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Posted by ssisyphus mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 02:34:54 play online chess	Subject: Endgame Book Message: Does anyone know a good book on endgames? Thanks in advance.
Posted by torre_tinorete mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 04:04:42 play online chess	Silman Endgame Book Message: If there is an endgame book that I will recommend, it would be Silman's "Complete Endgame Book". This book is different from other endgame books in terms of presentation. Other endgame books categorize endings accoring to pieces i.e., rook endings, bishop endings etc. However, Silman divided the material according to rating. This has its benefits. For one, you only need to learn endgames within your rating range. Once you go over your rating, then its time you learn other "advance" endgames. Still, there is no harm in reading the book in its entirely. For me, its easy to read and comprehend. Hope this helps
Posted by torre_tinorete mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 04:07:31 play online chess	Title Silman endgame book Message: Made a slight error. The correct title of the endgame book of Silman is "Silman's Complete Endgame Book"
Posted by marinvukusic mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 07:35:30 play online chess	The only book I ever used Message: Keres: "Practical chess endings" Great for a practical player. Books on endgames tend to be huge and not exactly practical, this one has everything that is needed. Silman's concept sounds good and if the book is really well written you can give it a go.
Posted by lighttotheright mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 10:37:16 play online chess	Message: Silman's endgame book is the best one that I've seen in years. I highly recommend it. I would have bought it myself, if I wasn't already so familiar with the material.
Posted by jstack mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 13:36:17 play online chess	Dvoretsky's book Message: I would say Dvoretsky's end game manual is the best end game book I have seen since I started playing chess. I have not seen Silman's book.
Posted by thaumaturgy mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 14:34:59 play online chess	Silamn's book Message: Silman's book is definitely worth the investment. It is the best endgame book money can buy. If you're just starting out, you can learn basic endgame strategies and theory. If you're already an accomplished player, then you can study advanced/expert endgame concepts all the way to master level play. Definitely a tremendous book!
Posted by longbow57 mailcafe.net 4/24/2008 14:41:08 play online chess	Basic Chess Endings Message: The book I like is Reuben Fines Basic Chess Endings, written in 1941 I have been playing Chess over 40 years,that was the only book we had on endgames, boy times have changed so has the World, now we have the internet for openings and end games and to study chess, for the better I hope. Thanks
Posted by taufiq mailcafe.net 4/26/2008 01:28:09 play online chess	Endgame Message: Someone told me, this would be a great book for studying endgames (I haven't got the book, but I'm willing to purchase it) --> "Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations & Games", written by father Polgar.. --> www.chesshouse.com
Posted by wschmidt mailcafe.net 4/28/2008 13:00:13 play online chess	No, Message: The Polgar book isn't an endgame book. It's mainly a collection of mating combinations - one, two and three move checkmates. It's great for that, but it definitely isn't an endgame book.
Posted by taufiq mailcafe.net 4/29/2008 01:59:12 play online chess	Message: Ah, ok wschmidt ; I didn't knew that :) Sorry for posting it :) Take care !
Posted by heinzkat mailcafe.net 4/29/2008 02:06:50 play online chess	Well, Message: László Polgár has compiled another book called 'Chess Endgames', which contains (a 'dump' of) 4,560 positions (they are categorized though). Done in the same way as the 5,334 problems, combinations & games, I suppose. What I didn't like about it, is that nothing is explained, only the positions are given with a very 'dry' solution section (no commentary, just moves with +- evaluations). But it IS a very thorough book, and I definitely should do more from it (compared to the 'nothing' now!)
Posted by ionadowman mailcafe.net 4/29/2008 14:08:31 play online chess	A few centurries ago... Message: ... Batsford put out a series of endgame books each specialising in types of material involved: Rook endings, Queen endings, minor piece endings and the like. I bought just two of them: Levenfish & Smyslov's "Rook Endings" and Averbakh's "Queen and Pawn Endings". I don't know whether these books were specially commissioned by Batsford, or whether they were tranlations of Russian/Soviet publications. It seems that Paul Keres's "Practical Chess Endings" is from the same stable. I have found both the volumes that I own useful and informative, beginning with "schoolboy" theory to begin with then gradually becoming more advanced and complicated. Most of the endings are taken from actual games, but a few studies are also presented. And they have helped in endings on GK. In a game ionadowman vs sranderson a year or so back, I found myself a pawn down in a Q+Ps ending, with a completely passive position , but fortunately the enemy didn't have a passed pawn. Averbakh's book at least gave me some clues what to strive for and what to avoid, though I have to admit, the idea of sacrificing my Q-side pawns to activate my game was largely my own. When my opponent timed out (I noticed he was cutting things more and more finely), he was still a pawn ahead, but I still had the means to set problems, and was starting to think I might yet hold out for a draw... A particularly interesting and difficult R+Ps ending occurred in agmac vs ionadowman, again with my having the pawn less. Now, I've had quite a lot of R+Ps endgames on GK, and have thereby built up a fund of experience in them, but this one was quite complicated as there were a lot of pawns. Gradually reducing material I finally got to a point where a known drawn position was in sight - identified by Levenfish & Smyslov as such - which I managed to steer for and obtain. A limitation, perhaps, of such books, is that they aren't always comprehensive in their analysis of such positions, so, when agmac, having arrived at the "drawn" position, deviated almost at once from the "main" line, I had still some work to do to secure the half-point. Which was probably just as well, as it gave me further insights into how such endings work. You could do worse than to get hold of these books if you can. Cheers, Ion
Posted by doctor_knight mailcafe.net 4/29/2008 20:54:50 play online chess	Message: I don't know what your particular needs are, but I really liked Purdy's "On the Endgame". Very good writing with clear explanations. It basically has two sections: the first is an endgame course to teach you what Purdy would consider everything you need to know about endgames to start off. The second section is mainly endgame studies. The editors of the book recommend going through the endgame course and then referring back to the second section to study particular endgame studies that relate to endgames that you encounter in your real games (maybe I should start doing this lol).
