If I had to choose one chess book everyone should go through, it would probably be Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. Dvoretsky’s approach to endgames, both from a conceptual and theoretical perspective is unmatched, and his manual should suffice to teach anyone, regardless of their current strength, everything they have to know about endgames to achieve master level skill in endgame play.
Most people are of the opinion that it should be read by strong players, and that novices should steer clear from Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, their argument being that it would be too difficult to understand. I believe that to be false for many reasons. Firstly, everyone needs to understand endgame concepts and everyone needs to be familiar with basic theoretical endgames. Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual will teach you that as well as any other, less difficult endgame book. Secondly, not being able to solve a problem, or understand a position, doesn’t mean that one wouldn’t benefit from trying. Thirdly, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual is not Harry Potter. You don’t sit down and read a hundred pages in one sitting. You work through the book slowly, playing positions out over a real board. When you finish a game, you reference the manual to see where you’d gone wrong.
Everyone, regardless of their rating, can and should do that. Lastly, Dvoretsky is probably the most famous coach in history. His teaching methods work. They have produced world class players and helped many achieve the Grandmaster title. It makes sense to conclude that his experience would help him produce a close-to-optimal endgame book. In short, do not fear Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. And don’t read it like a book. Use it daily to review the endgames you’d encountered that day. That way, learning will be effortless and natural. As Jacob Aagaard, a man who has first hand experience with Dvoretsky’s teaching and writing methods puts it: “”This book is Dvoretsky’s most significant book. It gives the ambitious player a chance to do top level training, but also gives the amateur a chance to see what is really important. If any chess book can make you a better player, this is it. “
Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual first came out in 2003, and it was immediately recognized as one of the best books on the endgame ever written. It has had 4 new editions since, each expanded and revised slightly. The book is massive. It covers every important endgame in detail. It’s like buying the pro version of 100 Endgames You Must Know. It’s divided into sections by piece combinations: Pawn Endgames, Knight vs Pawns, Knight Endgames, Bishop vs Pawns, Opposite Colored Bishops, Bishops of the Same Color, Bishop vs Knight, Rook vs Pawns, Rook Endgames, Rook vs Knight, Rook vs Bishop, Queen Endgames, Queen vs Rook, and less frequent material relations. In short, Dvoretsky devoted a section to each important endgame type.
Each section is subdivided based on concepts, which is what makes the manual more useful than any other endgame book. Rook endgames, for example, include chapters such as: Balance on One Wing and an Extra Pawn on Another, A Far Advanced Passed Pawn, or The Pawn Hasn’t Crossed the Mid-line, which is more useful to humans than simply listing and explaining the theoretical endgames. Queen endgames are an especially obvious example of this, as Dvoretsky subdivided the section on chapters such as Activity and Tactical tricks, which makes it easy for humans to learn what’s important in all queen endgames, not just in a very specific theoretical scenario. Compared to Secrets of Queen Endgames by Berkes and Karolyi, Dvoretsky’s section may not be as detailed, but it’s enough to equip you to navigate most queen endgames successfully.
The manual is difficult to read, but Dvoretsky made sure that each type of position is backed up with examples from practical play and detailed explanations. Take the below example, in which Dvoretsky explains reserve tempi:
He then provides several examples from real games to illustrate the concept. One could argue that the first example in the image above is very low difficulty. Most important ideas in the book are explained in the same way.
I have gone through Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual about 8 years ago. Since then I haven’t reread it. What I have been doing, though, is using it to learn from the endgames I played. I will finish a game and see what Dvoretsky has to say about the type of endgame I had encountered. If there are concepts I wasn’t aware of, I will reread the entire chapter and try to solve most of the positions.
If you’re an ambitious player, you should read Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. No, not really. You should be able to play the endgame well, and there is no other single resource that can teach you how to do that better than Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual.
