Book Description
Every player has heard the saying, "Chess is 99 percent tactics." It isn't.
It's 99 percent calculation. But until now there has never been a book devoted entirely to this most mysterious and essential chess technique.
This book examines both the technical and practical aspects of how to think ahead -- the selection of candidate moves, the evaluation of end positions, finding the proper move order, and the like.
Special attention is paid to the broad range of calculating mistakes, such as overlooked zwischenzugs and "quiet moves," visualization blunders, and "believing" your opponent.
Customer Reviews:
Not just numbers, this book can *actually* be read--and a pleasure at that!.......2006-02-04
Evaluation of chess books suffers from an incredible amount of subjective judgment. There are people who are quite skilled after playing for years who seem to be rather critical of this book. I, on the other hand, am a proudly proclaimed intermediate level player. For the short time in college (10 years(?!?) ago when I played regularly, this book boosted my chess competence and ability to the consternation and suprise of fellow players.
This was the very *first* chess book I read. It has spoiled me. I've read about 12-15 books since this one and what I've found is that that vast majority of books in this area are boring. Dry. Lacking tempo. Soltis's book is *not*. It flows! Has life! It doesn't limit itself to an endless series of positions and problems; rather, Soltis approaches the game from a *thinking* perspective. But not a development of grinding calculations--no: a problem is addressed from the simple but key angle of: "I sure would like my queen to be 'there'. In what way may that be accomplished?" This may sound overly simplistic but this idea is built upon in various manners until you see a variety of ways in which you can attack and feint.
Drawing from poker in a sense, Soltis gets into a player's head. In my opinion, the book will help get you into yours. I credit the reading of this book to one night where I saw how to checkmate my opponent 32 moves before it happened, and it started with an obscene looking sacifice of my bishop just to move his pawn.
I've recently gone through a few chapters again and the material just clicks all over again. Chess is a *hard* subject to make for interesting reading. Soltis is one of a few that makes the pages fly. :-)
Okay book on thinking process, but not much advice........2003-05-23
This book started strong. GM Soltis started out by describing when calculation is used and when it is not, and in general what the meaning of calculation was. He finished the chapter with an exercise in visualization which I really thought was a great start to a book which would help me calculate better.
As the book went along, he discussed different parts of the calculation process, such as ideas, force, counting out, errors, and practical calculating. He used pretty good examples to illustrate his points. At times, he had exercises which helped train tactics and visualization (but not many). He did a fairly good job and "describing" different steps in the calculation process.
However, as I went through the book, I found that he didn't really give too much advice as to how to train one's calculation skills other than to describe different mistakes in calculating and some concepts which masters use in calculation. I didn't feel it had many recommendations on how to improve this aspect. In the summary, he finishes by saying that different methods of calculating work well and that we all have to develop our own way! How do I do this? Why did I even read this book? These were questions that the book did not answer.
However, despite my criticism, I think it is a decent book. I think by assessing the concepts he presented and comparing it to my own play and thought processes, I thought perhaps I could glean some advice from the book. Also, in this particular case I visualized many of the positions without using a board, so I felt I improved my visualization skills. However, these benefits don't have too much to do with this book in particular, but instead my method of studying the book.
In any case, if you want to learn a little about typical calculation errors and different methods of calculation, this book may be okay for you. However, if you want to improve your own calculating and visualization skills, you might be better off studying tactical problems and analyzing your games and assessing your own particular style of calculating. That's what GM Soltis says on the last page anyway!
Read the book as a general advice........2002-07-19
Well,
If you hope this book will teach you how to calculate,no it isn't.
There are many views that rate the book higher but I think the book is not worth for your money.
Ok,calculation is important in chess.Imagine you can calculate 10 or 15 moves ahead in a position.Sure that's a pride....
But in the book, you will not be coach how to do it.
Instead,the author will tell a different story:that is what calculation is.
Myself,still looking for a good book on HOW to calculate.
Finally,don't buy this book.[If you want to find books on how to calculate]
I gave 3 stars because there are a few positions and advices that is good.
Is this book 1950's Soviet research in Chess?.......2001-10-20
As part of the propaganda campaign in the 1950's, the USSR devoted an enormous amount of energy to research in chess,
including psychological research in the lab, to make sure USSR
players dominated world chess. Soltis discusses the psychology
of chessplaying with a sophistication that would seem to be a
1990's rebirth of the old Soviet research. This book is both
unique and indispensible.
