Chess endgame literature refers to books and magazines about

chess endgame In chess and other similar games, the endgame (or end game or ending) is the stage of the game when few pieces are left on the board. The line between middlegame and endgame is often not clear, and may occur gradually or with the quick exchange o ...

s. 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. 1530 – c. 1580) was a Spanish chess player, author, and Catholic priest whose 1561 treatise '' Libro de la invención liberal y Arte del juego del Axedrez'' was one of the first books about modern chess in ...

, 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 e ...

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 Johann Nepomuk Berger (11 April 1845, Graz – 17 October 1933) was an Austrian chess master, theorist, endgame study composer, author and editor. In September 1870, he won the first tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at Graz. In 1875, ...

Alexey Troitsky Alexey Alexeyevich Troitsky (russian: Алексе́й Алексе́евич Тро́ицкий; March 14, 1866 – August 1942; also ''Alexei'', ''Troitzky'', ''Troitzki'') was a Russian chess theoretician. He is widely considered to have ...

Yuri Averbakh Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (russian: Ю́рий Льво́вич Аверба́х; 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. He was the first centenaria ...

, 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 An endgame tablebase is a computerized database that contains precalculated exhaustive analysis of chess endgame positions. It is typically used by a computer chess engine during play, or by a human or computer that is retrospectively analysin ...

s. Some endgame books are general works about many different kinds of endgames whereas others are limited to specific endgames such as

rook Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess *Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game Military *Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft * USS ' ...

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 Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES * P ...

. These endgame strategy books fill the gap from the end of the

middlegame ''Middlegame'' is a 2019 science fantasy/ horror novel by Seanan McGuire. It was well-received critically, winning the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and garnering a nomination for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel. A companion novel ...

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 Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

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 piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an his ...

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 Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

was known . André Philidor

'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 or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

versus two

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, two

rooks Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess *Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game Military *Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft * USS ...

versus a rook and a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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

Gioachino Greco Gioachino Greco (c. 1600 – c. 1634) ( ελληνικά/greek: Τζοακίνο Γκρέκο), surnamed Cusentino and more frequently ''il Calabrese'', was an Italian chess player and writer. He recorded some of the earliest chess games kno ...

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 de ...

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, and wrote a book called ''Trattato dell'Inventione et Arte Liberale del Gioco Degli Scacchi'', which was pu ...

analyzed endgames, including a key position in

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 The bishop and knight checkmate in chess is the checkmate of a lone king which can be by a king, a bishop, and a knight. With the stronger side to move and with perfect play, checkmate can be forced in at most thirty-three moves from any starti ...

, 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 optimal play, some complicated wins require sixty moves to either checkmate, capture the ...

(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 d ...

), 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 or otherwise a good ...

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 f ...

. 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, composer and theoretician. He is best known today for his chess writing. Life Ponziani was born in Modena in 1719. In 1742 he gra ...

Ercole del Rio Domenico Ercole del Rio (c. 1718 – c. 1802) was an Italian lawyer and author. He published a 110-page chess book in 1750 which was the basis of a work by Giambattista Lolli thirteen years later. He composed many chess problems. He was ...

(1750), and

Giambattista Lolli Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian chess player and one of the most important chess theoreticians of his time. He is most famous for his book ''Osservazioni teorico-pratiche sopra il giuoco degli scacchi'' ( en, Theoretical- ...

(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 may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

. Later this was overturned by computer

s, when

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

zugzwang Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", ) 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 ...

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 Carlo Cozio, Count of Montiglio and Salabue (c. 1715 – c. 1780) was an Italian chess player and theorist. He is best remembered for the book ''Il giuoco degli scacchi'', and for the Cozio Defence. Life Carlo Cozio was born in Casale Monferra ...

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 pieces remain, and no pawns. The basic checkmates are types of pawnless endgames. Endgames without pawns do not occur very often in practice except for the basic checkmates of king ...

) . 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-Am ...

