Chess endgame literature - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Chess endgame literature refers to books and magazines about chess endgames. A bibliography of endgame books is below.

Many chess writers have contributed to the theory of endgames over the centuries, including Ruy López de Segura, François-André Philidor

François-André Danican Philidor

François-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...

, Josef Kling

Josef Kling

Josef Kling was a German chess master and chess composer. In 1851 he wrote Chess Studies with Bernhard Horwitz.-External links:* at Chessgames.com...

and Bernhard Horwitz

Bernhard Horwitz

Bernhard Horwitz was a German English chess master and chess writer.Horwitz was born in Neustrelitz, and went to school in Berlin, where he studied art. From 1837 to 1843, he was part of a group of German chess players known as "The Pleiades".He moved to London in 1845...

, Johann Berger

Johann Berger

Johann Nepomuk Berger was an Austrian chess master, theorist, endgame study composer, author and editor.In September 1870, he won the first tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at Graz...

, Alexey Troitsky

Alexey Troitsky

Alexey Alexeyevich Troitsky, or Alexei, or Troitzky is considered to have been one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern art of composing chess studies...

, Yuri Averbakh

Yuri Averbakh

Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...

, and Reuben Fine

Reuben Fine

Reuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the early 1930s through the 1940s, an International Grandmaster, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology.Fine won five medals in three chess Olympiads. Fine won the U.S...

. Using computers, Ken Thompson

Ken Thompson

Kenneth Lane Thompson , commonly referred to as ken in hacker circles, is an American pioneer of computer science...

, Eugene Nalimov

Eugene Nalimov

Eugene Nalimov is a chess programmer and former Microsoft employee.Starting in 1998, he wrote a tablebase generator which included many different endgames. He received a ChessBase award at the ChessBase meeting in Maastricht in 2002 for his work.Nalimov has an M.Sc. from Novosibirsk State...

, and others have contributed by constructing endgame tablebase

Endgame tablebase

An endgame tablebase is a computerized database that contains precalculated exhaustive analysis of a chess endgame position. It is typically used by a computer chess engine during play, or by a human or computer that is retrospectively analysing a game that has already been played.The tablebase...

s.

Some endgame books are general works about many different kinds of endgames whereas others are limited to specific endgames such as rook

Rook (chess)

A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...

endgames or pawnless endgames. Most books are one volume (of varying size), but there are large multi-volume works. Most books cover endgames in which the proper course of action (see list of chess terms#Optimal play) has been analyzed in detail. However, an increasing number of books are about endgame strategy, where exact analysis is not currently possible, due to the presence of more pieces

Chess piece

Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...

. These endgame strategy books fill the gap from the end of the middlegame to where the other type of books take over.

History of endgame literature

The study of a few practical endgames are found in Arabic manuscripts from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. However, these are from before the rule of pawn

Pawn (chess)

The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...

promotion

Promotion (chess)

Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...

, so most are of little value today . A thirteenth century Latin book by an unknown author examined the endgame of a knight versus a pawn, and formed the basis of later work by Alexey Troitsky

Alexey Troitsky

in the twentieth century. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a few types of endgames were studied, and opposition

Opposition (chess)

In chess, opposition is the situation occurring when two kings face each other on a rank or file, with only one square in between them. In such a situation, the player not having to move is said to "have the opposition" . It is a special type of zugzwang and most often occurs in endgames with...

was known .

Ruy López de Segura's 1561 book briefly discusses endgames. In 1617 Pietro Carrera

Pietro Carrera

Pietro Carrera, chess player, historian, priest and author, born in Sicily, in Militello in Val di Catania , located in the Valley of Noto; here he grew up in the old colony of San Vito. He was born on July 12, 1573, he was the son of Donna Antonia Severino and Mariano Carrera, a traditional...

published knowledge of several types of endgames, including queen

Queen (chess)

The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...

versus two bishops

Bishop (chess)

A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...

, two rooks

Rook (chess)

A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...

versus a rook and a knight

Knight (chess)

The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...

