Must-Know Endgames for 1.e4 Players
Introduction and Free Preview
The camp Must-Know Endgames for 1.e4 Players is already a digital product. This product includes all the videos from the masterclass as well as the PGN file related to the training sessions. Overall, the material consists of approximately 9 hours of video and a PGN database which includes 91 files!
You will find the following lectures:
Typical French Endgames - GM Alvar Alonso
Sicilian Endgames with black pawns on d6 and e5 - GM Renato Quintiliano
Typical Italian Endgames - GM Michael Roiz
Sicilian Endgames with Pawns on d6 and e6 (e7) - GM Grigor Grigorov
Typical Caro-Kann and Scandinavian Endgames - GM Ioannis Papaioannou
Typical Ruy Lopez Endgames - GM Petar Arnaudov
In this article, we will briefly present some interesting moments taken from the lectures
Typical French Endgames
In this lecture, GM Alonso examines the most typical French endgames. This type of endgame is fundamental for your understanding of the space advantage as well as the closed positions. The lecture provides ideas for both colours.
Let's take a look at one concrete example:
This structure is very important in the French Defense. When White successfully pushes h4-h5 followed by g4-f4, Black must tread carefully. We'll command the initiative, choosing when and where to break, especially on alternating square colours. Conversely, if Black manages to play h5-g6, this pawn structure becomes ideal. With the primary defence focused on f7 and less spatial pressure to contend with, Black's position solidifies. Black typically aims to play h5 and maintain the status quo, so White must strategize around this move. Hasty h2-h4 advances can be detrimental, as we'll later discuss. On the queenside, control of the c-file is always contested. Dominating this file greatly facilitates the execution of White's plans. Given that Black often has a knight on c6 and a bishop on d7, penetrating the 7th rank can be challenging. However, mitigating Black's counterplay via c2, while also targeting d4, remains essential for White.
Below, you shall see one of the model games.
Sicilian Endgames with Black Pawns on d6 and e5
This lecture features the most important endgames you should know when Black has a pawn on e5. Such endgames arise both from Najdorf and Sveshnikov variations. Such positions are characterized by the weakness of the d5-square. As the lecture demonstrates, however, this weakness is relative. As you will see from the examples, Black often plays around the knight that White has installed on d5. It goes without saying that you will also find examples in which the d5-square provides White with a huge advantage. These positions are so complicated that the slightest change in the piece configuration or the pawn structure would dramatically change the evaluation.
The lecture consists of 10 extensively annotated model games. You will find relevant examples both for White and Black.
Below, you shall take a look at one of the model games
Typical Italian Endgames
The Italian Game is an opening that features many typical endgame positions. After writing 2 opening databases about the Italian, covering the typical endgames seemed rather consistent to me. Understanding the subtleties of the Italian endgames will provide you with a better feeling of all the positions arising after 1.e4 e5.
This lecture includes 9 extensively annotated positional masterpieces. In these examples, you will find ideas for both sides. Hopefully, after studying the material, you will have the desire to try the Italian for both colours.
Here is one of the examples.
Sicilian Endgames with Pawns on d6 and e6 (e7)
Every Sicilian endgame is better for Black! Even though such a statement cannot be completely true, it highlights an important tendency. On the board, you can see one of the basic pawn structures in the Sicilian Defence.
It's very important to understand that Black is structurally better due to the possibility of playing on the semi-open c-file. Also, in the long term, the e4-pawn tends to be vulnerable. Therefore, in order to compensate for Black's superior structure, White should use his better central control and piece activity in the middlegame. Once Black manages to neutralize the opponent's middlegame initiative, the endgame is usually favourable for him. It goes without saying, that there are many exceptions. This lecture features many types of endgames that can be also favourable for White. Of course, due to space limitations, it is impossible to cover everything. For instance, you will not find typical Sveshnikov and Najdorf endgames with a weak square on d5 because these positions are covered in the lecture of GM Renato Quintiliano.
Below, you shall take a look at one of the model games.
Typical Caro-Kann and Scandinavian Endgames
This lecture covers one of the most important pawn structures that might arise from various openings such as Caro-Kann Defence, Scandinavian Defence, and Slav Defence.
Note that in this structure, White's c-pawn might be on c4 (or even on c2) as well. Even though White enjoys a space advantage and good central control, Black has extremely solid position without weaknesses.
In this lecture, you will learn the typical positional and tactical ideas for both sides. The favourable exchanges as well as the different structural modifications will be discussed as well. For sure, this material will improve your general chess understanding.
Below is one of the model games.
Typical Ruy Lopez Endgames
There are many typical endgames in the Ruy Lopez, which you need to know. In this lecture, GM Arnaudov divided them into 4 types.
1. Symmetrical Endgames with an open file - you can find two games of this structure
2. The Berlin Endgame - Probably the most important one. It is a queenless middlegame, which is one of the main tabiyas of the modern chess. 3.Closed endgames - Very often we get some closed endgames that require a lot of maneuvering and the ability to think in schemes
4. The Exchange Variation and the endgames arising after it
The lecture consists of 11 extensively annotated model games.
Below, you shall find one of them.