Hhmm well I have a book that if you read will teach you to reach a favorable endgame and help you improve overall but it doesn't specialize in endgame stuff. It's called Weapons of chess.Written by Bruce Pandolfini it focuses mainly on strategy.
P.S. It describes everthing in words so you'll be okay.
I have Lev Alburts "Just the Facts" that covers most endgame scenarios you would face. Unfortunately for me, I havent read it yet. I am not at the point where I am willing to put the time in for what is arguably the most boring part of chess study even though is probably the most important to learn.
I reconize that I would be a much stronger player if I studied this book but my mind isnt ready for the commitment yet. Good Luck
Work through Reuben Fine's "basic chess endings" - 573 small-print pages.
Then you will be ready for any "advanced chess endings" book of your choice :D
Endgames are actually one of the most intersting parts - they are addictive, Like many other addictive substances, they taste a little funny at first ...
If the endgame books you've tried seem too variation-heavy then Silman's Complete Endgame Course is a good place to begin. It was ChessCafe book of the year in 2007. But, one criticism is it doesn't have as many examples as most books, so challenge yourself--ask questions, vary the position (who is to move, advance the pawn one rank further, etc) and see how that changes the outcome. You must study, not read passively.
onewho_dies> I have a book that ... will teach you to reach a favorable endgame
The thing about theoretical endgames is that the middlegame speak of "favorable", +/-, etc. goes away. Positions are won, lost, or drawn and a single imprecision often changes the outcome. Endgame books help us to instantly recognize won vs drawn vs lost positions and to obtain the best result when we're forced to play them out.
BCE will do even for the endgame novice,specially if combined with practice on a program with tablebases.
Stat with K+B+B v K and then K+B+N v K -- they occur rarely, but you'll grasp a lot of endgame (AND middlegame!) principles.
Alternatively, start with K+P v K -- master it! then do some K+R+P v K+R, then K+P vK+P, then K+B+B v K, then K+ several pawns on each side, then some more K+R+P v K+R.
Sometime down the line: (after K+B+N vK) learn K+N+N+N v K. It is fun and instructive.
Fine is very good book, but he does have long strings of chess notation--just a warning, since the original poster was concerned about that. Eg, in example No. 13, P. Benko 1973 the analysis goes, "1.a4! (1.Kd5? Kf4 2.Ke6 Ke4 3.a4 Kd4=; or 1.Kd4? Kf4 2.a3 e5+ 3.Kc3 e4 4.a5 e3 5.a6 Kg3! =) 1. ... e5 2.a5 e4 3.Kd4! Kf4 4.a6 e3 5.Kd3! Kf3 6.a7 e2 7.a8=Q+ wins."
Totally agree on which endgames to learn first (the 'alternatively' sequence). :)
But you can't learn much chess sp. endgames without being conversant with notations! (both algebraic and descriptive).
Chess is not an easy game - i dont think there are any short cuts.
about Jeremy Silman's "Complete Endgame Course" - sorry I won't even look at it - the "Complete" in the title is a big turn-off.
Dvoretsky's work is awesome, but like Fine and Mueller, I would not recommend it as someone's first endgame book given its difficulty and especially when they've asked for something without long strings of symbols. After Silman's work, Seirawan would probably be the best candidate--he'll have to deal with more symbols and the material's not organized by rating, but it's at the introductory level and very well-written.
I'll add another voice in favor of Silman's Complete Endgame Course. There are lots of books out there that have good material, but this one also does a great job of focusing on teaching. And I really like the way he organizes the material, so you're getting key concepts up front, rather than a jumble of various things mixed together because they happen to have the same pieces involved.
--Fromper
My vote is for Silman's book. I am using it now and what I've learned so far has translated into tangible results on the board, unlike other books which have wowed me with their coolness but which never seem to have actual application. The biggest surprise for me has been the way the book has impacted my mid-game. Having Mr. Silman's endgame lessons in mind keeps my mid-game more focused and goal oriented, where I previously often found myself just waiting for something to happen.
As for the book's title, "Complete Endgame Course," I find there is only an issue when one places the emphasis on "Endgame" rather than "Course." Placing the emphasis on the former implies a comprehensive exploration of the endgame, which is impossible in any book of publishable length. Placing the emphasis on the latter yields a more reasonable inference: that the book is a self-contained course on the endgame (and a very good one at that).
RV
Hi, first post here.
I've read over and over how endgame mastery is the key to playing strong chess. To try and improve at it I've gotten two endgame books and have tried different computer trainers and websites. My problem is that all of them use very long strings of chess notation for instruction, which I have a real hard time following. Does anyone know a book or something that effectively explains the concepts of the endgame in words instead of long series of moves?
Sorry if this is a dumb request... I suspect that that must be the most effective way of teaching or else so many people wouldn't use it. Don't know why but I get such a headache and frustration when trying to translate notation into moves and I end up hardly learning the ideas. I've learned some of the king and pawn basics like opposition and "the square", but I'd really like to further improve my endgame knowledge. Thanks in advance.