, and two rooks versus a rook and a bishop. Several writers published books developing endgame theory: Gioachino Greco in 1624, Philipp Stamma in 1737, and François-André Philidor

François-André Danican Philidor

in 1749 . In 1634 Alessandro Salvio

Alessandro Salvio

Alessandro Salvio was an Italian chess player who is considered to be the unofficial world champion around the year 1600. He started an Italian chess academy in Naples, Italy, and wrote a book called Trattato dell'Inventione et Arte Liberale del Gioco Degli Scacchi, which was published in Naples...

analyzed endgames, including a key position in rook

Rook (chess)

A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...

endgames . Philidor's book contained much more endgame analysis than earlier books. The first edition analyzed the rook and bishop versus rook endgame. Later editions covered the bishop and knight checkmate

Bishop and knight checkmate

The bishop and knight checkmate in chess is the checkmate of a lone king which can be forced by a bishop, knight, and king. With the stronger side to move and with perfect play, checkmate can be forced in at most thirty-three moves from any starting position where the defender cannot quickly win...

, rook and pawn versus bishop, queen versus rook and pawn, queen versus rook, rook and pawn versus rook (including the Philidor position

Philidor position

The Philidor position usually refers to an important chess endgame which illustrates a drawing technique when the defender has a king and rook versus a king, rook, and a pawn. It is also known as the third rank defense, because of the importance of the rook on the third rank cutting off the...

), queen and pawn versus queen

Queen and pawn versus queen endgame

The queen and pawn versus queen endgame is a chess endgame in which both sides have a queen and one side has a pawn, which he is trying to promote. It is very complicated and difficult to play. Cross-checks are often used as a device to win the game by forcing the exchange of queens...

, queen versus pawn on the seventh rank, knight versus pawn, two pawns versus one pawn, and two isolated pawn

Isolated pawn

In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn which has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. An isolated queen's pawn is often called an isolani. Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns...

s versus two connected pawns

Connected pawns

In chess, connected pawns are two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent files, as distinct from isolated pawns. These pawns are instrumental in creating pawn structure because, when diagonally adjacent, like the two rightmost white pawns, they form a pawn chain, a chain where the one behind...

.
In the eighteenth century important books were written by Italians (the "Modenese Masters") Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani

Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani

Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani was an 18th-century Italian law professor, priest, chess player, composer and theoretician. He is best known today for his chess writing.-Life:...

, Ercole del Rio

Ercole del Rio

Domenico Ercole del Rio was an Italian lawyer and author. He published an 110-page chess book in 1750 which was the basis of a work by Giambattista Lolli thirteen years later. He composed many chess problems. He was one of the Modenese Masters.-References:...

(1750), and Giambattista Lolli

Giambattista Lolli

Giambattista Lolli was an Italian chess player. Lolli was one of the most important chess theoreticians of his time. He is most famous for his book Osservazioni teorico-pratiche sopra il giuoco degli scacchi , published 1763 in Bologna...

(1763) . Lolli's book was based on del Rio's work and was one of the most important for the next 90 years. He studied the endgame of a queen versus two bishops and agreed with the earlier opinion of Salvio that it was generally a draw

Draw (chess)

In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...

. Later this was overturned by computer endgame tablebase

Endgame tablebase

s, when Ken Thompson

Ken Thompson

Kenneth Lane Thompson , commonly referred to as ken in hacker circles, is an American pioneer of computer science...

found a 71-move solution. However, Lolli did find the unique position of mutual zugzwang

Zugzwang

Zugzwang is a term usually used in chess which also applies to various other games. The term finds its formal definition in combinatorial game theory, and it describes a situation where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a move when he would prefer to pass and make no move...

in this endgame (see diagram) , . Lolli's 315-page book was the first giving practical research. His material came from several sources, including analysis by Philidor .

In 1766 Carlo Cozio

Carlo Cozio

Carlo Cozio, Count of Montiglio and Salabue was an Italian chess player and theorist. He is best remembered for the book Il giuoco degli scacchi, and for the Cozio Defence.-Life:Carlo Cozio was born in Casale Monferrato around 1715...

published analysis of 127 endgame positions, but it was not a practical handbook . In 1851 Bernhard Horwitz

Bernhard Horwitz

and Josef Kling

Josef Kling

Josef Kling was a German chess master and chess composer. In 1851 he wrote Chess Studies with Bernhard Horwitz.-External links:* at Chessgames.com...

published Chess Studies, or endings of games, which contained 427 positions. In 1884 Horwitz added more than fifty positions to the book, retitled it Chess Studies and End-Games, and completely omitted Kling's name . Other important books were Fins de parties d'echecs by Durand and Jean Preti in 1871, and Teoria e pratica del giuoco degli scacchi by Salvioli in 1877 . Horowitz and Kling's analysis of the endgame of two bishops versus a knight had been questioned, and was eventually overturned by computer databases (see pawnless chess endgame) . In 1864 Alfred Crosskill published analysis of the endgame of rook and bishop versus rook, an endgame that has been studied at least as far back as Philidor in 1749 .

