If we all know we should study the endgame, then how come so few of us actually do?
Because every endgame instruction book, no matter how "ultimate", "complete" or "essential" it is said to be, begins to stick in your throat on page 19 (if not, then on page 31).
You feel guilty, but maybe you're not the one to blame. Maybe you have just been working with a lousy endgame instruction book. A book which pretends to be a training book by simply piling one theoretical position onto the other. Jeremy Silman's new book Silman's Complete Endgame Course is very different.
So different from other endgame instruction is this book, that I do not hesitate to call it a revolution. Big word? Maybe, but let me give you a couple of reasons.
First there is the composition of the book. The chapters are divided per rating group. Chapter one is very simple and teaches beginners what they should know. Chapter two is a little more advanced. Each chapter adds on to the building blocks of the preceding one and by the end of the book you are studying master material. This book is not driven by the type of position, but by what you should know at your current playing level.
Then there is the fact that this book is very honest. It does not pretend that you can learn to play the endgame well by leafing through just 125 pages. There is no hint of a quick fix here. This is a very thick book, but PLEASE don't let the 530 pages (for just ?¢‚Äö¬¨ 24.95) scare you! Remember: you don't need to finish it in one go, because each chapter rounds off your training at your current level.
And once you get started you will make terrific progress, because of the way the book is written. Silman's tone of voice is just great. He understands that he is talking to human beings and not to machines in front of some pieces of carved wood. Silman has so much experience in teaching pupils of different levels, that he knows - probably better than any chess writer in the world - how to get your attention and how to keep it.
I repeat: this book is not driven by theoretical positions, but by what is good for you to be taught next.
Silman's Complete Endgame Course will be around for many, many years. But do not let that keep you from ordering
this instant classic today. The sooner you get hold of it, the better.
If we all know we should study the endgame, then how come so few of us actually do?
Because every endgame instruction book, no matter how "ultimate", "complete" or "essential" it is said to be, begins to stick in your throat on page 19 (if not, then on page 31).
You feel guilty, but maybe you're not the one to blame. Maybe you have just been working with a lousy endgame instruction book. A book which pretends to be a training book by simply piling one theoretical position onto the other. Jeremy Silman's new book Silman's Complete Endgame Course is very different.
So different from other endgame instruction is this book, that I do not hesitate to call it a revolution. Big word? Maybe, but let me give you a couple of reasons.
First there is the composition of the book. The chapters are divided per rating group. Chapter one is very simple and teaches beginners what they should know. Chapter two is a little more advanced. Each chapter adds on to the building blocks of the preceding one and by the end of the book you are studying master material. This book is not driven by the type of position, but by what you should know at your current playing level.
Then there is the fact that this book is very honest. It does not pretend that you can learn to play the endgame well by leafing through just 125 pages. There is no hint of a quick fix here. This is a very thick book, but PLEASE don't let the 530 pages (for just ?¢‚Äö¬¨ 24.95) scare you! Remember: you don't need to finish it in one go, because each chapter rounds off your training at your current level.
And once you get started you will make terrific progress, because of the way the book is written. Silman's tone of voice is just great. He understands that he is talking to human beings and not to machines in front of some pieces of carved wood. Silman has so much experience in teaching pupils of different levels, that he knows - probably better than any chess writer in the world - how to get your attention and how to keep it.
I repeat: this book is not driven by theoretical positions, but by what is good for you to be taught next.
Silman's Complete Endgame Course will be around for many, many years. But do not let that keep you from ordering this instant classic today. The sooner you get hold of it, the better.
