Customer Reviews

Grandmaster Secrets Endings

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Here is what International Master Jeremy Silman, who reviews chess books on another site, said about this book. He said it better than I could.

"Most endgame books are over the heads of the normal tournament player. Most are boring. Most are completely useless. Soltis' book, however, is a rare mixture of entertainment, deep instruction, and grand design. The typesetting is excellent, the layout shows lots of care, the many drawings are absolutely wonderful, and the actual print is easy on the eye.

The subtitle of this book is "Everything you need to know about the endgame," and Soltis tries very hard to make good on this promise. In my opinion, this is the best endgame book ever written for the amateur player. A must buy!"

Well, I don't normally write reviews, but given the quality of some of the earlier reviews, I feel compelled to speak up. I am a reasonably strong player (USCF 2200 years ago, today FIDE 2100) and know a little bit about chess theory, having trained several junior players over the years. I have bought hundreds of chess books and I know what it takes to improve.

The key to improving in chess is to learn the basic principles and then study typical positions which exemplify those principles. The study of master games is the best way to do this and there are no strong players who have not made a study of many master games.

The problem with the endgame is that there are few good books on the subject. Part of the problem is that, unlike the early middlegame, the endgame cannot be easily categorized into specific pawn structures. Most books deal with very basic endgames such as rook and pawn against rook. Perhaps you will play some of these endgames every now and then, but most players need to know how to play more complex positions. This book does an excellent job and, in my opinion, accomplishes the task of teaching this aspect better than almost any other book. A series of basic principles are laid down: 1) when to exchange and what to exchange 2) the two on one 3) strategic thinking etc etc and examples are shown.

This book would suit players up to about USCF 2000, ELO 1900 etc. (yes, even the more experienced can benefit from this book). By all means read a book on basic endgames (I like Albert's book "Just the Facts") but have a look at this book. The endgame demands serious study by all players who aspire to a rating of 2200 or above. Shereshevky's book "Endgame Strategy" is good too, but this book is better for the average player. In fact, there is some overlap (at least conceptually) between the Shereshevsky book and this one, but this one is a more entertaining read!).

Yes, in reply to one reviewer, the format is a little cute. But it seems to work (at least it does for me, and I am quite critical). It certainly isn't dry. Perhaps, in my dotage, I need to be entertained as well as informed.

Everyone should have a copy of this book. Andy Soltis continues to produce great books. This is one of his best.

If one of the problems most of us non-masters have with endgames is our perception of them as boring, this book may change your perspective. Soltis has written an engaging and informative endgame book that makes one WANT to learn more. Years ago, after trying to study endgames from Fine's "Basic Chess Endings," I had wearily resigned myself to ignoring them primarily because Fine's basic work seemed enormously long, tedious, and boring. It is a relief to find out that Soltis, a GM, agrees that the vast majority of Fine's book is impractical and useful only as a reference. I will reread and play out the positions from Soltis' book.

This book is really good at teaching the most critical aspects of the endgame. It is probably suitable for players up to around 1800 USCF.

Beyond that rating level, something more like Shereshevkys' series would be more appropriate.

Don't be put off by the single reviewer who signed on and left 3 reviews (two from Australia, one from new York) with 1 star. He clearly has some sort of ax to grind.

This book is very good, and worth getting.

Amazon.com needs to do a better job at eliminating multiple reviews from the same person.

Endgames for amatuers are truely the "unknown" subject...here Soltis takes a realistic situation...a strong club player who is great at the middlegame but is really lacking in the endgame area...then a GM confers the club player and so on...If you read this book your endgame could be a secret weapon for your games...you'd always be confident in going into an endgame...read this book! It's worth it!

Soltis' book on the endgame is both a joy and a revelation. In it, he discloses secrets, yes secrets, about the endgame I've not found in any other chess book. The opening chapters cover such topics as: why the best move of the endgame is to walk around the room as soon as the queens are exchanged, why an endgame is not a middlegame, what endgame rules you need to know and the 100s of rules you can forget, why several endgame plans may be needed to win the game, the topic of "mismatches" which is vital to know, and common winning techniques. Following are chapters devoted to the various types of endgames: pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, and queens. Soltis uses the Socratic method of teaching, with beginner Pat Sayre asking GM Noah Tall questions. Typically the questions asked were exactly the ones I would ask about the position under consideration. The book is subtitled "Everything you need to know about the endgame" and that is a correct statement. A book beginners and tournament players need to add to their libraries, Soltis' book substantiates a common myth that chess masters really are keeping secrets from us amateurs. Soltis has told us the secrets to the benefit of players everywhere. I'm glad.

If you only read one book on endings, read this one. Mr Soltis writes in an entertaining form that illustrates ideas rather than plowing through endless bishop versus knight endgames. I'm sure any Class A and below player will find this adds 50-100 rating points.

I have to be the lone voice of dissent, it seems. I wanted a text to teach me more about the endgame. This book is peppered with cutsie drawings, written in a gosh-golly style that really annoyed me after three pages, and tries so hard to be "unintimidating" that it instead becomes distracting. The layouts are confusing--often diagrams are two pages ahead of the text--and the quotes are not helpful. ("Let no man surrender so long as he is unwounded and can fight. --Field Marshall Montgomery" --Huh?) I'd prefer a less chatty, less folksy book. A lot of people apparently like this approach. While I'm all for making the endgame less painless, this book didn't do it for me. I'd rather read a "dry" analysis.

Not only does this book explain many important aspects of the endgame, it does it with dialogue. That means it gets the info into the memory of the reader. And isn't that what we all want from a chess book?

soltis uses the socratic method to teach you how to think during the endgame. i usually find it boring to study endings so i never really did it. soltis makes studying endgames enjoyable and he slips in a lot of practical advice.