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What is the best way to improve your Endgame?

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Avatar of IpswichMatt
IpswichMatt
Sep 10, 2018
0
#21

Note that there's two types of endgames - there's theoretical endgames and practical endgames.

Theoretical endgames include things like King and Pawn vs King etc - positions with very few pieces where the outcomes and techniques and completely defined.

Practical endgames include positions with more pawns and pieces and no matter who you are you will have to analyse and calculate.

Note that you can get books on each. There's many books on the former, fewer on the latter (one example of the latter is "Practical Endgame Lessons" by Edmir Mednis).

Obviously it's best to start off with what's easiest on the theoretical front (probably K+P v K), but also be aware of practical endgames - advice such as centralise your King, get your pieces active, Rooks behind passed pawns etc.

I wouldn't get the 100 endgames book until you've really really really mastered the simple stuff. There's some great videos on this site for King and Pawn endings. I also really like the ChessNetwork site.

Avatar of Josimar73
Josimar73
Sep 10, 2018
0
#22
IpswichMatt wrote:

Note that there's two types of endgames - there's theoretical endgames and practical endgames.

This is quite true and I think that the proper question in this context could be "How to ensure a good endgame?"

1) Some basic knowledge on endgame positions --> What will be the outcome when I end up there?

2) Ideas on the correct exchange in the endgame --> Where will I end up when I exchange to a more elemental endgame.

3) Ideas on how to transpose to from the middle game to the endgame.

You need 1 - otherwise you simplify nonsense. Example: with one pawn up and both sides have rook and knight the stronger side would want to exchange rooks, the other side would like to exchange knights as it is likely to hold a rook endgame with one pawn down and less likely in a knight endgame.

I found e.g. Rozentalis "the correct exchange in the endgame", Benjamin "Liquidation on the chessboard", Müller/Paiken "How to play chess endgames" quite useful. The latter can also be read by weaker players as there are lots of general recommendations in there which also help a lot. And after all even a bad strategy is better than no strategy.

Avatar of Ziryab
Ziryab
Sep 10, 2018
0
#23

This:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSMJZ37/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought it last night.

Avatar of Ziryab
Ziryab
Sep 10, 2018
0
#24
kindaspongey wrote:

Various endgame study possibilities discussed at:

http://chessimprover.com/averbakhs-chess-endings-essential-knowledge/

 

 

Best one

Avatar of Ziryab
Ziryab
Sep 10, 2018
0
#25
DeirdreSkye wrote:
OldPatzerMike wrote:

Improving your endgame play requires expanding your knowledge, but that isn’t enough. By all means, get a good endgame book and study it. Then learn how to apply the knowledge you’ve gained by practicing endings against a computer or an opponent stronger than you. Practice the basic endings until you can handle them practically without thinking about it. Then do the same with more complicated endings.

This might sound hard, but chess is a hard game. This type of dedicated training is guaranteed to improve your chess. Easy answers are guaranteed to fail.

     Very true and according to Fernard Gobet(IM and cognitive scientist ,leading authority in  conginitive architecture) , it is important to create a knowledge base and study chess from the simple to the complicated(what he is calling "improving spiral") as that is the fastest way to create cross-referenced links(skills). It is surprising(actually not so surprising for many of us) that modern cognitive science proved that Capablanca was right:

 

In order to improve your game you must study the endgame before everything else; for, whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame.

 

 

 

 

This book, aimed at players up to 1500, but with a little bit of more challenging material, implements these ideas.

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Days-Better-Chess-Essential/dp/1521987289/

Avatar of MainframeSupertasker
MainframeSupertasker
Sep 10, 2018
0
#26

there are a lot of tactics in the endgame... predict the moves.. there is a lot of space on the board and you can think clearly.

Avatar of bloodbear
bloodbear
Sep 10, 2018
0
#27

Thank you