Publisher: New In Chess, 2008 Edition: Paperback medium ISBN: 978-90-5691-244-4 Pages: 248 Language: English
Gary Walters Chess: "If you really have no patience for endgames, at least read Jesus de la Villa's '100 Endgames You Must Know'."
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.
Shortlisted for The Guardian 2008 Chess Book of the Year Award
Marsh Towers Chess Reviews: "The greatest strength of the book: breaking things down into well-worded chunks of easily digestible information."
IM John Donaldson, jeremysilman.com: "De la Villa does the job quite well. He emphasizes the practical and prefers understanding to memorization."
Ted Greiner, British Correspondence Chess Association: (comparing '100 Endgames' with John Nunn's 'Understanding Endgames') "Though Nunn's comments are clear and to the point, I found De la Villa's discussions easier to digest."
Elisabeth Vicary, USCF Online, on a conversation with Alexandra Kosteniuk: "She said she had really enjoyed De la Villa's '100 Endgames You Must Know' and had made flashcards out of the 100 positions. One side of the card had the psoition, the solution was written out on the reverse, and she quizzed herself until she knew all 100."
Elburg Chess Reviews: "This book will certainly improve your endgame skills in a spectacular way!"
British Chess Magazine: "A clear exposition of the most imortant endgames, with exercises to test your knowledge."
Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam: "The instructional explanations, the many diagrams and the pleasant presentation make this endgame book an interesting publication for club players with a rating from 1600."
Johan Hut, Gooi- en Eemlander: "An excellent book to enhance your endgame skills."
B.H.Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad: "Every clubplayer should study this splendid book."
Danny King & Ronan Bennett, The Guardian: "We all admired '100 Endgames' for its clarity and practical value."
WIM Rike Wohlers-Armas: "I like it a lot. It may be the first chess book since more than 25 years I will study thoroughly."
