The Tactics of End-Games [Paperback]

Jeno Ban (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 1997

How to snatch draws from lost positions and wins from equality or worse. Clear presentation of such tactics as walling in, self-pinning, perpetual attack, blockading, much more. 240 chess diagrams.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hungarian

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (July 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486297055
• ISBN-13: 978-0486297057
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,693,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to Capablanca. Learn endgames by reading this book, September 2, 2002

By 

Rob Ryley "Robert" (Northeast NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tactics of End-Games (Paperback)

In order to be a strong tournament player, it is crucial to improve your tactical ability and have strong endgame technique.

Jeno Ban's _Tactics of Endgames_ will help you accomplish both.

Just a few of the things you will get out of it:

1) A strong desire to improve your endgame technique. The positions in the book look simple, but once you see the subtle (and beautiful) solutions, you can't help but see the complexity in the game of chess. This will force you to look more carefully when you start to play. You will even enjoy studying the endgame, which is usually thought of as tedious and dull.

2) Improved ability to spot tactics. Because the positions are relatively simple, basic maneuvers like forks, skewers, pins, etc. will stick out in your mind. Your standard of play will improve, and you will make fewer blunders, and will be able to calculate farther ahead.

I noticed studying a few chapters improved my game very rapidly.

3) Improved defensive skills--you will begin to learn how even the most hopeless position can contain elements of poison for the superior side. Good defensive skill will make you extremely tough to beat.

Tactics of Endgames is a steal. Get the book and enjoy trouncing your opponents in the opening, middle, or endgame.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real treasure, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tactics of End-Games (Paperback)

Ban takes an unusual apporoach. He classifies tactical themes, and uses mostly composed studies to illustrate each point. Endgames DO have some special tactics and you see them here. As an introduction to composed studies or as a more practiacl book this is very fine.

The drawbacks are the UGLY diagrams and the English notation. But this is a seriously good book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Endgame Studies, February 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tactics of End-Games (Paperback)

Endgame studies unearth a whole new dimension of chess, but they're far from easy and some don't seem to be relevent to over the board play. That's where this book shines, since it has assembled studies that embody themes that are useful to the chess player. An exciting book. I'm a big fan of Dover Chess books in general because they're about a third the price of the over-priced books from Batsford, Thinker's Press, and Gambit (although many of the Gambit books are well-worth the money). As the other reviewer mentioned, the diagrams are pretty ugly and the text is in descriptive, but if you can play chess I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out descriptive :) Batsford's Endgame Magic is another great book of endgame studies in algebraic notation, so buy both because they're fun.