Games Books

Basic bridge at its best presented in a fun and easy to read format, order both of her books together!

Bid better play better is the most concise book to learn and understand the new bidding methods. Her original book was my guide to bridge playing and a teaching tool for many years. Now I use this edition as a bridge manual to bring intermediate players to the modern system. I only wish that there was a teaching manual to accompany this book.
Marty Johnson, Suttons Bay Michigan

Dorothy Hayden Truscott's BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER has been in print for over twenty years, and no surprise. This is a generous and well-explained guide to correct evaluation of the hand, with an emphasis on "reading" what your partner and opponents are holding; Ms. Truscott excels in making us read the context of the bidding process. And this book offers sound strategies for the playing of the hand as well.

This is not my very favorite book for rank beginners (in my opinion BRIDGE FOR DUMMIES by Eddie Kantar is actually quite good and more comprehensive), but it is really meant for developing players -- advanced beginners and intermediates. Those who would forego Ms. Truscott's no-nonsense prose style might instead consider S.J. Simon's WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE. Like BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER, it deals with how not to form bad bridge habits or how to chuck them a-borning, but its take on bridge-playing is more social and Simon's prose style is appropriately quite droll.

I was looking for a book without a lot of blather. This is it. It's straight forward and simple. I can sit down and read a particular section and get the idea quickly. No cute stories or long-range examples covering 50 years. I'm happy.

Thank goodness Dorothy Hayden wrote this classic BEFORE " for Dummies" became the obvious title for any non-text book one might read to learn ANYTHING. Yet, that is really what this book is about. Reading (and practicing what you learn by reading) will indeed develop "card sense" where once there was very little (or none). After you have the basics of our amazing game in hand, this book can help you take another step toward mastery.

If you're up on modern bidding methods, you'll feel a temptation to skip the "old" material on bidding. Don't do it. Unless you're expert enough to design a complete bidding system from earth, air, fire, and water; the presentation of the fundamentals herein will help you improve both your understanding of Standard American (or 2/1) biddng methods AND your grasp of the foundation of your own bidding methods (even if you bid differently). That foundation will help you intelligently incorporate (or reject) new methods as your personal biddng methods and style mature.

I think for such a great player ( or greatest ) as Fischer, his complete collection of games should be published. Unfortunately for the time being , no one had done this job. Fischer's " my 60 memorable games" covers only games up to 1967. Wade's book only a collection and with a few games annotated and also has been out of print. Soltis book only covers 100 games, so for the time being this is only choice. I hope in the future someone can do the job produce and annatate all the games of Bobby Fischer!!! But for the time being what we can do is to buy this book, and play through and help with a computer to appreciate Fischer's games!!!

This book is the sine qua non of chesws understanding. The complete games of the strongest player of all time--who can fail to benefit?

Get this book, and improve your Chess but in the vision of Bobby Fischer; Old Chess is dead. This individual has created Fischer Random, a new way of playing Chess. I think Chess fans should write to amazon.com and request that this game be sold on here (referring to Fischer Random). I am not joking here but Fischer Random's format is really different but very interesting. Peter Leko from Europe is the first person to win in Fischer Random Chess.
I recommend this book to you.

Bobby Fischer is beyond a doubt one of the greatest players in the history of the game. This book contains over 1000 of his games. There are no annotation or comments so around 4-6 games
are put into every page. Each game has 1 diagram, taken from some
stage in the game. I have found that the very best, and most effective way to get good in chess is to study games of the great players. I have studied Morphy, Casablanca and Fischer.
I suggest you play through every single one of these games, and try and understand what Bobby is doing. With every move try to make something of it, and try to predict what Bobby will do next. I have said there are no comments, but there are ! !! ? and
?? to indicate crucial moves. Good or bad. Take a special look at these moves before you play on and try to discover why it is so bad, or so good. The book is laid out like this, starting with 1955 and then going year by year ( 56,57,58 etz ). All the games of the 92 match with Spassky are also here. There is obviously where it ends. However, after that there is " last minute additions ". Mostly games from simuls that recently surfaced. In short, all of Bobby`s important tournament games are in here, including blitz. The games from the " unofficial blitz WC " in the early 70s are here, the manhatten chess club blitz tournament ( In which bobby scored 21,5/22) also in the early 70s before his title match. Many simul games are included here also. Also, the 3 little known games Bobby played against a computer program in 1977( 3-0 ). If you want to get good, don`t buy book after book on strategy,openings,tactics etz. Buy this book, the book on Morphy`s games and the one on Casablanca. But how do i then learn the openings??- easy. In going throught this book, and trying to understand every move, you will become very familiar with the Ruy Lopez, King`s Indian defence, Sicilian and some other openings. If you wanna invest time and energy, and as little cash as possible, into getting good in chess then get this book. If it doesn`t work out, you can always sell it used and cut your losses. What more can i say, cmon people. For 20 dollars and a lot of hard work you will be getting alot back.
I hope this has helped you decide.

