Silman's Complete Endgame Course - any good?
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Chessman-jwang
Jun 1, 2018
0
#81
I read Silman's Endgame Course and it covers everything a good chess player needs to know about endgames.Though I hear it's awfully hard to get,so it's very precious.
varelse1 wrote:
I have found this book very instructive.
But quite expensive as well.
Because it very literally has something for everybody. Regardless of strength.
Whatever rating you are, there will be a chapter you can use.
And nine you cannot, because they are too basic, or too advanced for you.
So you end up paying this hefty price for a lot of material you really don't need.
But as I said, I enjoyed the book. And learned a lot from it.
If you are reading this, thank you Jeremy!
I think you've slightly misunderstood Jeremy Silman's point: he's divided Complete Endgame Course into levels based on what he considers essential to know at each individual level. It doesn't mean you shouldn't actually have a crack at the other sections as well. You may very well find a) that you'll plug gaps in your knowledge from some of the material aimed at lower rated players, and b) you should always work to improve, and that also entails stretching yourself.
Jun 1, 2018
0
#83
Yes Bon.
I realize that.
But as I recall, the book ran about $30.
I know some folks out there have money to burn, and a desire to burn it.
But for the other 98% of us mortals, that is a lot of money, for a chess book.
varelse1 wrote:
Yes Bon.
I realize that.
But as I recall, the book ran about $30.
I know some folks out there have money to burn, and a desire to burn it.
But for the other 98% of us mortals, that is a lot of money, for a chess book.
$18 USD (or less) is expensive?...
https://www.amazon.com/Silmans-Complete-Endgame-Course-Beginner/dp/1890085103/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527904073&sr=1-1&keywords=silman%27s+complete+endgame+course
Jun 4, 2018
0
#85
Silman's Complete Endgame Course is excellent after you get past the fact he has to tell jokes and go off on tangents so it takes him several distracting sentences to say what he should have said in one.
For example, on the Lucena Position, one of the two classic R vs R+P endgame position, Silman writes:
"It's time to learn (yes, you will completely master this particular ending in a few minutes!) the Holy Grail of Rook endings, the sacred key that allows you to know what to avoid when defending a pawn down rook endgame, while also giving you the knowledge to know what to head for if you have the superior side.
Useful advice: This is one of those bits of chess knowledge that every serious player must possess. It's that important.
The Lucena Position, first published in 1634 by Salvio (for some reason it wasn't in an earlier book by Lucena) is a simplified position..."
ALL THIS and he still hasn't told us what it is! His explanation of the Lucena Position and the Philidor Position are then excellent. But over and over and over you have to endure these needless tangents.
Compare this with another excellent book, Jesus de la Villa, 100 Endgames You Must Know:
"Endgame 53. Lucena Position. The bridge
Defensive Technique: Distant (rear) checks
In our first example [of R+P vs R, the Philidor Position] we saw the most frequent procedure to draw; now we will see the most frequent position to win.
If the defending King fails to stand in front of the passed pawn, play usually leads to the Lucena Position, which is the one we will study now."
de la Villa then quickly gets into where he focuses month the patterns and method rather than the move-by-move demonstrations a lot of books use - though he does provide them.
I use both Silman's and de la Villa's books. One or the other sometimes explains things better for me. The advantage of Silman's book is that it is ordered according to the ratings you must know at various rating levels, though I think the ending should come earlier than he does: I think R+P vs R arises often enough that I made sure the 900 and higher rated high school players I coached knew the Lucena and Philidor Positions. Silman says it should be learned by Class C (100-1599). But the order is good.
I recommend either book - just learn to tolerate Silman's ramblings if you choose his.
I say kick those and get 'Total Chess Ending' software that has more than 2000 problems and a way to keep a record of progress.(however, this is for serious improvers only)
Silman's Complete Endgame Course
seems difficult for a novice to understand positions with only annotation - is there a more illustrated version of endgame play available?
Jun 6, 2018
0
#89
@rEVerance, google:
chess endgame videos beginners
or something similar and you'll get lots of results
Good thread. Thank you for the advice. New endgame study strategy: Select rating appropriate endgame technique from Silman's course and google technique for many illustrations and demonstrations. Bravo Endgame Study Forum.
rEVerance: It's also worth getting books like Shereshevsky's 'Endgame Strategy', and 'Mastering the Endgame vol. I & II'. Shereshevsky teaches general endgame strategy (rather than the theoretical endgames you also need to know), such as 'Don't rush', 'The principle of Two Weaknesses', 'Activate your King' and so on with plenty of examples. The 'Mastering the Endgame' is based around 1.e4 and 1.d4 openings and teaches the various endgame types likely to occur from those openings (specific openings in the case of 1.e4, and typical features of 1.d4 openings, such as the 'Dark Square Strategy', 'Light Square Strategy', 'Symmetry' and 'Assymetry').
All three books are very likely to enhance your understanding of chess in general, and endgame play in particular.
@BonTHeCat Thank you. I will prioritize those titles as I build my chess related library.
"... I'm convinced that Silman's [Complete Endgame Course] will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. It has already caught on with the average player in a big way, confirming Silman's status as the king of instructional writers. He writes in a clear and casual style, and time and again has shown the ability to reach those who feel intimidated by the lofty approach that a grandmaster will often take. ... Silman ... defines what he thinks is necessary to know at specific rating levels. For example, the beginner or unrated player needs to know ... Silman's idea is to wait until you climb in strength before you worry about more advanced material. Then, as a Class 'E' player (that's 1000-1199), one must learn ... Silman's book emphasizes to the student that the important thing is to master the strictly limited material at hand, rather than get confused by endings that won't help your results at that level. Perhaps even more importantly, Silman is able to use his teaching experience and talk to his readers in a way that they can handle, in a friendly manner and without condescension. ... I'll also repeat the point that David Ellinger in ChessCafe makes: '[This ...] demonstrates who this book will truly serve best: anybody who coaches chess. For me, as a perpetually near-2000 player who does part-time coaching, I’ve got in my hands a great resource that will have something for every student, no matter the rating.' ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
"... the 2000+ player for which 100 Endgames You Must Know is really intended ..."
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105702/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review645.pdf
http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/100-Endgames-You-Must-Know-78p3863.htm
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9026.pdf
"... one will not learn the basics from [Shereshevsky's 'Endgame Strategy'] at all; ... I like this book a lot, but it has more to do with transitions from the middlegame than with endings themselves." - IM John Watson (2000)
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/endings-endings-endings
"... The second part of [The Shereshevsky Method] is a concentrated version of Endgame Strategy, ..."
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9056.pdf
Various endgame study possibilities discussed at:
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7742.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/mikhalchishin-and-stetsko/
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
http://chessimprover.com/averbakhs-chess-endings-essential-knowledge/
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708234309/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review704.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_Chess_Endgames.pdf
http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Dvoretskys-Endgame-Manual-3rd-Edition-78p3502.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233815/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review399.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/2703.pdf
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/endings-endings-endings
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/the-end-game-comes-before-we-know-it
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
Before buying any particular book, I suggest going to the publisher site to see if it is possible to view a sample.
Very good... I win almost any normal endgame with that book!
"Any good"!?!?!?!? What? It. Is. AMAAAAAAAAAAZIN!!!!
