There is not much to this. I just don't know a lot about endgames.
How do I make it not that way?
How do I make it not that way?
I'm not sure how much you already know, but you want to learn a mix of concrete endings, probably in the order of their frequency, and general endgame concepts to help guide you in other situations, such as king activity, opposition, fortresses, the awareness of the placement and general features of pawns, etc.
One strategy is to work through a single book. Although I haven't used it, lots of people like Silman's Complete Endgame Course, because unlike other books, the endgames are not grouped by the pieces involved, but chunked by rating, so you can slowly build up the most essential skills. Or you could use 100 Endgames You Must Know by de la Villa, in which case you could find his list in the introduction of the 20 or so most important endings and learn those first, and then move through the rest of the book.
You could also find a list of how often the various endings occur and learn them one-by-one, either by looking at relevant book chapters or finding studies here or even good videos. Whichever approach you take, I would strongly recommend that you make studies out of them here for yourself, because taking notes like really helps you pay attention. Once you learn a new idea, you can use the practice section to drill yourself over and over, or just set up a position on the board and play against the computer.
Because the endgame is heavily focused on pawn promotion, you definitely want to learn all the basics of king and pawn vs. king endgames, because often your goal will be to reduce to a favorable version of that ending, or prevent your opponent from doing so. In terms of pieces, rook endgames are the most common and also have a lot of material to cover, so you want to know some basics of those early on.
There's an excellent book called Secrets of Pawn Endings by Lamprecht and Mueller. I read it probably sooner than most people would recommend by rating, but it was a revelation for me. Not only did I feel like I understand how pawns work in the endgame, but I felt like I understood middle game structures better and how to liquidate more effectively into an ending, and even started to see openings differently.
I have some endgame studies with exercises if you want to browse through them and there are many other great studies here as well. You probably want to read a book chapter on this, but here's one on king and pawn vs. king with some basics of critical squares and opposition with exercises to practice:
One strategy is to work through a single book. Although I haven't used it, lots of people like Silman's Complete Endgame Course, because unlike other books, the endgames are not grouped by the pieces involved, but chunked by rating, so you can slowly build up the most essential skills. Or you could use 100 Endgames You Must Know by de la Villa, in which case you could find his list in the introduction of the 20 or so most important endings and learn those first, and then move through the rest of the book.
You could also find a list of how often the various endings occur and learn them one-by-one, either by looking at relevant book chapters or finding studies here or even good videos. Whichever approach you take, I would strongly recommend that you make studies out of them here for yourself, because taking notes like really helps you pay attention. Once you learn a new idea, you can use the practice section to drill yourself over and over, or just set up a position on the board and play against the computer.
Because the endgame is heavily focused on pawn promotion, you definitely want to learn all the basics of king and pawn vs. king endgames, because often your goal will be to reduce to a favorable version of that ending, or prevent your opponent from doing so. In terms of pieces, rook endgames are the most common and also have a lot of material to cover, so you want to know some basics of those early on.
There's an excellent book called Secrets of Pawn Endings by Lamprecht and Mueller. I read it probably sooner than most people would recommend by rating, but it was a revelation for me. Not only did I feel like I understand how pawns work in the endgame, but I felt like I understood middle game structures better and how to liquidate more effectively into an ending, and even started to see openings differently.
I have some endgame studies with exercises if you want to browse through them and there are many other great studies here as well. You probably want to read a book chapter on this, but here's one on king and pawn vs. king with some basics of critical squares and opposition with exercises to practice:
Thanks, this is do insightful
Dear @ovfife, best way to learn endgames is by getting through the middle game so you can play some of them ... once you play some of them you'll have something to look up in the books ...
A little time spent on Philidor's position(s) will go a long way to get you launched ...
A little time spent on Philidor's position(s) will go a long way to get you launched ...
"... I believe that ... Silman’s Complete Endgame Course ... deserved strong consideration for the 2007 ECF Book of the Year award; ... With the possible exception of the near-universally praised San Luis tournament book, which I have yet to see, I am positive that I would have voted it for first place (excluding my own books from consideration, of course!). ...
... I'm convinced that Silman's book will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. ... He writes in a clear and casual style, and time and again has shown the ability to reach those who feel intimidated by the lofty approach that a grandmaster will often take.
... he defines what he thinks is necessary to know at specific rating levels. For example, the beginner or unrated player needs to know how to checkmate with an extra queen and rook, two rooks, and finally with a lone extra rook. Second, he or she must understand the difference between checkmate and stalemate. But no more! Silman's idea is to wait until you climb in strength before you worry about more advanced material. Then, as a Class 'E' player (that's 1000-1199), one must learn with what material you can mate, and learn queen versus bishop and queen versus knight. Mates with two bishops and bishop and knight are left for later. But you are also introduced to the concept of 'opposition' and playing the most elementary king and pawn versus king ending. ... In Class D (1200-1399), one begins to use the 'opposition' to win (or draw) king and pawn endings when the king is in front of it's own pawn, and here for the first time we add more pawns and see the idea of one pawn holding up two, followed by how to win by allowing your passed pawn to be captured while winning the opponent's other pawns. The D player also learns about distant opposition, and cases of a single piece versus a lone pawn. And so forth all the way up to master.
... Silman's book emphasizes to the student that the important thing is to master the strictly limited material at hand, rather than get confused by endings that won't help your results at that level. ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/silmans-complete-endgame-course/
... I'm convinced that Silman's book will take its place in history as one of the most popular endgame books ever. ... He writes in a clear and casual style, and time and again has shown the ability to reach those who feel intimidated by the lofty approach that a grandmaster will often take.
... he defines what he thinks is necessary to know at specific rating levels. For example, the beginner or unrated player needs to know how to checkmate with an extra queen and rook, two rooks, and finally with a lone extra rook. Second, he or she must understand the difference between checkmate and stalemate. But no more! Silman's idea is to wait until you climb in strength before you worry about more advanced material. Then, as a Class 'E' player (that's 1000-1199), one must learn with what material you can mate, and learn queen versus bishop and queen versus knight. Mates with two bishops and bishop and knight are left for later. But you are also introduced to the concept of 'opposition' and playing the most elementary king and pawn versus king ending. ... In Class D (1200-1399), one begins to use the 'opposition' to win (or draw) king and pawn endings when the king is in front of it's own pawn, and here for the first time we add more pawns and see the idea of one pawn holding up two, followed by how to win by allowing your passed pawn to be captured while winning the opponent's other pawns. The D player also learns about distant opposition, and cases of a single piece versus a lone pawn. And so forth all the way up to master.
... Silman's book emphasizes to the student that the important thing is to master the strictly limited material at hand, rather than get confused by endings that won't help your results at that level. ..." - IM John Watson (2007)
theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/silmans-complete-endgame-course/
Silman's Complete Endgame Course is the only endgame book you will need until you are >2400 Lichess or titled.
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