Book Description
In this follow-up to his highly successful book, "Secrets of Rook Endings" John Nunn turns his attention to endgames without pawns. These occur surprisingly often in practice and are extremely tactical in nature. This book unites man and machine in the searh for ultimate answers. The computer databases created by Ken Thompson, formerly of Bell Laboratories, can state with certainty the correct result of any position with five pieces or fewer. John Nunn has extracted the most important information from these databases and presented it in the form of guidelines and specific key positions, which can be more readily digested by the human mind. With most competitive games nowadays being played to a finish in a single session, this knowledge may prove invaluable over the board. Since the first edition of this book was published, the databases for many six-man endings have been created, resulting in some surprising and paradoxical discoveries. The coverage has therefore been expanded to include the most interesting features of these endings.
Customer Reviews:
Endgame Student.......2006-01-11
I would strongly recommend this book. Most of the more serious chess books discussing the endgame make for difficult reading and this is no exception. That's not meant as a criticism, just an observation. Having said that, I have made it a personal mission to solve the Q v. R endgame on Chessmaster and this book has the most detailed discussion of that particular endgame I could find. (It also contains R v. N, which is also in Chessmaster.) Indeed, whereas other books like Fundamental Chess Endings by Muller and Lamprecht or Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual might devote a page or two to that ending, Nunn devotes 30 pages. The book covers only 12 main endgames, but it covers them exceptionally well. For those endgames, I'd recommend this book over any other book I've seen. It has two additional chapters entitled "Other Five-Man Endings" and "Six-Man Endings" but these are nowhere near as thorough as the first twelve chapters.
Square-dance of 4 and/or 5 pieces. (Not pawn.).......2005-10-14
This is the second book or 3-volumn set that Dr. John Nunn annotates from Dr. Ken Thompson's 4- and 5-piece endgame database. As the title suggests there is no pawn in this study. This book is the most interesting one among all three. There are lots of piece permutations.
Unlike the Rook ending book, this one does not have the practical tips at the end of every sections. The reason is most of the presented positions are practical ones that could happen in real games, while the R ending contains many test and study positions. Nonetheless, after giving a short generalization of a position is "mostly" win or draw, Nunn provides us many standard set-ups to look for when we are the offensive or defensive ends. For examples: in the R vs. B ending, he categorizes the defending King position as: a) in the center, b) in good corner, c) in bad corner and d) on the edge of the board.
The first 3 sections cover the 4-piece endings, a major piece versus the lesser piece. (R vs. B, R vs. N, and Q vs. R.) The two simple set-ups, Q vs. B and Q vs. N, are not presented because they are "simple", straightforward and covered in other books. Curiously, against an expert player about 2 years ago, I got a Q vs. her N; I could not force the win! I did not know how to position the K and Q; her N-fork was always a threat.
The next 4 sections are the battles between the correspondent major pieces, where the strong side has the assistance of one minor piece. (Q vs. Q + B, Q vs. Q + N, R vs. R + B, and, R vs. R + N.)
The next 5 sections are where the Q tries to outshine the combinations of 2 less pieces. (Q vs. R + B, Q vs. R + N, Q vs. B + N, Q vs. 2B, and Q vs. 2N.) The first two are generally drawn unless the Q can force checkmate or win unprotected pieces early. In the last three, normally the Q can win rather easily unless the defending side can force some tempi and build a fortress immediately. It's good to memorize these set-ups in case of emergency.
The last thinly section covers two interesting endings. First is Q vs. 2 major pieces (Q vs. 2R, Q vs. Q + R, and Q vs. 2 Q.) The first type is usually drawn. In the last two, the weaker side could force stalemate if the stronger side is not careful. The next endgame type is the R vs. two pieces. (R vs. 2R, R vs. B + N, and R vs. 2B.) The 2R usually wins. The B + N combination sometimes could hold back the Q by building a fortress; therefore the R can win in only a very special case. On the defensive end, the R can always gives himself up for a minor piece to avoid any later regret. To end the book, Dr. Nunn gives a humorous position where both on the B's are on the same color, mutually protect each other. Usually, it means that the R can't take any B, but in this special case the R wins.
