Product DescriptionFor over 100 years, the world's leading chess players and teachers have told their students to study the endgame. Now, for the first time, a revolutionary, richly instructive endgame book has been designed for players of all levels. This is the one and only endgame book you'll need as you move up the ladder from beginner to tournament player and master. Designed to 'speak' to a player in a very personal way, Silman's book teaches the student everything he or she needs to know at his or her current rating level, and builds on that knowledge for each subsequent phase of the player's development. Starting at the beginner's level, all basic mates are clearly and painstakingly explained. After that, the critical building blocks that form the endgame foundation for all tournament hopefuls and experienced tournament competitors are explored in detail. Finally, advanced endgame secrets, based on concepts rather than memorization, are presented in a way that makes them easy to master.The basic keys to a well-rounded endgame education - Opposition, the Lucena and Philidor Positions, Cat and Mouse, Trebuchet, Fox in the Chicken Coup, Triangulation, Building a Box, Square of a Pawn, Outflanking, the Principle of Two Weaknesses - are vital. But equally important is creating a love of the endgame, which is addressed at the end of the book with a look at chess tactics, minor piece domination, and a discussion of the five greatest endgame players of all time - all things that every fan of chess at every level can enjoy. If you have found the endgame to be a mystery, if you have found that your confidence plummets once you reach an endgame, if you have searched for an instructive endgame book that will turn your weakest link - your endgame - into your personal field of power, your search is over. The book is the key to a world of essential ideas, startling beauty, and stunning creativity.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Just a little too casual
I love the idea of progressive introduction of material, in the endgame and anywhere else, and adopting rating ranges as indicators is brilliant (like all simple ideas we didn't think of). I enjoyed the book, learned a great deal, and I think it is correctly well regarded and worth every penny many times over.
Why drop a point from a Book of the Year then? What is the most important single position in endgames? Surely most people would say Lucena, since almost all your rook and pawn ... Read More
Rating: - A Very Good Approach to Endgames
I like Silman's approach of teaching concepts based on your rating. This is much more helpful than the usual approach in the a book like Reuben Fine (Basic Chess Endings) where the book is organized by the type of endings. You may still want to have the Fine book, but I would highly recommend this book first.
Rating: - Good Book - missing some key points
I'm certain many will not agree with me, but here goes:
This book is good, not great. Karsten Muller, for example, does an explanation of key squares for the King to occupy to ensure promotion that is both much shorter and actually ~much~ more complete and useful OTB. Where Silman indicates be ahead of the P with the oposition to win, Muller shows you what squares win, and they are not just the one in front of the pawn. Maybe Silman includes diagonals as "in front" but that is ambiguous ... Read More
Rating: - Beginners and intermediates will enjoy it
A great book, haughtily written. I found the progression of the book particularly useful--the right problems for the student's situation.
Rating: - Good, but not "Complete," and more emphasis on "Beginner" than "Master"
I'm a 1900+ USCF Player. I've had this book for awhile and have finally decided to review it. To begin with, I'll say that I feel this book tries to "dumb-down" too many things, and that turned me off initially. I don't love super-complex stuff either--I have DVORETSKY'S ENDGAME MANUAL but it's a bit too "heavy" for my liking.
SILMAN'S COMPLETE ENDGAME COURSE is a GOOD book. Why it's so huge I don't know, considering that for its size it doesn't cover that much...but that's a different issue. ... Read More
- Just a little too casual
- A Very Good Approach to Endgames
- Good Book - missing some key points
