Andrew Martin Chess Academy

[Marth]

Once I see that book, I am going to get it.

I am really bad at the endgame (hence I want it), but my middlegame skill makes up for most of it.

[Laramonet]

Hi Marth,
Me too. Silman answered my query about its publication date and apparently its out in the US. Hoever, for the UK, Amazon currently carries a date of 31st January.
Shame it missed Christmas but it can be an early Spring present !
Adam

[publius2]

I just received my copy of this book yesterday. At first glance, it looks to be a quality piece of work. Silman's philosophy is to present the most useful material. For example, he declines to explain the B+N checkmate because it rarely occurs (Alburt's "Just the Facts" does the same thing) and isn't worth the time to learn when there are so many other more relevant and common endgame principles to absorb. Silman has divided the book into "chapters" targeting a certain range of ELO rating, beginning with beginners and moving all the way up to 2400. Basic information for the beginners, more advanced stuff for club players, and the most advanced for those approaching Master. I hope to look more into the book this weekend, but it looks like a good resource for many players.

[Laramonet]

Thanks Publius,
I'm even more impatient now. I've had to order it from the States via Amazon, as it's still not out here. I struggle with chess but economics can never make sense when it's cheaper to buy it in the US and ship it over, than wait and buy it here !
Adam

[publius2]

Laramonet: Not intending at all to add to your impatience (though I may well do so anyway), I can report a bit on my first journey into the book. My rating is only 1620, and I have never had any real formal training in the endgame. So I chose to start at the beginning: the section for "Unrated to 999." What Silman does in this chapter is cover mates with a large material advantage (Q+K vs. K, 2 R+K vs. K, etc.), two patterns of driving the enemy king to the side of the board, and how to avoid stalemates. He contends that this is plenty for someone at that level, and once the reader has mastered those ideas, s/he is ready to move on to the next chapter. I think the idea of presenting the "essential knowledge" for each rating level, so as not to overwhelm the reader, is a good one. I plan to go through each chapter up until my present rating level. It will be interesting to see how much of the material in the 1600-1800 range I know.

[Laramonet]

Hi Publius,
I've finally got the book and am similarly impressed. My grade is 1920 but I've also started from the beginning and am on section 2. I also decided to do this to ensure I've covered all the ground, as well as noticing that there is material in section 4, grade 1400-1599, that I'm not 100% on e.g. Lucena and Philidor positions.
I like the goals that he lays out at the start i.e. to make endgames fun, to provide guidance relevant to grading and to instill hope from a position of well-rounded training in a unified theory.
I'm sure if I can sustain my initial enthusiasm, it can only improve my game, Adam

[publius2]

Greetings, Laramonet. I am very glad that you are enjoying that book. I nominated the book for "Book of the Year" at the Chesscafe.com website, but it didn't make the final three. I am also working through it from the beginning to make sure I fully understand each and every concept, even the simplest ones. I hope that you find, as I have, that the endgame becomes more and more interesting the more one examines it. I'm hoping to pick up a few pointers on endings from Andrew when he is here in the States next week. I'll be heading down to Iowa (about a five hour drive) to attend his chess clinic. All the best...