HOW TO PLAY CHESS ENDGAMES (Karsten Müller &
Wolfgang Pajeken)
352 pages (248 mm by 172
mm).
£18.99/$34.95/€29,60
In this companion volume to Fundamental Chess Endings, Müller and Pajeken
focus on the practical side of playing endgames. They cover all aspects of
strategic endgames, with particular emphasis on thinking methods, and ways to
create difficulties for opponents over the board.
Using hundreds of outstanding examples from modern practice,
the authors explain not only how to conduct 'classical' endgame tasks, such as
exploiting an extra pawn or more active pieces, but also how to handle the
extremely unbalanced endings that often arise from the dynamic openings
favoured nowadays. All varieties of endgames are covered, and there are more
than 200 exercises for the reader, together with full solutions.
Major topics include:
* Basic Principles and Methods
* Activity
* Schematic Thinking
* The Fight for the Initiative
* Prophylaxis and Preventing Counterplay
* The Bishop-Pair in the
Endgame
* Domination
* The Art of Defence
* Typical Mistakes
*
Rules of Thumb
Grandmaster Karsten Müller is a world-renowned
expert on all aspects of endgame play. He is co-author (with Frank Lamprecht)
of the acclaimed Secrets of Pawn Endings
and Fundamental Chess Endings. He finished
third in the German Championship in 1996, and was runner-up in 1997.
Wolfgang Pajeken is a FIDE Master from Hamburg who
plays frequently in the German Bundesliga, and other team and individual
championships. He is also a chess trainer, organizer and arbiter.
Download a pdf file with a
sample from the book.
"There are plenty of interesting snippets of games with
carefully thought out comments. ... A real boost for experts on the endings."
- IM Gary Lane, Australasian Chess magazine
"What I enjoyed most about this book is the readability of
it. … A good example … is the chapter on 'fortress' positions - this
is where the defender simplifies the position to a state when the defender only
has to replay moves to gain a draw, and the side with the advantage cannot
break through. This chapter can be read on many levels. … The important
thing to understand, as Müller and Pajeken make clear in the introduction,
is that if you have never studied fortress positions then such a concept may
not occur to you in a live game situation." - Munroe Morrison, Open
File
"This book may really soon become a modern classic!" -
Martin Rieger, www.freechess.de
"What I particularly like about this book is the clarity of
thought that has gone into the explanations. Although the amount of actual text
is kept to a minimum, what there is is a model of conciseness and clarity that
other authors could learn from. A word of praise too for the translator, Phil
Adams. As an ex-languages teacher myself, I understand the difficulties of
producing readable translations of foreign works, and Phil has done an
excellent job here." - Alan Sutton, En Passant
"This substantial work, by a German grandmaster and FIDE
Master working in tandem, sets out to be a guide to the practical side of
endgame play. In other words, it is not so much about the different piece
configurations that occur in the endgame but a structured collection of the
specific strategies needed for playing what is a radically different phase of
the game compared with the middlegame. ... methodically written and
comprehensive in scope ... The examples are from master play but the lessons to
be learnt (and tested in exercises) are for everyone from intermediate or club
player upwards." - John Saunders, www.bcmchess.co.uk
"How to Play Chess Endgames is something different.
Authors Müller and Pajeken adopt a unique approach. Their aim is to teach
basic endgame skills rather than theory. ... 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." - IM John Donaldson,
www.jeremysilman.com
"If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, set up the pieces
and willing to put some serious effort into your endgame understanding, pick up
a copy" - Steve Goldberg, www.chesscafe.com
"Players who've finally decided to change their lifes, and
want to start investing time and mony in endgames, can safely buy How to
Play Chess Endgames (and won't need much else in the near future)." -
Peter Doggers, www.chessvibes.com
"This is an A+ book. Brilliantly useful. Superb examples
from everywhere. A long bibliography." - Bob Long,
www.chessco.com
"The extensive bibliography clearly shows the impressive
depth of research that went into creating this substantial and informative
work; this is clearly a labour of love and definitely not the sort of book to
be knocked together in a weekend or two (another habit that some opening books
get away with, depending on the popularity of the opening in question). ...
Opening a page at random rarely fails to reveal an instructive comment,
presented as a perfectly digestible bite-sized chunk. ... This is a fine book
and one which should give the reader many hours of pleasure. ... This is an
inspirational and educational book, packed with excellent material. I am
certain that chess players of all standards will find it a valuable addition to
their chess libraries. - Sean Marsh,
marshtowers.blogspot.com |
