100 Endgames You Must Know

Description

♟️ Why study endgames with this book?

Opening theory changes constantly. Basic endgame theory is almost immutable. What you learn in this book will still be valid in twenty years, because the principles that govern theoretical endgames depend on the geometry of the board and the mechanics of the pieces — not on fashion.

Yet most players have serious gaps in their endgame knowledge, and those gaps directly affect their results: games that should be drawn are lost, advantages that should be points dissolve into draws, technically won positions are wasted for not knowing the correct procedure.

100 Endgames You Must Know is not an encyclopaedia of every possible endgame. It’s a selection of the 100 most useful and frequent endgames in real over-the-board play, explained with clarity and without unnecessary jargon. The book has been translated into English, Italian, German and Greek.

🎯 Who is this book for?

• Any player who has gaps in their knowledge of theoretical endgames
• Club players who lose or draw won games because they don’t know the correct technique
• Players of rapid and blitz chess who need to know these positions from memory
• Master candidates who want to consolidate their theoretical endgame base

📖 Contents

The book is organised into 15 chapters with 100 numbered endgames, a basic test intercalated after the first chapter, a final exam and an appendix on fortresses:

1. Basic king and pawn endings (Endgames 01-09) + Basic test
2. Knight vs pawn (10-15)
3. Queen vs pawn (16-20)
4. Rook vs pawn (21-29)
5. Rook vs two pawns (30)
6. Bishop and pawn vs same-coloured bishop (31-36)
7. Bishop vs knight with a pawn (37-40)
8. Bishop and two pawns vs opposite-coloured bishop (41-51)
9. Rook and pawn vs rook (52-68)
10. Rook and two pawns vs rook (69-76)
11. Pawn endings (77-92)
12. Different material relations (93-98)
13. Final exam + Appendix

📚 A practical tool, not an encyclopaedia

De la Villa makes clear from the introduction what the book’s goal is: not to cover every possible endgame, but to provide a solid foundation of the endgames that appear most frequently in real play. Explanations are accessible even for players with no prior endgame study experience, reinforced with abundant diagrams and key point summaries. This third edition includes corrections, new examples and more detailed explanations.

👤 About the author

Jesús de la Villa (Burgos, 1958) is an International Grandmaster and two-time Spanish champion. He was Technical Director of the Spanish Chess Federation for six years and Director of the Navarra Federation’s Training Centre for eight. He is also the author of the Exercise Book of the 100 Endgames You Must Know, the companion training workbook.

♟️ Why we recommend it at Chesscul

At Chesscul we use this book as the endgame reference in classes at all levels. Before studying complex rook or minor piece endgames, the player needs to have the 100 basic endgames internalised. This book achieves that accessibly and clearly for players of any level.

🔗 Recommended companions

• Exercise Book of the 100 Endgames You Must Know: the official companion workbook by the same author — study the concepts here and practise there.
• Rook Endgames: Everything You Need to Know: deep specific study of rook endings by GM Andrea Stella.
• Decision-Making in Major Piece Endgames: the next level in rook and queen endgames, by Boris Gelfand, for advanced players.