Ok,
In your chess life ,you should have a book with games collections from at least a grandmaster.
Bobby Fischer is not just a GM but a world champion too.

The book contents more than 1000 unannotated games.That means full games with no comments.There will be so re-view of moves here and there.

Now,
How to use the book?

You can play the games and identify the plan that Bobby used.
There are openings index,endgames index,name of players,so on makes the book a good one.

From what Jeremy Silman wrote in his book I recommend that you can play the first 4-6 moves and than try to figure out the moves made by Bobby.

Well,nowadays,with the advance technology,you can find annotated games in the net and view it in your computer.A good web-page is G.Ossimitz Chess Page...

So,you can buy the book and feel no regret.

The problem with many "brain teaser" books is that they all have many of the same questions. That is not the case with this book. The questions in this book are challenging and fun. Makes for a great book to keep at the office to break up the monotony of the work day.

Excellent book, especially for those who are preparing for a case interview, I would recommend it for everyone. Easy reading and superb explanation!

I've alredy been thru the typical i-banking and consulting interview rush and I only wish I had this book back then. Not only will it introduce you to the type of questions you may be asked, it will also get you to start thinking in a smarter way. I highly recommend this book.

hi! i just wanted to let everyone out there whos interviewing for any investment banks or other jobs that this book will definitly help you out. the author worked in the best investment banks on wall street and gives you common interview questions that will have you very prepared. also, the book is really interesting, and just really fun to read through.

The puzzles and brain teasers presented in this book have been enormously helpful for my recent interviews! i was astonished when top banks asked me the EXACT same puzzles that were illustrated in this book! i HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYBODY who is interviewing at any banks, it will help you tremendously!

This book is great for the self taught person with significant insignificant questions. In completing this book, all those questions answer themselves. None of that "cutsie" just great tutorial. Instruction is easily to understand and follow. I've gone through the book a couple of times and discovered something new each time. When I finished with this book, I knew what I was doing and why.

Money well spent on this book.

Straigh-forward writing with no pretension. Some knowledge of 3D graphics vocabulary is helpful but not necessary.

Book is one example from beginning to end; presumably the author. Starts with some pictures and, step-by-detailed-step, ends with an avatar.

The only fault I found is that he doesn't mention Poser in the list of 3D modeling programs for human figures.

If you want to learn how to model a detailed digital human,this is THE book for you! You start out with totally empty viewports,and if you follow the book you'll end up having created a model with an incredible amount of detail.

The author explains in great detail the process of modelling every body part (head,neck,arms,hands,legs,feet and torso) with anatomical references where they're most important.

I wanted a book which I could use as a definitive guide to model a detailed and anatomically correct human body or body part,and I'll look no further when I have to do so. It's also got a clever chapter about modifying the same model to create very different ones, and a good chapter about texturing and UVW unwrapping. Finally, it refers to cloth and hair (somewhat briefly) and,no,it DOESN'T cover rigging. But it does cover, extremely well, human modelling, which is what mr.Brilliant had set out to do,I assume. Very very good!

I used this as a class textbook and it worked fairly well. This is not a single program book so this will work well with whatever program you model with. Although, depending on what you model with, depends on if you need to go out and find plug-ins that will do what he does. The book is really good going through step by step. Although there are some occasions where he leaps forwards ahead with really telling you what to do. Also, sometimes when he gives instructions, there aren't any images to go along with them, so you have to end up guessing what to do.
This is modeling for realism/cinematics and if you want to use this book to model in-game characters, you are out of luck. The was he teaches you to model is extremely high poly (especially in the head). The CD doesn't do much for you, it mainly just has naked pictures of the guy he models on it so you can copy exactly what he does. The book does give good information on the differences between modeling men and women, although it is fairly brief. He does go into UV mapping pretty good as well as modeling hair. The book doesn't, however, go into modeling clothing fairly well, just a short chapter. The book also doesn't even mention rigging, which I think is a crucial part in character modeling.

