Most players tend to neglect the endgame, many even dodge the endgame by taking extreme risks in the middlegame, simply because they feel uncertain about the final phase. But time limits have shortened, and the endgame has to be played fast. A solid basic knowledge is vital. There are, contrary to what most amateurs believe, relatively few endgames one must know. Here the 100 endgames are presented that:

• show up most frequently in practice
• are easy to learn
• contain ideas and concepts useful in more difficult positions.

Your performance will improve dramatically because this book brings you:

• simple rules
• guiding ideas at the beginning of each chapter
• detailed and lively explanations
• many diagrams
• clear summaries of the most important themes
• recommended exercises that will help you understand the material
• tests, divided in two parts: basic and final.

This is not an encyclopedia to be used as a reference book, but a practical tool to improve your knowledge of endgames most likely to arise in an actual game. Each example is explained in a way that helps you to memorise for ever. The basic thing De la Villa asks of you is to always understand WHY you play a move. Jesus de la Villa is an international grandmaster and a former champion of Spain. He has written many books and is a famous chess coach.

content:
009 Introduction

027 Basic endings

045 Basic test

051 Knight vs. Pawn

059 Queen vs. Pawn

068 Rook vs. Pawn

083 Rook vs. 2 Pawns

089 Same-coloured bishops: Bishop + Pawn vs. Bishop

096 Bishop vs. Knight: one pawn on the board

104 Opposite-coloured bishops: Bishop + 2 pawns vs. Bishop

123 Rook + Pawn vs. Rook

153 Rook + 2 pawns vs. Rook

169 Pawn endings

204 Other material relations

229 Final Test

240 Appendix

247 Bibliography