A Mini-Review of Dvoretsky's _Endgame Manual, 3rd Edition_
Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10:47AM Mark Dvoretsky, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, 3rd Edition (Russell Enterprises 2011). 405 pp. $34.95.
I can make this review really quick: if you don't have an earlier edition, buy this one; if you do, then don't.
There's no fundamentally new material here, just some tidying up of the earlier analysis here and there (but where in particular, neither the author nor the publisher gives us any advance clue*) and a slightly improved color scheme for the print. Otherwise, there's no difference between this edition and its predecessor. You might at first be fooled into thinking there are three more pages in the new edition, but that's because the page counted started two pages earlier, with the title page and its overleaf, plus the purely pro forma publisher's preface to this edition.
So while there may not be much reason to get the "mini-upgrade", it's very much worth buying if you don't have an earlier version. This large and widely, rightly praised volume serves a dual function: it provides all the standard theory you'd expect in an endgame textbook, but has a strong practical component as well. Dvoretsky emphasizes typical techniques and mistakes, highlights and focuses in on what's foundational and builds from there, provides numerous exercises, and presents content not only by material but thematic elements as well. The reader isn't just given theory but loads of practical content as well.
If you're around 1800-1900 and up, definitely get the book if you don't already have it. (Even an industrious 1600 could benefit considerably from the book.) There are other good endgame books (and videos) out there, but this is about as close to a must-have book as there is in chess, certainly for endgame play.
* Maybe this silence has been done in the hopes of getting owners of the old editions to buy this one. After all, if they know where the changes are, they can just scan those pages (either figuratively or literally) and not bother buying the new book. Fine, but what about the people who actually buy it - do they really have to sit there with the two books side by side, poring over 400 pages in each, to see what the changes are and if they're significant? Not nice.
Dvoretsky, endgames in Book Reviews, Endgames
Reader Comments (5)
I'm about 1900 USCF and I'm just about done reading Fundamental Chess Endings by Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht. Having read this book, is Endgame Manual still a must-read? Obviously it would still be beneficial to read Endgame Manual, but I have to assume there is a decent amount of overlap as well. So I thought I would ask you since you've probably read them both.
[DM: I like Mueller's books, but I don't think FCE supplants DEM. While DEM includes essential textbook theory, it's more practically oriented.]
Is the binding of the new edition better than the 2nd edition?
I have the 2nd edition, its binding is pretty bad and easily worn out after frequent uses.
I may buy the 3rd edition if its binding is improved.
[DM: Looks like another glue binding to me. But are all glue bindings equal? It might have been a bad batch with the 2nd ed - mine had some problems too.]
Hi Dennis,
what do you think is better ,an endgame book like this or a DVD (like karlsten muller chessbase dvd)?I am a 1700ish player trying to work on my endgame and I am not sure which one to buy.Any help would be much appreciated.Thanks!
[DM: I like Mueller's work - his endgame books and videos alike. I'm happy to recommend his DVDs, but in terms of bang for your buck a book will always win over videos in terms of quantity.]
Where did you get a copy of the third edition? BTW, accurate summary of Chess Juggler. I got my copy in the mail yesterday. The bio part reads like an essay about what he did on his summer vacation (but much longer and more boring); the book should not have been published. It's amazing that Russell Enterprises has such variable quality. (Well, maybe it's not so amazing.)
[DM: Russell Enterprises sends me review copies, usually just a bit before they're available to the general public.]
so when you say "improved color scheme" for the print, you mean they get rid of the light blue [] that is "essential" for a better/darker quality print - hate that light blue stuff
RB
[DM: Yep. It's still blue, but not the light baby blue but something more like a royal blue. The contrast isn't quite as obvious as it was, but it's clear enough and more readable.]