Live in the Details!.......2001-07-15
I've studied The Inner Game from cover to cover three times in the last 2 years, always profitably. My ability to successfully calculate attacking or defending variations has greatly increased because of practicing what Soltis preaches. I strongly agree with his statement "...calculation can be invaluable. It can be a substitute for "book knowledge" you never learned" since few nonprofessionals can know every opening or endgame position.
I am surprised at some of the few negative comments in the reviews of the book. I suspect that those reviewers have not read The Inner Game to the end - at least they give no evidence of having done so. One reviewer wrote that "the familiar theme of attacking a castled king" was monotonously used in many examples but really there are few problems that have that as their main theme. Another reviewer said, "There are not enough practical examples. Therefore, I doubt the reader will be able to apply the tips ...in a real game." Actually, there are over 200 examples; most labeled "White to play" or "Black to play" presenting positions from Grandmaster games to analyze before reading the accompanying text.
This same reviewer stated The Inner Game has the "right appealing chapter names. But the content ... is not well developed" although he doesn't clarify what he means by that. Yet in every chapter Soltis clearly states his theme and then provides a great deal of examples. For instance, look at chapter 2 ("Ideas"), where Soltis discusses how calculation is inspired by ideas and ideas come from recognizing patterns and weaknesses. Examine chapter 3 ("Trees and How To Build Them"), in which Soltis shows you in a very detailed fashion a possible way of mentally organizing all those ideas. Disagree with the chapter contents but don't say they're not well developed.
In that reviewer's opinion the Dvoretsky series of books, Jonathan Tisdall's "Improve Your Chess Now" and Buckley's "Practical Chess Analysis" are all "certainly better than Soltis" - but he doesn't bother to say in what way. My impression is Dvoretsky's books are written for very experienced players, Tisdall is not focused on calculation and while Buckley's book is all about calculation it is far shorter, with much fewer examples and less text.
One reviewer said the book was "not coherently organized." Huh? Soltis begins logically enough by defining his terms: what calculation is and isn't. He follows with a second chapter on how ideas inspire calculation. The third chapter presents a method of organizing those ideas. Having set up the basic groundwork, Soltis expands on the methods: finding forcing sequences that make calculation easier, evaluating resulting positions, "monkey wrenches" that upset the calculations, practical considerations. Where's the "lack of organization"?
The reviewer claims the book has so many analytical mistakes (he has 2 examples) their "sheer number" proves "Soltis hadn't done his spadework." He cites Piket-Sosonko, 1993 and says 3...Bf5 "holds the game for Black." Well, I'm no GM like Soltis but I do have Fritz 6 and a 950 MHz computer and it begs to differ with that assessment (in one variation winning Black's queen). Similarly, the reviewer says in Ljubojevic-Stein, 1973 the move 11 Qf4 works fine for White but Fritz's deep position analysis finds that 11...f5 12 Nd4 g5 13 Qg3 f4 leads to an uncomfortable White position where his queen is in the path of both Black pieces and pawns. He announces "The examples that are correct are frequently so because they've been pulled, with analysis, from other sources" but doesn't name those sources! He adds "many of the examples are hackneyed" without saying in what way (Perhaps he skimmed the first chapter; saw a diagram from Nimzovich-Marshall, 1927 and another from Reshevsky-Botvinnik, 1955, and didn't realize most of the book's examples are from GM games played circa 1970-1993.)
I strongly agree with A.J. Goldsby's review: this isn't a book for novices, a couple of primers on tactics and elementary books like Chernev's Logical Chess should be studied first. I strongly agree with the reviewer who said to benefit from this book you'd really need to study and practice although he is wrong when he says "Soltis emphasizes visualization" since Soltis only has one visualization exercise in the first chapter and rarely mentions it thereafter. Again, read the entire book before you make the claim!
Customer Reviews:
A very good SHORT book on openings.......2007-01-18
There is an excellent kid's review of this book which I believe raises many valid negative points, I agree with them and I won't repeat them here. I also concur that "Understanding the Chess Openings" by Sam Collins is an excellent and more up-to-date book that is well-organized and relatively short with a logical structure and lots of diagrams with a minimum of unnecessary text.
