At age 97, Yuri Averkakh is the World's Oldest still living chess grandmaster and is still active in chess. In the ending, the advantage of a single "insignificant" pawn can frequently prove decisive, as that pawn inexorably pushes forward and is finally able to reach the last rank and is able to transform itself into a queen.

Comprehensive Chess Endings is a five volume master work by one of the world's leading authorities on the Chess Endgames, Grandmaster Yuri Averbakh. This series was originally published in Russian as . Ishi Press has published the Russian Language version of volume 2. That is Averbakh Chess Endings Bishop against Knight, Rook against Minor Pieces ISBN 4871875024. We will try to reprint the other volumes if we can ever find them, as they are difficult to obtain. These English versions are direct translation from the Russian except that the order of the volumes has been changed. The contents are exactly the same, other than the translation from Russian to English. These volumes in this series were first published in the Soviet Union in 1954 with a blue hard cover. It was reprinted with modifications in 1981-1983 with a soft orange cover. This is the third reprinting of the English translations. It was previously published in English by Batsford in 1975-1977 and by Pergammon in 1981-3. Each time, the order of the volumes has been changed. Here we are following this order: Comprehensive Chess Endings, Volume 1, Bishop Endings, Knight Endings ISBN 4871875032 Comprehensive Chess Endings, Volume 2, Bishop Against Knight Endings, Rook Against Minor Piece Endings ISBN 4871875040 Comprehensive Chess Endings, Volume 3, Queen and Pawn Endings Queen Against Rook Endings Queen Against Minor Piece Endings ISBN 4871875059 Comprehensive Chess Endings, Volume 4, Pawn Endings ISBN 4871875067 Comprehensive Chess Endings, Volume 5, Rook Endings ISBN 4871875075 An earlier series of the same books had a different order. There the order was 1: pawn endings 2: bishop and knight endings 3: bishop vs knight; rook vs minor pieces 4: rook endings 5: queens endings. Because of the popularity of these books, they have become rare and difficult to obtain. After a worldwide search we still have not been able to obtain a copy of volume 5. We had even began to suspect that it was a phantom book, a book that had been planned and announced but never actually published, but we have been assured that it does exist. However, we are not sure. When we actually see one, we will believe it. Even the Russian language original editions of this book are difficult to obtain, although 100,000 were printed.

The most authoritative reference work on the,endgame, serious students of chess will find this,book unmatched in its depth and range. Updated,with the latest innovations in the endgame and,adapted to algebraic notation by Grandmaster Pal,Benko, the result is what chess aficionados have,been waiting for - a thoroughly modern bible on,chess endings. Packed with diagrams that make,examples easy to follow, this is an indispensable,point of reference for the Grandmaster in the,making.

Approach every endgame with a winning strategy! Good books about endgames for beginners are few and far between. WINNING CHESS ENDINGS is a great one a gripping introduction to what you need to know to win chess endings, taught by American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan. His entertaining, easy-to-understand style, incisive stories and insiders advice will help you develop a solid grasp of proven principles that you can apply with confidence whenever a game goes the distance. You'll learn to prevail time and again in endgames with common and uncommon combinations and pieces. WINNING CHESS ENDINGS teaches endgame strategies in an exciting new way: by putting you in the middle of the action with firsthand stories taken directly from famous matches. Pull up a chair and watch the world's most exciting chess endings. Then become an endgame master!

The first edition of Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual was immediately recognized by novice and master alike as one of the best books ever published on the endgame. The second edition is revised and enlarged - now over 400 pages - covering all the most important concepts required for endgame mastery. "I am sure that those who study this work carefully will not only play the endgame better, but overall, their play will improve. One of the secrets of the Russian chess school is now before you, dear reader!" - From the Foreword to the First Edition by Grandmaster Artur Yusupov "Going through this book will certainly improve your endgame knowledge, but just as important, it will also greatly improve your ability to calculate variations... What really impresses me is the deep level of analysis in the book... All I can say is: This is a great book. I hope it will bring you as much pleasure as it has me." - From the Preface to the First Edition by International Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard Here's what they had to say about the First Edition: "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual ... may well be the chess book of the year... [It] comes close to an ultimate one-volume manual on the endgame." - Lubomir Kavalek in his chess column of December 1, 2003 in the Washington Post. "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual is quite simply a masterpiece of research and insight. It is a tremendous contribution to endgame literature, certainly the most important one in many years, and destined to be a classic of the literature (if it isn't already one). The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky has put together a vast number of examples that he has not only collected, but analysed and tested with some of the world's strongest players. This is a particularly important book from the standpoint of clarifying, correcting, and extending the theory of endings. Most of all, Dvoretsky's analysis is staggering in its depth and accuracy." - John Watson, reviewing DEM at The Week In Chess 2003 Book of the Year - JeremySilman.com 2003 Book of the Year - Seagaard Chess Reviews: "This is an extraordinary good chess book. To call this the best book on endgames ever written seems to be an opinion shared by almost all reviewers and commentators. And I must say that I am not to disagree." - Erik Sobjerg

An updated edition of Paul Keres' classic endgame instructor, designed specifically for practical players with over 500 extra diagrams to facilitate learning and memorisation of critical lines of endgame play. It is an essential practical book, for all chess players, from one of the world's greatest grandmasters. Keres remained an elite grandmaster throughout his life and is widely regarded as one of the s strongest ever players not to have won the world chess champion. His book is a comprehensive guide to the precise handling of all basic endgame positions. It features logical step-by-step explanations of procedures required to obtain the best possible results from frequently occurring queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn endings. It includes commentaries on the final stages of selected tournament games, which demonstrate the art of favourable transposition from complex to clear-cut endgames.

'New (4th) and improved edition of an all-time classic The good news about endgames is: • there are relatively few endings you should know by heart • once you know these endings, that's it. Your knowledge never goes out of date! The bad news is that, all the same, the endgame technique of most players is deficient. Modern time-controls make matters worse: there is simply not enough time to delve deep into the position. Jesus de la Vila debunks the myth that endgame theory is complex and he teaches you to steer the game into a position you are familiar with. This book contains only those endgames that: • show up most frequently • are easy to learn • contain ideas that are useful in more difficult positions. Your performance will improve dramatically because this book brings you: • simple rules • detailed and lively explanations • many diagrams • clear summaries of the most important themes • dozens of tests.