Much literature about

chess endgame The endgame (or ending) is the final stage of a chess game which occurs after the middlegame. It begins when few pieces are left on the board. The line between the middlegame and the endgame is often not clear, and may occur gradually or with ...

s has been produced in the form of books and magazines. A bibliography of endgame books is below. Many chess masters have contributed to the theory of endgames over the centuries, including

Ruy López de Segura Rodrigo "Ruy" López de Segura ( – c. 1580) was a Spanish chess player, author, and Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catho ...

, François-André Philidor,

Josef Kling Josef Kling (19 March 1811 – 1 December 1876), also found in English-language sources as Joseph Kling, was a German chess master and chess composer. He has been called "a pioneer of the modern style of chess." Although Kling was an expert on ...

and

Bernhard Horwitz Bernhard Horwitz (1807 in Neustrelitz – 1885 in London) was a German and British chess master, chess writer and chess composer. Horwitz was born in Neustrelitz and went to school in Berlin, where he studied art. From 1837 to 1843, he was part ...

, Johann Berger,

Alexey Troitsky Alexey Alexeyevich Troitsky (; March 14, 1866 – August 1942; also ''Alexei'', ''Troitzky'', ''Troitzki'') was a Russian chess theoretician. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies.In the ...

Yuri Averbakh Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (; 8 February 1922 – 7 May 2022) was a Russian chess grandmaster and author. He was chairman of the USSR Chess Federation from 1973 to 1978. Averbakh was the first centenarian FIDE Grandmaster. Despite his eyesight and ...

, and

Reuben Fine Reuben C. Fine (October 11, 1914 – March 26, 1993) was an American chess player, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology. He was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the mi ...

Ken Thompson Kenneth Lane Thompson (born February 4, 1943) is an American pioneer of computer science. Thompson worked at Bell Labs for most of his career where he designed and implemented the original Unix operating system. He also invented the B (programmi ...

Eugene Nalimov Eugene Nalimov (born Евгений Викторович Нали́мов (Yevgeny Viktorovich Nalimov) in 1965 in Novosibirsk, U.S.S.R.) is a chess programmer and former Microsoft employee, currently working for Context Relevant. Starting in 1998 ...

, and other computer scientists have contributed by constructing

endgame tablebase In chess, the endgame tablebase, or simply the tablebase, is a computerised database containing precalculated evaluations of chess endgame, endgame positions. Tablebases are used to analyse finished games, as well as by chess engines to evaluate ...

s. Some endgame books are general works about many different kinds of endgames whereas others are limited to specific endgames such as rook endgames or pawnless endgames. Most books are one volume (of varying size), but there are large multi-volume works. Most books cover endgames in which the proper course of action (see list of chess terms#Optimal play) has been analyzed in detail. However, an increasing number of books are about endgame strategy, where exact analysis is not currently possible, due to the presence of more pieces. These endgame strategy books fill the gap from the end of the middlegame to where the other type of books takes over.

History of endgame literature

The study of a few practical endgames are found in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

manuscripts from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. However, these are from before the rule of

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pa ...

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, so most are of little value today. A thirteenth-century Latin book by an unknown author examined the endgame of a knight versus a pawn, and formed the basis of later work by

in the twentieth century. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a few types of endgames were studied, and opposition was known.

's 1561 book contained eight paragraphs on endgames. It used the Spanish rules in effect at the time, so a stalemate and baring the opponent's king were half-wins. In 1617

Pietro Carrera Pietro Carrera (July 12, 1573 – September 18, 1647) was an Italian chess player, historian, priest and author. Biography Pietro Carrera born in Sicily, in Militello in Val di Catania (Province of Catania), located in the Valley of Noto; here ...

published knowledge of several types of endgames, including

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

versus two

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, two rooks versus a rook and a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, and two rooks versus a rook and a bishop. Several writers published books developing endgame theory:

Gioachino Greco Gioachino Greco ( – ), surnamed Cusentino and more frequently ''il Calabrese'', was an Italian chess player and writer. He recorded some of the earliest chess games known in their entirety. His games, which never indicated players, were q ...

in 1624,

Philipp Stamma Philipp Stamma ( – c. 1755), a native of Aleppo, Ottoman Syria, later resident of England and France, was a chess master and a pioneer of modern chess. His reputation rests largely on his authorship of the early chess book ''Essai sur le jeu d ...