What I would like to say about "How to Win in the Chess Openings" is that despite the book being somewhat outdated, it is short at less than 200 pages and covers a lot of ground. What is most useful about it is the good commentary which illustrates many important principles of the opening. Since there are more than a 1,000 trillion ways to do an opening, gleaning principles and themes from as many points of view as possible is an important road to simplifying all the possiblities.
This book covers about 15 popular openings and some of their variations. I have found the commentary to be complimentary to the book "Understanding the Chess Openings" by Sam Collins. However, the text is a bit more dense in the book I'm reviewing in terms of move-by-move commentary and I think this is very useful for a beginner and will help a more advanced player consolidate concepts.
I own several books on openings and for me this is essential. I need to see different openings from a lot of angles to truly internalize the principles. I realize not everyone learns like me, but for those of you who do you will probably find this a good text. In addition, it is often available for next to nothing used so why not pick it up along with "Understanding the Chess Openings" by Collins?
Teaches General Ideas behind some selected openings.......2006-07-31
This is not really a book on "How to Win in the Chess Openings" as the title says. It is a book that covers ideas behind some selected openings. You should not plan to "force" a win in the opening, but to be prepared for tactics at all parts of the game. But, to best be prepared for Tactics in the Opening you should be looking at a book on Opening Traps (there are a couple good ones published).
This book, which is not up to date on the openings, is written in the old form of Descriptive Chess Notation - these should be fixed by an updated version. I personally like "Understanding the Chess Openings" by Collins far better as a general book on the openings since it covers a lot more material and is up to date. I feel Collins book and an opening traps book together is the most ideal way for someone just starting out learning openings to get started.
Not bad for the beginner........2002-12-09
The first chess book I ever waded through, was all about tactics, mating patterns, etc. After reading it, I schooled all of my friends. But I had a rude awakening in my first tournament when I got had by fool's mate in the first game. So I commenced on learning openings in order to get into position to use my tactic skills. How To Win in the Chess Openings is a book I've studied in two phases. The first phase was just learning the different patterns and typical sequence of moves. I really didn't understand the theory and logic behind most of the opening moves. So at first, I was pretty disappointed in the book and left it alone. But now, 5 years later, I've been using the book to really get the logic behind the opening moves and it's finally making sense.
As some of the other reviews have stated, it only goes over a few different openings and not to a depth of being able to learn every variation. However, the openings covered are very common and the knowledge provided is very good for someone trying to get into the middlegame.
The most helpful chess book I ever read.......2002-08-03
If you are a beginner at chess, you need to read this book. After reading it, and using a reasonable amount of diligence on your part, you should have a workable knowledge of the very important principles of opening chess. Without "talking down" to the beginner, Horowitz uses an easy to understand language and very appropriate examples to explain his lessons. He makes learning the openings of chess what it should be- fun and helpful.
Every great chess player must master this book's concepts.......2001-05-29
Simply put, this is a classic. It is great for beginners, but if you feel you are an advanced chess player, then it will be a good review! I had this book recommended to me by a couple of players with a rating close to master when I played in high school. If it was good enough for them, then it is certianly good enough for me. Now that I have long since graduated from college it is still one of my favorite chess books. The notation is old, but that will prevent only the weakest from learning the time tested concepts shared by a great grand master who understands the game!
Average customer rating:
- Great beginner book, but...
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Chess for Kids : How to Play (and How to Win) (Troll Discovery Kit)
Mcquinn
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0816744645 |
Book Description
Discover the exciting game of chess!
First you'll learn about all the pieces in the game -- from the lowly pawns to the all-important king and powerful queen. Once you know how all of the pieces move, you can leap into action. The beginning of the game, the middle game, and the endgame are all illustrated with examples of good (and bad!)moves.
In these pages you'll also learn about forks, pins, skewers, castling, and more. From strategies to traps to sneaky attacks, author Conn McQuinn gives you the tools you'll need to achieve a winning game.
This kit comes with a fully illustrated book, chessboard, and all the chess pieces.
Customer Reviews:
Great beginner book, but..........2000-03-22
There's a lot of "how to play" and very little "how to win". My kids already know the moves; they'd like to know how to win. This book was too elementary for them. It would be a great book for the beginner, though.
