Endgames 2 – rook endgames
Endgame theory forms the basis for chess. This becomes painfully clear as
soon as a player has reached a clearly won endgame, yet must in the end content
himself with a draw, simply because he lacks the necessary know-how to finish
the opponent off. Does this sound familiar? Then avoid such accidents and make
endgames your strength – by building up a solid endgame technique.

Endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller from Hamburg, Germany, has finished
the second volume of his endgame training series. It is intended to lay a solid
foundations for the last phase of the game. After dealing with basic endgames
from giving mate with the queen to the basics of pawn endgames in Volume
I, this new DVD is dedicated exclusively to rook endgames: rook versus
pawn, rook and pawn versus rook, rook and rook pawn versus rook, rook and two
connected pawns versus rook.
Karsten Müller also teaches you the basics of more complex endings, like
rook and four pawns vs rook and three pawns, using classical master games (like
Botvinnik-Najdorf and Alekhine-Capablanca). There is also a section on the
latest discoveries in endgame theory, especially regarding rook endings with
three vs three pawns on one side of the board with an addition rook pawn on
the other side.

Those of you who find studying endgames with chess textbooks dry and tedious
will enjoy this DVD with its advanced training system which allows you to relax
and watch the lectures like a regular TV show, but also to pause at any stage
and try to play out the position against Fritz. The benefits are enormous –
you can count on winning a substantial number of extra points at tournaments
simply by being self-confident in playing the endings. Remember, it is not
just when the familiar ending appears on the board that you are able to profit
from your newly-gained knowledge; you will also find yourself playing far better
in the middlegame, since you are striving for endgames you know you can win.

After a basic training course in rook endings Karsten Müller he illustrates
what has been learned with a series of famous master games. For instance he
show us the dangers of a draw that lurk in an ending with rook and two connected
pawns vs rook.

Endgames with rook and two not connected pawns vs rook are also usually won,
but here we need to know the important exceptions, which depend on which files
the pawns occupy. Trying to play these endings purely on the basis of intuition
can lead to the loss of many half points – expecially if your opponent
has been studying the endgame theory.
The DVD Endgames 2 – rook endgames by Dr Karsten Müller
includes five hours of video instructions. Here are two small samples to give
you an idea of what they look like (remember that the original DVD running
on your computer will give you a much higher resolution and audio+video quality).
Karsten Müller has played for the Hamburg Chess Club
in the German Bundesliga since 1988. In 1997 he finished third in the German
championship. As an internationally renowned endgame expert he is the author
of the endgame column in ChessBase Magazine and the author of the Endgame Corner
on ChessCafe.com. His book "Fundamental Chess Endings“, which he
co-authored with Frank Lamprecht and which was published in 2001 by Gambit
Publishing, is already considered a modern classic.
System requirements: Pentium Processor, 300 Mhz or higher,
64 MB RAM, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000,Windows XP, Windows Media Player 9.0,
DVD drive.