in 1737, and François-André Philidor in 1749. In 1634

Alessandro Salvio Alessandro Salvio (c. 1575 – c. 1640) was a leading Italian chess player in the early 17th century. He started a chess academy in Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of I ...

analyzed endgames, including a key position in rook endgames. Philidor's book contained much more endgame analysis than earlier books. The first edition analyzed the rook and bishop versus rook endgame. Later editions covered the

bishop and knight checkmate In chess, the bishop and knight checkmate is the checkmate of a lone king by an opposing king, bishop, and knight. With the stronger side to move, checkmate can be in at most thirty-three moves from almost any starting position. Although it is c ...

, rook and pawn versus bishop, queen versus rook and pawn, queen versus rook,

rook and pawn versus rook The rook and pawn versus rook endgame is a fundamentally important, widely studied chess endgame. Precise play is usually required in these positions. With Best response, optimal play, some complicated wins require sixty moves to either checkmate ...

(including the

Philidor position The Philidor position (or Philidor's position) is a chess endgame involving a drawing technique for the defending side in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. This technique is known as the ''third- defense'' due to the positioning of the ...

), queen and pawn versus queen, queen versus pawn on the seventh rank, knight versus pawn, two pawns versus one pawn, and two

isolated pawn In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent . Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. The square in front of the pawn may become a good outpost for the opponent ...

s versus two

connected pawns In chess, connected pawns are two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent , as distinct from isolated pawns. These pawns are instrumental in creating pawn structure because, when diagonally adjacent, like the two rightmost white pawns, they ...

. In the eighteenth century important books were written by Italians (the "Modenese Masters")

Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani (9 November 1719 – 15 July 1796) was an Italian law professor, priest, chess player, chess problem, composer and Chess theory, theoretician. He is best known today for his chess writing. Life Ponziani was born in Mode ...

, Ercole del Rio (1750), and

Giambattista Lolli Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian List of chess players, chess player and one of the most important Chess theory, chess theoreticians of his time. He is most famous for his book ''Osservazioni teorico-pratiche sopra il giuoc ...

(1763). Lolli's book was based on del Rio's work and was one of the most important for the next 90 years. He studied the endgame of a queen versus two bishops and agreed with the earlier opinion of Salvio that it was generally a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn most commonly refer to: * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Draw (tie), in a competition, where competitors achieve equal outcomes * Draw ...

. Later this was overturned by computer

s, when

found a 71-move solution. However, Lolli did find the unique position of mutual

zugzwang Zugzwang (; ) is a situation found in chess and other turn-based games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move; a player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any legal move will worsen their position. A ...

in this endgame (see diagram). Lolli's 315-page book was the first giving practical research. His material came from several sources, including analysis by Philidor. In 1766 Carlo Cozio published analysis of 127 endgame positions, but it was not a practical handbook. In 1851

and

published ''Chess Studies, or endings of games'', which contained 427 positions. In 1884 Horwitz added more than fifty positions to the book, retitled it ''Chess Studies and End-Games'', and completely omitted Kling's name. Other important books were ''Fins de parties d'echecs'' by Phillipe Ambroise Durand and Jean-Louis Preti in 1871, and ''Teoria e pratica del giuoco degli scacchi'' by Signor Salvioli in 1877. Horowitz and Kling's analysis of the endgame of two bishops versus a knight had been questioned, and was eventually overturned by computer databases (see

pawnless chess endgame A pawnless chess endgame is a chess endgame in which only a few chess piece, pieces remain, and no pawn (chess), pawns. The basic checkmates are types of pawnless endgames. Endgames without pawns do not occur very often in practice except for the b ...

). In 1864 Alfred Crosskill published analysis of the endgame of rook and bishop versus rook, an endgame that has been studied at least as far back as Philidor in 1749.