Book Description
The only published book that investigates the popular five-minute blitz chess time control. Draws original strategic conclusions, then provides corresponding unprecedented strategies assisted with abundant diagrams. Quiz sections enclosed. Forward written by US champion Walter Browne.
Customer Reviews:
Good Book.......2006-01-17
If you play blitz chess or even 10 or 15 minute games regularly like me, this is definitely a good book. It includes invaluble lessons on what to do with certain amounts of time on your clock, and some different openings, that while not neccesarily the most sound opening to try in a slow game, are perfect for intuitive tactics to come out of in five minute games. Get this book if you like blitz chess!
good book, smooth read........2005-09-03
i liked this book a lot. easy to understand. very original conclusions.
What a great book!.......2005-08-20
just when i thought all chess books were painful, along comes a book rife with enthusiasm, earthy description, and practical strategies. it's very original and insightful. i just love this book. when you read it you'll see what i mean.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent coverage of basic principles
- Good Beginner's Book
- Good Basic Advice For Novices
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How to Win At Chess
Daniel King
Manufacturer: Scribner Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition
ASIN: 1857440722 |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent coverage of basic principles.......2002-10-15
If I were to pick one short (127 page) book for the person who knows how the pieces move and wants to know, "what do I do next?" this would be it. Three principles to guide opening play, four for the middlegame, and three for the endgame. The author provides plenty of exercises for practice. Someone looking for a meatier text would be advised to take a look at "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess," by Patrick Wolff, but King covers the essentials quite well for those who just want to play a reasonable looking game, or get some ideas for teaching a child.
Good Beginner's Book.......2001-09-08
I would recommend this book to chess beginners.Daniel King has done a good job for writing a beginner's book.It will teach ten of the most important things to do in chess,opening with a center pawn,castling quick,looking for captures,knowing basic checkmates,and so on.Good for chess amateurs.
Good Basic Advice For Novices.......1999-08-27
Novices will benefit most from this simple introductory text that clearly explains basic winning principles. This is the sort of stuff you'll need to know before you can look back on this with knowing contempt.
Book Description
Master chess psychologist Amatzia Avni knows every trick in the book—and several more you’ll find only in his book. Unlearn everything you’ve learned so far and adopt a fearless attitude toward the game. Take your opponent into virgin territory. Raise the tension to the boiling point. Master the ruses of the coffeehouse players. Discover the magic of peculiar moves. Has your opponent just made a blunder—or is it a trap? Here’s a reliable way to answer that question and turn the tables. All the rule-bending strategies and devious tactics are illustrated with fully analyzed examples from real games.
Customer Reviews:
Refreshing and Inspiring.......2006-06-07
I liked this book very much. It contains a lot of fresh material - kind of chess that we don't see much in magazines or standard books.
Years ago I've read "Creative Chess" by the same author - the present book seems to be a natural sequel. My favourite parts were "Coffeehouse Chess" (the Chepukaitis episode on page 32 is great!)and the chapter about "Twists & Turns". Also the illustrative game Tate-Ashley is facinating.
The selection of material to the book is excellent: I wasn't familiar with most of the games and I'm an old hand.
From my own experience, reading such books has a positive effet on my play. One point of criticism - I wish the book were longer - I felt I wanted to look at more examples, more out-of ordinary games.
Improve your chess creativity .......2006-06-06
This a nice and inspiring book with a collection of stunning games which do a lot for developing one's imagination. As in his other works, the author gives an emphasis on creativeness and imagination. I particularly liked the chapter about " coffeehouse chess" from which one learns that even an unsound play can lead to positive results! Enjoyable and recommended.
Average customer rating:
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How to win in the middle game of chess
I. A Horowitz
Manufacturer: D. McKay Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007EG4YK |
Book Description
Newly revised, enlarged edition of first book on great Russian chess master focuses on the tactics, strategy and even psychological approaches employed by Karpov in winning against Bronstein, Smyslov, Browne, Gligoric, Spassky, Korchnoi and other greats. 100 games analyzed simply and clearly, showing exactly how Karpov won. Indispensable for players seeking to improve their own games. Over 300 chess diagrams.