Howard Staunton

Howard Staunton

Howard Staunton was an English chess master who is generally regarded as having been the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, largely as a result of his 1843 victory over Saint-Amant. He promoted a chess set of clearly distinguishable pieces of standardised shape—the Staunton pattern—that...

in The Chess-Player's Handbook, originally published in 1847, included almost 100 pages of analysis of endgames . His analysis of the very rare rook versus three minor pieces endgame is surprisingly sophisticated. Staunton wrote, "Three minor Pieces are much stronger than a Rook, and in cases where two of them are Bishops will usually win without much difficulty, because the player of the Rook is certain to be compelled to lose him for one of his adversary's Pieces. If, however, there are two Knights and one Bishop opposed to a Rook, the latter may generally be exchanged for the Bishop, and as two Knights are insufficient of themselves to force checkmate, the game will be drawn." Modern-day endgame tablebase

Endgame tablebase

s confirm Staunton's assessments of both endings . Yet Reuben Fine, 94 years after Staunton, erroneously wrote in Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings is a book on chess endgames which was written by Grandmaster Reuben Fine and originally published in 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in English on the endgame phase of the game of chess. It is the best-known endgame book in English and is a classic piece of...

that both types of rook versus three minor piece endings "are theoretically drawn" . Grandmaster Pal Benko

Pál Benko

Pal Benko is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.- Early life :Benko was born in France but was raised in Hungary. He was Hungarian champion by age 20. He emigrated to the United States in 1958, after defecting following the World Student Team...

, an endgame authority and like Fine a world-class player at his peak, perpetuated Fine's error in his 2003 revision of Basic Chess Endings . Grandmaster Andrew Soltis

Andrew Soltis

Andrew Eden Soltis is a chess Grandmaster, author and columnist.He won at Reggio Emilia 1971–72 and was equal first at New York 1977. He was awarded the International Master title in 1974 and became a Grandmaster in 1980...

in a 2004 book expressly disagreed with Staunton, claiming that rook versus two bishops and knight is drawn with correct play . Endgame tablebases had already proven that Staunton was correct, and Soltis wrong, although it can take up to 68 moves to win . Edward Freeborough

Edward Freeborough

Edward Freeborough was the co-author, with Charles Ranken, of Chess Openings Ancient and Modern , one of the first important opening treatises in the English language and a precursor of Modern Chess Openings. He was a member of the editorial staff of the British Chess Magazine from 1883 until his...

edited an entire 130-page book of analysis of this endgame, The Chess Ending, King & Queen against King & Rook, which was published in 1895.

The modern period of chess endgame books begins with Theorie und Praxis der Endspiele (Theory and practice of the Endgame) by Johann Berger

Johann Berger

Johann Nepomuk Berger was an Austrian chess master, theorist, endgame study composer, author and editor.In September 1870, he won the first tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at Graz...

. This was published in 1891, revised in 1922, and supplemented in 1933. This was the standard work on practical endgames for decades . Many later books were based on Berger's book . Henri Rinck

Henri Rinck

Henri Rinck was a French chess study composer, considered one of the most important early figures in the field.-Biography:...

was a specialist in pawnless endgames and A. A. Troitsky is famous for his analysis of two knights versus a pawn . Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

Eugene Alexandrovich Znosko-Borovsky was a Russian chess master, music and drama critic, teacher and author. Born in Saint Petersburg, he settled in Paris in 1920, and lived there for the rest of his life.-Biography:...

published How to Play Chess Endings in 1940. In 1941, Reuben Fine

Reuben Fine

published Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings is a book on chess endgames which was written by Grandmaster Reuben Fine and originally published in 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in English on the endgame phase of the game of chess. It is the best-known endgame book in English and is a classic piece of...

, an attempt to collect all practical endgame knowledge into one volume. It is still useful today and has been revised by Pal Benko

Pál Benko

. Half of André Chéron

André Chéron

André Chéron was a French chess player, endgame theorist, and a composer of endgame studies. He lived in Switzerland for many years...