Howard Staunton Howard Staunton (April 1810 – 22 June 1874) was an English chess master who is generally regarded as the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, largely as a result of his 1843 victory over Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-A ...

in ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'', originally published in 1847, included almost 100 pages of analysis of endgames. His analysis of the very rare rook versus three minor pieces endgame is surprisingly sophisticated. Staunton wrote, "Three minor Pieces are much stronger than a Rook, and in cases where two of them are Bishops will usually win without much difficulty, because the player of the Rook is certain to be compelled to lose him for one of his adversary's Pieces. If, however, there are two Knights and one Bishop opposed to a Rook, the latter may generally be exchanged for the Bishop, and as two Knights are insufficient of themselves to force checkmate, the game will be drawn." Writing shortly before Staunton, George Walker reached the same conclusions. Modern-day

s confirm Walker and Staunton's assessments of both endings. Yet Reuben Fine, 94 years after Staunton, erroneously wrote in ''

Basic Chess Endings ''Basic Chess Endings'' (abbreviated BCE) is a book on chess chess endgame, endgames which was written by Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster Reuben Fine and originally published on October 27, 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in Engl ...

'' that both types of rook versus three minor piece endings "are theoretically drawn". Grandmaster

Pal Benko Pal Charles Benko (; July 15, 1928 – August 25, 2019) was a Hungarian and American chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems. Early life Benko was born on July 15, 1928, in Amiens, France, where his ...

, an endgame authority and like Fine a world-class player at his peak, perpetuated Fine's error in his 2003 revision of ''Basic Chess Endings''. Grandmaster

Andrew Soltis Andrew Eden Soltis (born May 28, 1947) is an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, author and columnist. He was inducted into the United States Chess Hall of Fame in September 2011. Chess career Soltis learned how the chess pieces mov ...

in a 2004 book expressly disagreed with Staunton, claiming that rook versus two bishops and knight is drawn with correct play. Endgame tablebases had already proven that Staunton was correct, and Soltis wrong, although it can take up to 68 moves to win. BergerJohannN

The modern period of chess endgame books begins with ''Theorie und Praxis der Endspiele'' (''Theory and practice of the Endgame'') by Johann Berger. This was published in 1891, revised in 1922, and supplemented in 1933. This was the standard work on practical endgames for decades. Many later books were based on Berger's book.

Edward Freeborough Edward Freeborough (18 August 1830 – 14 September 1896) was the co-author, with Charles Ranken, of ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'' (1889), one of the first important opening treatises in the English language and a precursor of ''Mode ...

wrote a 130-page book of analysis of the queen versus rook endgame, ''The Chess Ending, King & Queen against King & Rook'', which was published in 1895. Henri Rinck (1870-1952) was a specialist in pawnless endgames and A. A. Troitsky (1866-1942) is famous for his analysis of two knights versus a pawn. In 1927 Ilya Rabinovich published a comprehensive book in Russian titled ''The Endgame'', which was designed for teaching. An updated version appeared in 1938. (An English version of the second edition was published in 2012 as ''The Russian Endgame Handbook''.)

Eugene Znosko-Borovsky Eugene Znosko-Borovsky (; 16 August 1884 – 31 December 1954) was a Russian chess player, music and drama critic, teacher and author. Born in Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg Governorate, he settled in Paris in 1920, and lived there for the rest of hi ...

published ''How to Play Chess Endings'' in 1940. In 1941,

published ''

'', an attempt to collect all practical endgame knowledge into one volume. It is still useful today and has been revised by

. Half of André Chéron's (1895–1980) book ''Traite Complet d'Echecs'' was about the endgame, and later he wrote ''Nouveau Traite Complet d'Echecs'', which was a large book about the endgame. He later expanded that into the four-volume ''Lehr- und Handbuch der Endspiele'' in German, which was translated from the 1952 version in French. This was a major work for

endgame studies In the game of chess, an endgame study, or just study, is a type of chess problem that starts with a composed position—i.e. one that has been made up rather than played in an actual game—where the goal is to find the essentially unique way for ...

but was not designed for the practical player.

published a monumental set of books in Russian in 1956. The works were first published in English as several individual books (''Pawn Endings'', ''Bishop Endings'', ''Knight Endings'', ''Bishop v. Knight Endings'', ''Rook Endings'', ''Queen and Pawn Endings'', ''Queen v. Rook/Minor Piece Endings'', ''Rook v. Minor Piece Endings'') and later collected into the five-volume ''Comprehensive Chess Endings''. It was also published in other languages.

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...

had these books sent to him during his World Championship match.

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

Max Euwe Machgielis "Max" Euwe (; May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 ...

published the comprehensive eight-volume ''Das Endspiel'' in 1957. Some other major endgame books are ''Rook Endings'' by

Grigory Levenfish Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish (; – 9 February 1961) was a Soviet chess player who scored his peak competitive results in the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion, in 1934 (jointly with Ilya Rabinovich) and 1937. In 1937 he drew a m ...

and

Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the seventh World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidates Tournament, Candidate for the World Chess Championship on ...