Given that you are already familiar with some type of modeling software, this book is the best resource you could have! The non-software specific approach of the book keeps it focused on the concepts of creating a good model rather than the user interface. Every detail of the body is covered with step-by-step diagrams, and a lot of it focuses on creating a topology that is animatable and will subdivide correctly (ie the mesh is mostly in quads). It also covers texturing, rigging, facial animation, both modeled and simulated hair, and simple clothing. The book discusses anatomy to the extent that it is needed to create a realistic model, and uses those concepts to demonstrate how the male model you create can be changed into a female, or into a fantasy character that looks completely different.

One thing that did make it a little difficult to use was that in the screenshots, the mesh was transparent and therefore you couldn't tell whether vertices were at the front or the back of the model. More screenshots with an opaque mesh would have made it easier to see the topology.

Overall, the explanations are concise and makes the task seem efficient, easy, and fun.

- The authors of the early chapters talk to you as if you're in highschool.
- Since most chapters are written by different authors, most material is redundant.
- Instead of getting to the point, they try to soften the material with anecdotes and jokes that are mostly immaterial and detract from the information I seek.
- Lists a whole bunch of contracts that are apparently required for a startup, then suggest talking to a lawyer, such as Buy/Sell char Contact. Then why did I buy this book?

+ Great reference for taxing, IP, and some contracts.

Skip all the other chapters and just look at taxing, Intellectual Property stuff, and contracts. That's where the value of the book is.

For anyone interested in understanding the business of video game development this book should be on the top of your list of things to read first. Written for the person trying to get into game development or the person in game development looking to start out on their own. It combines both the business and the legal fundamentals that you need to know to get started in video game development. Includes analysis of publishing agreements and EULA's that are extremely helpful to any game developer. Also includes things you need to know to protect your intellectual property rights and what kinds of things in video games can be protected. The book is not overly complicated and in fact it is written to be easy and fun to read. The authors are all experts in the fields of business and law of video games and you can tell they had a good time writing this book. One of the most interesting chapters includes helpful suggestions from leaders in the video game industry on things that they wish they would have known starting out as game developers. Overall this book is a must for game developers and fun reading for anyone that is interested in understanding the business of games.

This book was invaluable to me in learning about doing business in the video game industry and the concerns that a game development team will face.

While many books which discuss the video game industry will waver in their accuracy on any given subtopic due to the limited expertise of the speaker, this volume avoids that problem by having each chapter written by a different author, each with particular knowledge and experience with their chapter's subject. The Primer is written by more than a dozen experts, including game developers, business persons and law professors, each talking in plain English about the problems and solutions to difficulties and issues that will arise over the course of developing a game and starting a development company.

As a student, I have read a lot of textbooks in the last few years and being interested in the game industry I regularly read magazines and articles on game development. This book is neither of those. It is informative and helpful without being long-winded or wordy, serious in its expertise and insight but fun in its approach and writing. In short, it is the type of reading you will enjoy doing while learning the things you want and need to know about business and legal issues which arise in game development.

This is an enormously helpful book. It is one of the best intellectual property law and game development book on the market that I've read. It is an enjoyable as well as practical text.

Superb book. Enormously Practical text. The best intellectual property law and game development book on the market. A very healthy read. may change your whole perspective on business, games and life.

I love this book, it is realy fun, as well as having funny clay modeled sets around the boards. TOOOOOOOTALY
WORTH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buzz and Flutter's Electronic Game Book has entertained all of my grandkids for years-from my oldest to my youngest. They truly enjoy the colorful pictures and the gamepieces, yet I know that they are getting some educational knowledge. This book will definetly emtertain any kids from age 3 to 12.

My son saw this book at a friend's house months ago and has been asking about it ever since. We ordered it for his birthday and he just LOVES it.