Average customer rating:
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Practica De Los Finales De Torre /Practical Book Endings (Jaque Mate)
Viktor Korchnoi
Manufacturer: Hispano Europea Editorial
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ASIN: 8425516854 |
Book Description
300 practical endgame situations, ranging from very simple to masterpieces by Capablanca, Reti, Tarrasch, Lasker, more.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Tool to Improve your Endgame.......2006-08-07
Anyone no matter their skill level can benefit from this book. The author describes the techniques employed in the most important and typical endgame situations, presenting more than 300 positions that clearly describe how a good player will solve the problems encountered in each one of them.
A good part of the book is devoted to king and pawn endings, but also enough coverage is given to endgame positions where the knight, the bishop, the root, and the queen play the important role of helping promote a pawn or acting to accomplish a mating solution.
As the author states "the book is designed to improve the skills of the practical player who is interested in wining the ending clearly, simply and efficiently."
I bought this book as part of a used chess book collection on an auction, and I was not disappointed at all with this title. The book systematically showed me how to think and analyze typical positions that as a matter of fact I have encountered during actual play.
The book uses descriptive notation, but I guess this is just a matter of preference and it actually doesn't affect the quality and usefulness of the information presented. Nevertheless you should take this into account in case you prefer algebraic notation.
A piece of junk........2004-07-19
I hate this book. All it has is junk but I only read about one page, but I hate it. This has got to be one of the worst endgame chess book ever. I think Irving Chernev made too much of (Example) K-qb2 and not enough words.
Good Endgame Book, But Not a Teaching Kind.......2003-09-09
First of all, I got this book used so even if it was horrible, I can't complain cause I only dropped a few bucks for it. But that isn't the case. This is a very good book, but be sure you buy it for the right reasons. If you're looking for a book that teaches how to neutralize an extra pawn in a Rook and Pawn ending, or looking for some basic principles or advice, this isn't for you. I'd suggest Fundamental Chess Endings for you, that is very big, comprehensive, and it even won a book of the year award. But that is also pretty pricey. With this book you get a collection of diagrams, on per page, and you are supposed to find the win for white. Think of it like a tactical puzzle book for the endgame. While it is instructive while you're reading it, I found it hard to be able to broaden its help to my endgame play. Unless you find yourself in that exact position, it doesn't do much because you don't know how to get there. In any case, and practice for the endgame is good practice, and this definately gives you that. It is very easily organized, dealing with pretty much all combinations of material on the board. One thing you should know tho is that it is in descriptive notation. It might be a problem, it might not, but you should know. So finally, I would say get this book if you want to get practice at specific endgame positions. Maybe if you're a better player than I am you can unversalize what happens and get some sort of principles out of it.
Excelent, if slightly flawed, book.......2002-02-21
I should give this book 5 full stars as it really is one of the best endgame book available. At our local chess club the Masters give lectures on Thursday nights. During their endgame series of lectures I was able to find every example they used in this book. The master's lecture concept was that rather than building up an opening repetiore, the beginning player would do better to build up an ending repetiore. By studying the endgame you learn how to attack and you learn the purpose of the middle game. And, since the end game occurs when you're usually in time trouble, the ability to play the endgame like a machine while your opponent must calculate every move is a great advantage.
However, I do have a few small gripes about this book.
1. I have found perhaps half a dozen endgames where I've come up with alternative lines where a win is not forced. Chernev does give variations on how to win many variations, but there are times when it appears that the opponent is not playing the best possible line.
2. Endgames often center around a theme or technique. Chernev gives you several endgames which demonstrate a technique, but he never specifically says "This position contains these key points which will lead us to use this particular technique". It is left up to the reader to figure out what the actual techniques used in the examples are. More importantly, it's left up to the reader to determine what factors require which techniques.
3. Occasionaly a term is used without explaination. For example: "1. K-B6 and the white king is said to have the opposition". But what is "opposition?" It is not explained. As in point #2 this is left for the reader to figure out. (By the way, there is an excellent description of Opposition in Jeremy Silman's book "How To Reassess Your Chess")
However, even with these faults, this is still one of the best endgame books available. Study the pawn endings until you can do them in your sleep, and then study the Rook endings. Then follow up with the rest of the book. This is the book you use to build up your "endgame repetiore".
