Essential Chess Endings is an antidote to the traditional dry endgame book. It focuses on the kinds of positions which arise most often in practical play and gives guidance on how to tackle them. Chapters contain examples from actual games and then the principles are tested by exercises at the end of each chapter. Whilst endgame books traditionally only include examples of perfect play, what really differentiates this book is the mix of perfection and instructive errors which Howell uses to illustrate his points.
Grandmaster Howell covers all the basic endgames: king and pawn endings, rook and pawn endings (sub-divided into "pawns on one side of the board" and "pawns on both sides of the board"), minor piece endings, pawnless endings and there is also a miscellaneous chapter dealing with "other endings".
This book is a must for anyone who would like to improve their practical endgame technique and score more points. Players of all strengths can benefit from it.

Praise for "Essential Chess Endings" -

"Already I remember more from "Essential Chess Endings" than from any other basic endgame book I have ever read. If you only ever buy one book on the endgame, buy this one." (Correspondence Chess magazine)

"One of the best basic endgame books I've ever seen" (Inside Chess Online)

"The author's relaxed style makes the material easy to follow and digest. Very learner-friendly, as perhaps all good teaching should be." (Oxford Today)

"An excellent buy for anyone wanting to improve their endgame play" (En passant magazine)

"I will certainly be making much use of this book in my own coaching work" (East Anglian Daily Times")

• We started tracking this book on January 12, 2026.
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• Print Length: 266 Pages
• File Size: 58 KB