Endgames with rooks and pawns are the most frequently occurring in
chess, arising in about 1 game in 10. If you learn an important
technique in this endgame, chances are you will end up using it sooner
or later.
And there are a great many methods and concepts that can be mastered
with a little effort. This book highlights the key themes in rook
endings, and at each turn invites the reader to test his knowledge and
skills with abundant exercises.
Rook endgame theory does not stand still. New practical examples
illustrate novel approaches as players seek to pose problems to their
opponents - Magnus Carlsen has shown that even the driest-looking
positions can feature deadly traps. The ongoing creation of new endgame
tablebases - of which co-author Yakov Konoval has been at the
forefront - enables new classes of positions to be assessed with
definitive certainty. Using six-man and the brand new seven-man
tablebases, the authors re-examine many of the old evaluations and reach
new and enlightening conclusions about classic rook endings. You will be
startled and amazed, and soon discover that you are becoming a far more
effective endgame player.
German grandmaster Karsten Müller is arguably the world's foremost
writer on chess endgames. His 'masterwork', Fundamental Chess Endings,
is a modern endgame 'bible' and was studied intensively by current World
Champion Magnus Carlsen in his youth.
Yakov Konoval is a Russian chess-player and programmer who studied
at Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school. He has written programs for solving
chess problems and has pioneered new techniques for generating endgame
tablebases.
