My favorite endgame book. Still use it all the time. I'm not good enough for Dvoretsky's yet. But I did make some checkmate pattern flashcards for helping with endgames. Checkmate Pattern Flashcards, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/742674073/checkmate-pattern-flashcards?ref=android_project_share
Silman's Complete Endgame Course - any good?
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I have Silman's Complete Endgame Course. I just finished studying chapter 5. Class B player rating 1600 - 1799. There are a couple of studies in that chapter I just can't get against the Chess King computer software. Diagrams 181 and 199. Of course, the computer doesn't know the book moves it's supposed to make. I've tried and tried to no avail.
Apr 4, 2021
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#144
Well it's definetely "any" good, but having used both this book and "100 Endgames", I'd say Silman is not even close to it in clarity.
Hi!!!
I recently started Silman's Complete Endgame Course. I hope to complete it soon. So far I'm enjoying it.
I am ~1300 elo and I can do material/exercises in the book up to 1800 rating easily. I think rating group and corresponding elo strength does not match. Material is very easy for the rating range mentioned in the book.
Silman's course is very good. Comprehensive and has good descriptions.
Pandolfini's is less detailed but more hands on. 250ish positions. Can save them to software such as Fritz or Chessmaster and play through the book like it were tactics.
Chernev's is like an advanced version of Pandolfini's.
Jul 14, 2022
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#149
I'm working my way through it, and I think I've learned quite a bit.
(I tried de la Villa's book first, but that was a mistake. Once past the introduction, de la Villa's book seems aimed only at very advanced players - I'm not there yet.)
Jul 14, 2022
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#150
pfren wrote:
Chan_Fry wrote:
I'm working my way through it, and I think I've learned quite a bit.
(I tried de la Villa's book first, but that was a mistake. Once past the introduction, de la Villa's book seems aimed only at very advanced players - I'm not there yet.)
I do not think "100 endgames" is THAT advanced, but anyway, I understand that it doesn't work for you.
I could have been more precise: it assumed knowledge on the part of the reader that I simply don't (yet) possess. I've never studied endgames before, so when the book assumes I've already learned the "lucena position" (or something), I was lost.
But I hope to catch up eventually! :-)
👍
Well about three weeks ago I was looking for an ending book as I had just stalemated a 'completely' won endgame for the second time.
I choose: Jesus de la Villa, 100 Endgames You Must Know.
Reasons:-
(a) Slightly cheaper than Silmans.
(b) The idea that 'only' 100 were required.
(c) I knew that a fully comprehensive Endgame Book would never be fully read.
(d) By coincidence the book was mentioned three times by GMs during my research - including GothamChess (The only book he had used or recommended), John Barthalows and Carlson.
Limited Experience of Book:
Positives
(a) As a low intermediate player, only about 30 Endgames are likely to be required.
(b) I liked the format, good introduction - especially the frequency table, clear concise descriptions, two sets of tests (before and after), and an end section on Fortresses.
(c) Physically the book is broad and slim, i.e. handles well.
(d) I definitely feel I can pick up the book read a single exercise and move on.
(e) Balances techniques for winning and drawing endgames.
Negatives
(a) English is a little odd at times. This was the 5th edition, and the Spanish author acknowledges he has been cleaning this up a bit. Very minor.
Overall, the book does seem to be the only one I will ever realistically need. No idea if the best choice but very happy with the purchase.
There is also a companion book of exercises, but I doubt I will ever be a serious enough chess player to ever need.
BTW: I did consider the even cheaper Kindle version, but sometimes e-books have chess diagrams are too small or too large and didn't want to risk it, and really looking something up on an e-book is much slower than in a physical book.
Jul 18, 2022
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#154
Chan_Fry wrote:
pfren wrote:
Chan_Fry wrote:
I'm working my way through it, and I think I've learned quite a bit.
(I tried de la Villa's book first, but that was a mistake. Once past the introduction, de la Villa's book seems aimed only at very advanced players - I'm not there yet.)
I do not think "100 endgames" is THAT advanced, but anyway, I understand that it doesn't work for you.
I could have been more precise: it assumed knowledge on the part of the reader that I simply don't (yet) possess. I've never studied endgames before, so when the book assumes I've already learned the "lucena position" (or something), I was lost.
But I hope to catch up eventually! :-)
At the time of this writing I am chess.com 1088 rapid rated, 2272 puzzle rated.
One should not underestimate their own ability to comprehend. I own and am working slowly through the Chessable version. I am currently in K+R v K+2p. According to Silman, I am studying endings beyond what I need for my rating and admit I am forgetting some of the positions I've studied so far. On the other hand I am recognizing some of the positions in actual game play and fully expect to improve my identification and recall.
I am also looking into the "100 Endgame Patterns You Must Know " book by De La Villa.
That said, I respect Silman and would not discourage one from studying his endgame book.
Jan 2, 2023
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#156
bresando wrote:
Silman's book is excellent as a first endgame book (it's actually enough for a lifetime at club level). Dvoretsky's manual is much more advanced and maybe too challenging for most people as a first step into the endgame world.
There is an unfortunate tendency among chess players to look for the "best books" and not for the "books which are best for them". I know of many 1400 rated players which own either dvoretsky's manual or even more detailed engame tomes, and they are absolutely terrible endgame players. That's because they never actually managed to read such a difficult book due to the lack of time/motivation/both. They would probably have learnt a lot more from a simple, user friendly guide such as silman's.
To sum it up: if you have enough time and motivation to spend some time to work hard every single day for several months on your endgames and your goal is to become a master/extremely specialized endgame player, Dvoretsky is your choice; silman is not enough to reach your goal.
If you just want a solid endgame foundation to play the final part of the game reasonably well (and still better than most club players), and you have limited study time, then don't fool yourself and buy silman's book; that's what you really need.
*learned
Aug 3, 2023
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#157
Learning chess is like learning math. You do not start out with a calculus course. Silman's book is like learning math . Better to master the beginning chapters before the more adv.
Dec 27, 2023
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#159
i reached 2100, with this having been the only book i read from start to finish (i dont count the occasional opening books to borrow some ideas for a line). i was at one point rated 2040 USCF and still didnt know what the opposition was. I was simply so deadly at the middlegame, i needed little endgame knowledge.
this book , and maybe or two others is really all you need till like 2300-2400
His endgame course is offered as an e-book in the e+chess app, but there is no interactive engine to play and test out moves.