BETTER CHESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23885, 12 August 1939, Page 4

BETTER CHESS

VALUE OF THE END GAME

“ The End Game at Chess.” By Philip W. Sergeant (Chatto and Windus). 11s.

The end game in chess offers as much scope for enterprise aad artistic calculation as the rest of ine game, yet a “tight” conclusion is the despair of many—even the majority—of players Mr Sergeant, the well-known British player, diagnoses this attitude with pointed directness in his remark that amateurs “ dislike endings because they know they play them badly.” In his latest book he has set himself out to help all players desirous of improving this aspect of their game, and it can be safely prophesied that every amateur who studies conscientiously Mr Sergeant’s analysis of the end game will find its value reflected in his game. “ The End Game at Chess ” has not been written for. novices, but for

A neat example of the “ blockade ” from “The End Game at Chess.”

White plays and wins. 1. B to R 1 I K takes B 2. K to B 2 ! Establishing the blockade and forcing the Kt P to move

P to Kt 4 P to Kt 3 would lose because of P to B 6 and the subsequent forced mate.

3. P to B 6 I Not P takes P i.p.. stalemate. P to Kt 5 4. P to B 7 P to Kt 6. ch, . 5. K takes P K to Kt 8 6. Ptoß 8= Q Ptoß 8= Q

7. Q to B 2 mate players who have attained a fair competence and who wish to improve. The author uses 200 diagrams to explain every type of ending, some of them old and well-tried, others new and provocative of much thought. E. A. A.