Chess Endings Made Simple : How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence [Paperback]

Ian Snape (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gambit Publications (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1901983978
• ISBN-13: 978-1901983975
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise - concentrates on basic principles, February 21, 2006

By 

Alan__Sutton (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Endings Made Simple : How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence (Paperback)

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.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those of us that need help in the endgame, July 2, 2004

By 

Diego Acosta (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chess Endings Made Simple : How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence (Paperback)

How good is it when the author takes time to write conceptually what's going on, place a diagram with arrows, circles and whatever aids are needed to clarify his point and then explain clearly what is it that he wants to do with the position? And how great is it when after five moves the author shows you what happened afterwards with another diagram and repeats the process of analyzing the position and showing you how to play it? I used to think that Concise Chess Endgames was the best way to start to study the endgame but I was wrong... This is the book! This is the book to start studying endgames! I consider that the author must be a superb teacher because he uses all resources available to him to teach. Why can't books on such an arid topic as the endgame be as illustrative as this one?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just small addition, June 22, 2010

By 

kafkafan (Misterious Castle, London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Endings Made Simple : How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence (Paperback)

The bok is very good and can lead to more complex books almost immediately. One important point: the bishop and knight mate is presented primarely to learn coordination between bishop and knight during middlegame. That is not me saying, but several strong players and two coaches I met.
So, practice it. I did and can now coordinate those pieces with a considerable succes.