Practical Endgame Play - Mastering the Basics

by Efstratios Grivas

Overview

How can you improve your chess? It's not by chance that the top players say: ‘Study the endgame!' This is because a great number of encounters reach the endgame, and studying these positions will teach you how to convert winning positions, and how to save or even overturn inferior ones. Moreover, it's a well-known fact that studying endgames undoubtedly enhances other aspects of your play.

Practical Endgame Play – Mastering the Basics is a comprehensive guide to all fundamental chess endings, and a godsend for those looking to improve their endgame play. Crucially, the emphasis is just as much on practical play as it is on theoretical understanding. Whenever an idea is introduced, Grandmaster EfstratiosGrivas immediately illustrates it with a number of entertaining and instructive examples, a considerable number of which are drawn from his own over-the-board experiences.

This is a companion volume to Everyman's earlier book Practical Endgame Play – Beyond the Basics,a work which specializes in more complex positions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781857445565
Publisher:	Everyman Chess
Publication date:	04/15/2008
Series:	Everyman Chess Series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Efstratios Grivas is an experienced Grandmaster, a Senior FIDE Trainer, and also an illustrious writer with many books and articles to his name.

Table of Contents

Bibliography & Acknowledgements     5
Foreword   IM Georgios Makropoulos     7
Introduction   Sotiris Logothetis     9
The Golden Rules of the Endgame     11
Pawn Endings
Introduction and The Opposition     13
Key Rules     20
Important Techniques     27
Further Practical Examples     34
Rook Endings
Introduction and Rook vs. Pawn(s)     40
Rook & Pawn vs. Rook     50
Rook & 2 Pawns vs. Rook     58
Rook & 2 Pawns vs. Rook & Pawn     69
Rook & 3 Pawns vs. Rook & 2 Pawns     77
Rook & 4 Pawns vs. Rook & 3 Pawns on the same wing     83
Rook & 5 Pawns vs. Rook and 4 Pawns     94
Rook & 4 Pawns with a passed a-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns     100
Rook & 4 Pawns with a passed b-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns     110
Rook & 4 Pawns with a passed c-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns     118
Rook & 4 Pawns with a passed d-pawn vs. Rook & 3 Pawns     123
General Rook Endgame Technique     131
Minor Piece Endings
Bishop vs. Pawn(s)     148
Same-coloured Bishop Endgames     154
Opposite-coloured Bishop Endgames     173
Knight vs. Pawn(s)     179
Knight Endgames     187
Good Bishop vs. Bad Knight     202
Good Knight vs. Bad Bishop     211
Rook and Minor Piece Endings
Rook vs. Bishop     223
Rook vs. Knight     241
Rook & Bishop vs. Rook     251
Rook & Knight vs. Rook     257
Rook vs. Minor Pieces     262
Queen Endings
Queen & Pawn Endgames     272
Queen vs. Various Major & Minor Pieces     292
Index of Players     315