Product Description

Most chess-players are all too painfully aware of how many half-points and even full points they squander due to poor endgame play. However, they tend to imagine that improving their endgame play involves a massive amount of study of dry technical positions, and prefer to spend their time on other aspects of the game, perhaps in the unrealistic hope of avoiding endgames entirely. In this book, Ian Snape helps them to tackle endgames with more confidence, so that they look forward to playing them, and are more willing to simplify when this is the best course of action. The first half of the book discusses the areas of endgame theory that are most relevant to practical success. The second half features 100 exercises for the reader to solve, together with full solutions. All the exercises are taken from real games.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #594768 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

From the Publisher
Gambit Publications specializes in chess and has an unrivalled reputation for originality and editorial excellence. The company is owned and staffed entirely by leading chess masters and grandmasters.

About the Author
Ian Snape enjoyed considerable success in junior chess before concentrating on a career in banking, but has returned to the game in the last decade. In correspondence chess he has qualified as an ICCF International Master and registered a grandmaster norm. Over the board, he has played in the British Championship on three occasions and competes regularly in league chess and other events.

Customer Reviews

A pleasant surprise - concentrates on basic principles
How often do you find phrases like "made simple" in the title of a book, only to find yourself out of your depth after a few pages? Well, you can rest assured. this book really does stick to the simple things. It tackles the end game in terms of concepts and plans, concentrating on basic principles, which can be applied in a practical way to our own endgame.

After an opening chapter on pawnless endings, we have a chapter on King and Pawn endings, a long section on Rook and Pawn endings, the most common type of ending encountered in practical play, followed by chapters on Knight endings, Bishop endings, Bishop and Knight endings, and Queen endings.

The second part of the book consists of 100 exercises, all taken from practical play, to test to what extent the reader can apply the knowledge gained in the first part. What is surprising is the number of times really simple endings occur in practical play. The 100 positions include a great many taken from GM games. I was pleasantly surprised at how often, after only a few seconds thought, I was able to find the winning/drawing line simply by applying my newly acquired knowledge. But even more astounding was the number of times a GM or very strong player had failed to find the right method. Food for thought here!

There have been many books on the ending written over the years, including a good number in the present millennium, but in terms of value for money I reckon that this one takes some beating. It is yet another example of my oft repeated dictum that GMs are not the best people to write for less able players.

This review first appeared in the magazine En Passant.