How to Play Chess Endgames
By Karsten Müller
Wolfgang Pajeken
Grandmaster Karsten Müller is a world-renowned expert on all aspects of endgame play. He is co-author (with Frank Lamprecht) of the acclaimed Secrets of Pawn Endings and Fundamental Chess Endings. He finished third in the German Championship in 1996, and was runner-up in 1997.
Wolfgang Pajeken is a FIDE Master from Hamburg who plays frequently in the German Bundesliga, and other team and individual championships. He is also a chess trainer, organizer and arbiter.
In this companion volume to Fundamental Chess Endings, Müller and Pajeken focus on the practical side of playing endgames. They cover all aspects of strategic endgames, with particular emphasis on thinking methods, and ways to create difficulties for opponents over the board.
Using hundreds of outstanding examples from modern practice, the authors explain not only how to conduct 'classical' endgame tasks, such as exploiting an extra pawn or more active pieces, but also how to handle the extremely unbalanced endings that often arise from the dynamic openings favoured nowadays. All varieties of endgames are covered, and there are more than 200 exercises for the reader, together with full solutions.
Unlike many of the common endgame books out today, this unique work focuses on the strategic endgames. 'Strategic endgames' are endgames where the result is still not completely clear. This means you cannot look up the position in an endgame book or find it in a database that shows the 'right' result and how to get there. These types require deep understanding of the general principles and rules of the endgame. Examples of strategic endgames could be positions where one side is defending an inferior pawn structure or where a player is trying to convert the bishop pair. One side might have an advantage but it is not a clear edge yet.
This book has 18 major chapters...
1. Activity
2. The art of pawn play
3. Do not rush!
4. The right exchange
5. Thinking in schemes
6. Weaknesses
7. The fight for the initiative
8. Prophylaxis and prevention of counterplay
9. The Bishop-pair in the endgame
10. Zugzwang
11. Fortresses
12. Stalemate
13. Mate
14. Domination
15. Converting an advantage
16. The art of defence
17. Typical mistakes
18. Rules of thumb
---. Solutions
Each major chapter has several sections to it. The length of each section varies greatly by subject and ranges anywhere from a couple positions to many. A lot of the sections also have a group of problems at the end for the reader to test their memory solving puzzles with similar themes as the previous reading. All the solutions are provided in detail at the end of the book.
The authors have put this work together with well chosen examples and puzzles accompanied by clear, logical explanations. This makes this book an easy and enjoyable read that will most likely shed a new light to endgame strategy that many players have not seen before. Highly recommended!
NSG Rating = 9.8 of 10