's (1895–1980) book Traite Complet d'Echecs was about the endgame, and later he wrote Nouveau Traite Complet d'Echecs, which was a large book about the endgame. He later expanded that into the four-volume Lehr- und Handbuch der Endspiele in German, which was translated from the 1952 version in French . This was a major work for endgame studies but was not designed for the practical player. Yuri Averbakh

Yuri Averbakh

Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...

published a monumental set of books in Russian in 1956. The works were first published in English as several individual books (Pawn Endings, Bishop Endings, Knight Endings, Bishop v. Knight Endings, Rook Endings, Queen and Pawn Endings, Queen v. Rook/Minor Piece Endings, Rook v. Minor Piece Endings) and later collected into the five-volume Comprehensive Chess Endings. It was also published in other languages . Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer

Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...

had these books sent to him during his World Championship match . World Champion Max Euwe

Max Euwe

Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...

published the comprehensive eight-volume Das Endspiel in 1957 .

Some other major endgame books are Rook Endings by Grigory Levenfish

Grigory Levenfish

Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a leading Jewish Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion - in 1934 and 1937. In 1937 he tied a match against future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik...

and Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...

(1971), Practical Chess Endings by Paul Keres

Paul Keres

Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....

(1973), Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Müller

Karsten Müller

Dr. Karsten Müller was born November 23, 1970 in Hamburg, West Germany. He is a German chess Grandmaster. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1998 and a PhD in mathematics in 2002 at the University of Hamburg. He placed third in the 1996 German championship and second in the 1997 German...

and Frank Lamprecht

Frank Lamprecht

Frank Lamprecht is a German chess International Master and chess trainer. He is an author of Fundamental Chess Endings and Secrets of Pawn Endings, both with Karsten Müller.-External links:...

(2001), Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual by Mark Dvoretsky

Mark Dvoretsky

Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky is a world-renowned Russian chess trainer, writer and International Master.He was awarded the International Master title in 1975 and for a while, was widely regarded as the strongest IM in the world...

(2003), and Silman's Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman

Jeremy Silman

Jeremy Silman is an American International Master of chess. He has won the US Open, the American Open, and the National Open, and was the coach of the US junior national chess team...

(2007).

Small, general one-volume books

Winning Chess Endings, by Yasser Seirawan, 2003, Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. The company was formerly called Cadogan Chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is their chief advisor and John Emms is the...

. ISBN 1-85744-348-9. A good introductory book.
Improve Your Endgame Play, by Glenn Flear
Glenn Flear
Glenn Curtis Flear is a British chess grandmaster now living in Montpellier, France. He is the author of several books, some on chess openings and some on the endgame....

, 2000, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-246-6. A good introductory book.
Just the Facts!: Winning Endgame Knowledge in One Volume, Lev Alburt
Lev Alburt
Lev Osipovich Alburt is a chess Grandmaster and a well-respected chess writer. He was three-time Ukrainian Champion, and after defecting to the United States in 1979, became three-time U.S. Champion.-Career:...

and Nikolai Krogius
Nikolai Krogius
Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius is a Russian Chess Grandmaster, International Arbiter , psychologist, chess coach, chess administrator, and author. He won several tournament titles at Sochi and in eastern European events, and appeared in seven Soviet finals from 1958–1971...

, 2000, Newmarket Press. ISBN 1-889323-15-2. A good introductory book.
Essential Chess Endings: the Tournament Player's Guide, by James Howell, 1997, Batsford
Anova Books
Anova Books is a UK-based publishing company founded in 2005, with the acquisition of the Chrysalis Books Group from the Chrysalis Group. Since its inception, the firm has acquired or created several other imprints...

. ISBN 0-7134-8189-7. A small but comprehensive book.
Grandmaster Secrets: Endings, by Andrew Soltis
Andrew Soltis
Andrew Eden Soltis is a chess Grandmaster, author and columnist.He won at Reggio Emilia 1971–72 and was equal first at New York 1977. He was awarded the International Master title in 1974 and became a Grandmaster in 1980...

, 1997, 2003, Thinker's Press, ISBN 0-938650-66-1. An elementary book.
Pandolfini's Endgame Course, by Bruce Pandolfini
Bruce Pandolfini
Bruce Pandolfini is a chess author, teacher and coach. He was famously portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer, based on the book of the same name by Fred Waitzkin...

