Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 2 [3] 
Topic Tools
Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Is this a good plan for endgame study? (Read 29482 times)
up and comer
Senior Member
****
Offline



Posts: 258
Joined: 10/20/08
Gender: Male
Re: Is this a good plan for endgame study?
Reply #5 - 05/29/10 at 19:29:45
Post Tools
Thanks Stigma, very helpful. Didn't realize Muller and Dvoretsky over-lapped so much. Also, I hadn't realized there were pure "strategic endgame" books, I'll be sure too add one at some point. Do you think it would be better to go over one of those before or after the manual?
  

uscf - 2250
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Stigma
God Member
*****
Offline


There is a crack in everything.

Posts: 3277
Joined: 11/07/06
Gender: Male
Re: Is this a good plan for endgame study?
Reply #4 - 05/29/10 at 14:55:40
Post Tools
The books on your study plan are good, but I wonder why you would study both Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual and Fundamental Chess Endings? There is so much overlap between these two books, and just one of them if you know it inside-out gives enough technical endgame knowledge to play on IM level and probably "normal" GM level too!

So I would just pick one of the two to study in depth, maybe Dvoretsky since I have great faith in him as a teacher. 

FCE is more encyclopedic so you can use it for reference after games and study those endgames you've just encountered in practice, a method recommended by many trainers. You'll be more likely to remember analysis of positions you've recently grappled with yourself. Or as you say read some books by Flear instead, there's very little overlap between his "Practical Endgame Play: Beyond the Basics" and Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. 

What's missing? I would include one pure "strategic endgames" book like the ones by Soltis, Lars Bo Hansen, Shereshevsky or Müller & Pajeken, and maybe something on tactical endgames too: Bán's "Tactics of End-Games" is a neat little collection if you can get hold of it, while the bigger "Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics" got rave reviews.
« Last Edit: 05/29/10 at 20:10:49 by Stigma »  

Improvement begins at the edge of your comfort zone. -Jonathan Rowson
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Vandros
Junior Member
**
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 71
Joined: 07/18/09
Re: Is this a good plan for endgame study?
Reply #3 - 05/29/10 at 10:45:33
Post Tools
However, I don't think it's advisable to play every position against them.

The engines play the endgames very differently than humans; much more aggressive, based on their tactical and calculating power. Except the case when there is a forced best way to play (based for example on tablebases).

That's why it's good to have them on the defence; the engines will not try hazardous counter-attacks, because they see the refutations, so they will try to consolidate the position and just hold them...

For example, you could try a rook (+ a piece or two) with 4 pawns against a rook (+ a piece or two) and two or three pawns on both sides of the board....
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
up and comer
Senior Member
****
Offline



Posts: 258
Joined: 10/20/08
Gender: Male
Re: Is this a good plan for endgame study?
Reply #2 - 05/29/10 at 10:35:58
Post Tools
Thanks Vandros. That is a good idea, playing the positions against my engine (chessmaster grandmaster edition is the best I have  Embarrassed).
  

uscf - 2250
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Vandros
Junior Member
**
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 71
Joined: 07/18/09
Re: Is this a good plan for endgame study?
Reply #1 - 05/29/10 at 08:24:20
Post Tools
Additional to that you have to practice under real time conditions (say 10-15 minutes).

You can do that with an engine. Try to play an endgame position that is clear winning for you. That way, the engine will be forced to play a bit natural (because it cannot do magic and turn a losing position into a winning one.)

I did that practice, and I was often forced by it to make a solid draw...
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
up and comer
Senior Member
****
Offline



Posts: 258
Joined: 10/20/08
Gender: Male
Is this a good plan for endgame study?
05/29/10 at 05:54:20
Post Tools
I'm looking to gain a deep understanding about the endgame, something that will put me above the average 2100-2200 uscf player (I'm 1729 uscf right now). 

My plan is to 1) reread Silman's Complete Endgame Course. 2) Read through Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. 3) Read Muller and Lamprecht's Fundamental Chess Endings and/or Glenn Fear's endgame books. 

And when I say read, I mean to go over the book enough times that I understand everything in it and can find the correct continuation for any random position I pull out of it. Though I'm not sure how long that would take me with Glenn Fear's or M&L's giant books I would be willing to work towards it.

Does this seem like a good plan? I already have all the books in question. Is there something I would be missing in my understanding if I only used these books?
  

uscf - 2250
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 2 [3] 
Topic Tools
Bookmarks: del.icio.us Digg Facebook Google Google+ Linked in reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Yahoo