One of the world's foremost chess writers provides everything you need to know about chess endgames!

Assuming no specialized endgame knowledge, John Nunn presents 100 key endgame concepts, and explains how they are used to win games or save difficult positions. He covers all the main types of endgames and typical thinking methods, and so equips readers with all the skills needed to excel in this vital phase of the game up to good club level and beyond.

The endgame is the stage of the game where precision is most important, and where errors are punished most drastically. It is also deceptive: many endgame positions look too simple to require prior knowledge, but yet contain fiendish concealed pitfalls that can reverse the result of the game on the spot. Some key positions simply have to be memorized, as they can hardly be worked out at the board, especially when playing with today's faster time-controls.

In such perilous terrain, an expert guide is necessary. John Nunn could not be better qualified: he is a battle-hardened grandmaster of top-level over-the-board chess and a solving world champion. From his wealth of endgame expertise, he has distilled a course of fundamental knowledge that is highly targeted on practical success for all levels of players.

Dr John Nunn is one of the best-respected figures in world chess. He was among the world's leading grandmasters for nearly twenty years, winning four gold medals in chess Olympiads and finishing sixth overall in the World Cup in 1989. He is a much-acclaimed writer, whose works have won 'Book of the Year' awards in several countries. In 2004, 2007 and 2010 Nunn was crowned World Chess Solving Champion, ahead of many former champions.

Download a pdf file with a sample from the book.

Gambit books by John Nunn: 1001 Deadly Checkmates, Endgame Challenge, Grandmaster Chess Move by Move, Grandmaster Secrets: Winning Quickly at Chess, John Nunn’s Best Games, John Nunn’s Chess Course, John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book NEW EDITION, Learn Chess,Learn Chess Tactics, Nunn’s Chess Endings volume 1, Nunn’s Chess Endings volume 2, Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, Secrets of Pawnless Endings, Secrets of Practical Chess NEW EDITION, Secrets of Rook Endings, Solving in Style, Understanding Chess Endgames, Understanding Chess Middlegames,Understanding Chess Move by Move, Vishy Anand: World Chess Champion (with Vishy Anand).

"...a wonderful presentation of 100 key endgame ideas" - Lubomir Kavalek, Huffington Post

"When you read the book, you are first struck by its practical approach.If you participate in a tournament you seldom get those text book examples in over the board play. Real life situations are complex and messy, confusing your instinct and clouding your judgement.In this book Nunn reminds us about rules, but he also helps us to recognize exceptions." - Prof. Nagesh Havanur, www.chess.com

"An excellent endgame course for club players" - Paul Dunn, Australasian Chess

"In the pantheon of endgame writers, John Nunn certainly has a distinguished place. Beyond his immense skill as a chess writer, Nunn's love for technology has allowed him to bring endgame writing into the computer age. While in some cases this has led to the esoteric- his wonderful if not a little impractical Secrets of Pawnless Endings being a prime example - he has also used his powers for good, mostly recently in Understanding Chess Endgames." - Josh Specht, www.chessvideos.tv

"There's some excellent material on offer and I think players of all levels will benefit from reading this" - IM Stephen Gordon

"Understanding Chess Endgames comes from a world-famous chess player who explains everything necessary to understand how chess endgames work. It's the endgame where precision is key and errors produce failures. This book offers a world champion's insights into how to play the game and packs in a fine set of key concepts and pitfalls essential to understanding chess. Any library that already contains beginner's guides needs this advanced player's handbook." - California Bookwatch, www.midwestbookreview.com

"John Nunn provides analysis and commentary, in nine chapters, on the different forms and structures that endgames may have - and he does it in highly educational manner. It gives you an understanding - at least in part - of how different endgames should be played. Understanding Chess Endgames improves your understanding of seemingly simple endgame problems and helps you to solve them. Recommended." Sthig Jonasson, Ålandstidningen

"A fantastic endgame primer... Nunn has distilled a vast amount of detailed endgame research into clear and well-presented chunks. There are 100 short sections, each with four examples, each with a diagram, fitting neatly across two pages. For the sake of clarity, Nunn has made a conscious decision to omit distracting side variations, concentrating instead on the main message of the section. This is no-nonsense practical advice." - GM Daniel King, The Guardian

"...when you couple Gambit's excellent reputation for fine chess books together with an experienced and successful player and writer such as John Nunn, one's expectations for this book are justifiably high. Could it live up to such expectations? Well, in simple answer, 'and more.' ... I found it an extremely fine book to review, and am looking forward to working through it myself. If you wish to know even the basic fundamentals of chess endings, then the content of this book is what no chess player can afford not to know - it is a must." - John Lee Shaw, Chess Check E-zine

"If there is ever to be someone to teach us the endgame, it is going to be John Nunn. Anyone who absorbs the contents of this book could well save some bad or even lost positions. Beautifully produced, and with lots of diagrams..." - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad

"...a wonderful book that will prove useful to all classes of players. Coaches, too, will find this book incredibly helpful. ... This is one of the finest endgame books to be published and readers who take the time to master these concepts will see an immediate surge in playing strength. For some books this can be seen as an empty claim, for Understanding Chess Endgames it is a simple statement of fact." - Mark Donlan, www.chesscafe.com

"Pleasant to mention are the wealth of new positions in this book and that makes it also interesting for the more experienced club player,who likes to expand his or her endgame skills." - John Elburg, chessbooks.nl

"Recommended as a basis for endgame training as well as a reference work and 'checklist' - both useful and entertaining." - Uwe Bekemann, www.bdf-fernschachbund.de

"A compact, absolutely satisfactory endgame book that summarizes the most important ideas and positions." - Martin Rieger, www.freechess.info

"...if you are looking for a general book on the endgame, not too advanced but not too simple, this would be an obvious choice." - Alan Sutton, En Passant

"GM John Nunn is the rare chess author who continually produces outstanding books on all parts of the game. Such is his sustained level of excellence that one can safely buy a book of his sight unseen in confidence that it will be interesting and instructive. ... an excellent comprehensive one-volume introduction to the endgame that is aimed at a wide audience." - IM John Donaldson, www.jeremysilman.com

"I think club players will find the simplified explanations of good use. The analytical lines are kept short, thus preventing confusion during study. The examples have been chosen carefully and there's a real opportunity for the student to quietly absorb some very useful endgame information." - Sean Marsh, marshtowers.blogspot.com

"Each two-page spread has four to six diagrams so it is suitable for reading without recourse to a board. It is admirably clear and attractively presented." - John Saunders, British Chess Magazine