Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge

by Yuri Averbakh

Book Overview

By concentrating on the basic principles the average player is not only given a working knowledge of the endgame but also a firm foundation on which to further develop his or her interest and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0080118224
• ISBN13: 9780080118222
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Elsevier Science & Technology
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

yes, it is the essential knowledge

I've earned 2017 fide initial rating without this book, but i was lucky. Here we have everything a tourneament player MUST know about endings, and something more. As an example you don't have to know how to defeat a computer in a Q vs R ending, so you can avoid that part of the book, in real games it's hard to find an under 2200 player that will play the perfect defense with the Rook. Maybe you don't have to know the B+N mate, I still have never seen a B+N vs K position in my tourneys. Anyway this book give you an EASY way to understand that mate. Thanks to this book now I know how to deliver this mate, the other 2 books i've studied weren't enough. Here we have a book with just 100 pages that gives you what it promises.

Perfectly sized booklet on the endgame

This book attempts to provide a foundation of endgame information for the beginning chess student. After an introduction and a brief discussion about the scope of each piece the book presents five chapters meant to introduce the reader to the basics of endgames. Since there is no "Search Inside" option for this book the table of contents is reproduced here: 1 - MATING THE LONE KING Mate with a Queen Mate with a Rook Mate with Two Bishops Mate with Bishop and Knight Mate with Two Knights 2 - VARIOUS PIECES IN COMBAT Queen versus Rook Queen versus Minor Piece Rook versus Knight Rook versus Bishop 3 - VARIOUS PIECES IN COMBAT WITH A PAWN Queen versus Pawn Rook versus Pawn Minor Piece versus Pawn 4 - QUEENING A PAWN King and Pawn versus King King, Minor Piece and Pawn versus King Knight and Pawn versus Knight Bishop and Pawn versus Bishop Bishop and Pawn versus Knight Knight and Pawn versus Bishop Rook and Pawn versus Rook Queen and Pawn versus Queen 5 - PRACTICAL ENDINGS Pawn Endings Knight Endings Bishop Endings Bishops of the Same Colour Bishops of Opposite Colours Endings with Bishop versus Knight Rook Endings Queen Endings One of the best things about this book is that it is the perfect size for digestion in just a few study sessions. For those starting with little or no endgame knowledge this means that at least a basic understanding of endgame concepts is attainable in a reasonably short period of time. If you are inexperienced with endings, the information in this book is sure to not only increase your confidence at the chessboard but also provide a nice bridge to other more advanced endgame books. After studying this book one could move on to Seirawan's "Winning Chess Endings", which is still aimed at the beginner but contains slightly more in-depth information, or the superb "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" by Dvoretsky, which is more suited for the advance player.

Very good start for Endgame Experience.

This book is translated from Russian, so it must pass the test of time. Averbakh used very concise analysis. He gave us, immediate level, a tool to understand the endgames. It is essential for players from beginning to intermediate levels. After a chapter about the basic mating the lone King with minimal force, it introduces the standard combats between various pieces. It explains where a forcible win is guaranteed where it's not. Then come two chapters of piece fighting against Pawns: a Rook or a minor piece versus Pawn (it's hard to believe that in some positions a single Pawn can beat the Rook!) and the Royalty versus Pawn. After that there are two important chapters. One is about the fighting between two minor pieces where one side has one or two extra Pawns. The part about the opposite color bishops is very instructive, some case is winnable and some not. There is so much to learn in the next chapter, which explains the Rook plus Pawn Ending. As Capablanca put it: Rook and Pawn Ending is one of the most important endings. When the Rooks join the battle, sometimes they are the last pieces, understanding this type ending can help to win or draw it. In the second half of the book, Averbakh used practical endgames from master games to emphasize what he explained in the last three chapters: Royalty and Pawns, Minor Pieces and Pawns, and Rooks and Pawns. He analyzed where some masters failed to save or win the game. I highly recommend this book at new or used price. I guarantee your endgame knowledge (same level as mine) will improve.

Absolutely "Essential" Endgame Reading

I agree with the other reader who said that this is a must read for anyone under 1800 USCF.This is a nice, neat concise book (104 pages) that covers everything you need to know about the endings to become a very strong club player.It covers basic mates, as well as rule of the square, rook endings, philidor and lucena positions, triangulation, pawn endings, etc. etc.This book has nice diagrams, and the explainations are excellent. This book does not weight one down with a lot of extra verbage. Many endgame books are a real drudge to work through. This one is just the right blend of material to keep it interesting. Also, the book's petite size means that you will be able to finish it in a reasonable period of time.

Crib Notes to the Endgame :)...

This is a must have book I think for anyone U1800... Figure the lower you are the more you need to get this book :)... This is like Crib Notes to the Endgame to be really honest with you... He makes it really simple and the book has lot of chapters making it easy to look stuff up... You can get a pretty good idea how to play the Endgame from this book... This is like the DNA to the Endgame... The building blocks that you need to go to the next level... Yes he deals with mating with King, Bishop and Knight vs. King... He does not give much time in it but if you play out the example enough... Once You understand the basic technique its really not that hard... He breaks down the book and gives least 1 example for just about anything... The book is only about 100 pages so you will not be blitzed with too much info... I figure you get this book and if you need something more advanced later on so be it... This should get you to the stage of playing least a decent endgame... If You understand the concepts in this book you should be pretty set...This book helped take my endgame from a disaster into winning lost endgames :)... Also just teaching the basic concepts and expanding on them really helped... The small chapters make it easy to find what you are looking for fast...