kevinludwig wrote on 08/15/08 at 16:56:34:


I like the Euwe's A Guide to Chess Endings a lot.  I don't know why anyone would say that it's a bad book other than because it's in descriptive notation or maybe because it's not checked with computer analysis and endgame tablebases.

This was one of my first chess books.  I got it before I even started playing chess from a library book sale when I was a kid along with 'Learn Chess Fast' by Reshevsky and Reinfeld and 'The Logical Approach to Chess' by Euwe, Blaine, and Rumble.  For some reason they were also selling a folding chess set with Chinese drawings on the light squares at this book sale and I bought it to go along with the books.

I only started to read it many years later unfortunately.  I think I was more interested in books about dinosaurs back then.

I would rather recommend Muller/Pajeken than Shereshevsky. Not that Shereshevsky isnt a good book, but I think Muller is more instructive.
Both cover the same ground, but Muller/Pajeken is more accesible, and contains a good chapter on fortresses.

I like 'Just the Facts' for those just getting their feet wet in the endgame followed by Averbakh's 'Essential Endgames.' This really grounds you on the basics. Silman's book looks good and this would be the next step I would recomend followed by Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy. A nice healthy dose of Rubinstein, Capablanca, Smyslov, & Karpov's games will round things out nicely!  With this work done you should be able to hold your own with many strong players in the endgame phase.

The Silman book seems to be be getting quite a knock recently on this forum. 

My standards for measuring the worth of books is how instructive they are to me personally. And I have to say from what I have seen, I do believe Silman is highly instructive. I admit, i have not gone thorugh a lot of it as yet.  But for me, Silman is able to communicate concepts in a way that few authors can. Of course, this might simply mean my head is harder than other posters.  

Antillian wrote on 03/13/08 at 01:48:20:


I would much rather recommend those, than the Silman book.

The idea of the Silman book is excellent. I just don't like the finished product. 

PS. I saw B+N vs K in a game last weekend and the same ending just a few weeks before that.

Greetings,

I'd certainly agree with most of the recommendations here.

Perhaps a simpler "method" would be to choose a few books which could take you through the listed categories - from weak club-player through to master level.

I think Howell's book, Essential Chess Endings, is a must for any club player to learn basic endgames.

Equally, given the club player's predominant interest in tactics rather than endgame theory, Van Perlo's book, Endgame Tactics, would be a natural transition from tactics to learning endgames. There is so much one can learn from studying this book (pawn breakthroughs, etc) that I deem it is as important as the above book.

As one increases one's knowledge, a suitable book on endgame strategy is also a must. There are many books out there - Shereshevsky, Müller/Pajeken, Dvoretsky, etc - one just has to pick the one that makes most sense to you.

I have Müller/Pajeken's recent excellent book, How to Play Chess Endgames.

[I do have other books by Snape, Rosen, etc., but I think the above main groups of books - basic endgames, tactics in the endgame and endgame strategy - are what most club players (including up to master level) would need.]

Obviously, one can flesh these out with more specific or "serious" books - books on rook endgames or Flear's Practical Endgame Play, for example - as one reaches master level.

Kindest regards,

Dragan Glas

Stigma wrote on 03/08/08 at 01:58:58:

I'd certainly add Averbakh's essential chess endings and Flear's endgame books (improving and mastering the endgame), though I am unsure at what level.

There is also an idea in a Dutch "juniors" book, where they give positions which are winning (ie you are a pawn up), but you need to play it vs a better opponent and analyse afterwards (whatever the result). Usually these are positions which are resigned at IM level, but are a hell to play at club level. Just watch at the average club evening where players blow a winning endgame (or middlegame with few pieces). Advantage is that you learn by practicing and therefore usually learn more (esp as you analyse afterwards), disadvantage is that you may forego a little on essential theoretical endings.

Stigma wrote on 03/08/08 at 01:58:58:


A very detailed list! However, I am very surprised that Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics is not on your list, especially since it won the Book of the Year Award twice, if I remember correctly. Still, the rest of your recommendations look very good. 

I own some (but by no means all) of these books, but I personally think that, if one studied every single one of these books, they would probably be Grandmaster strength at endings, and strong Grandmaster strength at that! 

I would argue that some of the books you mention may belong in more than one category which I assigned - for example, I think Van Perlo's book would belong in all categories, and Silman's book would also probably belong in the first three categories. 

I welcome any opinions on the above endgame books, and other books on the endgame. 

NB: A new edition of "A Survival Guide to Rook Endings" is going to be released in May 2008 by Gambit. Since I don't have the first edition, I will probably wait a couple of months to buy this edition. I also think that GM Efstratios Grivas is writing a book on the basics of endgame play, which should be very good indeed.