, 1988, Fireside, ISBN 0-671-65688-0. Many short elementary endgame lessons.
Chess Endings Made Simple: How to Approach the Endgame with Confidence, by Ian Snape, 2003, Gambit Publications
Gambit Publications
Gambit Publications is a major publisher of chess books. The company's headquarters is in London. It has published more than 150 chess books.The company was founded by three chess players...

, ISBN 1-901983-97-8
Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge, by Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...

, 1966, 1993, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-022-6. Contains some elementary material and a few more advanced topics, but is not comprehensive.
Practical Chess Endings, by Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....

, 1973, R.H.M. Press. ISBN 0-89058-028-6. Highly regarded but out of print.
A Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames, by David Hooper
David Vincent Hooper
David Vincent Hooper , born in Reigate, was a British chess player and writer. As an amateur, he tied for fifth place in the 1949 British Championship at Felixstowe. He was the British correspondence chess champion in 1944 and the London Chess Champion in 1948...

, 1970, Bell & Hyman. ISBN 0-7135-1761-1. Small yet relatively comprehensive book.
A Guide to Chess Endings, by Dr. Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...

and David Hooper, 1959, 1976, Dover. ISBN 0-486-23332-4. Analysis of positions of many types, but little overall discussion of principles.
Practical Chess Endings, by Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev was a prolific Russian-American chess author. He was born in Priluki in the Russian Empire and emigrated to the United States in 1920. Chernev was a national master strength player, and was obsessed with chess...

, 1961, Dover. ISBN 0-486-22208-X. Analysis of positions of a few types, but little overall discussion of principles.
Concise Chess Endings, by Neil McDonald
Neil McDonald (chess player)
Neil McDonald is an English Chess Grandmaster and a player on the international chess circuit. He is an English Chess Federation coach, who has trained many of the country's strongest junior players...

, 2002, Everyman Chess. ISBN 978-1-85744-313-4. Basic material in a physically small book.
The Endgame, by Marat Makarov, 2007, Chess Stars, ISBN 978-954-8782-63-0. The basic material.
How to Win in the Chess Endings, by I. A. Horowitz, 1957, David McKay.

Large, more comprehensive one-volume books

Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings
Basic Chess Endings is a book on chess endgames which was written by Grandmaster Reuben Fine and originally published in 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in English on the endgame phase of the game of chess. It is the best-known endgame book in English and is a classic piece of...

, by Reuben Fine
Reuben Fine
Reuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the early 1930s through the 1940s, an International Grandmaster, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology.Fine won five medals in three chess Olympiads. Fine won the U.S...

and Pal Benko
Pál Benko
Pal Benko is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.- Early life :Benko was born in France but was raised in Hungary. He was Hungarian champion by age 20. He emigrated to the United States in 1958, after defecting following the World Student Team...

, 1941, 2003, McKay. ISBN 0-8129-3493-8. The first modern endgame book in English. A classic book by Fine in 1941 – revised by Benko in 2003.
Fundamental Chess Endings, by Karsten Müller
Karsten Müller
Dr. Karsten Müller was born November 23, 1970 in Hamburg, West Germany. He is a German chess Grandmaster. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1998 and a PhD in mathematics in 2002 at the University of Hamburg. He placed third in the 1996 German championship and second in the 1997 German...

and Frank Lamprecht
Frank Lamprecht
Frank Lamprecht is a German chess International Master and chess trainer. He is an author of Fundamental Chess Endings and Secrets of Pawn Endings, both with Karsten Müller.-External links:...

, 2001, Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-53-6. Highly regarded - comprehensive and modern.
Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, second edition, by Mark Dvoretsky
Mark Dvoretsky
Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky is a world-renowned Russian chess trainer, writer and International Master.He was awarded the International Master title in 1975 and for a while, was widely regarded as the strongest IM in the world...

, 2006, Russel Enterprises. ISBN 1-888690-28-3. A modern manual book by a noted chess teacher.
Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master, Jeremy Silman
Jeremy Silman
Jeremy Silman is an American International Master of chess. He has won the US Open, the American Open, and the National Open, and was the coach of the US junior national chess team...

