A normal game of chess usually consists of three phases; opening, middlegame and ending. In the opening a player attempts to develop his forces in the most effective manner and create favourable middlegame chances. The middlegame is the richest and apparently the most difficult part of the game, in which the player aims for a decisive superiority or at least an advantageous endgame. And, finally, the ending is that part of the game in which we must convert into a win any advantages won during the opening or middlegame.
As a result, it is clear that the ending is one of the most critical stages of the game. A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, or even a definite error, in the opening or middlegame without necessarily obtaining a lost position. This is explained by the fact that in both these complicated phases of the game there are great practical difficulties in detecting and exploiting our opponent’s mistakes. In the endgame, on the other hand, an error can be decisive, and we are rarely presented with a second chance.
There could be no clearer proof of the vital need to perfect one’s endgame technique. The world’s leading chess players pay special attention to this aspect of their game, and we can find numerous modern examples of finely conducted endgames.
It must be admitted that, from a purely technical point of view, endings are much less interesting to study than, for example, opening theory or the strategy of the middlegame. However, this study is essential, and there is at least the advantage that most endings lend themselves to exact analysis of winning or drawing possibilities.
In the following pages, we shall attempt to provide the reader with the most important principles for the correct handling of various practical endings. We all know that present endgame theory in its entirety would fill many hefty tomes, the mere sight of which is a deterrent. The aim of this book, therefore, is to lighten the burden somewhat by selecting from the vast material available those endings which are of most practical value. For example, we shall be examining all basic endgame positions, presenting an indispensable ABC of chess usage. Do not underrate such an approach. Even great players have been known to have weaknesses in this phase of the game.