Schacksnack

In this video, I explain why Test Your Endgame Ability by August Livshits and Jon Speelman is, in my opinion, without doubt the best endgame book ever written.

What makes this book so outstanding? It is not simply the quality of the endgames and studies themselves. The real strength of the book lies in the way the material is organised and in the unique training process it creates. The positions are carefully graded in difficulty, the book contains well-designed progression charts, and you are expected to solve the positions against the clock rather than simply play through them.

I also explain how I have trained with this book since the early 1990s. For me, it has never been a book to read once and put back on the shelf. I have always regarded it as a process – a long-term method of improving my endgame skills. In that sense, Test Your Endgame Ability has become my best friend when it comes to endgame training.

Another remarkable feature is its enormous range. The book can be useful to players from around 1000 Elo all the way to World Championship level, and I explain why I believe this is possible. The way the positions are selected, graded and tested allows the same book to challenge players at very different levels.

So what makes this book different from all the other great endgame books? In this video, I present the arguments behind my strong conviction that Test Your Endgame Ability is outstanding in every category that matters for serious endgame training.

Test Your Endgame Ability August Livshits & Jon Speelman

Chesslovers IM Thomas Engqvist