(1971), ''Practical Chess Endings'' by

Paul Keres Paul Keres (; 7 January 1916 – 5 June 1975) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, and narrowly missed a chance at a World Chess Championship match on five ...

(1973), ''Fundamental Chess Endings'' by

Karsten Müller Karsten Müller (born November 23, 1970, in Hamburg, West Germany) is a German chess Grandmaster and author. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1998 and a PhD in mathematics in 2002 at the University of Hamburg. He had placed third in the 1996 Ge ...

and

Frank Lamprecht Frank Lamprecht (born 21 June 1968) is a German chess International Master and chess trainer. He is a co-author of ''Fundamental Chess Endings'' (2001) and ''Secrets of Pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numero ...

(2001), ''Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual'' by Mark Dvoretsky (2003), and ''Silman's Complete Endgame Course'' by

Jeremy Silman Jeremy Silman (August 28, 1954 – September 21, 2023) was an American chess player and writer. He obtained the title of International Master (IM). Early life Silman was born in Del Rio, Texas, on August 28, 1954. His father was in the military ...

(2007).

Annotated bibliography

Here are some books on chess endgames in English.

Small, general one-volume books

*''Winning Chess Endings'', by

Yasser Seirawan Yasser Seirawan (; born March 24, 1960) is a Syrian-born American chess grandmaster and four-time United States Chess Championship, United States champion. He won the World Junior Chess Championship in 1979. Seirawan is also a published chess au ...

, 2003,

Everyman Chess Popular Chess, formerly known as Everyman Chess and Cadogan Chess, is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former world chess champion Ga ...

. . A good introductory book. * ''Improve Your Endgame Play'', by

Glenn Flear Glenn Curtis Flear (born 12 February 1959 in Leicester, England) is a British chess grandmaster now living in Montpellier, France. He is the author of several books, some on chess openings and some on the endgame. He was awarded the Internat ...

, 2000, Everyman Chess. . A good introductory book. *''Just the Facts!: Winning Endgame Knowledge in One Volume'',

Lev Alburt Lev Osipovich Alburt (born August 21, 1945) is an American chess Grandmaster, writer and coach. He was born in Orenburg, Russia, and became three-time Ukrainian Champion. After defecting to the United States in 1979, he became three-time U.S ...

and

Nikolai Krogius Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius (; 22 July 1930 – 14 July 2022) was a Russian chess Grandmaster, International Arbiter (1985), psychologist, chess coach, chess administrator, and author. He won several tournament titles at Sochi and in Eastern ...

, 2000, Newmarket Press. . A good introductory book. *''Essential Chess Endings: the Tournament Player's Guide'', by

James Howell James Howell ( – ) was a Welsh writer and historian. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas Howell (bishop), Thomas Howell, who became Lord Bishop of Bristol. Education In 1613 he ...

, 1997,

Batsford Batsford is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is about north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh. There is a falconry centre close to the village ...

. . A small but comprehensive book. *''Grandmaster Secrets: Endings'', by

, 1997, 2003, Thinker's Press, . An elementary book. *''Pandolfini's Endgame Course'', by Bruce Pandolfini, 1988, Fireside, . Many short elementary endgame lessons. *''Chess Endings Made Simple: How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence'', by Ian Snape, 2003,

Gambit Publications Gambit Publications is a major publisher of chess books. The company's headquarters is in London. It has published more than 200 chess books. The company was founded by three chess players. Grandmaster (GM) John Nunn is the chess director, G ...

, *''Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge'', by

, 1966, 1993, Everyman Chess. . Contains some elementary material and a few more advanced topics, but is not comprehensive. *''Practical Chess Endings'', by

, 1973, R.H.M. Press. . Reprinted by Batsford in 2018 (now using algebraic notation). *''A Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames'', by David Hooper, 1970, Bell & Hyman. . Small yet relatively comprehensive book. *''A Guide to Chess Endings'', by Dr.

and David Hooper, 1959, 1976, Dover. . Analysis of positions of many types, but little overall discussion of principles. *''Practical Chess Endings'', by Irving Chernev, 1961, Dover. . A collection of 300 endgame studies, but little overall discussion of principles. *''Concise Chess Endings'', by Neil McDonald, 2002, Everyman Chess. . Basic material in a physically small book. * ''The Endgame'', by Marat Makarov, 2007, Chess Stars, . The basic material. * ''How to Win in the Chess Endings'', by I. A. Horowitz, 1957, David McKay. * ''Chess Endgames for Kids'', by

2015, Gambit Publications. A good introductory book (and not just for kids).

