bulgroz wrote on 11/19/07 at 17:07:17:



It's just an opinion, but under 2200, Endgame issues are probably better addressed by some other works, as this is not a teaching guide on how to play endgames, but rather a well thought-out and presented compilation of practical endgames where nuances and subtlety of techniques can only by mastered once a person is WELL grounded in fundamental endgames.  I think that rarely in games in the "expert" and under divisions do many games come down to exploiting the types of minutae prersented in this book, excellent though it may be.  Muellars and Silman's books are (I opine) the way to go for learning, so that afterwards that person would benefit the most from this book.

On the other hand, I am sure that even beginners could and would get something most helpful if they studied it.  (instead of simply using it as an endcap for the rest of the endgame tomes that I never read)...    hehe

I have the book and have been going through it.  In it, Flear sort of "redefines" an endgame as "a position with a maximum of one piece each."  (p. 8)  This definition allows him to more narrowly construe these "NQE"s as "a position with more material than an endgame but with a maximum of two piece each."

In effect, the book covers A LOT of practical endgame situations that standard endgame tomes neglect.  I found it to be a book that augments the more standard endgame manuals, and believe it is not meant as either an introduction to endgames nor as a book that is trying to teach endgame technique.  The format is to take positions from actual games instead of a lot of composed endgame studies.  There is a fine statisical analysis at the beginning at the book which is used as a chess barometer to determine the frequency of certain endgame arrays, and it is this frequency analysis that drives the book from chapter to chapter.

A great book, but mostly for those with high ELO ratings that have already worn out the other standards and are looking for nuance and deeper, more specific situational endgame analysis.

how do you i explian it. nuckies in glenn flears book practical endgames whitch is 500 pages. in a nutshell.like the freaquency they ocuur in and endgame? thxs.