Practical Endgames — Vol. 1

What this book teaches

300 practical endgames. Titles are usually a verdict: “two pawns beat two advisors”, “one horse struggles to beat one elephant”, “wins only with care / draws only with care”.

Not a hunt for a pretty mate. You check: with this material, correct technique wins, draws, or cannot win.

Ask: is the verdict right, and where is the key?

What you will get

• The common endgame verdicts — pawns, horse, cannon vs advisors and elephants
• Tell win, hard win, win-only-with-care, and draw apart
• In a real game, know whether to play the ending or to exchange

Step 1 — Read the verdict

① Count: what do you have extra? Do they still have advisors and elephants? ② What does the title say — win, hard, with care, or draw? ③ High pawn or low, extra advisor or elephant — that often flips the result.

The verdict is the lesson. The moves only prove it.

Step 2 — The key is the condition

① What technique — advancing a pawn, exchanging, squeezing the king, or holding? ② “With care” means one wrong move loses the result. ③ When done: remember the verdict plus the condition (high/low, full advisors and elephants), not every line.

What order to study?

Go by material, not by problem number:

• Pawns first
• Then lone horse, horse and pawn
• Cannon and pawn, two horses — later

Volumes 2–3 use the same method, with messier positions. Do them after you know Volume 1. A few positions per type are enough to learn the condition.

Three things when you solve

1. Play it yourself. Open the line only when stuck. 2. Say the verdict and the condition — not only the first move. 3. You need not finish all 300. Remember “this type wins/draws because…”.