Large, more comprehensive one-volume books

*''

'', by

and

, 1941, 2003, McKay. . The first modern endgame book in English. A classic book by Fine in 1941 – revised by Benko in 2003. *''Fundamental Chess Endings'', by

and

, 2001, Gambit Publications. . Comprehensive and modern. *''Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual'', second edition, by Mark Dvoretsky, 2006, Russel Enterprises. . A modern manual book by a noted chess teacher. *''Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master'',

, 2007, Siles Press, . Has a unique approach, presenting material in order of difficulty and the need to know of various classes of players. It starts with material for the absolute beginner and progresses up to master-level material. *''Practical Endgame Play - mastering the basics'', Efstratios Grivas, 2008,

, . *''Batsford Chess Endings'', by

Jon Speelman Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English chess grandmaster and author. Early life and education Jonathan Simon Speelman was born on 2 October 1956 in Marylebone, London. He was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Worcest ...

Jon Tisdall Jonathan D. Tisdall (born August 26, 1958) is an American-born Norwegian and Irish grandmaster of chess (title awarded 1993) and works as a freelance journalist. He was born in Buffalo, New York to a Japanese mother and an Irish father. He w ...

, and Bob Wade, 1993, Batsford. . More of a catalog of positions and analysis with little discussion (probably out of print). * ''The Russian Endgame Handbook'', by Ilya Rabinovich. This is the 2012 English translation of the 1938 Russian book. .

Multi-volume works

*''Comprehensive Chess Endings'', by

, et al., 1983. In five volumes. A detailed, advanced, and comprehensive look at various endings. Intended for players with a

rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of a metric (e.g. quality, quantity, a combination of both,...). Rating or rating system may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness ...

of roughly 1800 or higher. Published by

Pergamon Press Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, that published scientific and medical books and journals. Originally called Butterworth-Springer, it is now an imprint of Elsevier. History The c ...

. The work originally appeared as a series of smaller books (e.g. ''Bishop Endings'', ''Knight Endings'', etc.). Out of print in book form, but available on computer CD-ROM. **Volume 1: ''Bishop endings/Knight endings'', Yuri Averbakh and

Vitaly Chekhover Vitaly Alexandrovich Chekhover (also spelled Tschechower or Czechower, pronounced "chekh a VYAIR") () (December 22, 1908 – February 11, 1965) was a Soviet chess player and chess composer. He was also a pianist. Composing career In the beg ...

, , 553 diagrams, 209 pages. **Volume 2: ''Bishop against knight, rook against minor piece'', Yuri Averbakh, , 631 diagrams, 245 pages. **Volume 3: ''Queen and pawn endings, queen versus rook, queen versus minor piece'', Yuri Averbakh, Vitaly Chekhover, and V. Henkin, , 734 diagrams, 306 pages. **Volume 4: ''Pawn endings'', Yuri Averbakh and Ilya Maizelis, , 768 diagrams, 291 pages. **Volume 5: ''Rook endings'', Yuri Averbakh and Nikolai Kopayev, , 808 diagrams, 322 pages. *''Encyclopedia of Chess Endings'', ''Šahovski informator'' (

Chess Informant Chess Informant () is a publishing company from Belgrade, Serbia, that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled ''Chess Informant'', as well as the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'', ''Encyclopaedia ...

), edited by

Aleksandar Matanović Aleksandar Matanović (; 23 May 1930 – 9 August 2023) was a Serbian chess grandmaster, one of the leading Yugoslav players in the 1950s-1970s. In 1966 he founded the company Chess Informant, which publishes regular game collections from recen ...

. It contains no text (only moves with a few codes) and is aimed at experts and masters. It was published in five volumes: # pawn endgames, 1610 diagrammed positions # rook and pawn, 1727 positions # rook and minor pieces, 1746 positions # queen (including endings with rooks and minor pieces). 1800 positions # minor pieces, 2017 positions. * ''Theory and Practice of Chess Endings'', by Alexander Panchenko. Two small volumes (318 positions/160 pages and 356 positions/176 pages). * ''Nunn's Chess Endings'', by

John Nunn John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...