, 2007, Siles Press, ISBN 1-890085-10-3. Has a unique approach, presenting material in order of difficulty and the need to know of various classes of players. It starts with material for the absolute beginner and progresses up to master-level material.
Practical Endgame Play - mastering the basics, Efstratios Grivas
Efstratios Grivas
Efstratios Grivas is a Greek chess Grandmaster.-Early years:He was born in Egio, Achaia and grew up in Athens, in the neighbourhood of Kallithea, as his family moved to the Greek capital in 1970. His registration at the Kallithea Chess Club in 1979 was his first contact with chess...

, 2008, Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. The company was formerly called Cadogan Chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is their chief advisor and John Emms is the...

, ISBN 978-1-85744-556-5.
Batsford Chess Endings, by Jon Speelman, Jon Tisdall
Jonathan Tisdall
Jonathan D. Tisdall is a grandmaster of chess and works as a freelance journalist. An American citizen by origin, he became Irish and later Norwegian. His father is Irish and his mother is Japanese.He was Norwegian Chess Champion in 1987, 1991, and 1995...

, and Bob Wade
Robert Wade (chess player)
Robert Graham Wade OBE , was a British chess player, writer, arbiter, coach, and promoter. He was New Zealand champion three times, British champion twice, and played in seven Chess Olympiads and one Interzonal tournament...

, 1993, Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-4420-7. More of a catalog of positions and analysis with little discussion (probably out of print).

Multi-volume works

Comprehensive Chess Endings, by Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...

, et al., 1983. In five volumes. A pretty detailed, advanced, and comprehensive look at various endings. intended for players with a rating
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....

of roughly 1880 or higher. Published by Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, which published scientific and medical books and journals. It is now an imprint of Elsevier....

. The work originally appeared as a series of smaller books (e.g. Bishop Endings, Knight Endings, etc.). Out of print in book form, but available on computer CD-ROM.
- Volume 1: Bishop endings/Knight endings, Yuri Averbakh and Vitaly Chekhover
  Vitaly Chekhover
  Vitaly Chekhover was a Soviet chess player and chess composer. He was also a pianist.- Composing career :...
  
  , ISBN 0-08-026900-1, 553 diagrams, 209 pages.
- Volume 2: Bishop against knight, rook against minor piece, Yuri Averbakh, ISBN 0-08-026902-8, 631 diagrams, 245 pages.
- Volume 3: Queen and pawn endings, queen versus rook, queen versus minor piece, Yuri Averbakh, Vitaly Chekhover, and V. Henkin, ISBN 0-08-026904-4, 734 diagrams, 306 pages.
- Volume 4: Pawn endings, Yuri Averbakh and Ilya Maizelis, ISBN 0-08-026906-0, 768 diagrams, 291 pages.
- Volume 5: Rook endings, Yuri Averbakh and Nikolai Kopayev, ISBN 0-08-026908-7, 808 diagrams, 322 pages.

Encyclopedia of Chess Endings, Šahovski informator (Chess Informant), edited by Aleksandar Matanović
Aleksandar Matanovic
Aleksandar Matanović is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was born in Belgrade.Awarded the GM title in 1955, he was junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1948 and Yugoslav national champion in 1962 , 1969 and 1978...

. It contains no text (only moves with a few codes) and is aimed at experts and masters. It was published in five volumes:

pawn endgames, 1610 diagrammed positions
rook and pawn, 1727 positions
rook and minor pieces, 1746 positions
queen (including endings with rooks and minor pieces). 1800 positions
minor pieces, 2017 positions.

Theory and Practice of Chess Endings, by Alexander Panchenko
Alexander Panchenko
Alexander Panchenko was a Russian chess Grandmaster.-External links:...

. Two small volumes (318 positions/160 pages and 356 positions/176 pages).

Nunn's Chess Endings, by John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....

, 2010, two volumes. More in-depth companion to his Understanding Chess Endgames and covers positions from games.
- Volume 1: pawn endings, knight endings, bishop endings, knight vs. bishop endings, queen endings, 319 pages.
- Volume 2: rook endings, rook and minor piece endings, 351 pages.

Pawn endings

Starting Out: Pawn Endings, by Glenn Flear
Glenn Flear
Glenn Curtis Flear is a British chess grandmaster now living in Montpellier, France. He is the author of several books, some on chess openings and some on the endgame....

, 2004, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-362-4. A good book for advancing and intermediate players.