Customer Reviews:
An essential peice to mastery in the KARPOV STYLE!.......2006-04-29
You can easily get opening repertoire books [try Batsford due to their excellent track record] on the Ruy Lopez, Taminov Sicilian, Queens Gambit Declined (for black)- these are Karpov's main opening and defensive weapons in this text, Buy a program that builds tactical motifs and endgame motifs (most of us all need this, unless were GM / IM), and finally this book will show us how to work them all together as a cohesive unit. And you should have a clear path to mastery, inspired by Karpov. All you have to do now is just devote whatever precious time you have left for chess into this system. I've improved A LOT (went from 1600 level to near-Expert) and still haven't scratced the surface yet. The reason I have it 4 stars instead of 5 was that, I don't mind the descriptive notation and Edmar Mednis's analysis which is very helpful and clear. However, what I would like to see in the NEXT edition is algebreic notation and having Anatoly Karpov himself throw in some of his own comments on the book. Don't discount the comments of the late Mednis, but hearing from THE MAN himself about his own chess thoughts and what he is trying to accomplish would be ideal. I highly reccomend this title! Definitely on my stranded island list.
Karpov's Technique.......2005-09-16
This book covers one hundered of Karpov's games up to 1972. The games are outdated but the book has got excellent annotations and reasoning behind Karpov's moves. It shows how Karpov uses his technique to grind out a win. It is a good example of how to win from a winning position. Another similar book is Turning Advantage into Victory which shows how to use technique to win a won game. Both books are best read side by side. You can learn to improve your technique by playing through these games and see how GM Karpov wins in effortless fashion.
Enjoyable book.......2005-09-13
Just like the title this is a most have for chess lovers. Im enjoying every game . I think this is not for analisys freeks. Its a sensitive and nice recount of the psychological factors and practicals factors of Karpov strategies. I think it is a most enjoyable book and sure it is improving in my understanding of the game
Karpov is Dissected with this book.......2002-08-31
Full Packed book on Karpov! It has statistics on Karpov's chess records during the 1970's era, which includes favorite openings used, wins / losses / draws against IM's and GM's, etc.
The work done by Mednis here is more for the "easy reading" type of chess player, unlike Botvinnik or Kotov's books which are jam-packed with variations and analysis and more analysis. The reader is to be entertained. Mednis often praises Karpov here when Anatoly makes those "multi-purpose" moves. Karpov has a knack of making such moves. Learn some of those tricks from this book.
I am a 1800 - 2000 rated player, and regularly play in the school-university tournaments. I used the material in this book (the openings Karpov plays, the karpov Middlegame Technique, the 'How -to-win-ala-Karpov' commandments that Mednis gave) to capture the gold medal in the year-round tournament.
I didn't know Karpov this way.......2002-06-24
Before reading this book I thought Karpov was a kind of "Chess Beast". But now I know he became great 'cause of his patience and ability to read correctly the position without taking unnecessary risks. I was astonished to see the number of games he won in quite balanced positions because his adversaries were not able to keep the balance and let the draw run away.
The comments of Mr.Mednis are generous and easy to grasp.
Average customer rating:
- How to Win in the Chess Endings--48 years later!
- Not enough coverage on endings with pieces involved
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How to win in the chess endings
I. A Horowitz
Manufacturer: McKay
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ASIN: B0007DNGEC |
Customer Reviews:
How to Win in the Chess Endings--48 years later!.......2005-01-05
This book was published in 1957 by David McKay Company, Inc. It has 18 chapters, 234 pages, and the chess moves are recorded in descriptive notation. This was the fourth and last book in Horowitz's "How to Win ..." series on the openings (2 books), the middlegame, and the endgame. Excluding the last chapter, a 55 page discussion of practical endgames by Max Euwe, Horowitz devotes 40% of his book to K and P endings and 15% of his book to R and P endings. These are the very endings that, in my opinion, should be emphasized in an introductory book on the endgame. [Note: A perusal of this book indicates that Horowitz based a great deal of his material on Reuben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" (1st ed.). It should also be noted that Fine devoted 13% of his book to K and P endings and 30% to R and P endings. Since R and P endings are so important, I am surprised that Horowitz did not devote more space to this topic. This is one of the reasons that I gave this book three stars instead of four.]
