Endgame Strategy

In this widely acclaimed chess classic, Russian trainer Mikhail Shereshevsky explains how to master the most important endgame principles. Where other endgame manuals focus on the basics and theoretical endgames, this book teaches the ‘big ideas’ that will help you find the most promising and most practical moves in any endgame. Even in endgames, it helps to think schematically instead of trying to calculate every move. To maximize your winning chances, this invaluable manual will teach you lessons such as ‘do not hurry’ and ‘centralize your king’ or ‘fight for the initiative’. Endgame Strategy is considered to be one of the most important endgame manuals. In comparison with the 1981 publication, this new edition has been thoroughly revised and the author has added dozens of new and inspiring positions. The book is highly recommended by club players, coaches, and grandmasters alike. ‘I especially read the chapter “Do not hurry!” with pleasure; not just because I agree with what he says, but more importantly because it defines the playing style of Magnus Carlsen,’ said Grandmaster Simen Agdestein, long-time trainer of the Norwegian World Champion.

Hellsten focuses exclusively on endgame play and covers every type of endgame: pawn, rook, minor piece and queen endgames. He examines many fundamental positions that everyone needs to know, as well as the key themes and characteristics of successful endgame play.

A large proportion of chess games are decided in the endgame or in the transition to the endgame, but chess literature has provided relatively little guidance for players seeking to improve their skill in making the vital decisions in these phases of the game. Building on the ideas introduced in his ground-breaking work Foundations of Chess Strategy, Lars Bo Hansen provides a thought-provoking and convincing treatise on general endgame strategy. He explains how players can maximize the practical problems for their opponents while emphasizing the strengths of their own position. Under his guidance, chess-players will more easily focus on the key elements in the position, devise plans for exploiting them to the full, and develop a better understanding of which pieces need to be exchanged, and which weaknesses really matter. Part 1 of the book discusses the basic principles of endgame strategy and the thinking methods associated with them. In Part 2, Hansen moves on to consider a wealth of examples by the great masters of chess, showing how they have handled endgames in practice, often making difficult tasks appear simple, and in many cases bamboozling their opponents into self-destruction. Lars Bo Hansen is a well-known grandmaster from Denmark. He has won the Danish Championship on two occasions, and represented his country in four olympiads, winning a bronze medal for his individual performance in 1990. His many tournament victories include first prize in the strong Copenhagen Open in both 1997 and 2000. Away from the board, he teaches and lectures on business studies, with a particular focus on marketing, organization and strategy. This is his second book for Gambit.

Most poker players don't think they need to study ICM until they make a costly mistake at a big final table - don't be one of those players. The Independent Chip Model (ICM) is the most important strategy concept in multi table tournaments, yet very few players understand it, other than knowing they should play tighter on the bubble. Not only does ICM impact the single biggest monetary decisions you make in poker, it also influences everything in a tournament from game selection, staking, when to register, playing the early levels, the bubble, the final table and much more. Endgame Poker Strategy is the first book to take a deep dive into the subject of ICM and how it impacts how you should play in tournaments. This book contains groundbreaking insights that most professional poker players are not aware of, including: • How to adjust your play in the late stages of tournaments • When to ladder and when to play for the win • How to negotiate profitable final table deals • The optimal game selection, rebuy and late registration strategies • How to play short, average and big stacks at the end of tournaments Dara O’Kearney is a professional poker player, sponsored Unibet Pro and co-host of The Chip Race Podcast. He is regarded as one of the best satellite grinders in the world and professional poker players seek out his advice on ICM whenever they prepare for a big final table. He is the co-author of the best selling books Poker Satellite Strategy and PKO Poker Strategy. “In an era of solvers and preflop charts, game states involving ICM pressure remain one of the few unsolved and untapped areas of poker. Endgame Poker Strategy does an excellent job of clearly explaining the most important ICM ideas and effects. Whether you are a beginning player looking to build an understanding of how ICM works, or a more advanced player looking to better internalise ICM concepts, there is something in this book for you.” - Daniel Dvoress, high stakes poker player

A famed writer, speaker, player and international master has created the one and only endgame book chess enthusiasts need as they move up the ladder from beginner to tournament player to possession of the coveted master title.

In this companion volume to Fundamental Chess Endings, M�ller and Pajeken focus on the practical side of playing endgames. They cover all aspects of strategic endgames, with particular emphasis on thinking methods, and ways to create difficulties for opponents over the board. Using hundreds of outstanding examples from modern practice, the authors explain not only how to conduct 'classical' endgame tasks, such as exploiting an extra pawn or more active pieces, but also how to handle the extremely unbalanced endings that often arise from the dynamic openings favoured nowadays. All varieties of endgames are covered, and there are more than 200 exercises for the reader, together with full solutions. Major topics include: * Basic Principles and Methods * Activity * Schematic Thinking * The Fight for the Initiative * Prophylaxis and Preventing Counterplay * The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame * Domination * The Art of Defence * Typical Mistakes * Rules of Thumb

"Halberstam evokes the internecine conflicts, the untrammeled egos, and the struggles for dominance among the key figures in the White House, the State Department, and the military.

This is a reprint of a previously published book. It's original title was Strategies for Decliing Businesses.