Secrets of Pawn Endings, by Karsten Müller
Karsten Müller
Dr. Karsten Müller was born November 23, 1970 in Hamburg, West Germany. He is a German chess Grandmaster. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1998 and a PhD in mathematics in 2002 at the University of Hamburg. He placed third in the 1996 German championship and second in the 1997 German...

and Frank Lamprecht
Frank Lamprecht
Frank Lamprecht is a German chess International Master and chess trainer. He is an author of Fundamental Chess Endings and Secrets of Pawn Endings, both with Karsten Müller.-External links:...

, 2007, Gambit. (Reissue of 2000 book by Everyman Chess, with corrections.) ISBN 978-1-904600-88-6. An in-depth book for king and pawn endgames.

Comprehensive Chess Endings: Pawn Endings, volume 4, by Yuri Averbakh and Ilya Maizelis, see above.

1000 Pawn Endings, by József Pintér
József Pintér
József Pintér is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster and chess writer. He won the Hungarian Chess Championship in 1978 and 1979. Pinter gained his grandmaster title in 1982...

, 2006, ISBN 963-87170-0-9. Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text.

Rook endings

Starting Out: Rook Endgames (2004). Chris Ward
Chris Ward (chess player)
Chris G Ward is a British chess Grandmaster , chess coach, and author. He won the British Championship in 1996, earning the GM title in the process. He is the author of two well-received books on a variation of the Sicilian Defence known as the Dragon Variation, in addition to a number of other...

, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-374-8. A good book for advancing and intermediate players.

The Survival Guide to Rook Endings, John Emms, 2008. Gambit. ISBN 978-1-904600-94-7. (Reissue of 1999 book by Everyman Chess, with corrections.) An in-depth book for rook and pawn endgames.

Practical Rook Endings, by Victor Korchnoi, 1999, 2002, Olms. ISBN 3-283-00401-3. An introductory chapter on fundamental positions followed by detailed analysis of fourteen of rook endgames from his actual games.

Rook Endings, by Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a leading Jewish Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion - in 1934 and 1937. In 1937 he tied a match against future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik...

and Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...

, 1971, Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-0449-3. Considered a classic study of rook and pawn endings, is out of print.

Secrets of Rook Endings, by John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....

, 1992, 1999, Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-18-8. Goes deeply into the intricate details of the ending of a king, one rook, and one pawn versus a king and one rook – culled from a computer endgame tablebase
Endgame tablebase
An endgame tablebase is a computerized database that contains precalculated exhaustive analysis of a chess endgame position. It is typically used by a computer chess engine during play, or by a human or computer that is retrospectively analysing a game that has already been played.The tablebase...

. Considers positions based on every starting position of the pawn.

Practical Rook Endings, by Edmar Mednis
Edmar Mednis
Edmar John Mednis was an American International Grandmaster of chess born in Riga, Latvia. He was also a popular and respected chess writer.-Biography:...

, 1982, Chess Enterprises. ISBN 0-931462-16-9. A small book on rook and pawn endgames.

Comprehensive Chess Endings: Rook Endings, volume 5, by Yuri Averbakh and Nikolai Kopayev, see above.

1000 Rook Endings, by József Pintér, 2007, ISBN 978-963-9750-00-5. Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text.

Minor piece endings

Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames, by John Emms, 2004, Everyman Chess, ISBN 1-85744-359-4. A good book for advancing and intermediate players.

Comprehensive Chess Endings: Bishop Endings/Knight Endings, volume 1, by Yuri Averbakh and Vitaly Chekhover, see above.

Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings, by John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....

, Batsford. A very detailed look at the endgames of one minor piece and a pawn versus one minor piece, plus two bishops versus one knight (with no pawns), based on computer tablebase, ISBN 0-8050-4228-8.

1000 Minor Piece Endings, by József Pintér, 2007. Positions (mostly from games but some studies) and moves, no text.

Other endings

Secrets of Pawnless Endings, by John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....

, 1994, 2002, Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-65-X. A very detailed look at relatively rare critical endings without pawns, based on computer tablebase.

Endgame strategy

Strategic endgames are endgames that begin at the end of the middlegame. Usually each player has several pieces, making the position too difficult to analyze in detail. Therefore, it is usually not certain what the outcome should be or what is the best line of play.
A follow-up companion to Practical Endgame Play by Grivas.
A follow-up companion to Fundamental Chess Endings by Müller and Lamprecht.

Endgames by specific players

Capablanca's
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...

