Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Capablanca book, with Chernev analysis, January 16, 2001
Chernev is a master writer at illuminating the logic behind moves and helping the reader understand those reasons. This process starts with classics like Logical Chess Move by Move, and this book looks at endgames.It's a fine book because it teaches you how to take small advantages and win. Too many beginner/intermediate chess players look for the brilliant combo to beat the opponent. This book shows that you can be a master at simplifying and winning with a small advantage. This technique is as brilliant as the best combination. Well worth emulating.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obviously Capa is Chernev's chess hero... ;-), February 23, 2005
Capa had many chess masterpieces. When Chernev chose 60 games to summarize Capa's endgame skills, they must be very clear and instructive. Many GMs agreed that Capa is a master of positional chess and an endgame artist. He made the games so "simple" (after we see how the games unfolded) that they look "magical". There were many endgames that he saw so deep (and intuitively) that during the transitional phase his opponents thought they got the upperhand. Then a few more actual moves into the endings, they realized that they had been outplayed (see the games of Marshall and Tartakover). His positional understanding was ahead of his opponents' time. He placed his pieces at the most optimal squares that when the game was transferred into the ending, either he had won some material, or his strong position could force a trade to his favor, or his attack was so strong that his opponent had to give up something. This gave us his masterful endgame technique. This book actually has Capa's full games. Chernev gave explanations for the whole games, however displayed a break or transition where the games entered the ending phases.
After many Chernev's books, it is obvious that Capa is his chess hero (from Golden Dozen, Most Instructive and Logical Chess...) Compared this book to his others, I noticed three improvements (actually 2 1/2, ;-)). First the book is organized in chronological order (Surprise!); so I could learn how progressively Capa's technique changed (of course, it also depended on how strong his opponents were.) Second, there is an index to show what types of endings his games were. It's good for reference. And last, finally Chernev used the algebraic notation! However, he still used the long algebraic way (Ng1-f3) instead of the short one (Nf3). (I guessed, evolution takes many steps to perfect, ;-). Excuse me, master Chernev, you're still one of my favorite authors.)
This book gave actual games, so it's very practical. It prepares and directs intermediate level (like myself) what to look for and how to drive the game into similar positions. This book is published by Dover, therefore the price is very reasonable.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Textbook on Non-Textbook Endings I have yet seen, May 8, 2006
In another review, I said that Essential Chess Endings by GM James Howell is the best endgame book on what could be termed "textbook" endgames: King and Pawn, Rook endings from Rook vs. Pawn through Rook and Pawn (with several pawns on both sides), minor piece endings, queen endings, etc. Howell explains the basics of these better than any book I am aware of. However, as we all know, endgames most of the time have many complex elements to them that these "pure" examples do not. Our knowledge of, say, how to achieve/win the Lucena Position does not help us directly because the position at hand is a long way from getting to that point!
Chernev's genius in his work on Capablanca's endings is that through the selected examples (which invariably contain 3 or 4 pieces per side with several pawns each) and his explanations of them, the average player can see how to orient himself in complex endgames. Yes, Chernev is WAY too effusive with his praise for Capablanca, but the book is outstanding. The work gives, in exhaustive detail, the planning that enables Capablanca to turn miniscule advantages into wins. It is true that the opponents he played were often not the best of Capa's peers, but they were certainly strong enough to consistently play plausible moves, which makes it better for us to learn from.
This book provides ample evidence of the fact that, as the old quote goes, "Capablanca played with a view to the endgame." I am now convinced that this was undoubtedly true. No wonder Capablanca was considered invincible until his match with Alekhine: his ability to again and again badly outplay his peers in the endgame is frightening. CAPABLANCA'S BEST CHESS ENDINGS has made me a believer in Capablanca (never a favorite of mine): if he were alive today, he would certainly be Elo 2700+, because he would pound all the 2500s-2600s in the endgame so terribly.
With the possible exceptions of Botvinnik and Smyslov, it seems to me that every World Champion after Capablanca was stronger in the middlegame than in the endgame (this is of course not to say that they are weak endgame players!), whether boa constrictors like Petrosian or Karpov, or terrifying attackers like Tal or Kasparov. Spassky and Fischer were universal players, but were at their most dangerous in the middlegame. Chess at the top has become so complicated that maybe there will never be a Champion who wins as Capablanca did. But I, as a mere 1800 player, have noticed that since going through some of this book, I have been able to avoid complications, keep better control of my games, and squeeze MY peers into submission. None of us are World Champions, but by having this book and your opponents maybe not having it, you have a great chance to straight outplay them in the end. There is great scope to play a "Capablanca-type" game against your peers and win without slashing attacks!
When I went to Foxwoods in April, this is the only book I took with me. I went through I think 5 or 6 games before Round 1 and suddenly...I started playing with a view to the endgame. I have managed to keep this up (I went +3=2-1 there and am 3-0 with two games left in my current one-game-a-week tournament). This book has FINALLY given me the confidence to expect victory when up a pawn in the endgame! You won't become Capablanca after reading this book, but you CAN start to play with an eye towards the endgame even in the opening! I'm sorry if this sounds obvious to the stronger players reading this review...I am only 1800...
Good luck!
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