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| Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge | 
| Author: Iuri Averbakh
Creator: P. H. Clarke
Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $5.94
You Save: $9.01 (60%)
New (9) from $5.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 519238
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.4
ISBN: 1857440226
Dewey Decimal Number: 494.124
EAN: 9781857440225
ASIN: 1857440226
Publication Date: July 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: DIFFERENT COVER. NEW BOOK. 100% of the money from this sale goes to benefit the Thursday's Child hotline for runaway, abused, missing and at-risk children. We ship in a box, so the books are not damaged. If there are any problems, please contact us through Amazon.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
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 technique in this fascinating stage of a chess game. The author, a Russian Grandmaster and endgame expert, takes the reader from the most elementary checkmates, through the exploitation of positional and material advantage, right up to the analysis of actual endings from master play.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
Must have book July 23, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have played chess for more than 20 years but never had the chance (or the willingness) to read a chess book. I play very well for a amateur, but I started to get serious and join some tournaments. I won some games from players around FIDE 1800-1900, but I also lost many others, since I lack the fundamentals and tournament experience. So, my chess professor, said that I should start my chess education with endings and tactics. This was my first chess book that I have ever read in my life, and I found it amazing. After studying carefully all the diagrams I asked myself why I haven't studied this book before, I would have benefit from it so much. I have just to agree with a comment that I read that the author approaches rook vs queen endings in the begnning of the book, which is quite difficult and took me many hours of practice to get used with the position and the many variations possible. I have also checked the positions with Nalimov tables, and practicaly the book has no mistakes. I have also like the author's approach for pawn endings using the key squares theory. My chess professor's book, called "The Final Countdown", and the Fundamental Chess Endings from K. Muller, both also used this modern approach. In the overall this is a must have book.
No complaints, here. August 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I refrained from writing a review for this book until I finished it (just two days ago). I am now undecided as to whether I should move on to another book, or simply go through it again! I thoroughly enjoyed reading/playing through this book, and I shall explain why.
This book is small, indeed. However, I should emphasize that it is extremely *dense*. This book has no anecdotes, no analogies, and few sentences that do not directly relate to the discussion of a given endgame position. Some may not like this, but that is fine for them; they are going to miss out on a good book. After reading such an informative book such as this, one can only wish, as I did, that Mr. Averbakh had written more. This, however, would be contrary to his goal of creating a book of "essentinal" knowledge taken from his vast amounts of endgame material. Indeed, along with Alexander Kotov and another gentleman, Mr. Averbakh originally wrote a book titled Shakhmatnye Okonchaniya, available from Amazon as Shakhmatnaya shkola, it seems.
This book is also very compelling with its examples, especially to a beginner such as myself. In fact, I think I developed a certain fascination for the endgame after reading this book. I eagerly anticipate working on endgame puzzles and reading/playing through more volumes on the endgame, which brings me to my next point.
Realistically, I do not think that there is any need to move on to another book! As Mark Dvoretsky advises (and I am sure others do, as well) that one should know relatively few endgame positions, but understand them totally and to be able to execute them expertly. In this manner, and as a beginner, I could follow this advice and stick to this book for some time and not suffer from a lack of endgame knowledge.
Through a small part of the beginning, I played through the varations on my chess board, but after a bit I skipped them in favor of merely acquainting myself with the positions and ideas, since this was my first undertaking of actual endgame theory. (I caught a glimmer of it in various parts of Chessmaster 9000, but nothing as serious as what is in this book.)
From my estimation, all one would need for endgame theory is this book and one more advanced or exhastive book for later study. Highly recommended.
yes, it is the essential knowledge January 3, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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 January 14, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
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. January 30, 2005
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
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.
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