Endgame Challenge

by John Nunn

John Nunn presents 250 challenging positions where your task is to find a cunning way to win or draw. In many cases the odds against success seem overwhelming, yet by using all the tactical resources in the position it is possible to achieve the goal. The studies were subjected to a rigorous checking procedure, during which thousands of unsatisfactory positions were weeded out. The 250 studies finally selected represent some of the finest creations of composers such as Kasparian, Troitsky, Pogosiants, Mitrofanov, Chéron and Réti. Nunn's detailed solutions contain many points and clarifications that have hitherto gone unmentioned, so readers will rarely be left to wonder whether their intended solution really did work. In an over-the-board game, the ability to use the pieces in harmony is paramount, and those players who can exploit every resource in a position are those who become champions. While the focus in this book is on tactics, readers will also develop a greater understanding of many important endgame topics, such as fortresses, stalemate defences, the opposition and zugzwang.

Genres: Chess

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

John Denis Martin Nunn is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and once was in the world's top ten.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

If theoretical endgames are like classical physics - they teach you the "natural laws" which governs the remaining pieces on board, the the studies are like quantum physics: counter-intuitive moves are more a rule than an exception, "miracles" appears all the time, and common sense is practically useless in the process of searching for the solution. If you don't believe it, consider the next fact:
"In the process of finding 250 (hopefully) correct endgame studies for inclusion in the book, I found flaws in over 1,000 composition." (John Nunn)
That means that for every correct study from the book the author was forced to check carefully and dismiss 4 studies which didn't stood the test of time - an arduous job, indeed.
One of my favorite study, which I like to show to my students (of course, I would help them with the first two moves, which are completely out of mind), is No 20: Halberstadt's knight endgame is an excellent exercise in practicing the knight-fork. For me this single study justified the money invested in the book - and there 249 more "pearls" like this one. We are lucky that the author had enough stubbornness to finish the project (this book took him over a year to write!).

[Jonathan Nissim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful positions to practice solving, with well written solutions.