Great book for practicing endings.......2001-01-17
This book is another great Chernev classic, at the affordable Dover price.
You are basically given a winning position and then Chernev outlines how to win with the position.
--It starts off with the basic endings, and then gets more complex as the book continues. I would recommend setting up the board and practicing these endings with your chess buddy. Your endings will improve tremendously.
Average customer rating:
- Best Rook Endgame Book
- Variations or Ideas?
- The most common of endings clearly explained!!
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Practical Rook Endings
Edmar Mednis
Manufacturer: Chess Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0931462169 |
Customer Reviews:
Best Rook Endgame Book.......2005-01-05
This is a superb book. It's short easy to digest and contains just the right amount of detail. IT looks after key positions like Lucena and Philidor but also goes into the plans for
several key rook endings. Emms Survival guide to rook endings is more comprehensive but i much prefer this book
Variations or Ideas?.......1999-12-20
This book will not waste time on hundreds upon hundreds of tedious Rook and Pawn positions and variations. It will, however, give you the ideas on how to play these types of endings. Ideas are easier to memorize than variations - with the right idea, the correct variation will not be so hard to find. It even teaches how to play the "inferior" side of a rook ending. This book helped me improve not only my endgame play but also enhanced my game overall. Best buy for the buck. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
The most common of endings clearly explained!!.......1999-09-16
This book helped me to understand rook & pawn endgames like no other before it. I had previously read Pandolfini's Endgame Course, Capablanca's Chess Fundamentals, Tarrasch's Game of Chess, and Reassess Your Chess (which has a few pages on the subject). These are all good books. But I never fully comprehended rook endings until I read this book. I finally understand the Lucena & Philidor positions and Why They Are So Important. And much more... This book is cheap, short (only 70 pages), and chock full of extremely useful information. I am a strong B player and just beat my first expert due to this book!
Customer Reviews:
You need to work hard - the result - Wonderful !.......2003-01-06
This is not a book that promise You the quickest way to master the Endgame, but with hard work and good discipline You will get Your REWARD ! It would be an insult for this extraordinary
Master of playing chess to sell cheap ideas. Paul Keres did understand this very well ! His book is very efficient and it's up to You to make it amusing by getting the Best out of it. Step by step You will notice Your progress.
A good result after hard work is always amuzing !
arielmar2001 - Ingemar Ariel LINDGREN
Outstanding.......2002-12-03
I can't understand how a 2089 player can say this book is no good. Keres was one of the strongest players in the world and as a teacher, chess annotator and author was unsurpassed. His games are among the most impressive and technically accurate. All his books are of very high quality, and this one is NO exception. This book is complete, methodical, clear and the section on rook endings in outstanding. Anyone who reads this book conscientiously will reap handsome dividends. Keres's book is NOT for the TOTAL beginner, but for someone who has a rudimentary notion of endings, i.e., a beginner who has read books like Learn Chess, Vols., I and II by Alexander, for example, which introduces the notions of the endgame. After that, this book is ideal.
Keres was a master of the endgame, and this book shows it through and through. I highly recommend it. Once mastered it will raise your rating by at least 100 points.
Systematic and instructive.......2002-05-14
As a FM who first read this book when I was pre or early teens, I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who found this dull. Rather, this great master of attack goes through a number of pawnless endgames, pawn endgames, and those where each side has no more than one piece. There are many basic positions as well as examples from practical play. For endgames with more pieces, go to Fine's "Basic Chess Endgames" or for more advanced material try Shereshevsky's "Endgame Strategy". But for an introductory endgame book, this is pretty good.
The book by the same name by Chernev is not so practical, comprising endgame studies, which doesn't mean it's not pretty good anyway.
