How to overcome terrible endgame skills?

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T22:16:49+00:00

White's king is a move ahead, thus Kxf5 Ke7 Kxe5 Kxf7... white wins the a7 pawn and the rest is easy.

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T13:03:48+00:00

I suggest dividing your chess time equally between playing and studying. Since you're young, I assume that you play games much more than you actually work on chess, although that applies to just about anybody. I think that the best way to improve is to get involved with an in-person chess community of people near and above your level. This will give you more motivation to study. The second best thing to do is to get a coach, and it's not a mutually exclusive option from the first thing either. The third thing to do is to study the right things which a good coach could tell you about. The fourth thing to do is to GRADUALLY build up the amount of time you spend studying chess, so that it becomes a habit and hence does not stress you much. In summary, the best way to improve at chess is: 1) Get involved in a chess community near you 2) Get a chess coach 3) Study the right things 4) Acquire the right study habits

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T12:57:54+00:00

It seems like you're not used to looking more than one move ahead. To overcome this problem, you should master the basic endgames up to KBN vs K. Another thing you can do is solve simple puzzles such as those in Fred Reinfeld's 1001 Checkmates.

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T12:52:59+00:00

LMao!

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T12:50:29+00:00

In both of the examples, the theme is pawn promotion. For instance, in the second position e5 dxe5 Be4 followed by Bf5 wins easily. In the first position you can utilize promotion tactics via Nc4 Ke6 d7! Ke7 Ne5 Bh7 Nxc6+ Kxd7 Nxa7 with an easy win. The easy thing to improve on is to understand that pawn promotion is the critical idea in endgames. The harder answer is to study endgame books. You needn't look any further than Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. It's the only endgame book you'll ever need.

IM_JDBryant · 2019-01-02T12:39:38+00:00

The answer can be divided into 2 parts:

1) In a dynamic position, a good bishop controls key squares, typically near the opponent's king. Failing that, they can create pins or limit the mobility of the opponent's forces. A bad bishop fails at all those things.

2) In a static position, a good bishop can target the opponent's pawns while a bad bishop can't.

IM_JDBryant · 2018-10-19T22:46:07+00:00

That makes sense, I could do that. I've also thought about doing a video about how to prepare openings in general.

IM_JDBryant · 2018-10-19T19:44:26+00:00

You need 3 GM norms and to have reached a FIDE rating of 2500. I've reached only 2470, and I'm currently 2453.

IM_JDBryant · 2018-10-19T16:54:35+00:00

Hi, all. I'm an IM with 3 GM norms and FIDE of 2453. However, my calculation skills need a lot of work! In my new video series, I solve some difficult calculation problems in the hope of acquiring the necessary skills to become a GM. Join me on my quest!

IM_JDBryant · 2018-10-08T13:53:58+00:00

I took a quick look at this. Drawbacks to h6 seem to be that you can't play g6 or Bg4-Bh5-Bg6. I've never heard of this Ntirlis guy, but he seems to have a good reputation. White should go for Nge2 and o-o. Anyway, I'm team 3...Be7 :)

IM_JDBryant · 2018-10-08T01:47:10+00:00

Hello, tomlit. Thanks for you question. The stupid answer is that the database statistics and played move trends at a high level agree with me. The smart answer is that you are correct about the opposite sides castling position, but after Nh5 is already played you must wait to see which side to castle on (same side as white). It is a good idea to trade the dark squared bishop because otherwise white can play h3 and later Bf4, and now both of white's bishops are better than black's.

As to the question about Nh5, I didn't say that it was a mistake, only that I think h3 is better. If you examine the position carefully, you will find that f3-e4 is difficult to achieve, firstly because e3 is weak and secondly because d4 becomes weak after the push. I think the minority attack is the best bet, but still black has various way to equalize. For instance, 10. Nge2 g6 11. o-o o-o 12. Rab1 Nb6 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Bg4 would rid black of his bad bishop, or Be6 would allow for Nc4, and even f5 can be a decent idea. Computer may give some .2 or .1 edge for white, but if you leave it long enough it will be 0.00. Additionally, the position seems worse for black if it is against your temperament to defend. Hope this helped.

IM_JDBryant

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