, 2010, two volumes. More in-depth companion to his ''Understanding Chess Endgames'' and covers positions from games. ** Volume 1: pawn endings, knight endings, bishop endings, knight vs. bishop endings, queen endings, 319 pages. ** Volume 2: rook endings, rook and minor piece endings, 351 pages.

Books on specific endings

Pawn endings

*''Starting Out: Pawn Endings'', by

, 2004, Everyman Chess. . A good book for advancing and intermediate players. *''Secrets of Pawn Endings'', by

and

, 2007, Gambit. (Reissue of 2000 book by Everyman Chess, with corrections.) . An in-depth book for king and pawn endgames. * ''Comprehensive Chess Endings: Pawn Endings'', volume 4, by Yuri Averbakh and Ilya Maizelis, see above. * ''1000 Pawn Endings'', by József Pintér, 2006, . Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text. *''One Pawn Saves the Day: A World Champion's Favorite Studies'', by Sergei Tkachenko, 2017, Limited Liability Company Elk and Ruby Publishing House . 100 studies whose common theme is that white ends up with just one pawn in the finale, yet manages to win or draw. *

Rook endings

*''Starting Out: Rook Endgames'' (2004). Chris Ward, Everyman Chess. . A good book for advancing and intermediate players. *''The Survival Guide to Rook Endings'', John Emms, 2008. Gambit. . (Reissue of 1999 book by Everyman Chess, with corrections.) An in-depth book for rook and pawn endgames. *''Practical Rook Endings'', by

Victor Korchnoi Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (, ; 23 March 1931 – 6 June 2016) was a Soviet (before 1976) and Swiss (after 1980) chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. He is considered one of the strongest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Bo ...

, 1999, 2002, Olms. . An introductory chapter on fundamental positions followed by detailed analysis of fourteen rook endgames from his actual games. *''Rook Endings'', by

and

, 1971, Batsford. . Considered a classic study of rook and pawn endings, is out of print. *''Secrets of Rook Endings'', by

, 1992, 1999, Gambit Publications. . Goes deeply into the intricate details of the ending of a king, one rook, and one pawn versus a king and one rook – culled from a computer

. Considers positions based on every starting position of the pawn. *''Practical Rook Endings'', by

Edmar Mednis Edmar John Mednis (; March 22, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American chess player and writer of Latvian origin. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1980. Biography Mednis' family were refugees in 1944 during World War ...

, 1982, Chess Enterprises. . A small book on rook and pawn endgames. *''One Rook Saves the Day: A World Champion's Favorite Studies'', by Sergei Tkachenko, 2017, Limited Liability Company Elk and Ruby Publishing House . 100 studies whose common theme is that white ends up with just one rook in the finale, yet manages to win or draw. * * ''Comprehensive Chess Endings: Rook Endings'', volume 5, by Yuri Averbakh and Nikolai Kopayev, see above. * ''1000 Rook Endings'', by József Pintér, 2007, . Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text.

Minor piece endings

*''Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames'', by John Emms, 2004, Everyman Chess, . A good book for advancing and intermediate players. * ''Comprehensive Chess Endings: Bishop Endings/Knight Endings'', volume 1, by Yuri Averbakh and Vitaly Chekhover, see above. *''Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings'', by

, Batsford. A very detailed look at the endgames of one minor piece and a pawn versus one minor piece, plus two bishops versus one knight (with no pawns), based on computer tablebase, . *''One Knight Saves the Day: A World Champion's Favorite Studies'', by Sergei Tkachenko, 2017, Limited Liability Company Elk and Ruby Publishing House . 100 studies whose common theme is that white ends up with just one knight in the finale, yet manages to win or draw. *''One Bishop Saves the Day: A World Champion's Favorite Studies'', by Sergei Tkachenko, 2017, Limited Liability Company Elk and Ruby Publishing House . 100 studies whose common theme is that white ends up with just one bishop in the finale, yet manages to win or draw. * ''1000 Minor Piece Endings'', by József Pintér, 2007. Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text. * *

Other endings

*''Secrets of Pawnless Endings'', by

, 1994, 2002, Gambit Publications. . A very detailed look at relatively rare critical endings without pawns, based on computer tablebase. *

Endgame strategy

Strategic endgames are endgames that begin at the end of the middlegame. Usually each player has several pieces, making the position too difficult to analyze in detail. Therefore, it is usually not certain what the outcome should be or what is the best line of play. * *Shereshevsky, Mikhail (1994), * A follow-up companion to ''Practical Endgame Play'' by Grivas. * A follow-up companion to ''Fundamental Chess Endings'' by Müller and Lamprecht.

