For
many years the idea of studying the endgame meant
boring books and endless (sometimes nonsensical)
variations. Epic works like Basic
Chess Endings (by Fine)
and the comprehensive Averbakh series were, in
many ways, as depressing (by showing us how ignorant
we really were) as they were thorough.
This "nothing but memorization"
vision of the endgame came to an abrupt end when
I grudgingly opened up a copy of Shereshevsky's
book and began to read (by the way, Endgame
Strategy should not
be confused with Mastering
The Endgame, Volumes One and Two
by the same author). Instead of being deluged
with strings of variations and endless rules,
I was delighted to see a more commonsense attitude
that stressed general principles.
Chapters like
- Basic principles of endgame
play
- Centralization of the
King
- The role of pawns in the
endgame
- The problem of exchanging
- Do not hurry (one of my
favorites)
combined with easy to read
language, make this book a delight to read.
If you're looking for fun endgame
lessons that actually teach you something, this
book is, without a doubt, a no-guilt buy.
YOU
CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT
|