Since this is an introductory book, don't expect an in-depth coverage of the subject. In his first chapter, "Why the End Game?," Horowitz gives a very clear explanation of the "rule of the square" (probably the single most important concept in learning the endgame). This is followed, in the next chapter, by a thorough discussion of King maneuvers (some of these concepts are counterintuitive as was brilliantly shown in a study by Reti in 1921 [W: Kh8, Pc6; B: Ka6, Ph5] and Prokes in 1947 [W: Kd8, Pa5; B: Kd6, Ph7], so this chapter is very important). The "opposition" is another pivotal idea covered by Horowitz; in particular, how a lone King can draw against a K and P using the concept of "vertical" opposition. No book on the endgame would be complete without a thorough discussion of Philidor's drawing technique and the Lucena position. Both are covered in chapter 16, although Horowitz does not identify the Philidor method by name. Each chapter is relatively short (averaging approximately 10 pages per chapter), so you never feel overwhelmed. The explanations are succinct, the examples well chosen, and the writing crisp. The final chapter, by Max Euwe, is an additional bonus.
The only mistake in analysis that I noted was to the Kling and Horwitz (1851) study given on page 128 [White: Kf7, Ng1, Pe6; Black: Kh8, Bh4]. Horowitz gives this as a win for white [1 N-B3 B-Q1 2 N-K5 K-R2 3 N-N4 K-R1 4 N-B6 Resigns]; in fact, this position, as was shown by Andre Cheron, is drawn. The solution should have read 1 N-B3 B-N4 2 N-K5 K-R2 3 N-N4 B-Q1 4 N-B6 K-R3 draws.
Instead of Horowitz's book, I would recommend one of the following: If you want a brief introduction to the endgame, then read either Silman's "Essential Chess Endings: Explained Move by Move" or Howell's "Essential Chess Endings: The Tournament Player's Guide"; if you want a more thorough introduction to the endgame, then read Paul Keres's "Practical Chess Endings." As a first book on the endgame, Keres's book can be very demanding. If you plan on purchasing only one book on the endgame, then "Silman's Complete Endgame Course" would be my choice, although I would want to supplement it with Muller and Lamprecht's "Fundamental Chess Endings."
In summary: If you have never read a book on the endgame, and you don't mind descriptive notation, then this is a good book to start with, but there are a number of better books.
A REAL BARGAIN: David McKay Company, Inc., published all four of the books in this series as a single volume under the title "How to Win at Chess." Although long out-of-print, this 815 page tome is a treasure trove of information. There are two disadvantages to this book: (1) the opening section is dated and (2) the book is in descriptive notation; otherwise, highly recommended!
P.S. If you would like to pursue the study of the endgame, then these are my recommendations:
Mastery of the first four books in this list should be your first priority. By "mastery," I mean that you should thoroughly study these four books.
(1) "Silman's Complete Endgame Course" by Jeremy Silman [Published January 2007]. (Without question the most innovative endgame book ever written. Each section of this book covers the endings that you need to know based on your rating. For example, Part One is devoted to "Endgames for Beginners (Unrated-999)," Part Two focuses on "Endgames for Class 'E' (1000-1199)," ... Part Eight covers "Endgames for Masters (2200-2399)," and Part Nine ends the book with "Endgames for Pure Pleasure." 530 pp. This book is destined to be a classic!) This should be your main text. The following three books should only be read after you have thoroughly studied Parts One through Four of Silman's book.
(2) "Pandolfini's Endgame Course" by Bruce Pandolfini. [An excellent follow-up to the first half of Silman's book. Maligned for its typos, this is, nevertheless, an excellent endgame book. It is both methodical and entertaining. For the most part, each endgame lesson is covered in one page. There are a total of 239 endgames, a fifteen page glossary, and an excellent index. 319 pp.]
(3) "The Final Countdown" by Willem Hajenius and Herman van Riemsdijk. [If you are going to master pawn endings (and no one ever has!), then you must read this book. 128 pp.]
(4) "A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames" by Nikolay Minev. [Buy two copies of this book, so that you will have a spare when you wear out your first copy. Since rook endings make up the majority of endgames played, it is imperative that you master these endings. I cannot overemphasize the importance of studying rook endgames. 114 pp. You might want to supplement, not replace, your reading of Minev's book with Chris Ward's "Starting Out: Rook Endgames." 128 pp.]
