Secrets of Rook Endings

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Summary: You can trust NUNN
Review: Half of all endings in chess consists of rooks and pawns. This book will improve your overall chess results. Just like a lot of endgame books, this book is an absolute essential due to the fact that the endgame determines whether you can win, lose or save a draw.

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Summary: Another great book by John Nunn
Review: Half of all endings in chess consists of rooks and pawns. This book will improve your overall chess results. Just like a lot of endgame books, this book is an absolute essential due to the fact that the endgame determines whether you can win, lose or save a draw.

Rating:
Summary: Another authoritative book by Nunn
Review: I reccommend this book to any serious chessplayer. Nunn gives the low down on all rook versus rook plus pawn endings. Firstly, the information in this book is 100% accurate since a computer created the database. Any serious chessplayer would normally be looking for none other than the truth and in rook endings this is hard to come by. Secondly, Nunn demonstrates a fantastic concept known as reciprocal zugzwang. It turns out, assuming white is up the pawn, that in most positions, white to play wins while black to play draws. In a reciprocal zugzwang position, white to play draws and black to play loses. Hence, unlike normal zugzwang position where one color has a waiting move, reciprocal zugzwang positions offer neither color a waiting move (the easiest example you'll ever see is white- ka8 rb8 pa7 black- kc7 rc8). Lastly, the setup of this book is good too. Nunn starts with positions with the pawn of a7 and works his was to a2 (for obvious reasons). He then tackles b, c and d positions in the same way. To conclude, I did want to say that while this book contains all the information you'll ever need to know about this particular ending, the information will not seep into your brain from under your pillow. You will need to put in an obscene amount of time to get from cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: You can trust NUNN
Review: Nunn gives credibility to this type of study. The reader knows he is getting the real deal. Although this book is a bit dry, I opine that anyone who works through this whole book will know rook and pawn endings like "riding a bike." I think this one is worth it. Do not expect to be entertained, though: this book is all about hard work.

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Summary: Useful Book for Players
Review: This book is often touted as being the final word on K+R+P vs. K+R. I agree with this contention but I have to say that this book is more than a reference work. The basic methods of play are elucidated here as in no other text. Even the famous "Rook Endings" by Smyslov and Levenfish devotes only 47 pages to K+R+P vs. K+R. Other books just give Lucena, Philidor and some general methods of play. Anyone playing a rook ending has to constantly keep in mind the possibility of simplification to a simpler rook ending. Consequently, the material covered by Nunn serves as the building block for a rigorous study of rook endings in general. The book offers unparalleled insight and understanding. John Nunn, in the three books he has written on endings, constantly strives to translate computer results into ideas and insights palatable to the human mind. Every student of the game should have this book on his shelf.

Rating:
Summary: If you really want to know
Review: This book is the absolute and final truth on rook and pawn vs. rook endgames. Another book will never need to be written. If you really want to know the truth on these endgames, then this is truly the book for you.

It's not as bad to read as a previous reviewer claimed. Of course, if you want to study rook endings more generally or less deeply, then this isn't the book for you. "Surviving Rook Endings" probably is--and it is a really good introduction. If you have any doubt, then you almost certainly want "Surviving" rather than this one.