Yuri Averbakh, the 1954 Soviet chess champion, designed Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge to give players a practical foundation in the endgame.
Pergamon Press published this 1966 English edition, translated by P. H. Clarke. The Russian original appeared in Moscow in 1960, with a second edition following in 1965.
The contents begin with elementary checkmates, then examine contests between different pieces, stopping passed pawns, and the techniques of pawn promotion. The final and longest chapter applies that knowledge to practical endings, bringing the lessons closer to the positions encountered over the board.
The back cover describes the goal as “a working knowledge of the endgame.” Averbakh builds the material progressively, taking readers from the basics toward the knowledge needed in club and tournament play. It reflects the teaching work of a grandmaster who devoted decades to studying and explaining this phase of chess.
Which endgame book has helped you most?
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- Soviet Chess History
