Publisher: Gambit, 2003, Pages: 144, Paperback
Most chess-players are all too painfully aware of how many half-points and even full points they squander due to poor endgame play. However, they tend to imagine that improving their endgame play involves a massive amount of study of dry technical positions, and prefer to spend their time on other aspects of the game, perhaps in the unrealistic hope of avoiding endgames entirely. In this book, Ian Snape helps them to tackle endgames with more confidence, so that they look forward to playing them, and are more willing to simplify when this is the best course of action. The first half of the book discusses the areas of endgame theory that are most relevant to practical success. The second half features 100 exercises for the reader to solve, together with full solutions. All the exercises are taken from real games.
Ian Snape enjoyed considerable success in junior chess before concentrating on a career in banking, but has returned to the game in the last decade. In correspondence chess he has qualified as an ICCF International Master and registered a grandmaster norm. Over the board, he has played in the British Championship on three occasions and competes regularly in league chess and other events.
"This would be a good book for a teacher to use in a first course on endgames, depending upon whether he or she prefers Snape's style over other books aimed at this level." - John Watson, TWIC