This is the best and most lasting present that my son has ever received. He was given this book as a gift a year ago and now, five years old, he still has not tired of these wonderful board games. He asks me or his father to play these games with him nearly every day -- and that's the ultimate endorsement of a toy by a child, I'd say. You would have to see how thrilled my son gets, how he laughs, as he plays these games; my words can't convey his utter delight. The illustrations are lively and colorful and absolutely stunning; they look a bit like the amazing high-tech animation seen in the recent movies "Antz" and "A Bug's Life." These games not only amuse but teach as well. Playing these games, my son has learned counting, taking turns, game strategy, sportsmanship, and lots more. The fact that the three game pieces attach by velcro to the book makes this book portable, packable, and terrific for car and plane trips. Now this is the gift I choose most frequently when looking for a gift for other little children. As a parent, I highly recommend it!

My four year old son received this for Christmas from his grandmother and loved it; no surprise there. However, my nine year old daughter thoroughly enjoys playing the games with him! A great book for siblings on a rainy day (or instead of TV!). Also makes a great gift for young children when trying to avoid the dreaded toy store.

This book does not have a sexy cover, but the ideas and tips are invaluable. Not only does it cover all aspects of job search, but it also covers all phases of the career cycle. For example, what to do if you are stuck in dead-end job? What to do before resigning? When to resign? How to evaluate your offers? How to lift you job performance? The list goes on and on. Great book!

While M. Rose Jonas, Ph.D. doesn't encourage you to lie on your resume, she does explain how you can make yourself look better by say leaving out a job that you didn't feel was right for you.

"You can leave out the job you had for a month or two because it was wrong for you or the company folded. Blips like this make a resume reader nervous." ~ pg. 85

Mostly this book is a question and answer session that is very intriguing. M. Rose Jonas answers questions like:

Where do you start, if you want to make a career change?
What if I'm ready for something completely different?
How can I stand out from the rest?
How do I get ready for my interview?
Should I take a job I don't want or that pays too little?
How can I get better at my job?
Can I just Quit?
How Should I Organize Retirement?

Throughout this book Rose Jonas provides sage advice on a wide variety of career topics and enlightens and entertains along the way.

~The Rebecca Review

This book gave me the tools I needed to figure out what I wanted to do and how to get there. I spent over a year interviewing for jobs I didn't really want and weeks after I read this book I was hired for a job that I love! Dr. Jonas, I couldn't have done it without you.
I recommend it to anyone who is career hunting.
Thank you!

Dr. Rose Jonas' book (as well as her counseling services provided to me) was extremely useful both personally, and career-wise. As a recent college-grad, I found myself lost, unsure, and jobless! Her book helped me to answer some important questions and steered me in the right direction...to a career! Thank you Dr. Jonas!

"Can I Lie on My Resume?" is more than a resume book, and for that matter, it's even more than a book on careers.

Rose Jonas' tone is that of the aunt you wish you'd had: worldly wise, kind, and no-nonsense. She uses the 'career game' as the overall metaphor, but each of the 100 suggestions is also anchored with a specific image. She doesn't just say, "Don't take a job that's not right for you" or use the cliche of sow's ears and silk purses. No, instead she shares an example from her own life about dragging home a kidney-shaped table and discovering that a coat of paint couldn't transform it into a Victorian desk. That sort of storytelling makes the point vividly memorable.

As Lily Tomlin said, "The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." Rose Jonas has practical ways to win---and come out a better human being in the process.

Being a Hank Aaron bibliographer, I found this work to be an excellent acknowledgment of African-American players who were able to play MLB. It is unfortunate that so many of the Negro League greats were unable to do so! Another great read! relevant to the younger generation of fan.

Even though former New York Mets outfield Vic Coleman proclaimed, "I don't know no Jackie Robinson and I don't care to," baseball fans surely know the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.

All baseball fans, however, would do themselves a favor by reading this book about the other black players who integrated baseball. Integrating the game wasn't accomplished when Robinson stepped into the Dodgers' lineup in 1947. Black players suffered humiliating treatment in the minors and the major leagues for many years.

Jacobson, a sports reporter and columnist for Newsday for 44 years, brings together the experiences of 19 black players for a powerful testament to an ugly and shameful period of history and sports.

Jacobson tells the story of famous players such as Bob Gibson, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Lou Brock, as well as lesser known players such as Charlie Murray (Eddie's brother), Alvin Jackson and Ed Charles. No player (or person) should have endured what they did.

As a kid following baseball in the 1960s, I had no idea what black players had to endure. It didn't make any difference to us if a player was black or white. After reading this book, I have a lot more respect for their accomplishments and character.

