Mednis: Questions & Answers on Practical Endgame Play

Autor: Mednis, Edmar
Verlag: Chess Enterprises
Erscheinungsjahr: 1987
Sprache: Englisch
Buchumschlag: paperback
Seiten: 135

GM Edmar Mednis, best-seelIing author on chess endgames, has collected an extensive set of practical endgame positions to use in illustrating the principles of handling such situations in actual play. Each type of position is thoroughly analyzed, with examples, and then in chapter summaries an extended set of Principles/Rules of Thumb For Practical Endgame Play are provided - a ready reference for quick review and a reminder of the critical points.
This is the type of book players need -- detailed analysis and instruction in practical methods of playing to win or draw - working from actual game positions that often defied the players' analysis during the progress of the game. Studying this book is a sure way of improving your endgame play -- and your tournament scores! At the same time, you will be thoroughly entertained.


"The idea for a chess book usually comes from the author. He thinks of something that he feels is interesting or important and sets out to write a book about it. Since most chess authors are highly qualified in their profession, the eventual book most likely is a good one. Yet public response - in terms of sales - may well be disappointing. The reason is clear enough: no one asked the prospective reader/buyer whether the projected book would be of interest to her/him.
The genesis of this book is quite different because all the material for it comes from the chess public. For many years I have been writing "The Practical Endgame", a syndicated column on practical endgame play. This book is based on the endgames played by my readers, other endgames that were of interest to them, their questions and comments. I may think that I know what is good for my readers; the readers know what they are interested in. Since my readers are quite a representative section of the chess public, it is fair to assume that their interests and needs are symptomatic of the public at large. As a small token of my appreciation for their interest, I have compiled a list of contributors and this appears at the end of the book.
There are two ways the reader can use this book. She/he can work through it from beginning to end and thus learn much about many important aspects of practical endgame play. As a special feature for this reader/ student, I have summarized at the end of each chapter the major chess wisdom discussed in that chapter. I have called this part "Principles/Rules of Thumb for Practical Endgame Play." It is the kind of general information that is part of each master's endgame wisdom. This knowledge gives us a better base from which to make specific decisions during play. It is not a 100% foolproof "cookbook" type list of items which are always true and therefore can be employed blindly. Please do not make such use of them!
Because the book has a very detailed table of contents, the reader can readily look up a specific type of endgame that he needs information on. However, to make maximum use of the book, he should play over carefully the example that he is interested in. This way the understanding of that endgame will be increased. And understanding is the key to successful endgame play.
I hope that by now any analytical errors are at an absolute minimum. I would very much appreciate your calling them to my attention."
E. Mednis

135 Seiten, kartoniert, 1987