Customer Reviews

Endgame Strategy (Pergamon Russian Chess Series)

5 star:		(7)
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3 star:		(1)
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Actually, I'd have normally given this book four stars, but my purpose is to counterbalance the review below. As he stated, Shereshevsky (the real author -- Mr. Neat was the translator) organizes the endgames by themes, but in a very instructive way: The progression from the apparently simple to the truly complex leads the student along in a way that is most productive. Unlike some tomes like Basic Chess Endings, this book is meant to be studied, not used as a reference. The fact that one can actually sense that he is making progress makes this a truly unique book. Jeremy Silman called it one of the three best engame books for the aspiring player (along with Soltis' most recent book on endings -- also excellent, and a book by James Howell that I have not yet seen). Silman thinks a thorough read of these three books could give the average Joe a 2400 player's understanding of the endings. Shereshevsky is more than an editor here -- he is a teacher, and a good one at that.

Organizing his material thematically (e.g. "problem of exchanging," "suppressing the opponent's counterplay"), the author has assembled a great intermediate level endgame book. It's probably best suited for those who've had some previous exposure to endgame study previously but who need more intermediate books. I'd recommend Silman's Essential Endgames, Soltis' Grandmaster Secrets Endings, and Mednis' Rate Your Endgame, as books somewhat more basic than Shereshevsky.

Some book reviewer said that if you have trouble purchasing this book you should beg for it. I agree with him one hundred percent.I have never seen an end game book with a chapter about not hurrying in the endgame.An example would be that repeating moves in many positions is fine,because most people have a tendency of breaking the repetition. In many instances that will make their position worse.He also talks about preventing counter play in the endgame which is closely linked to the concept of not hurrying.In addition problems involving whether or not to exchange pieces and how and what to exchange are clearly covered.Shereshevsky also talks about the importance of the economy of pawn play.Topics such as alternating maneuvers against two weaknesses along with king centralization are also discussed along with many other endgame topics of great importance.This book can definitely improve one's endgame exponently. A must read.

This book delivers on its title. It is clearly the best book available to teach the 'Big Ideas' in chess endings. These are principles that can be used to guide the player on how to approach an ending. It's not about the details (though of course the details are addressed in the examples-- in chess, strategy must always be implemented with great attention to details).

Here are some examples of these principles: "Centralization of the King" (chapter 2); "Do not Hurry" (ch.5); "Schematic Thinking" (ch.6); "The Principle of Two Weaknesses" (ch.7); and "The Two Bishops" (ch.11).

I made an effort to improve my endgame play, and I was able to bring my playing strength up to 2200 USCF/FIDE; and this was one of the key books in my training program. However this book should not be used as the sole training manual. An excellent program to improve endings would be:
"Essential Chess Endings", by Jeremy Silman-- an excellent primer
"Capablanca's Best Chess Endings", by Irving Chernev (Capablanca's games form the most clear example of correct endgame play)
"Practical Chess Endings", by Irving Chernev (a series of puzzles-- a very practical way to improve your play)
and this classic by Shereshevsky.

One caveat: this book is probably one of the more advanced books on chess endings, so I would recommend it only to players with a playing strength of 1600 and up.

Okay, so most of your games won't reduce to the most "basic" endgames (rook and pawn vs. rook, etc.). Very often, you reach an endgame where the play seems "middlegame-like" but with less pieces--positions not covered in your standard endgame primers.

Shereshevsky has taken a large number of examples (a majority of them "classic") and categorized them by METHODS OF PLAY, not by material. He explains the famous "Principle of Two Weaknesses" very well, and shows how to use this vaunted idea through many examples.

The emphasis in this book is on how to choose a plan, how to think, and how to play in a real game. I love the chapter "Do Not Hurry" and also "The struggle for the initative" in terms of how they help you to think. "Schematic thinking" was a bit challenging for me; I guess I need more practice with fantasy. Shereshevsky also brings up the concept of fortresses often.

"The two bishops" and the practical considerations present in "The 3-2 Queenside pawn majority" (control of the open d-file is the most important factor!) are very valuable.

The other chapters, "The problem of exchanging," "The role of pawns in the endgame," "Centralization," etc. are also very good. Everybody will have their favorites, but taken together this book is essential for advanced players.

When you have gone through this book a couple of times, you will have acquired a large arsenal of playing techniques to bring success in a wide variety of practical positions. To the best of my knowledge, this is a unique work in chess literature. A lot of people nowadays seem to "audit" their chess books with Rybka, et al, but to do so in this case would be missing the point.

Highly, highly recommended!

So you want to improve your endgame? Then why haven't you ordered this book? Anyone who is around 1300 - 2000 ELO should read this, memorize it, and keep it under their pillow at night.

Play all the moves out on a real chessboard. Think about each move in each game and read the notes. Your endgame will definitely improve.

This isn't one of those books that goes through, "How to mate with two rooks," or anything that's more obvious. But what you learn from the subtle difference between endgame positions will generalize to your own chess game, to the extent that you'll start to "feel" the need to centralize your king.

this book is excellent as i could find for middle to endgame transitions. it can be supplemented with GM Igor Smirnov's latest wonderful endgame course "An endgame expert" at the link
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I purchased this "An Endgame Expert" course and found it the best course for "middle to end game transitions". I think, Any beginner shall watch it 50 times and intermediate player 25 times and he can plan entire game in a tournament and win it because many advanced players are not well versed with the clear ideas provided by GM in the endgame course. And if you fear openings, "GM opening laboratory" provides you selected openings where your opponent can not get any advantage gainst you whatever variation he plays. GM igor's research is fantastic.

I'm rated 1800 and have probably spent more time than most players at that rating on endgames. The general level of this book was too high for me.

A lot of this book is verbatim reprinting of analysis by Capablanca, Alekhine, Bondarevsky, and others. Shereshevsky has done a good job of collecting positions by themes, but he seems to have acted more as an editor than author.