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 George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters *George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Cos ...

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 endgames which was written by Grandmaster Reuben Fine and originally published on October 27, 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in English on the endgame phase of the ga ...

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

Pal Benko Pál C. Benkő ( hu, Benkő Pál; July 15, 1928 – August 26, 2019) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American chess player, author, and Chess composer, composer of Endgame study, endgame studies and chess problems. Early life Benko was ...

, 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 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 moved at age 10 when he ...

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

. 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 ''Mo ...

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 Henri Rinck (January 10, 1870 – February 17, 1952) was a French chess study composer, considered one of the most important early figures in the field. Biography Henri Rinck was born in Lyon (France) on January 10, 1870, where his family were ...

(1870-1952) was a specialist in pawnless endgames and

A. A. Troitsky Alexey Alexeyevich Troitsky (russian: Алексе́й Алексе́евич Тро́ицкий; March 14, 1866 – August 1942; also ''Alexei'', ''Troitzky'', ''Troitzki'') was a Russian chess theoretician. He is widely considered to have ...

(1866-1942) is famous for his analysis of two knights versus a pawn . In 1927

Ilya Rabinovich Ilya Leontievich Rabinovich (russian: Илья Леонтьевич Рабинович; 11 May 1891 – 23 April 1942) was a Russian and later Soviet chess player, among the best ones in his country for three decades, from 1910 to 1940. His best ...

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 (russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Зноско-Боро́вский, Yevgeny Alexandrovich Znosko-Borovsky; 16 August 1884 – 31 December 1954) was a Russian chess player, music critic, music and drama ...

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 André Chéron (September 25, 1895 – September 12, 1980) was a French chess player, endgame theorist, and a composer of endgame studies. He was named a FIDE International Master of Chess Composition in 1959, the first year the title was award ...

'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 composed position—that is, one that has been made up rather than played in an actual game—presented as a sort of puzzle, in which the aim of the solver is to find the essentially uniqu ...

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 chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

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 Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as ...

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

Grigory Levenfish Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish (russian: Григо́рий Я́ковлевич Левенфи́ш; – 9 February 1961) was a Soviet chess player who scored his peak competitive results in the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice USSR Chess Champ ...

and

Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov ( rus, Васи́лий Васи́льевич Смысло́в, Vasíliy Vasíl'yevich Smyslóv; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, who was World Chess Champion from 1957 to ...

(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 Ger ...

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 Endings'' (2000), both with Karsten Müller Karsten Müller (born Nove ...

(2001), ''Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual'' by

Mark Dvoretsky Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky (russian: Марк Изра́илевич Дворе́цкий; December 9, 1947 – September 26, 2016) was a Russian chess trainer, writer, and International Master. Biography Dvoretsky was born in Moscow in 1947. ...

(2003), and ''Silman's Complete Endgame Course'' by

Jeremy Silman Jeremy Silman (born August 28, 1954) is an American International Master (IM) of chess and writer. Silman was born in Del Rio, Texas. He began playing chess at the age of 12. He has won the American Open, the National Open, and the U.S. Open, and ...

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

, 2003,

Everyman Chess Everyman Chess, formerly known as 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 Garry Kasparov is the ...

. . 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 Internatio ...

, 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 a 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. Champion ...

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 Easte ...

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

James Howell James Howell (c. 1594 – 1666) was a 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer who is in many ways a representative figure of his age. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas How ...

, 1997,

Batsford Batsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh. There is a falconry centre close to the village and Batsford Arboretum is nearby, ...

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

, 1997, 2003, Thinker's Press, . An elementary book. *''Pandolfini's Endgame Course'', by

Bruce Pandolfini Bruce Pandolfini (born September 17, 1947) is an American chess author, teacher, and coach. A USCF national master, he is generally considered to be America's most experienced chess teacher. In 1983, Pandolfini was the chess consultant to auth ...