Author Steve Jacobson has tracked down various former black players who were willing to share their experiences on what it was like to break into major league baseball following Jackie Robinson's trailblazing effort in 1947. Larry Doby, who shortly followed Robinson, asked, "Do you think it was any easier eleven weeks later?" Ball clubs would sign players to contracts and not prepare them in any way for the racist experiences they would soon be introduced to. Many understandably couldn't deal with the bigotry that was thrown at them while others asked themselves, "What would Jackie do?" The book includes the names of several individuals who assisted these young black athletes. Their small kindnesses will never be forgotten. Michael Jordan was asked why he hadn't campaigned for a Democrat to unseat Jesse Helms in the North Carolina Senate. Jordan's answer, "Republicans buy sneakers, too." Baseball and America have come a long way since Pumpsie Green integrated the last remaining all-white team, the Boston Red Sox, in 1959. However, before we get too smug in the success that has been achieved, there are still reminders that we must continue, as Lou Brock stated, to "cope with the ever-present danger." I did find one irritating mistake that was made four times on pages xix, 42, 100, and 180. The murder of Emmett Till took place in August of 1955, not 1954. Nevertheless, this book also needs to be read by present day ballplayers who, like Hank Aaron said, "don't have a clue" what conditions were like. How many players did Vince Coleman speak for when he stated, "I don't know no Jackie Robinson, and don't care to."? History lessons are in order for professional players who are presently reaping the benefits.

"Many terrific things come to me due to this job, some by pure fortune. For example, The Post and Newsday have seats side-by-side at Yankee Stadium. So for many games, I was blessed to sit next to veteran columnist Steve Jacobson before he retired from Newsday in 2004. I received an education because Steve is a first-rate reporter and even better storyteller. Now, you can share the same experience. Steve's book, "Carrying Jackie's Torch," is in bookstores. It magnificently portrays the struggles endured by the black players who followed Jackie Robinson in integrating the major leagues."

--JOEL SHERMAN - New York Post (2/18/07)

I love to read, but I've had trouble for a while staying focused on a book and finishing it. I
love those books that once you pick them up, you can't put them down. This was one of those books.
The title is VERY appropriate. Recently, I got in an online debate about why Larry Doby was
seemingly ignored during the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in
baseball. I think Larry Doby was a great man to his country (a WWII vet), to his family (remembered as
a good husband and father) and to the game (elected to HOF, 1998) but he was no Jackie Robinson. So many of the men in this book talk about how Jackie guided them and how they looked to him for inspiration.

I think some people today feel that racism is something you only find in a history book, that the struggles black players faced back then don't happen today. I was shocked to find out in this book that Ken Griffey Jr. was targeted by racist hecklers in Bakersfield, CA in 1988. In fact, he wasn't able to leave the park by himself that day because the racists were waiting for him in the parking lot.

I'm African-American. Reading this book did not make me bitter... it only gave me a true appreciation for these men and the crosses they bore to live out the American Dream while they played the National Pastime. And there is no rule that says blacks HAVE to play Major League baseball but I am always glad to see the legacy of Jackie Robinson continue, especially by those who do it with excellence and integrity.

another ciaphas cain novel that is a very exciting read. ciaphas, jurgen, and the 597th finally journey to an ice world to face off against an ork army that is threatening a promethium production facility. ciaphas discovers the 'chilling' secret that caused the facility to be placed in it's precise location. this book is one of the best of the series.

Caves of Ice, Sandy Mitchell's second novel in the Ciaphas Cain series, was a very good read. Mitchell does a great job in putting the reader right in the middle of Cain and his Valhallan regiment's latest adventure without backtracking too much to explain the events of the previous book. Mitchell's handle on his main character is much stronger and he continues to make Commissar Ciaphas Cain believable both as a rogue whose self-preservation is first and foremost, but also as a true heroic figure in the Imperium. It's amusing to read through his attempt at self-preservation which backfires to making him very heroic in front of his regiment and thus feeding the accidental legend that he's become.

Even though the story was being told chosen passages from Cain's memoirs, Inquisitor Amberley Vail still continues to make her presence known through amusing and insightive footnotes scattered amongst the pages. Her footnotes makes Cain a much more complicated character than his memoirs would tell about the man. Her footnotes also reinforce the fact that Cain and herself shared more than professional courtesies throughout their time together.

