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Avatar of chessmaster102

I hate to say it but for as long as I've been a chess player I have never onced studied endgame and now with the people I'm playing now at there level I need to start so is there a endgame book thats teaches me the basics of endgame (I already have silmans complete endgame course I'm talking about a book that focus only on endgames at my level) I'm also if possible looking for a endgame book that teaches me how to study endgame (I dont know really how to study endgame accept doing endgame puzzles and going over games that involve the opening I play to see wat type of endgame it leads to.)

Avatar of Archaic71

Jeremy Silmans 'Complete Endgame Course'

Probably the single most instructive chess book ever written, no other book that will do as much to improve the game of a class level player.

Avatar of wingtzun

Also - 'Basic Chess Endings' By Reuben Fine       - a classic on the subject.

Avatar of Kernicterus

Chessmentor has some really great endgame practice stuff.  And it's not dry like reading a book and moving things  on your board alone.

Avatar of orangehonda
chessmaster102 wrote:

. . .
I already have silmans complete endgame course I'm talking about a book that focus only on endgames at my level . . .


What level are you exactly?  Because I thought that's specifically what Silman's book did, at least from E class to master I think.

"Chess Endings, essential knowledge" by Averbakh is only about 100 pages and covers the basics.  It's a little dry but it covers the need to know stuff.

One exercise is to take a diagrammed position from the chess book, after you've had it explained how the stronger side wins or how it's a draw, and change it a little bit.  Add or remove a pawn, leave pieces but shift them a rank higher, lower, or one file to the side.  Is it still a win or a draw?  How do you know?  By finding out how it's changed you'll deepen your endgame understanding.  In fact this is such a useful tool often endgame books will do it anyway with some positions, and show you how the same position a rank higher can be totally different.

After you know enough basics, you can study endgames by taking an endgame position and analysing it, this is especially handy if you have an interesting (or confusing) endgame from one of your own games.  Have a mainline where you have the best moves, and every time there's an interesting move or different way to play make a variation.  Your goal is to definitively show at the end that it is a win/loss/draw and why other moves can't change the outcome.

Then either show this to a stronger player or take the position and, armed with everything you've discovered, prove it against a stronger player / computer.  I think you said your brother was a master (you lucky guy Smile) so if he's available for this that'd be great.  Of course he'll never have seen the position before so it's good training for him too.  (This is one way masters and up train, to take a training position, play it out, and then analyse it / read analysis on it).

Again you need to understand at least generally how the endgame should be handled before you do this.

Another exercise is after you've played over a GM game and you don't understand why one side resigned or drew, put that position into a computer and play against it as the side that was supposed to win (or either side in case of a draw).  In the end you'll learn what the technique should be and what moves or ideas you tried but don't work.  For example maybe you think the winning idea is to push your pawns when in fact you need to create a zugzwang and moving the pawns is actually a fatal weakness.

Anyway if that all sounds like a lot of work, it's because it is.  This could easily take someone to master level endgames.  If you just get a good foundation from an endgame book and analyse your own endgames to see what could have been different it would be enough to improve a lot.

Avatar of chessmaster102
orangehonda wrote:
chessmaster102 wrote:

. . .
I already have silmans complete endgame course I'm talking about a book that focus only on endgames at my level . . .


What level are you exactly?  Because I thought that's specifically what Silman's book did, at least from E class to master I think.

"Chess Endings, essential knowledge" by Averbakh is only about 100 pages and covers the basics.  It's a little dry but it covers the need to know stuff.

One exercise is to take a diagrammed position from the chess book, after you've had it explained how the stronger side wins or how it's a draw, and change it a little bit.  Add or remove a pawn, leave pieces but shift them a rank higher, lower, or one file to the side.  Is it still a win or a draw?  How do you know?  By finding out how it's changed you'll deepen your endgame understanding.  In fact this is such a useful tool often endgame books will do it anyway with some positions, and show you how the same position a rank higher can be totally different.

After you know enough basics, you can study endgames by taking an endgame position and analysing it, this is especially handy if you have an interesting (or confusing) endgame from one of your own games.  Have a mainline where you have the best moves, and every time there's an interesting move or different way to play make a variation.  Your goal is to definitively show at the end that it is a win/loss/draw and why other moves can't change the outcome.

Then either show this to a stronger player or take the position and, armed with everything you've discovered, prove it against a stronger player / computer.  I think you said your brother was a master (you lucky guy ) so if he's available for this that'd be great.  Of course he'll never have seen the position before so it's good training for him too.  (This is one way masters and up train, to take a training position, play it out, and then analyse it / read analysis on it).

Again you need to understand at least generally how the endgame should be handled before you do this.

Another exercise is after you've played over a GM game and you don't understand why one side resigned or drew, put that position into a computer and play against it as the side that was supposed to win (or either side in case of a draw).  In the end you'll learn what the technique should be and what moves or ideas you tried but don't work.  For example maybe you think the winning idea is to push your pawns when in fact you need to create a zugzwang and moving the pawns is actually a fatal weakness.

Anyway if that all sounds like a lot of work, it's because it is.  This could easily take someone to master level endgames.  If you just get a good foundation from an endgame book and analyse your own endgames to see what could have been different it would be enough to improve a lot.


thx this helps a lot Smile I got to play you one day.