how to play chess endgames book

Authors' Preface
Many endgame books deal mainly with theoretical endings. These are for the most part categorized
according to the material balance and feature endings with very little material which have been
analysed to a finish.
Of course it is essential for ambitious players on the way to chess mastery to familiarize themselves
with the most important of these positions. But the number of positions to be learnt precisely,
by heart, is not so huge. Many of these endings arise so infrequently in practice that from a
practical viewpoint it is just not worth cluttering the limited storage capacity of the human brain
with their complex and lengthy analysis. In many cases, all that the tournament player needs is
knowledge of the possible result with correct play and familiarity with the correct methods and
plans for handling such positions successfully.
But if merely studying theoretical endings ceases at a certain point to bring you any measurable
progress in your chess, what do you then need to improve your endgame play significantly, or even
achieve mastery in this discipline?
We have tried to provide an answer with this book!
Just as in the other phases of a game of chess, in the endgame there are special principles and
guidelines which not only make it easier to adapt one's play to the requirements of the situation on
the board, but can sometimes also enable you to work out the right way to proceed.
Practically every chess-player is familiar with the most important principles of the opening -
themes such as rapid development, occupation of the centre, or protecting the king by castling at
the right moment. Most players have also heard of such important middlegame themes as the importance
of the seizure of open files, the control of weak squares or the weakness of a backward
pawn. However, the principles of endgame play are generally much less well known.
Aie you aware, for instance, that themes such as the right exchange and prophylactic thinking
are fundamental components of successful strategy in the endgame? Do you know when you can
defend an endgame purely passively by means of a fortress, or when, on the other hand, you must
sacrifice one or more pawns in order to conduct a defence based on the greatest possible activity?
Do you know that in many endgames the ideas of mate and stalemate play an important role? Do
you know which are the endgames where you should not rush and which are the endgarnes where it
is vital to act dynamically in a fight for the initiative? Do you know how to saddle your opponent
with weaknesses and then take advantage of them? Do you know that the ideas of zugzwang and
domination are particularly important in the endgame? Do you know that the bishop-pair is a
powerful weapon in the endgame and do you know how to handle it? Are you familiar with all the
important rules of thumb of endgame play? Do you know what is meant by thinking in schemes
in the endgame? Are you familiar with all the principles of the art of pawn play? Do you know
which are the typical mistakes that continually crop up in endgames, and how to avoid them? Do
you know which rules you must follow in converting an advantage?
If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, then you are definitely holding the right book.
Each of the words or phrases printed in bold in the above questions is actually a chapter heading ( or
part of one) in this book.
But even if you answered 'yes' to most or all of the questions, you should still definitely not cast
tins book aside. You will find in this book not only positions with simple, elementary demands but
also positions of the highest degree of difficulty.