Endgames by specific players

*'' Capablanca's Best Chess Endings: 60 Complete Games'', by Irving Chernev, 1978, Dover. . Complete games with good endgame lessons. *''Vasily Smyslov: Endgame Virtuoso'', by

, 1997, Everyman Chess. . Endings plus some complete games that illustrate endgames. * . Contains 105 of his best games, with annotations of the endgames. * Has four chapters of endgames by

Ulf Andersson Ulf Andersson (born 27 June 1951) is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972. Chess career At his peak, Andersson reached number four on the FIDE rating list. ...

Miscellaneous endgame books

* ''Mastering the Endgame'', by

, 2001, Everyman Chess. . A good follow-up to the elementary books. *''Six Hundred Endings'', by

Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated in twelve c ...

and Balázs Sárközy, 1981,

. . Examines specific endgames from actual games and studies, categorized by the basic type of ending. *''Winning Endgame Technique'', by

Alexander Beliavsky Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky (, , ; also romanized ''Belyavsky''; born December 17, 1953) is a Soviet, Ukrainian and Slovenian chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1975. He is also a chess coach and in 2004 wa ...

and Adrian Mikhalchishin, 1995, Batsford, . Explores several key types of endgames. * ''Winning Endgame Strategy'', by Alexander Beliavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin, 2000, Batsford, . * ''Modern Endgame Practice'', by Alexander Beliavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin, 2003, Batsford, . *''Endgame Secrets: How to plan in the endgame in chess'', by

Christopher Lutz Christopher Lutz (born 24 February 1971) is a German chess grandmaster and a two-time German Chess Champion. Chess career Born in 1971, Lutz earned his international master title in 1989 and his grandmaster title in 1992. He won the German ...

, 1999, Batsford. . Examines forty-five endgames from actual play. *''Analysing the Endgame'', by

Jonathan Speelman Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English chess grandmaster and author. Early life and education Jonathan Simon Speelman was born on 2 October 1956 in Marylebone, London. He was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Worcest ...

, 1981, Arco Chess Library. . Analysis of some basic endgames and some more complex ones. Can be difficult going. *''Endgame Preparation'', by

, 1981, Batsford. (limp) (cased). Covers some selected endgame topics. Can be difficult going. * ''C.J.S. Purdy On the Endgame'', by

Cecil Purdy C.J.S. (Cecil John Seddon) Purdy (27 March 1906 – 6 November 1979) was an Australian chess player and writer. He was awarded the International Master title in 1951 and the Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess title in 1959. Purdy was the fi ...

, 2003, Thinker's Press, - collection of various articles, not a full encyclopedia. * ''101 Chess Endgame Tips: Golden nuggets of endgame wisdom'', by Stephen Giddins, 2007, Gambit, * * ''Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics'', by Gerardus C. van Perlo, 2006, New In Chess, * ''Practical Endgame Play'', by Neil McDonald, 1996, Cadogan. . * ''Practical Endgame Lessons'', by Edmar Mednis, McKay. * * Fifty-four annotated endgames from games, most give the complete game. * Not comprehensive but mostly practical endgames from tournament games * Subtitle: "Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player" * * * ''How to Play Chess Endings'',

, 1940 * * * * * About

positions, almost entirely in the endgame. * * A collection of Benko's ''

Chess Life The monthly ''Chess Life'' and bi-monthly ''Chess Life Kids'' (formerly ''School Mates'' and ''Chess Life for Kids'') are the official magazines published by the United States Chess Federation (US Chess). ''Chess Life'' is advertised as the "m ...

'' articles 1981-86 * * * Based on ''Practical Endgame Lessons'' by Mednis, it is expanded and includes exercises * Deep analysis of some endgames. Is in three parts: analysis of adjourned positions, endgame knowledge, and endgame studies.

Magazines

* ''EG'' magazine

Computer

* *

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Chess Endgame literature Chess endgames Chess theory

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...