Posted by taufiq mailcafe.net 4/30/2008 04:50:02 play online chess	... Message: ionadowman; I've found your game against agmac, and indeed, it's very learnfull ! (for the people who are interested; the game ended 21-Jan-06). If I look through such games, it's very clear for me, there's a lot more to learn !! Still a long way to go ! :)
Posted by lighttotheright mailcafe.net 4/30/2008 06:52:26 play online chess	Message: ...regarding Laszlo Polgar's book. Although it is not an endgame book, it does have a endgame specific section within it. It is only about 140 problems from simple endgames; but it is there. Some people don't like the style of not explaining anything with just problems. I find this style most useful. The only way to truly learn chess is to just do it. This forces you to do just that. The problems expand your learning horizons. It's funny! I've always viewed mating positions (which most of his book it comprised of) as a form of endgame.
Posted by chuckychess mailcafe.net 4/30/2008 23:24:04 play online chess	Message: For the sub-1800 player, I would recommend "Essential Chess Endings Explained Move by Move, Vol 1", by Jeremy Silman. Every move of most of the basic endgames that B players and below need to know are commented upon by Silman. It is available at www.labatechess.com
Posted by bogg mailcafe.net 5/01/2008 03:58:36 play online chess	GM Flear Message: Has a new book that looks valuable, 'Practical Endgame Play - beyond the basics'. Rather than writing another book on theoretical endgame play he has written a book that covers positions with a bit more material on the board, one or both players has two pieces. CTC
Posted by ionadowman mailcafe.net 5/07/2008 13:31:49 play online chess	It seems likely... Message: ...that GM Flear has begun to fill a gap that exists in the literature: namely, how to play the early ending, when there remains quite a bit of material on the board, but the middlegame has "clearly" passed. Perhaps it might be better termed, "how to play 'simple' positions - "simple" meaning with pawns and not more than 3 pieces remaining. Of course, any such book would be general in nature, since there is an infinitude of variety still to be found so late in the game. And you would be amazed at just how complicated and exciting 'simple' positions can become! Some of the Fischer-Smyslov battles of 1958-1959 were thrillers. Cheers, Ion
Posted by wschmidt mailcafe.net 5/08/2008 13:13:10 play online chess	The Flear book is excellent. Message: I recently had a GK game that was headed for a rook and pawn vs rook and knight with pawns on both sides endgame. I started going through the examples in the Flear book when I realized this. I didn't get any specific moves from my study but did get a feel for how such endgames can progress and how the pieces interact within different pawn structures. Highly recommended.
Chess news: Telegraph chess: Mexico suits Topalov -- Veselin Topalov is enjoying Mexico and reached 2.5/3 with an easy win over Vasily Ivanchuk in the third round at Morelia. Topalov played some of his moves in the early middlegame extremely quickly which suggests that he might have still been in the realms of his home analysis and his remarkable 24th move decided the game, see below. The world chess champion Vishy Anand has yet to draw a game and he comfortably overcame the 17 year old Magnus Carlsen after steering the game into a relatively obscure line of the popular Anti Moscow Gambit. Carlsen seemed unprepared and was forced into a lost endgame of rook and h4 pawn v light squared bishop and h3 pawn. Anand demonstrated the winning plan of forcing the defending king back to the c file after which the rook can ... Telegraph chess: Moscow toughs it out -- The Aeroflot Open is underway in Moscow with the participation of scores of chess grandmasters who are chasing $200,000 in prize money including $100,000 reserved for the A1 group. The 64 player event is reserved for chess players rated 2550 or higher, with a few exceptions. This is probably the toughest chess event of its type in the world. The winner collects $30,000 plus a more valuable award, a place in the elite Dortmund Chess Festival. The top seed at Moscow is Vladimir Akopian rated 2700 and ranked world number 23 but the competition is so tough he has yet to win a game and is on 50%. After five rounds Ian Nepomoniachtchi of Russia and Maxim Rodshtein of Israel, two of the younger generation were in the lead with 4.5 points. A former Fide world chess champion has his ... Telegraph chess: Ivanchuk's worst game? -- The fourth round at Morelia saw Veselin Topalov, the only chess player to avoid defeat in the first three games, outplayed by Alexei Shirov. With Vishy Anand held to a draw by Teimour Radjabov, there is a three way tie for the lead between; Topalov, Anand and Levon Aronian who was a lucky winner against Vassily Ivanchuk, see below. Shirov secured an advantage in the opening and clever play forced Topalov into an endgame of two rooks and five pawns each in which the Bulgarian was totally passive. Two games were drawn without too much incident although Peter Leko had to defend carefully against Magnus Carlsen. Round four: Shirov 1-0 Topalov, Sicilian Sveshnikov; Carlsen draw Leko, Nimzo-Indian, 4.Qc2; Anand draw Radjabov, Ruy Lopez Schliemann; Ivanchuk ...