If you are aware of endgame patterns, you spot key moves quicker,
analyse and calculate better, and memorize what you have studied more
fully. Most of the patterns Jesus de la Villa presents in this new book
are from the phase of the game just before a theoretical endgame turns
up. Knowing these practical endgame fundamentals will enable you to
fully reap the benefits of what you learned in De la Villa's widely
acclaimed classic 100 Endgames You Must Know. Studying patterns only
makes sense if you are going to encounter them frequently. De la Villa
presents those with the greatest practical importance and explains and
illustrates them with carefully selected examples. To show the patterns
as clearly as possible, he mainly concentrates on positions in which the
sides have just one piece. Presenting positions with more pieces risks
blurring the picture and making motifs less straightforward. The fact
that players think in patterns has an important side-effect: their
endgame errors tend to repeat themselves. That's why De la Villa has not
just included examples from games of elite GM's but also of amateurs.
Errors are extremely instructive and working with this book will
seriously reduce the number of typical mistakes you are prone to make.
The many practical exercises that De la Villa selected will help you
improve and retain what you learned.
