How to Study

When it comes to studying endgames, I tend to set "practice stages" for each position.

Stage 1. Learn how to win/draw a book position.

Stage 2. Practice it vs an engine at full-strength with no time controls.

Stage 3. Practice to win/draw against same engine at delayed-blitz/5-5 (5 min, 5 second delay) time controls.

Reaching step 3. successfully  guarantees that your short term memory has burned in the patterns.   Save these positions and re-visit them systematically a week later.  If you can still reach "stage 3", you can say that this endgame has been burned into your skull for life. 

If not , rinse and repeat 1 through 3. ... keep revisiting these positions until you can go straight to stage 3.

caveat: Most endgames have exception scenarios, where an engine will play theoretically best moves, but a human will play for a swindle/trap ... document these little "gotchas" as well when you review this position later.

I used to make the terrible mistake of merely reading  endgame books on the couch hoping to "just" assimilate the idea, but fumbled when I actually encountered said position (it was a basic Philidor drawing rook and pawn endgame!) in a tournament.   You just can't "hand wave" some of these positions :(

I realized that for somebody like me, the  real deal is to learn to play these "cold" so that in an actual tourney, you're literally running on autopilot when a textbook position shows up. 

Absolutly correct. " We forget what we hear, remember what we see, and understand what we do.

Wow, that's a really cool (though time consuming!) method! I should have thought of that. Because there is a lot of endgame stuff I know, just not by heart, and that's what you need to be able to play tough endgames in time pressure, a very strong understanding of the technical positions and principles of each endgame, because in many games by the time the endgame is reached, I am either in time pressure or just don't have all day to figure it out.

@Elubas : Well, my memory is so pathetic that I "need" to go through this kind of pain :)

http://www.chess.com/article/view/creating-a-study-program

Thanks I should have looked for this topic in the forums.  What I have done so far is to emass a book list order for myself to read while I simulataneously work on what I believe to be my greatest weakness:  OTB chess.  I hate to say it but I have no chess buddies in real life and do 99% of my play online.  So I need to find a few local clubs while I am hitting the books.  Although I have a long way to go, I am surely not a beginner anymore.  So I feel comfortable reading 2 chess books at once that compliment eachother.

First is Endgames.. I believe Capablanca said it is best to get a firm grasp on this phase first in your study plan and that makes sence to me.  Who better to make my GM of choice to study for this phase.

1.   Silman's Complete Endgame Course    2.   Chess:  Lazlo Polgar

These two juggarnaut tomes of knowlege go together fantastically.  I will read (and re-read) only these two books and nothing else until I feel comfortable with the knowlege up to my skill level.

3.   Chess Fundamentals:  J.R.Cappablanca   4.   Cappablanca's Best Chess Endings:  60 Complete Games:  I. Chernev

Even If I am bored to tears with endings at this point, I know that I will need to spend more time on them.  Fundamentals will be a big-time review mostly and there is quite a bit on the endgame in this one.

Now for the fun part.  This is where I buff up a little more on my tactics and study the attack and the importance of the initiative.

                   5.    Attacking Chess:  Agressive Strategies and Inside Moves...:  J. Waitskin

I think this book will serve as a good intro to attacking.  I have not gotten it in the mail yet but it looks to be pretty straight-forward and easy to read.  Written by the guy that Searching for Bobby Fischer was based on.

6.    The Art of the Attack in Chess:  V. Vukovic  7.    Attack with Mikhail Tal:  Tal/Damsky

This is where I will dive a little deeper into the blood bath.  Something I want to focus on is the initiative.

Next, I plan to study my favorite tactical masters:

Alekhine 

Kasparov

Tal

and Marshal because he has a very different and sometimes reakless approach.  I also think his games will strengthen my sacraficial ability.

Then, to wrap up this section of the study nicely...

                       8.    Streetfighting Chess:  A. Burnett

A boxer fights a technical fight (good to know) A streetfighter's going to throw sand in your eyes and look for something to cut you with (also good to know)

After this I plan to review my endgame study one more time then move on to study strategy but I haven't put a plan together for it yet. After that I will have a large chunk of reassesment study time. I have some great books for this:  Why you loose at chess, Reassess your chess (Silman), The Amateaur's Mind (Silman) and two books of GM games by a man named Daniel King called How Good Is Your Chess and Test Your Chess IQ set up quiz style where the reader is awarded points for how well he/she guesses the moves in top-level games.  I'm saving openings to study last.                                                                                          

Thanks for your comments too Elubas.  When I feel my game is a little more advanced I will study particular endgame "book" positions with Fritz for sure.  But I think that is for when I revisit the topic of Endings so way in the future.  You sound like you have your technique down to a science for it!