Endgames

Hi All. All the best for continued chess enjoyment in this year of the end of the Mayan calendar. My 2012 chess resolution is to study the end of games in this year of the end of times. My plan is to go through the practical examples in the chess volumes I've accumulated.

Here's a quick list of the material I plan to work through:

Batsford Chess Endings:
When I got this years ago I understood this to be an encyclopedia of chess positions. Now that I take a closer look I see that there are lots of practical examples from actual play. It's quite a tome to get through in one year. I plan to focus on the sections on rook endings and one of my more esoteric interests, the queen vs rook positions.

How To Play Chess Endgames:
A great book which I just have not had much time to go through. I've had it for several years and now I'm resolving to work through this. Here's an example of a position I find really enlightening from this book:

White obtains a clear advantage w/ 1. Bxc5! I'm sure I've played in similar positions and never believed seriously that this type of sacrifice could really work. I've a lot to learn it seems. I'm looking forward to discovering more endgame gold in this volume.

I really enjoy pure king and pawn endings. They are so rich in maneuvers and present so many surprises. We learn so often that the connected pawns are better than the split pawns. In pure pawn endings the split pawns can often win vs the connected pawns. I'm really hoping to find the time to work through and really understand Secrets Of Pawn Endings.

I hope to present some interesting findings from my study on my blog throughout the year. Best wishes to all of you in your chess and other endeavours in 2012.