, 1988, Fireside, . Many short elementary endgame lessons. *''Chess Endings Made Simple: How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence'', by Ian Snape, 2003,

Gambit Publications {{Infobox publisher , name = Gambit Publications , image = , caption = , parent = , status = , traded_as = , predecessor = , founded = , founder = John Nunn, Murray Chandler, and Graham B ...

, *''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 Irving Chernev (January 29, 1900 – September 29, 1981) was a chess player and prolific Russian-American chess author. He was born in Pryluky in the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine) and emigrated to the United States in 1905. Chernev was a nati ...

, 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 Israel Albert Horowitz (often known as I. A. Horowitz or Al Horowitz) (November 15, 1907 – January 18, 1973) was an American International Master of chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling ...

, 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

, 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 Efstratios Grivas (born March 30, 1966) is a Greek chess player who holds the titles of Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, International Arbiter, and FIDE International Organizer. Early years He was born in Egio, Achaia and grew up in Athens ...

, 2008,

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

Jon Speelman Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster chess player, mathematician and chess writer. Early life and education He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Mathematics. Caree ...

Jon Tisdall Jonathan D. Tisdall (born August 26, 1958 in Buffalo, New York) is a grandmaster of chess (title awarded 1993) and works as a freelance journalist. An American citizen by origin, he became Irish and later Norwegian. He was born to a Japanese m ...

, 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

. 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 quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...

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 cor ...

. 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") (russian: Вита́лий Алекса́ндрович Чехове́р) (December 22, 1908 – February 11, 1965) was a Soviet chess player and ch ...

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

), edited by

Aleksandar Matanović Aleksandar Matanović (born May 23, 1930) is a Serbian chess grandmaster. Following the death of Yuri Averbakh at the age of 100 on May 7, 2022, Matanović became the oldest living grandmaster. Chess career Awarded the GM title in 1955, Matanov ...

. 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 former ...

, 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 József Pintér (born 9 November 1953 in Budapest) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster and chess writer. He won the Hungarian Chess Championship in 1978 and 1979. Pinter gained his grandmaster title in 1982. He is well known for a 1984 brillian ...

, 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 ( rus, Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, p=vʲiktər lʲvovʲɪtɕ kɐrtɕˈnoj; 23 March 1931 – 6 June 2016) was a Soviet (before 1976) and Swiss (after 1980) chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. H ...

, 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 ( lv, Edmārs Džons Mednis; March 22, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was a Latvian-American chess player and writer of Latvian origin. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1980. Biography Mednis' family were ...

, 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

, 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. Career At his peak, Andersson reached number four on the FIDE rating list. Tournamen ...

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 non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated ...

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 (, ua, Олександр Генріхович Бєлявський, sl, Aleksander Henrikovič Beljavski; also romanized ''Belyavsky''; born December 17, 1953) is a Soviet, Ukrainian and Slovenian chess play ...

and

Adrian Mikhalchishin Adrian Bohdanovych Mikhalchishin (also Mihalcisin, Mihalčišin or Mykhalchyshyn, uk, Адріян Богданович Михальчишин, born November 18, 1954) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster now playing for Slovenia. Education: Lviv Un ...

, 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 Ch ...

, 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 Grandmaster chess player, mathematician and chess writer. Early life and education He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Mathematics. Career A winner of the Br ...

, 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 Cecil John Seddon Purdy (27 March 1906 – 6 November 1979), often referred to as "C. J. S. Purdy", was an Australian chess player and writer. He was awarded the titles International Master in 1951 and Grandmaster of correspondence chess in ...

, 2003, Thinker's Press, - collection of various articles, not a full encyclopedia. * ''101 Chess Endgame Tips: Golden nuggets of endgame wisdom'', by

Stephen Giddins Stephen Giddins (born 29 January 1961) is an English chess player and writer. He graduated from Keble College, Oxford, in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1982. He went on to become a FIDE Master and wrote a number of chess books, some of ...

, 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 "most ...

'' 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, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...