Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual

If you want to know about the specific flaws in this book, read other reviews. I don't want to tell you want it doesn't have, but rather what it does have that virtually no other Endgame Manual has: Precise Positions. Precise Positions, by Dvoretsky's definition, are basic positions in the endgame that have not so many pawns and show important endgame theory that is required knowledge of any player wishing to improve his endgame technique. Knowledge of these positions are used as signposts to correct play. The book contains 213 Precise Positions (I counted them, give or take a couple). Astonishingly, this coincides very well with the 'accepted' myth(?) that there are approximately 250 endgame positions GM's know well and perfectly. Is this correlation sinking in yet? You have here a book, for about $20USD, that articulates and diagrams out over 200 positions a GM considers necessary for accurate endgame play in practical situations. Do the math: 20/213 = ~9 cents/diagram. If a GM told you for a dime each, he'd give you these diagrams WITH explanation so you could improve your endgame, who would not take him up on that offer? Dvoretsky has done just that. Here is a book that truly reveals one of the classic 'Secrets of Russian Chess' and to go without this book is missing a huge part of chess knowledge at such a small price. 5 Stars, no doubt, no regrets - best endgame book out there.

I do believe that this is the most instructive endgame book ever. That being said, other reviewers who indicate that the book is too advanced for them have a point. This is not a beginners endgame book. Dvoretsky does not cover topics like the elementary mates. However, the topics he covers are extremely well done. I now understand ideas like corresponding squares that had escaped me before. Some of the material is pretty deep (some of it is over my head), but you will be much better off for working through it. Don't bother if you are under 1600 USCF.

Before we go further, lets note that this book is not an endgame encyclopedia; it is in fact a `teach yourself the endgame' manual, albeit quite a comprehensive one. This rather basic fact does not seem to be mentioned in most of the reviews I have seen, and the appellation `endgame manual' is rather ambiguous, so some people may be under the mistaken impression that this is a reference work rather than a self tutor. Lets note also that this is not for beginners - I would guess that players rated above Elo 1600 are the target audience. That's about my level, and I find the book quite easy to use. For your money you get a large, attractive book which clocks in at 384 pages. It opens flat easily. The pages are well laid out. Grandmaster Yusopov writes the foreword, stating that his greatest victories are owed to Dvoretsky's training. Aagaard follows with a gushing preface, commenting that he feels as if Shakespeare has asked him to write a foreword to Hamlet (!). Skipping to the back of the book, there is an index of strategic and tactical techniques (e.g. "driving the king away by vertical checks") - a nice feature, but I'm not sure how useful it is. There is also an interesting bibliography, although Dvoresky notes that most of the material is sourced from his own training files. The bulk of the book is, of course, dedicated to the various types of endgame the reader should learn. The length of each chapter varies considerably, based on the number of ideas and applicable techniques found in the type of endgame. Unsurprisingly the rook section is the longest, comprising almost a third of the book's length over four chapters. The idea, writes Dvoretsky, is to present an endgame knowledge system. He states that in order to be a good endgame player the student should study relatively few endgame positions but understand them totally. These positions will then act as mental landmarks when playing. This is coupled with the memorization of important principles relevant to the general type of endgame. The positions and principles which form this core endgame knowledge system are printed in blue print; other material, which expands on the basics, in black print. Supposedly, the irrelevant positions found in other texts have been weeded out, leaving only those of maximum utility for the practical player, chosen on the basis of the authors extensive teaching experience. However he emphasizes that there is no magic shortcut - memorization of principles cannot replace precise calculation, but can make it a lot easier by showing the right path. Well, that makes sense I guess, but a couple of points. First, every endgame book I have seen claims to contain only those positions the practical player needs rather than the countless irrelevant positions found in `other books'. Second, I counted (rather quickly, so I might have missed a couple) the number of diagrammed positions in blue print. Two hundred and eight! Now, if I understand Dvoretsky correctly,

I am sure that anyone would be a master if they had this book down cold. The bad news is that despite being a great teaching book, it is extremely difficult as it requires well developed calculating abilities. One thing that I noticed is that the exercises seem to be designed to punish players who are attempting to get by on general rules or principles and force one to accurately calculate complex variations. I'm glad to have read Howell's Essential Chess Endings for general endgame competence, but this new monster by Dvoretsky will keep me busy for life. I've been using it for about an hour everyday for a month and I'm still not done with the first section on pawn endings! Before buying this you should be aware that there is a CD version. I suggest the book version as these examples are not the sort that you speed play through twenty of in a single sitting.

I saw a transcript of some fan questions Garry Kasparov answered several months back, and this is a quote from it:"I read chess literature. But most modern books are short-lived. That's the difference between them and Bronstein's Zurich 1953! One book maybe not yet in English is Dvoretsky's endgame book. I was impressed with the material. That's not a short-lived book."That should speak for itself. I would say the main difference between this book and Fundamental Chess Endings by Muller and Lamprecht (and I would recommend both) is that FCE covers slightly more (diverse) material, but DEM gives more explanation for understanding. DEM will perhaps increase your understanding of the endgame more, but an endgame encyclopedia (of which FCE is the best) is also important to give you a greater variety of endings to practice.Definitely one of the best works on the endgame ever.