Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge

by Yuri Averbakh, P.H. Clarke (Translator)

By concentrating on the basic principles the average player is not only given a working knowledge of the endgame but also a firm foundation on which to further develop his or her interest and technique in this fascinating stage of a chess game. The author, a Russian Grandmaster and endgame expert, takes the reader from the most elementary checkmates, through the exploitation of positional and material advantage, right up to the analysis of actual endings from master play.

Genres: Chess

116 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 1966

About the author

Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (Russian: Ю́рий Льво́вич Аверба́х; born February 8, 1922) is a Russian chess player and author. He is the oldest living chess grandmaster. He was chairman of the USSR Chess Federation from 1973 to 1978.

Reviews

[Arlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best endgame primer I've ever run across. In just a few pages, the author (renowned Soviet GM and endgame expert Yuri Averbakh) makes very clear the winning methods for simple endgame positions. These are the kind of methods players need to memorize, to use them to calculate more complicated endgames properly.

The material is well-organized and thoughtful, and the teaching very clear and precise. Especially for its price, it is one of essential parts of any serious chessplayer's library.

I can't count the number of games I've saved, and even won, against players who had not studied the endgames put forward here.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was looking for the "tinniest" book about the chess endgame for my students, I concluded that this the right title for them.
Averbakh has just covered the bare minimum one must know about final phase of the game.
Funny, but my club-mate, who is also a GM, didn't know that the position on the page 53 - diagram 78 (in the algebraic edition of the book) is actually a simple draw.

[Akshay Basavaraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a very strong opinion about this book and that is if you cannot be bothered to complete this book, you should quit playing competitive chess. This book is 100 pages worth of endgame positions which should be in the back of a player's head. On average, it takes 5-6 hours to complete this book entirely, hence my first sentence of this review.

[Neil Limbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! Trying to distill “essential” knowledge into a book only 108 pages long is difficult but they have done a good job. I worked through the book with a board doing a little bit each day and it only took me 16 days to finish. I hope some of the knowledge rubs off!

[Howard Osterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent first leap into the world of Endings.
Clear concise; not overpowering. Seirawan’s ‘Winning Chess Endings’ is another great starting point.

[Mark Kaprielian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows you some of the tougher endings. Situations such as mating with two bishops or bishop and night are shown. While it shows you many useful endings, I find this book a bit tough to read as it is short on explanation. It's a thin and small book but its packed.

[Hydra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaat je veel winstpunten vanuit het eindspel opleveren.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent endgame primer. The material truly is essential - Grandmasters have fumbled some of these endgames.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estoy leyendo este libro para fundamentar una parte de mi tesis. Es un libro algo denso, pero muy práctico para aprender estragias bastante útiles al final de una partida de ajedrez. Recomendable si eres iniciado en el juego, más no eres de un nivel intermedio.