Need A Chess Book to Practice Endgames. Any Suggestions?

"... one will not learn the basics from [Shereshevsky's 'Endgame Strategy'] at all; rather, it is a series of mostly complex examples, often in the middlegame rather than in the ending! Indeed, there are 62 pages of 'complex endings'; and most players would call the vast majority of the rest of the book's examples quite 'complex' as well. ... 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)
theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/endings-endings-endings
www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9144.pdf

"... before discussing the specifics of Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual ..., a word of warning is in order. I must emphasize that this is a terribly advanced work that I don't think is a very good way for the average player to study the endgame. The majority of the examples are complex and position-specific, and neither the average student nor even strong masters will follow or play over most of the hundreds of positions that are given extensive analysis, not to mention the subvariations derived from those positions. Even when introducing 'the basics', Dvoretsky's approach is often more complex than is necessary for an average student, and in any case such a thick book will seldom be used for the sake of elementary instruction. The majority of the other material is frankly very difficult. So take note: I don't want to be blamed, in praising this book, for your purchasing something that you find intimidating, relatively dull, or otherwise unsatisfying. That said, if you are up to a real challenge and have a great deal of time to devote to reading and playing over examples you will inevitably derive great value from this work. ..." - IM John Watson (2005)
theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/the-end-game-comes-before-we-know-it
www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/3746.pdf
"... I consider the approach towards the study of the endgame must be multi-staged ... In the first stage, ... actually that is enough until the moment one reaches, say, a FIDE rating of around 1900-2000. ... I intend to devote [100 Endgames You Must Know] to the second phase, ..." - Jesus de la Villa Garcia (2008)
www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9026.pdf

@kindaspongey said in #11:
> "... one will not learn the basics from [Shereshevsky's 'Endgame Strategy'] at all; rather, it is a series of mostly complex examples, often in the middlegame rather than in the ending! Indeed, there are 62 pages of 'complex endings'; and most players would call the vast majority of the rest of the book's examples quite 'complex' as well. ... 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)

One standard criticism authors get is that they didn't write the book that the critic would have written. I feel it's unfair to respond since Watson wont be able to join the conversation.

Instead, let me agree with Watson: it is on complex endgames. They come before theoretical endings. So if you play them better then the theoretical ending becomes easier. Complex endings also use principles as well as calculation and knowledge. Principles are easier to learn and apply than pure calculation or recollection. So I still would recommend first a thin book on theoretical endings or Watsons book going through what he recommends for lower rated layers. [His organization is a genius step!] Then Endgame strategy before the next step in theoretical endgames.

As for Dvoretsky, for me it is not a textbook that I study from page 1 to the end. It is a book where I can play ,e.g., an ending with 2R vs Q then look it up and study what I should have done. Used this way, where I am super motivated, I dont find it dry at all. In other words, Watson's criticism is for it as a textbook. However, it is not: it is a 'manual'.

Watson's book is excellent as a textbook-no question.

Bill
ps-- I can add 2 other specialized sources. Baburin's book on IQPs has the best treatment of IQP endgames I've found. I am now going thru a modern chess set of lectures on 'endgames for e4 players' starting with canonical Sicilian endings. It is excellent so far.

@swimmerBill said in #13:
> One standard criticism authors get is that they didn't
> write the book that the critic would have written. ...
I did not take the IM Watson comments as criticism of Endgame Strategy. (“... I like this book a lot ...”) I just thought that the comments served the valuable purpose of illuminating what one could expect from Shereshevsky’s book.
@swimmerBill said in #13:
> ... I still would recommend first a thin book on
> theoretical endings or Watsons book going through
> what he recommends for lower rated layers. [His
> organization is a genius step!] ... Watson's book
> is excellent as a textbook-no question. ...
Are you perhaps referring to Silman’s endgame book?
@swimmerBill said in #13:
> ... As for Dvoretsky, for me it is not a textbook that
> I study from page 1 to the end. ... Watson's criticism is
> for it as a textbook. However, it is not: it is a 'manual'. ...
I am not confident that the word, “manual”, successfully communicates the nature of the book to potential buyers. Consequently, I thought the IM Watson comments were of interest. He did acknowledge that, “... if you are up to a real challenge and have a great deal of time to devote to reading and playing over examples you will inevitably derive great value from this work.“

@kindaspongey said in #14:
> Are you perhaps referring to Silman’s endgame book?

Yes! I'm mistaken again.

''Fallor ergo sum!''

Bill

its common this days to improve in chess, apart from tactics an amateur should focus on endgame. Yes of course there huge number of endgame books teaching practical and theory standpoint..
some of the books I have listed below which are read by prominent players worldwide
1.Grandmaster Secrets/Endings - Soltis
2.Basic Chess Endings - Fine.
3.Gambit busters - Sam collins www.chessbazaar.com/gambit-busters-take-it-keep-it-and-win-sam-collins.html

Hope you are familiar with these books, the first two on the list are like must have for endgame strategy and the last one tell you about the endgame gambit that most player ignore.

"... The only real problems with [Basic Chess Endings] are the errors and the fact that it is now very dated. ... the book is now in algebraic notation and the layout has in some ways been improved. ... Perhaps the greatest disappointment ... lay in the failure to correct many of the errors in Fine's book. ... I don't think it is acceptable in the 21st century to produce an endgame book without computer- and database-checking. ... the book can be recommended for Fine's groundbreaking general explanations. Just don't expect complete accuracy or up-to-date endgame theory." - GM John Nunn (2006)
If one decides to go for Fine's book, one might want to make sure that one gets the algebraic version, but beware: It is close to 600 pages.
"... in [Gambit Busters] I will be focussing on the defender. ... One reason for this is my belief ... that club players are much less comfortable defending against gambits rather than playing them. ..." - IM Sam Collins (2010)
www.amazon.com/Gambit-Busters-Take-Keep-Win/dp/1857446429?asin=1857446429&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1
(Doesn't look at all like an endgame book to me.)

@SaltWaterRabbit said in #5:
> Jesus de la Villa-100 Endgames You Must Know

Currently studying (little by little) that one and Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller & Frank Lamprecht.

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Fundamental_Chess_Endings.pdf
“... Perhaps the most accurate conclusion is that the stronger you are the more you will get from [Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual]. In my own teaching to average players I am still using Mueller and Lamprecht's Fundamental Chess Endings, which has a wonderful balance between Encyclopaedic coverage (I can find almost anything), examples that can be shortened at most points, and clear explanations that bring together endings of the same sort. To me it provides a simpler method for giving students both information and a sense of why they are proceeding as they are. In either case, it seems to me, a teacher's guidance is preferable, but lacking it I would like to see students learning the fundamentals in a systematic and comprehensible way.” - IM John Watson (2005)
theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/the-end-game-comes-before-we-know-it

@swimmerBill said in #8:
> almost every endgame book by Mednis is good.
AGREE
I am currently doing Practical Bishop Endings. I previously completed Practical Knight Endings (most interesting) and Practical Rook Endings (most difficult). I like that they are all very concise and practical and include good examples from real games. I have these three in heavy rotation which means when I complete one I just restart a previous one. Chess Enterprises/Bobby Dudley/Moon Township.
What other Mednis offering do you like?

Baburin d iso Winning Pawn Structures. (around 2000 published)
I really like this book also.
I used to play the ZOOM 001 opening system by Larsen and Steffen Zeuthen as both white and Black. The book had a collection of games with typical Grunfeld / Catalan plus other middle game/endgame structures. I played both sides of the d iso / hanging pawns. The Baburin book was published about 10 years after I stopped playing competitive chess.