Caves of Ice was a very good follow-up to For The Emperor for seemlessly continuing the growing characters of Cain and his Valhallans. The action still doesn't compare to Abnett's Gaunt novels, but they're well-done when needed to propel the story along. I'm glad to put the Cain series on my list of must-read novels rom the Black Library.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain and his regiment of Valhallan Guardsmen are deployed to the ice world of Simia Orichalcae. The orks intend to overtake the precious promethium plant and use the current mine workers as slaves. When Cain arrives, he has only a single day to set up the defenses before the orks reach the plant.

As Cain well knows, if it sounds too easy it normally means chaos follows. Five mine workers have mysteriously disappeared in the underground tunnels. Cain, having been a born and bred tunnel rat, is best suited to investigate (even though he wishes otherwise). The creature he finds is worse than the ork problem. Unfortunately, something worse than either of those is dormant in the ice caves and it is beginning to stir.

**** The only thing I hate is the fact that there are footnotes on most of the pages. The story is supposed to be an extract from the Cain archive that Amberley Vail has prepared and annotated for her fellow inquisitors. The author does this in order to insert comments from others present at the plant, so readers know what is happening elsewhere from Cain. Those inserts from other characters are great. They are often as exciting as Cain's archives. But I could do without the many interruptions that tell only where a certain word originated and such. As for the adventures of Commissar Cain, his gunner, Jurgen, and his people have - FANTASTIC! I look forward to the rest of the Ciaphas Cain series! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

CAVES OF ICE is the second in the Ciaphas Cain series. I feel that it is another worthy addition to both the 40K Universe and the Ciaphas Cain lore.

In this outing, the self-deprecating Commissar Cain & the 597th are fighting both Orks and a surprise. I won't say who, read the book & find out.

I'm currently reading the 3rd volume: Traitor's Hand and I have volume 4, Death or Glory waiting in the wings. I just recently ordered 3 more Black Library books, all anthologies: What Price Victory?; Crucible of War; and Bringers of Death. All three have short stories featuring Ciaphas Cain.

What a cool book. The action is great and the story never looses its pace. A must read for people who love interesting characters. Ciaphas is one of the most entertaining characters out there. I hope that Sandy Michaels keep writing novels about Ciaphas.

I have played chess for more than 20 years but never had the chance (or the willingness) to read a chess book. I play very well for a amateur, but I started to get serious and join some tournaments. I won some games from players around FIDE 1800-1900, but I also lost many others, since I lack the fundamentals and tournament experience. So, my chess professor, said that I should start my chess education with endings and tactics. This was my first chess book that I have ever read in my life, and I found it amazing. After studying carefully all the diagrams I asked myself why I haven't studied this book before, I would have benefit from it so much. I have just to agree with a comment that I read that the author approaches rook vs queen endings in the begnning of the book, which is quite difficult and took me many hours of practice to get used with the position and the many variations possible. I have also checked the positions with Nalimov tables, and practicaly the book has no mistakes. I have also like the author's approach for pawn endings using the key squares theory. My chess professor's book, called "The Final Countdown", and the Fundamental Chess Endings from K. Muller, both also used this modern approach. In the overall this is a must have book.

This book is translated from Russian, so it must pass the test of time. Averbakh used very concise analysis. He gave us, immediate level, a tool to understand the endgames.
It is essential for players from beginning to intermediate levels. After a chapter about the basic mating the lone King with minimal force, it introduces the standard combats between various pieces. It explains where a forcible win is guaranteed where it's not.
Then come two chapters of piece fighting against Pawns: a Rook or a minor piece versus Pawn (it's hard to believe that in some positions a single Pawn can beat the Rook!) and the Royalty versus Pawn.
After that there are two important chapters. One is about the fighting between two minor pieces where one side has one or two extra Pawns. The part about the opposite color bishops is very instructive, some case is winnable and some not. There is so much to learn in the next chapter, which explains the Rook plus Pawn Ending. As Capablanca put it: Rook and Pawn Ending is one of the most important endings. When the Rooks join the battle, sometimes they are the last pieces, understanding this type ending can help to win or draw it.
In the second half of the book, Averbakh used practical endgames from master games to emphasize what he explained in the last three chapters: Royalty and Pawns, Minor Pieces and Pawns, and Rooks and Pawns. He analyzed where some masters failed to save or win the game.
I highly recommend this book at new or used price. I guarantee your endgame knowledge (same level as mine) will improve.

