| Review of How to Play Chess Endgames by Karsten Muller and Wolfgang Pajeken by IM John Donaldson It really wasn't that long ago that you could count the number of books on the endgame in English on both hands. Those days are long gone! One only has to look at a single publisher, Gambit, and see their current catalogue has 11 offerings on this phase of the game including their latest, How to Play Chess Endgames ( 2008, 351 pages, paperback, figurine algebraic, $34.95) by Karsten Muller and Wolfgang Pajeken. One might wonder why another phone book size treatise on the endgame is needed especially as three other massive works appeared in recent years ( Silman's Complete Endgame Course, Flear's Practical Endgame Play and Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics) not to mention GM Muller's co-authorship of Fundamental Chess Endings (416 pages), published by Gambit in 2001.The answer will become clearer if we examine what sort of endgame books were available until recently. Almost without exception they were of two types. Either they were reference style works ( think Basic Chess Endings or many comprehensive works by Averbakh) or they were basic primers. There were a few exceptions but not many. There really wasn't any systematic guide to teach endgame skills to players from 1800 to 2400. Now let us take a look at the Gambit catalogue and see why How to Play Chess Endgames is something new and why it was published. I would divide the Gambit offerings as follows: Club Level (1400-2000) 101 Chess Endgame Tips by Steve Giddens Chess Endgame Training by Bernd Rosen Chess Endings made Simple by Ian Snape Reference Works Secrets of Pawnless Endgames by John Nunn Secrets of Rook Endings by John Nunn Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht Secrets of Pawn Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht Endgame Studies Solving in Style by John Nunn Endgame Challenge by John Nunn Strategy Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy by Lars Bo Hansen All are worthwhile books, some are excellent, but none of them is a systematic learning guide for players in the range of 1800-2400. Some might point to Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual as the answer, and indeed it is a great book. It is the guide to learn core endgame theory bar none. How to Play Chess Endgames is something different. Authors Muller and Pajeken adopt a unique approach. Their aim is to teach basic endgame skills rather than theory. To this end, the chapters of the book are arranged as follows: Activity, The Art of Pawn Play, Do Not Rush, The Right Exchange, Thinking in Schemes, Weaknesses, The Fight for the Initiative, Prophylaxis and Prevention of Counterplay, The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame, Zugswang, Fortresses, Stalemate, Mate, Domination, Converting an Advantage, The Art of Defense, Typical Mistakes, and Rules of Thumb. The authors introduce and illustrate their themes with well chosen examples and clear explanatory prose. Each chapter concludes with a series of exercises designed to test the student's mastery of the material. I can highly recommend How to Play Chess Endgames . With faster time controls and no adjournments the premium on good endgame skills has never been higher. Find a book you like on the endgame and stick with it. It doesn't hurt that How to Play Chess Endgames is attractively laid out with a comfortable two column layout and large, oversize pages ( 9 3/4 by 6 1/2 inches). The price of $35 may cause some to flinch but there are months worth of study here. |