Best Chess Endings: 60 Complete Games, by Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev was a prolific Russian-American chess author. He was born in Priluki in the Russian Empire and emigrated to the United States in 1920. Chernev was a national master strength player, and was obsessed with chess...

, 1978, Dover. ISBN 0-486-24249-8. Complete games with good endgame lessons.

Vasily Smyslov: Endgame Virtuoso, by Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...

, 1997, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-198-2. Endings plus some complete games that illustrate endgames.

. Contains 105 of his best games, with annotations of the endgames.
Has four chapters of endgames by Ulf Andersson

Ulf Andersson

Ulf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:...

Miscellaneous endgame books

Mastering the Endgame, by Glenn Flear
Glenn Flear
Glenn Curtis Flear is a British chess grandmaster now living in Montpellier, France. He is the author of several books, some on chess openings and some on the endgame....

, 2001, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1-85744-233-4. A good follow-up to the elementary books.

Six Hundred Endings, by Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...

and Balázs Sárközy, 1981, Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, which published scientific and medical books and journals. It is now an imprint of Elsevier....

. ISBN 0-08-024137-9. Examines specific endgames from actual games and studies, categorized by the basic type of ending.

Winning Endgame Technique, by Alexander Beliavsky
Alexander Beliavsky
-External links:...

and Adrian Mikhalchishin
Adrian Mikhalchishin
Adrian Bogdanovich Mikhalchishin is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster now playing for Slovenia....

, 1995, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-7512-9. Explores several key types of endgames.

Winning Endgame Strategy, by Alexander Beliavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin, 2000, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-8446-2.

Modern Endgame Practice, by Alexander Beliavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin, 2003, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-8740-2.

Endgame Secrets: How to plan in the endgame in chess, by Christopher Lutz
Christopher Lutz
Christopher Lutz is a German chess grandmaster and the German chess champion in 1995 and 2001. In 2000 he was a member of the German team that won a silver medal in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul....

, 1999, Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-8165-X. Examines forty-five endgames from actual play.

Analysing the Endgame, by Jonathan Speelman, 1981, Arco Chess Library. ISBN 0-668-05242-2. Analysis of some basic endgames and some more complex ones. Can be difficult going.

Endgame Preparation, by Jon Speelman, 1981, Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-4000-7 (limp) ISBN 0-7134-3999-8 (cased). Covers some selected endgame topics. Can be difficult going.

C.J.S. Purdy On the Endgame, by Cecil Purdy
Cecil Purdy
Cecil John Seddon Purdy was an Australian chess International Master and inaugural World Correspondence Chess champion. Purdy earned the Grandmaster title at Correspondence Chess in 1953...

, 2003, Thinker's Press, ISBN 978-1-888710-01-8 - collection of various articles, not a full encyclopedia.

101 Chess Endgame Tips: Golden nuggets of endgame wisdom, by Stephen Giddins, 2007, Gambit, ISBN 978-1-904600-66-4

Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics, by Gerardus C. van Perlo, 2006, New In Chess
New In Chess
New In Chess is a chess magazine that appears eight times a year with chief editors International Grandmaster Jan Timman and Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam. It contains notes by top players and chess prodigies on their own games...

, ISBN 978-90-5691-168-3

Practical Endgame Play, by Neil McDonald, 1996, Cadogan. ISBN 978-1-85744-176-5.

Practical Endgame Lessons, by Edmar Mednis, McKay.

Fifty-four annotated endgames from games, most give the complete game.
Not comprehensive but mostly practical endgames from tournament games
Subtitle: "Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player"

How to Play Chess Endings, Eugene Znosko-Borovsky
Eugene Znosko-Borovsky
Eugene Alexandrovich Znosko-Borovsky was a Russian chess master, music and drama critic, teacher and author. Born in Saint Petersburg, he settled in Paris in 1920, and lived there for the rest of his life.-Biography:...

, 1940

About zugzwang

Zugzwang

positions, almost entirely in the endgame. A collection of Benko's Chess Life
Chess Life
Chess Life is a monthly chess magazine published in the United States. The official publication of the United States Chess Federation , it reaches more than a quarter of a million readers every month. A subscription to Chess Life is one of the benefits of Full Adult, Youth, or Life membership in...

articles 1981-86 Based on Practical Endgame Lessons by Mednis, it is expanded and includes exercises
Deep analysis of some endgames. Is in three parts: analysis of adjourned positions, endgame knowledge, and endgame studies.

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