UNDERSTANDING CHESS ENDGAMES (John Nunn)
232 pages (248
mm by 172 mm).
£15.99/$24.95/€21,60
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 both 2004 and 2007 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 Chess Puzzle
Book NEW EDITION, Learn Chess,
Learn Chess Tactics, Nunn's Chess Endings volume 1, Nunn's Chess Endings volume 2, Secrets of Pawnless Endings, Secrets of Practical Chess NEW EDITION, Secrets of Rook Endings, Solving in Style, Understanding Chess Endgames, Understanding Chess Move by Move.
"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 |
