just seems winning to me when the rook ending occurs

Move 45-48 its around -0.10 but in reality I know thats not saying much  and its obvious Black's position is a lot easier to play--just that there might be a defense somehow....or maybe not cause comps can be bad at endings like this.

But yea, in hindsight, trading queens was pretty bad. I just felt that I might be able to hold that somehow by restricting his king but that didn't work out. I also wasn't very confident about Qe5+ or Qe7+.

I hadn't thought of this! I think it's a great idea!