Looking for suggestions about learning priorities

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Duckfest

Hi all,

After a couple of recent endgames that I messed up, I’ve concluded that I should invest more in studying endgames. But I don’t really know where to start, as there is a lot of content to go over.

I’ve selected a couple of games that I think serve as good examples. They either demonstrate me not really knowing what to do or me suddenly and unexpectedly losing a winning position.
I’m not looking for feedback on the mistakes I made. By now I have already investigated my biggest mistakes and I already know and understand, in hindsight, what I should have played. 

But understanding a solution once you’ve seen it is not the same as being able to prevent it next time. I’m wondering how I can do better in future games.Are there principles I am unaware of? Concepts that I haven’t learned yet? Are there common themes that I should prioritize in lessons and puzzles? 
My main question to the community is

Can you spot patterns in my endgame that indicate what aspects of the endgame I should invest my time in? 


Games


Duckfest vs Sergius44

Full game: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/487449521

Comments on the game are available in my blog article My Mistakes in April.


Duckfest vs corum

Full game:  https://www.chess.com/game/daily/477160757

Comments available in my blog article My March Mistakes.


Duckfest vs Czekov

Full game: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/480527477


corum vs Duckfest

Full game: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/487558179

Comments on the game are available in my blog article My Mistakes in April.


Duckfest vs TinDog

Full game: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/485680913

Annotated version is available here.


JiriF vs Duckfest

Full game: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/486467007


Wrap-up


Thanks for looking at my endgames.

To summarize again my goal. I’m looking for feedback on what aspects of the endgame I should look into more. I have already analyzed my mistakes, so I’m not looking for feedback on how I played these specific games.

But analyzing alone is not enough I think. Understanding why the mistakes I made were wrong is easy and understanding the best move in hindsight is also fairly achievable. The real question is: why didn’t I find the best move while I was playing the game?

I’m looking forward to your suggestions.

KevinOSh

Based on a very quick look at your games, I suggest Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy.

The book is no quick fix and takes a long time to absorb, but it should help a lot over the long term.

Also a general rule which I cannot emphasize strongly enough is never to trust on your intuition in a close endgame. All too often the most natural looking move turns out to be a huge blunder.

Unless you are in a serious time scramble, check, double check, and triple check before making your move. Look at all possible replies from your opponent, even the silly looking ones. If there is a way to ensure that you reach a lucena or a philidor position then you can use that to stop calculating there. But often it requires a long calculation to see whether a move is winning or losing.

Endgames are tough and even Magnus Carlsen blunders occasionally: https://www.chess.com/article/view/top-3-chess-endgame-mistakes

DiagonalDisaster

I have the same problem, thanks for the book recommendation.