My personal opinion on Chess Exam and Training Guide is that it's an excellent book, especially if you don't have a coach that can point out what areas of chess you need to work on most.  However, I would save it until you reach a plataeu and are having a hard time improving.  As long as you're still improving by studying other books, just keep reading other books.  The time will come one day when your rating hasn't moved for a year, despite the fact that you've been studying like you always used to.  That's the time to read Exam, not before.  

You should study endgames if you haven't in the past.  If your goal is to improve, that should be a no-brainer: study what you haven't studied yet!  Bear in mind that studying endgames will also improve your play in other phases of the game.  Serious study on endgames will improve your calculation and visualization skills, which will help in all phases.  It'll also give you better appreciation for pawn structures and pawn weaknesses, helping you to make better middlegame decisions, etc.  Serious work on chess will never be wasted, even if you only ever get a Lucena position once a year.

Also, my favorite endgame book is Rate Your Endgame by Edmar Mednis.  I always thought endgames were boring and never studied them, until I read that book.  I probably gained 200 points overnight when I did (1600-1800 or so, years ago).  It's a very practical book that's more relevant to you actually being able to play good moves than those dry books that try to teach you 1,001 exact positions.

micawber wrote on 10/05/10 at 18:00:03:


I've avoided endgame puzzles and books because they take a lot of time to actually practice. 

I have always had the impression that middlegame are most important,  and is an ultimate decider so if you can get the good position -- there's a better chance you'll win in endgames too, and that the knowledge of basic endings is just as enough. 

I know that as a serious chess player, one has to study endgames too.

shereshevsky's endgame books are played out from games so it maybe interesting too. 
 

chezzter wrote on 10/05/10 at 16:57:09:

The book has two parts. The test part offers 100 positions with each two questions about a position and an evaluation scheme. Solving it twice will be possible. But there's a danger of skewing the results by memory effects.
The part with training hints (software, books, methods to organize your training) is worth a second and a third shot and gives by itself enough for the money.

Antillian wrote on 10/05/10 at 16:09:48:



Thanks, I'm looking forward to getting this book! 

What do you think is the time limit? 

is the book re-workable - or is it solve puzzles once and it wouldn't be useful to assess the next time around since you-already-knew-the-answers-from- your-first try type?

That makes sense. Thanks a lot, guys! 

As for me: I'm a 2011 FIDE player with few years of inactivity. I've been playing actively on playchess and my rating there is around 2200 Blitz/2230 Bullet on average currently. 

So, if there are any other critically acclaimed books specifically aimed at my ratings range, I'd appreciate it. 


I think I will buy both Chess Exam and Chess Praxis.

chezzter wrote on 10/05/10 at 06:42:50:


Chess exam: The point is to check your rating at various areas. It is for all rating levels!

Chess praxis: Continuation of My System. Could be read by ~1600. Suits 2000+ players best I think.

My 60 memorable games: Could be read by almost  all players. Suits 2000+ players best I think.

Reassess: Great middlegame book for the 1400-1900-player.