A very good endgame book by a great player.......2002-04-10
This book has improved my endgame knowledge and understanding. Long before there was Jeremy Silman's book (Essential Chess Endings)which is a great book in t's own right there was this great book by Keres. This book provides basic endgame positions and plenty of positions that occurred over the board as well as a few studies. Make no bones about it this book is very thorough in it's teaching of the endings and the basic ideas needed to understand and play these endings well. Don't be lazy READ IT!!! Take your time and slowly digest what Grandmaster Keres has to teach and you will be rewarded. Although I am not even of master level this was one of the first books I read on the endgame. I have a friend who I've been playing for years and I've consistently beaten him in endgames that should have been drawn and drawn plenty of games that should have been won by him. Also he hasn't been my only victim. I have drawn and won many games with players of class B to expert strength because they did not understand how to win certain types of endings. I think anyone who reads this book can only improve in this phase of the game.
Useful As A Reference For The Endgame Fanatic.......1999-07-11
Even now, as a 2089 rated player, I still do not care for this encyclopedia of endgames. It definitely makes endgames seem dry, dull and incredibly difficult. Not for novices. If you can find Silman's interesting and educating "Essential Chess Endgames," try that instead. I had the misfortune, ten years ago when I learned the game, of having only this to study endgames. I've only recently gotten over my dislike of endgames. Good luck getting much practical use out of this textbook.
Book Description
Victor Korchnoi, one of the greatest experts in the field of rook endings, now documents his own experiences in tournament play. His main purpose is to inspire readers with a deep interest in rook endings, and he promises that anyone who thoroughly masters the given material will raise his Elo rating by 100 points or more!
Customer Reviews:
Essential reading if you play in chess tournaments!.......2007-02-06
Rook endings are not always simple. Try to study rook endings with 7 (4x3) or more pawns and you'll see my point of view. It deserves a lot of experience to play them well. Korchnoi's mastery in these kind of endings and his explanations make this book a classic; this is not a book for beginers, though. If you're a newbie try first "Practical Rook Endings" by Mednis (a must-have, great book), "The Survival Guide to Rook Endings" by John Emms, "Starting Out: Rook endgames" by Chris Wards or "A Practical Guide to Rook Endings" by Nikolay Minev. I can't recommend Smyslov and Levenfish's book because it is full of blunders and quite confusing (I have to admit that I lost my time reading it)... Averbach's book is a rarity nowadays and "Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings"(Matanovic et al.,Chess Informant Series) is a pain to read (though helpful if you are a correspondence player)...
For advanced players I would also recommend some general ending software like those of Chess Assistant and Chessbase (specially Dvoretsky's Endgame "Manual" - it could be better named as "Treatise").
Very good book.......2005-10-18
Everyone knows Korchnoi is a fighter. But he's also a good author. I like his work a lot. A very useful book.
Book Description
Original discoveries in the endgame unearthed by Britain's leading expert and world championship challenger.
Customer Reviews:
Practical endgames analysed in depth.......2005-04-25
This book essentially consists of a series of endgames analysed in depth. For the most part the examples are taken from practical play or from other endgame books. The author has discovered some flaws in the analysis of some endgames in other books, in special in Fine`s work "Basic Chess Endings". (See my review of the edition revised by P. Benko of this book).
As the author says in the preface, it is almost impossible in chess analysis of any kind to avoid some errors. In this respect I discovered a hole and omission in the analysis of the Steinitz-Gunsberg endgame (9th match game for the world title, 1890, page 49, diagram 65 of the 3rd revised edition). This endgame is evaluated as a win for black. In fact, it is a draw. If 3.Kh6 g5, instead of the losing 4.hg? white plays the extremely unobvious 4.Ra3! or 4.Ra8! and draws. The correct evaluation of this endgame (attributed to I. Zaitsev) appeared in the revised (by J.Estrin and I. Romanow) german edition (Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, 1985, page 11) of the Levenfish and Smyslov book on rook endgames. I checked the correctness of Zaitsev's move Ra3! with the aid of Fritz and the Nalimov tablebases. In the process, I discovered the dual solution Ra8!. I contacted the author directly on ICC (Internet Chess Club). He was *very* responsive and he agreed with the previous analysis. He was not aware that the correct analysis had already been published. However, this omission is forgivable because the (rare) german edition of Levenfish's and Smyslov's work is probably the only with updated analysis and the author consulted only the english edition.
I highly recommend this book for the intermediated to advanced player trying to improve her endgame play. It is a pity that this book is now out of print. Maybe it is time for a new updated edition! In the meantime, it would be useful for users of previous editions if Batsford and the author would maintain a webpage with updated analysis. In this case, the book would deserve 5 stars.
