I agree in part with the previous commentary, however one cannot really compare this book with Reuben Fine's work, studies are composed -made up- positions that most of the time differ a lot from "real chess", however this is basically the whole point! I mean, if you want to get better at playing endgames then go for an endgame book but if what want is to enjoy chess as an art then try chess studies (or chess problems). This books contains fantastic examples of chess creativity that demonstrate the amazing power of the artistic side of the human mind when applied to a wonderful game as chess. I cannot recommend more this book but be aware, the solutions of most of the studies here are rather complex, hard to find even for very strong players so, many people would just give up but don't let this to keep you from enjoying some of the most exciting chess studies ever composed, I would suggest this: try finding the solution, if that is not possible then simply check the answer, the effect won't be the same, but believe me you won't be disappointed, not a bit!
A rare gem in endgame studies
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I have the 1968 Dover edition which is an unabridged and corrected republication of the original published in 1938. The majority of the corrections are of the typographical type and the rest are 'cooks' (endings shown to be in error) that are corrected in the Dover edition. This book is similar to Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" although not as detailed. As the title suggests, most of the studies are compositions by various composers between 1893-1935, although there are a few positions that were taken from games played in that same time period. The studies are arranged in classifications ranging from pawns-only to the various combinations of pieces. This book is not 'dry' reading like Fine's BCE since any one of the positions in this book could be encountered in a game. I found this book to be an enjoyable way to learn endgames since the positions are similar to those I have encountered in my games. I would recommend this book for players rated B-class (1600-1700) and above.
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