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What our customer's say!

"Great Endgame book", I've been playing chess for over 40 years now. Not that i'm the greatest player in the world, but I thought I had seen it all. Dvoretsky produces studies and "rules" that I had never even dreamed of! I can't explain it in words, but for this 2000-rated player, the book has so many revelations in it, I can't even count!
By the way, it's not really a manual (encyclopedia) the way BCE is, but does cover a heckuva a lot.
My one objection is that light blue print. Since my eyes arent what they used to be, i can only see that print in the best of light. Young people, ignore this objection, but older people like me, be forewarned... They could have chosen darker print for these sections.
The book was extremely entertaining too, not dry like, say BCE. It is mostly readable. There were a couple of positions where i did get bored with the reams of analysis, but they were few and far between. You can read this book if you're deep into such analysis, but the book is also readable on a lighter level.

"Recommended", As way of introduction, I am a former USCF master who after many years of inactivity has recently taken a renewed interest in the game and has therefore decided to become acquainted with the current chess literature...which brings us to this highly acclaimed Endgame Manual by Dvoretsky.
You may know that Dvoretsky is a famous trainer of world class grandmasters, and has perfected a system of training by which he claims he can bring a 2200 level player to the level of grandmaster. His series of books are in many ways comparable to the famous "Think Like a Grandmaster" series by Kotov (and all are also highly recommended). So, the target audience for this book is, I would think, like all of Dvoretsky's books, the serious student who has already reached a high standard and is searching for a way to improve his game even further.

So, if you buy this book, and master it, will you also become a master of the endgame? You of course will be well on your way, and that alone is a good reason to add this book to your library, but still there are 2 major problems with it. The first is unfortunate, and somebody who has mastered the endgame would not commit it. Dvoretsky attempts to formulate universally general principals of endgame play, and then ignores the counter-examples that show the exceptions to his rules. This is OK for a general endgame text, but we are training future grandmasters here remember, and the promulgation of erroneous rules is not the way to do it. So, example, consider this (wrong) Dvoretsky rule on page 152 given in the section discussing rook and pawn vs. rook endgames, with the pawn on the fourth rank, and you will understand the problem with his approach:

"It is important to remember that in case of a knight pawn, cutting off the king by two files is not sufficient for a win." -- Dvoretsky

To support this rule, he then gives the standard position, with the black king on e6, black rook on b8, white pawn on b4, white rook on d1, white king on b3...It is very true, the rule applies here, but move the black king to either e7 or e4, and white to play wins. The sad and ironic thing here is that on page 147 Dvoretsky berates Dlugy for missing a draw against Alburt in the USA ch, Los Angeles 1991, because his adjourned position was in fact analyzed in the classic work on rook endings by Levenfish and Smyslov, and which Dlugy had at his disposal. Well, if Dvoretsky would care to obtain a copy of the classic Levenfish and Smyslov himself, turn to page 38 in either the algebraic or descriptive notation versions of the book, he will find the positions with the king on e7 or e4, showing his rule to be wrong. And, having gotten a hold of Levenfish and Smsylov, he should read the last chapter, the conclusion, where he would find:

"The reader who has accompanied us along the difficult path from the simplest of rook endings to the complicated ones involving numerous pawns may be expecting ready-made rules or formulae for the correct treatment of endgames. He will not find them. The solving of even simple rook endings depends on delicate nuances in the position, to elucidate which requires a considerable amount of analytical work" -- Levenfish and Smyslov, "Rook Endings"

That is also the reason the authoritative "Secrets of Rook Endings" by Nunn is 352 pages -- it is impossible to reduce the endgame to simple rules...and leads us to the second problem with the book...402 pages is just not enough to treat the subject of the endgame in an accurate fashion. So, if you are using Dvoretsky as your only source, it would be impossible to not have serious gaps in your endgame knowledge, which I will illustrate again with a Dvoretsky rook and pawn vs. rook ending example. Dvoretsky gives a fundamental position (in his exercise 9/1, page 144) with pawn on the seventh where by an ingenious maneuver, white can win. The position is white pawn on f7, white king on e7, white rook on g1, black king on h8, black rook on c7. Normally, the black king in such positions is on h7, but on h8, a new feature is introduced, the white rook can occupy g6. The solution main line then is: 1.Kf6 Rc6+ 2.Ke5 Rc8 3.Rg6!! Kh7 4.Rc6 Ra8 5.Kf6 with Re6-e8 to follow which wins. So what's the problem? Move the black rook in the initial position from the c-file to the b or a-file, and it's a draw. Dvoretsky does not tell you this. I would think a student reading Dvoretsky's exercise very likely would form the opinion that with black king on h8 white always wins such positions because the g6 square is always available to the white rook, but that is not correct.

