Playful endgame training?

I would like to work on my endgame technique but every time I open a book and just look at a position it is very dull to me and I can’t remember it afterwards. Is there a way to remember endgame methods in a playful way? 

once you are winning, you can be playful.

This is a very good question. If anyone has tips on fun ways to study endgames I would also appreciate hearing them.

I feel like a lot of endgame books are like encyclopedias. They have sections about one type of endgame and then an immense amount of analysis on all the various situations one might encounter in that endgame. I find that style of book really boring.

Personally, I’ve found Jeremy Silman’s book to be great. He has a fun writing style that can make me smile even when the position is bland.

Along with that book, I’ve found exercises to be useful. I’ve been challenging myself with some difficult endgame exercises, and they are so fun to solve. To me, that feeling of satisfaction when you finally understand the solution and how it works is more memorable than any amount of studying out of a book.

Thanks. What kind of exercises did you find useful?

If you want to classify Endgames, they would fall in two categories, theoretical and technical.

 

Theoretical ones can only be learned by heart, I find those boring as well, but they are what they are and the way to learn them is a good book/DVD etc ( Keres, Silman, 100 Endgames, starting out, just pick one you like ).

 

Technical ones are a different animal and are very practice-able! Start from Shereshevsky's endgame strategy book, Arkell's book is also good as are annotated games of great endgame players, Fischer, Karpov, Capablanca, Alekhine, Kasparov, Rubinstein. Also start entering more and more technical Endgames in your own games, when e.g. you have the tiniest of advantages there, and then as usual, apply what you learned, or get a painful lesson when facing a stronger endgame technician etc etc

The intellectually stimulating is per definition emotionally dull. As your neural networks shift their activity from being amygdala-driven to being PFC-driven, you will learn that intellectual breakthroughs are more stimulating than emotional gratification. So focus, study, and welcome to chess This thing is intrinsically not very fun - it's hard work and the learning has to be the gratification. That's the thing with endgames - it requires mathematical precision and that requires the mind to become intensely focused (vs. the fun-driven, unfocused mind).

I just noticed you're a 2100. So I wonder the nature of your question. Are you not aware there's hardly anything playful about chess? As much as there is about war or marriage (yes those two words are in the same sentence).

In fact training yourself to abstain from emotional gratification I deem to help with mental stamina. How else will you spend an hour or more to solve a complex endgame position over the board?

Maybe the Magnus apps will get you on your way. But, like, if your mind can already visualize all these board positions and think 10 moves ahead, why do you look for playfulness?

 

Sorry but this is uninformed, there's zero evidence suggesting the OP lives in his amygdala. All codes of conduct I'm aware of strictly forbid psychologists from making comments such as this, therefore the only edible conclusion is that this would be pop-psy and rather uninformed may I add.

idk