Pandolfini's Endgame Course: Basic Endgame Concepts Explained by America's Leading Chess TeacherBased on his private course for students, America’s foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit presents an easy-to-use guide that explains invaluable "inner circle" endgame concepts for players of any level. The endgame has always been a particularly instructive phase of chess play. It provides the perfect opportunity for understanding the potential power of each chess piece in every chess situation—from opening move to checkmate. But the endgame is often viewed as an inaccessible area of play by most players whose experience is limited to watching championship games. Now, Pandolfini changes all of that. With one endgame example per page and covering every endgame category in order of difficulty, Paldolfini walks you through all the basic concepts including: --square of the pawn --critical squares --corresponding squares --other new approaches not mentioned in classic references Featuring a glossary of concepts and diagrams throughout, this volume is the not-so-secret password to a whole new realm of chess play and entertainment for the average player. |
Contents
Introduction | 9 |
PIECES IN ACTION | 15 |
Minor Pieces | 29 |
Heavy Pieces in Combat | 45 |
Rooks and Minor Pieces | 57 |
THE PAWNS IN ACTION | 71 |
King and Two Pawns vs King | 105 |
King and Pawn vs King and Pawn | 117 |
Heavy Pieces vs Pawn | 171 |
Minor Pieces vs Pawn | 189 |
Minor Piece plus Pawn | 205 |
Heavy Pieces | 225 |
Rooks | 235 |
Minor Pieces | 271 |
Glossary | 297 |
| 313 | |
Common terms and phrases
3rd rank 7th rank a b c d e a b c d e f g h Black's a b c d e fgh a b efgh a-file a-pawn abcdefgh b-file Black's Bishop Black's King Black's pawn Black's Rook block blockade capture center-pawn checking distance Chess connected pawns corner corresponding square critical square defense direct vertical opposition doubled pawns enemy King enemy pawn fgh Black flank attack guard horizontal opposition hxg6 Kb7 Rb1+ Kc6 Kb8 Kd7 Kf7 King and pawn Kingside Knight Knight-pawn light squares maneuver mate ENDGAME moves and draws moves and wins moves his King occupy Outflanking passed pawn Pawn Endgames pawn's Perpetual Check Ph3 White moves player position prevent promotion square Queening square Queenside Ra2+ Ra3+ Ra6+ Ra7+ Rb2+ Rb8+ Rc8+ Rook-pawn Rxh2 squeeze stalemate tempo threatens threats White plays White Queens White wins White's Bishop White's King White's pawn White's Rook wins 87 zugzwang