(As an aside, in the first example, Nunn gives both the e7 and e4 king positions on page 143 of his book. Karsten Muller in his "Fundamental Chess Endings" does not give the e4 position. Muller may have used computer tablebases to check the accuracy of his work, but one cannot check an omission. Both the e4 and e7 positions must be given because the winning method is different in the two cases. In the second example, Nunn also correctly identifies with the rook on the b or a-file, the position is drawn. Muller does not give the second example.)

So, yes...buy this book by all means, but realize that you will be forced eventually to supplement it with either the books by Nunn, or the maybe a combination of the old Averbakh endgame series, and of course the classic Levenfish and Smyslov, together with the computer tablebases.


"Excellent, very clear", A superb book, clear, explaining top technics to all.

I recommend it hotly to any Chess player [for you or as a present, you are sure to please], after many years playing chess, for fun and alos in the past in small tournaments, I learned a lot of tricks in ending that are easy to use/remember.

An reference book, very enjoyable.

"Robin", This book was a gift request from my chess playing son. He loves it. He said it is so far beyond anything he expected.

"not tough, just concentrated", I have a short attention span and this book gets around that by cramming so much information into every page that I don't have a chance to get bored. I do get bored wading through pulp and fluff looking for something useful. You probably have one or two of those books. Who doesn't?

I'm just an intermediate and I don't think this book is too hard. Jeremy Silman rated it around 1400 and up. I think that's about right.

Dvoretsky has a good sense of humor and his style is, believe it or not, somewhat conversational. The examples are to-the-point and he even covers some basics. The depth is not an all-or-none thing -- you'll get at least something out of the material even if you don't see it from every angle. It's the art of writing for several levels at once.

Good work!

Read this reviews before You buy...

"One of the best chess books ever", I read through all the reviews on this book, and I have one comment: People who is not really seriously interested in playing the lovely game of chess on an advanced level, should never buy a Dvoretsky book (or be allowed to review his books giving it only 2 or 3 stars). Dvoretsky trains chess masters and grandmasters to be the best players they can be (in other words: people that are way beyond the basics in terms of chess technique and skill). He's the best chess trainer in the opinion of many grandmasters and his books is recommended by the best - Kasparov, Kramnik, etc.

"Too hard for beginners and intermediate", This book is definitely for the advanced to very advanced players. Definitely not recommended for anyone below 1800.

"Perhaps the best", Personally, I just really like the way this book is laid out. I like the way it thoroughly explains the material it does cover, and in a straightforward manner. I've read a few other endgame books, but they are so dry. I like the way this book moves from point A to B to C. While it may not be designed for beginners, I do not think you will be a beginner after you read this book.

"For the advanced player", I feel this book is well written for the very advanced player as a player rated under 1400 would be totally lost with it. If you are an Intermediate Level Player then BASIC CHESS ENDINGS is far superior. If you are a beginner the get PANDOLFINI'S ENDGAME COURSE. The main problem is that Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual assumes you know a lot about basic endgames before you start.

"Perfection in analysis of the endgame", This book is not a fly by night. It will pass the test of time.Given the level of difficulty of material,the analysis is schockingly accurate.This is tyipical Dvoretsky.His accuracy in analysis will stand the test of time.He does not provide a formula meathod to learn the endgame and there should not be.In the tradition of the geniuses like Nunn,Watson,etc,he accuntuates a variation driven approached towards learning.The student should be involved in self discovery through doing their own analysis.A highly recommended work for a very serious chess student.