Product Description

For more than 100 years, the world's leading chess players and teachers have told their students to study the endgame. Now, for the first time, a revolutionary, richly instructive endgame book has been designed for players of all levels. Silman's Complete Endgame Course, by famed writer and player Jeremy Silman, is the one and only endgame book you'll need as you move up the ladder from beginner to strong tournament player and finally to master.

Designed to "speak" to a player in a very personal way, Silman's book teaches the student everything he or she needs to know at his or her current rating level, and builds on that knowledge for each subsequent phase of the player's development. Starting at the beginner's level, all basic mates are clearly and painstakingly explained. After that, the critical building blocks that form the endgame foundation for all tournament hopefuls and experienced tournament competitors are explored in detail. Finally, advanced endgame secrets based on concepts rather than memorization are presented in a way that makes them easy to master.

The basic keys to a well-rounded endgame education--Opposition, the Lucena and Philidor Positions, Cat and Mouse, Trebuchet, Fox in the Chicken Coup, Triangulation, Building a Box, Square of a Pawn, Outflanking, the Principle of Two Weaknesses--are vital. But equally important is creating a love of the endgame, which is addressed at the end of the book with a look at chess tactics, minor piece domination, and a discussion of the five greatest endgame players of all time--all things that every fan of chess at every level can enjoy.

If you have found the endgame to be a mystery, if you have found that your confidence plummets once you reach an endgame, if you have searched for an instructive endgame book that will turn your weakest link--your endgame--into your personal field of power, your search is over. Silman's Complete Endgame Course is the key to a world of essential ideas, startling beauty, and stunning creativity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14874 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 530 pages

From the Back Cover
International Master Jeremy Silman has a rare talent of seeing chess not only from his perspective, but also from the point of view of a club player. Because of that, I always recommend Jeremy's books to my students and get very positive feedback from them. Now I know what I'll recommend for their endgame work! --Alexander Baburin, International Grandmaster

Superb and highly instructive--an excellent learning tool for both the novice and expert alike. --Pal Benko, International Grandmaster

One of the best endgame books I've ever seen. The idea to divide material according to rating group is great! --Gregory Kaidanov, International Grandmaster

About the Author
Jeremy Silman is an International Master and a world-class teacher, writer, and player who has won the American Open, the National Open, and the U.S. Open. Considered by many to be the game's preeminent instructive writer, he is the author of over thirty-six popular books, including How to Reassess Your Chess (universally accepted as a modern classic), The Amateur's Mind, The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, and The Reassess your Chess Workbook. fans of the game instruction, book reviews, theoretical articles, and details of his work in the creation of the chess scene in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Customer Reviews

The endgame explored!
Jeremy Silman is certainly one of the world's best chess writers. His "Reassess Your Chess," pretty much universally acknowledged as a great chess book, has helped countless people enjoy chess to a greater extent (myself included). His "Complete Book of Chess Strategy" covers the basics in a clear, concise way. His "Reassess Your Chess Workbook" is a valuable learning tool for any chess player. And the list goes on.

But here, Silman chose a different topic from his other books. His "Endgame Course" concentrates entirely on the endgame, a mysterious, and quite beautiful realm of a chess game that too few players really know much about. Seeing that many consider the endgame to be boring and unimportant, Silman sought to create a book that not only taught the player many endgame secrets, but showed the reader the beauty and fascination of an endgame, that instilled a love of the endgame in the reader. He has succeeded admirably.

The book is divided into chapters, one for each rating group. Thus, you can concentrate on which material would be appropriate for your rating level (or your estimated rating level.) For the least experienced beginners, Silman presents such simple topics as overkill mates, etc. As we move up the rating ladder, we find such topics as Opposition, Rook Endings, the Lucena and Philidor positions, and eventually, a fun chapter on endgame tactics. The book is ending by a fascinating chapter on the five greatest endgame players of all time. I don't know how he does it, but Silman managed to make each topic fun and interesting to learn, all by using wit and humor. Even the descriptions contained in the back of the book detailing recommended endgame books are fun-to-read. Who knew chess-reading could be so much fun?

With fun, yet with great depth, Silman explored a part of chess that I previously would have nothing to do with. Now, I'm and endgame expert and I had a great time becoming one, thanks to this great book. Recommended for ANY chess player. We all need to know the secrets of the endgame, and there is no better way to accomplish this than by using this book.

Very enjoyable
Silman is a master at understanding the mentality of someone that doesn't already know what he's about to teach them. His ever pragmatic and often humorous approach is much appreciated in an endgame book, as most books on that phase of the game tend to be on the dry side.

My only quibble is that he seems to back off of complexity in the later "courses" in favor of more abstract advice. My gut feeling is that at the higher levels it is even more important to know specific techniques and concepts, like knight and pawn vs knight, queen and pawn vs queen, basic techniques for queen vs rook, rook and pawn vs knight/bishop and pawn(s), and so on. Also, the section on the "five greatest endgame players of all time" seemed a little perfunctory somehow, perhaps because most of the games he selected there occur in so many other anthologies.

Overall, though, a wonderful and much needed addition to chess literature.

A rare bird
I bought this book for a specific purpose: to learn more about drawing Rook vs Rook + pawn endings. I've been working through Convekta's Chess Endgame Training and have found that many exercises end in a position declared a draw but that would still leave me nervous as the weaker side. One strong player told me that every Russian schoolboy know those drawn positions. Oh, to be a Russian schoolboy.

IM Silman's book does indeed address these positions in some detail. Initially, I was not able to find the information, having relied on a quick scan and a look in the index, which has no entry for 'draw'. I sent IM Silman's an email asking why such important information had been omitted. I was surprised to receive a warm and helpful email in reply that explained that, in the spriit of the book itself, infromation about R vs R + P endings was introduced in stages throughout the book. He also mentioned Emms book on rook endings which contains the same material but compacted into one place over 13 pages.

I prefer IM Silman's treatment because ultimately the collected pieces form a more thorough whole.

Overall, the book is a treasure. I don't know of another work that is so accessible, yet complete. Previously I had to make due with the interesting but error-ridden Endgame Course by Pandolfini. One thing I do like about Pandolfini's book is the catchy names he applies to endgame techniques and positions. IM Silman also uses that mneumonic technique but to a lesser extent.

I had also previously relied on Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. That is a superb reference book but not friendly to someone learning the ropes. For example, Dvoretsky has a page on corresponding squares. It became clear that I was not comprehending the nuances of what he was saying. I tried and tried. In the end I bought Müller and Lamprecht's Secrets of Pawn Endings which covered the same concept but over the course of a dozen pages. Then I got it. I think.

IM Silman's book, on the other hand, is designed so that there are no unresolved mysteries at each stage. Its a nice concept and well done.

The only thing that keeps me from giving the book a full five stars is the single-column format. The book is beautifully laid out and with generous diagrams but I remain convinced the a two column layout is superior.