I refrained from writing a review for this book until I finished it (just two days ago). I am now undecided as to whether I should move on to another book, or simply go through it again! I thoroughly enjoyed reading/playing through this book, and I shall explain why.

This book is small, indeed. However, I should emphasize that it is extremely *dense*. This book has no anecdotes, no analogies, and few sentences that do not directly relate to the discussion of a given endgame position. Some may not like this, but that is fine for them; they are going to miss out on a good book. After reading such an informative book such as this, one can only wish, as I did, that Mr. Averbakh had written more. This, however, would be contrary to his goal of creating a book of "essentinal" knowledge taken from his vast amounts of endgame material. Indeed, along with Alexander Kotov and another gentleman, Mr. Averbakh originally wrote a book titled Shakhmatnye Okonchaniya, available from Amazon as Shakhmatnaya shkola, it seems.

This book is also very compelling with its examples, especially to a beginner such as myself. In fact, I think I developed a certain fascination for the endgame after reading this book. I eagerly anticipate working on endgame puzzles and reading/playing through more volumes on the endgame, which brings me to my next point.

Realistically, I do not think that there is any need to move on to another book! As Mark Dvoretsky advises (and I am sure others do, as well) that one should know relatively few endgame positions, but understand them totally and to be able to execute them expertly. In this manner, and as a beginner, I could follow this advice and stick to this book for some time and not suffer from a lack of endgame knowledge.

Through a small part of the beginning, I played through the varations on my chess board, but after a bit I skipped them in favor of merely acquainting myself with the positions and ideas, since this was my first undertaking of actual endgame theory. (I caught a glimmer of it in various parts of Chessmaster 9000, but nothing as serious as what is in this book.)

From my estimation, all one would need for endgame theory is this book and one more advanced or exhastive book for later study. Highly recommended.

I've earned 2017 fide initial rating without this book, but i was lucky.
Here we have everything a tourneament player MUST know about endings, and something more. As an example you don't have to know how to defeat a computer in a Q vs R ending, so you can avoid that part of the book, in real games it's hard to find an under 2200 player that will play the perfect defense with the Rook. Maybe you don't have to know the B+N mate, I still have never seen a B+N vs K position in my tourneys. Anyway this book give you an EASY way to understand that mate. Thanks to this book now I know how to deliver this mate, the other 2 books i've studied weren't enough.
Here we have a book with just 100 pages that gives you what it promises.

This book attempts to provide a foundation of endgame information for the beginning chess student. After an introduction and a brief discussion about the scope of each piece the book presents five chapters meant to introduce the reader to the basics of endgames. Since there is no "Search Inside" option for this book the table of contents is reproduced here:

1 - MATING THE LONE KING
Mate with a Queen
Mate with a Rook
Mate with Two Bishops
Mate with Bishop and Knight
Mate with Two Knights
2 - VARIOUS PIECES IN COMBAT
Queen versus Rook
Queen versus Minor Piece
Rook versus Knight
Rook versus Bishop
3 - VARIOUS PIECES IN COMBAT WITH A PAWN
Queen versus Pawn
Rook versus Pawn
Minor Piece versus Pawn
4 - QUEENING A PAWN
King and Pawn versus King
King, Minor Piece and Pawn versus King
Knight and Pawn versus Knight
Bishop and Pawn versus Bishop
Bishop and Pawn versus Knight
Knight and Pawn versus Bishop
Rook and Pawn versus Rook
Queen and Pawn versus Queen
5 - PRACTICAL ENDINGS
Pawn Endings
Knight Endings
Bishop Endings
Bishops of the Same Colour
Bishops of Opposite Colours
Endings with Bishop versus Knight
Rook Endings
Queen Endings

One of the best things about this book is that it is the perfect size for digestion in just a few study sessions. For those starting with little or no endgame knowledge this means that at least a basic understanding of endgame concepts is attainable in a reasonably short period of time.

If you are inexperienced with endings, the information in this book is sure to not only increase your confidence at the chessboard but also provide a nice bridge to other more advanced endgame books. After studying this book one could move on to Seirawan's "Winning Chess Endings", which is still aimed at the beginner but contains slightly more in-depth information, or the superb "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" by Dvoretsky, which is more suited for the advance player.