Now you can focus on some endgame concepts that can be applied to a variety of endgames.
(5) "Endgame Strategy" by Mikhail Shereshevsky. [As Don C. Aldrich pointed out in his article "Endgame Erudition," "Shereshevsky addresses various topics that span the types of endings--When to exchange pieces, King centralization, schematic thinking..., the principle of two weaknesses, etc." According to Dvoretsky, Shereshevsky's book was based on "some endgame lectures" that Dvoretsky gave "to the chess faculty of the Moscow High School for Sports" and on "a series of lectures on the general principles of endgame play" that followed. Of course, Shereshevsky did this with Dvoretsky's permission. 218 pp.]
There are a number of excellent endgame references, but the following is my favorite.
(6) "Fundamental Chess Endings" by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht. [It is both a reference book and a textbook. 416 pp.]
Unlike "Basic Chess Endings" and "Batsford Chess Endings," Muller and Lamprecht's book is noted for its pedagogical approach. This reference belongs on every serious chess player's bookshelf.
Consider the following endgame books only if you are highly motivated, since the preceding six books are more than adequate for honing your endgame skills.
Read the Mednis book followed by the appropriate chapter in Muller and Lamprecht's text. Knight and Bishop endings are not as important as Rook endings, so don't feel rushed into reading these books. Rely on Muller and Lamprecht for knowledge of specific positions and Mednis for general principles.
(7) "Practical Knight Endings" by Edmar Mednis. [This 188 page book will give you some fascinating insights into Knight endings, but it should not be read until you have studied and mastered the first four books mentioned above.]
(8) "Practical Bishop Endings" by Edmar Mednis. [This 134 page book is as good as it gets, but heed the warning given in the previous note.]
If you feel confident in your endgame skills, then it is time to study the following book:
(9) "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" (2nd edition) by Mark Dvoretsky. [To get the most out of this book, you need to have a substantial background in the endgame. This is not an easy book. Caveat lector. 402 pp.]
Yuri Averbakh's five volume work on the endgame is now out-of-print, but fortunately Convekta, Ltd. has made these books available as a software program. If you are a masochist (or a future Bobby Fischer), then go through this entire CD; otherwise, pick and choose the topics that are of interest to you. Highly recommended!
(10) "Comprehensive Chess Endings" by Yuri Averbakh. [This software program (for the PC) comes with a 40 page user's manual. It is a software program that anyone interested in the endgame should own. In one word: Superb!]
After studying the first four books in this list, you might want to purchase some books on endgame studies. The following are two of my favorites.
(11) "Test Tube Chess" by Arthur John Roycroft. [This book is subtitled "A Comprehensive Introduction to the Chess Endgame Study." The subtitle says it all! 370 pp. Note: This book was reprinted by Dover as "The Chess Endgame Study" (2nd rev.ed.), unfortunately, it is presently out-of-print.]
(12) "Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies" by Ghenrikh M. Kasparyan. [In the introduction to his book, Kasparyan states that "'domination' should be viewed...as the trapping of pieces in various ways." This is an absolutely fascinating book! Get it, if you can! 542 pp.]
I have studied Averbakh's "Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge" and Znosko-Borovsky's "How to Play Chess Endings" and everything in-between, and I am convinced that, for the average chess player, these are the best endgame books to study. The key is to spend most of your time mastering the basics, i.e., the first four books. Trying to master a ponderous tome, such as "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual," before you are ready is simply an exercise in futility.
Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Don C. Aldrich for his fascinating article, "Endgame Erudition," that appeared in issues 136, 137, and 141 of the "Chess Gazette" (from July 1998 through February 1999). For anyone interested in endgame books, this three part article is a valuable resource.
Do you have an interest in chess tactics? If so, please see my review of Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld's "Winning Chess."
Not enough coverage on endings with pieces involved.......2000-05-02
While there is tons of K+P vs K or K+P vs K+P coverage, there isn't really enough of say, B vs N, or R endings. Ok for what it does cover, but not complete.
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How to win at chess;: A complete course
I. A Horowitz
Manufacturer: MacKay
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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