Average customer rating:
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Chess Endings for the Practical Player
Ludek Pachman
Manufacturer: Law Book Co of Australasia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0710092660 |
Book Description
Agency professionals at every level will find themselves referring to How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization anytime they have a problem and need helpful, practical and to-the-point advice from an acknowledged leader in the field. Each of the nine chapters includes numerous practical recommendations: * Board members will learn how to run effective meetings and get and keep the best people on their team. * Busy staff members will learn how to maximize opportunities to obtain grant funds while minimizing the time spent. * Grant writers will learn how to prepare better proposals and how to manage the funds once they get them. * Agencies will learn how to establish an outstanding volunteer program and how to form community coalitions that work. * And everyone will learn effective strategies to help improve supervisory, personnel, and general management skills. Is it easy to manage an excellent nonprofit organization? The answer to that questions is easily, "no". Agency professionals at every level will find themselves referring to How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization anytime they have a problem and need helpful, practical and to-the-point advice from an acknowledged leader in the field.
Customer Reviews:
Not impressed.......2007-08-06
After reading all of the reviews here on Amazon I jumped at buying this book. I thought it would be the only source I needed, for now. However, as soon as I started reading it I was completely lost and I felt like my non-profit idea was a lost cause. This book appears to best represent large non-profits, or organizations that are already est.
The leading chp. discussed boards, not even helpful hints on building a board, just information on how to strengthen your board and how to give them clear duties. Huh, this was totally disconcerting for me b/c I don't even have a board! By chp 3 the author finally discussed something that I could use, except I was so befuddled at this point that I didn't want to continue. Why talk about the importance of planning or developing a plan in chp 3, shouldn't this come sooner? Why not break down what non-profits are to some ppl and how they have changed in the first few chps.? Why instead talk about boards and how to call meetings in the first chp.? None of this was particularly helpful for someone like me.
I think this is a great overview for ppl already have an organization but want to improve it. For people starting like me or starting small I recommend "How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization." Now that book so far has been indispensable.
Very good read.......2007-07-19
I purchased the book on a whim and in a hurry, basically based on other reviews and what was inside the book. I recently just started a Christian non profit organization and needed direction. This book provided me valuable information on what I need to know once I'm basically up and running - which is ok because I have plenty of pages highlighted and saved with posted notes! I enjoyed it.
How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit.......2007-01-24
Super book. Concise, well written and just the information needed to get our museum effort on track. I'll have our entire board read it.
A Nonprofit Corporation Is Still a Corporation.......2006-01-16
Author Michael A. Sand, a consultant to nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years, has condensed his experience and knowledge of not-for-profit agencies into an information-packed book. He thoroughly covers the ABCs of managing a community service agency - from forming and operating a governing board to writing better grant proposals to hiring and supervising a productive staff. This handy reference is straightforward and easy to follow. It tackles many of the problems nonprofit organizations face everyday. Each chapter is accessibly divided into an outline format with headlines and bullet points, making the information easy to find and digest. The author includes sound, basic management material that might apply to most small businesses, as well as nonprofits, but unfortunately does not include case studies, anecdotes or real life examples to support his suggested strategies. Still, if we ever offered a start-up or refresher course called Nonprofit Agency Management 101, this book would be required reading.
Books:
- Secrets of Pawnless Endings (Batsford Chess Library)
- Semi-Slav
- Shamutanti Hills (Puffin Adventure Gamebooks)
- Shrek 2 (Look and Find) (Look and Find (Publications International))
- Sicilian Defence: Tactics in the Chess Opening 1 (Tactics in the Chess Opening)
- Sid Meier's Civilization III (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)
- Simon & Schuster Large Type Crosswords Treasury #1
- Simply Beautiful Rubber Stamping: 50 Quick And Easy Projects (Simply Beautiful Series)
- Sit & Solve Mindstretch Puzzles (Sit & Solve Series)
- Slot Smarts: Winning Strategies at the Slot Machine
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Secrets of Rook Endings
Secrets of Minor Piece Endings
Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual
Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy (Chess College S.)
Secrets of Attacking Chess
