In chess literature throughout the world countless books have been written on opening theory, the middlegame, chess tournaments and game selections. Within this vast production, however, books on the endgame are comparatively few in number, despite the fact that this is one of the most important parts of the game of chess.
It is indeed difficult to overestimate the value of good endgame play and time spent on this department is amply repaid. The purpose of this book is to give the reader practical help in endgame technique.
Many chess players are averse to studying the endgame, in the belief that it is boring. To a certain extent they are right, for most theoretical endings are relatively dry in content, requiring precise calculation and offering few opportunities for individual flights of imagination. Nevertheless, there is much of interest in this phase of the game, and all chess players should strive to improve their play by mastering the necessary technique.
In order to pinpoint basic principles, I have decided to cut down on the number of examples but to examine them in greater detail than is customary. In this way I hope to make endgame theory a little more palatable. This has necessarily led me to reject many purely theoretical analyses and restrict myself to material which will be of most benefit to the practical player.
In offering this volume to the reader I hope not only to stimulate interest in the subject matter but principally to raise the average level of endgame technique among chess players everywhere.
Paul Keres
Tallinn, July 1972