MODERN ENDGAME PRACTICE by Alexander Beliavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin is the third in a trilogy of endgame books that the Ukrainian Grandmasters have written for Batsford. This latest work is a potpourri of material covering all aspects of endgame theory with an emphasis on identifying typical mistakes made by Grandmasters.

A quarter of the material in this book is taken from super tournaments held from 1996 to 2001 and the impact of the change to the Game in 90 minutes (plus 30 second increment) time control is felt. The two authors show some terrible howlers committed by strong GMs who may well have been playing solely on the increment (30 seconds a move!) by the time they got to the endgame. In the future those that don’t know better may think that modern players can’t play endgames compared to old-timers, forgetting the latter had adjournments and civilized time controls to aid them.

Particularly appalling are the examples from the chapter “Shameful Mistakes” where 2650+ Epishin is shown failing to win B + N versus King! He is not the only GM to not to win this ending. The authors mention that after Grandmaster Gufeld failed to beat Klaric at the Murcia event in 1990, some of his colleagues proposed stripping him of his title! Lest one think the authors put themselves above the fray, rest assured there are several examples of Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin stumbling in this book.

The chapter on the connection of the opening and ending is particularly good with interesting little-known examples taken from the Catalan and Queen's Indian. There are a great many Rook and pawn endgames, reflecting their common occurrence in tournament practice.

Recommended for players rated over 2000 who are willing to put some serious work into their game.

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