Most chess games are decided in the endgame. It is here where you reap the reward for your good play, or else use all your cunning to deny the opponent victory. Knowing just a few key endgame techniques will dramatically increase your confidence, as you will understand what positions to aim for and which to avoid.
Starting with the basic mates and the simplest pawn endings, this book provides all the endgame knowledge that players need to take them through to club level and beyond. Müller carefully guides us step-by-step through a fascinating range of endgame tactics and manoeuvres, helping us understand the underlying logic.
Throughout the book, many cunning endgame tricks are highlighted. You will have fun springing them on friends, family – or your opponents in serious tournaments. Chess Endgames for Kids makes learning chess endgames fun. But it is also a serious endgame course written by a leading endgame expert, and provides a firm basis for vital skills that will develop throughout your chess career.
German grandmaster Karsten Müller is arguably the world’s foremost writer on chess endgames. Whenever an interesting endgame occurs in a high-level game, the chess world knows that it will soon be dissected and explained by Müller. Whether writing for a low-level or high-level audience, his infectious zeal for the endgame shines through. His ‘masterwork’, Fundamental Chess Endings (co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, and also published by Gambit) is a modern endgame ‘bible’ and was studied intensively in his youth by current World Champion Magnus Carlsen.
Many gambits have traps to help you win early if your opponent is not paying attention. Although these gambits work best at the beginner or club level, they can earn you a victory at higher levels.
The best traps in chess gambits are the ones where your opponents play natural moves and get into trouble. Even if your opponent plays well, all of these gambits will leave you with an equal position.
Beginners are not the only ones who need to brush up on the endgame. Many a titled player has blundered in the endgame.
Jose Raul Capablanca once said, “To improve at chess, you must, in the first instance, study the endgame.” Despite the study of the endgame in chess being crucial to improving our chess, it remains a neglected part of the game by many.
Jose Raul Capablanca, the third World Chess Champion, said, “In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else.” Because of the fifty-move rule in chess, it is essential to know how to checkmate your opponent quickly in the endgame.
You also need to know how much material you or your opponent needs to deliver checkmate. This knowledge can help you transition to a drawn endgame even if you are material down.
July 27, 2022
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