It is something of a paradox that the chess endgame with a limited number of pieces on the board is more difficult to play with accuracy than either the opening or the middlegame. While mistakes in both the opening and middlegame can often be rectified without doing too much damage, the endgame is not so forgiving and even the smallest inaccuracy can have decisive consequences. For this reason the endgame usually exposes the disparity in skills between the master and the less gifted player and it is no surprise that the world champions were all expert in this phase of the game. Fundamental Chess Endings by K.Muller and F.Lamprecht (Gambit Pub. £19.99 stg) is aptly subtitled "a new endgame encyclopaedia for the 21st century". This single volume covers all major endgames with well chosen examples from master play and composed studies. The authors have included a table of computer database results for pawnless endings where those noted previous endgame pundits, Reuben Fine, Andre Cheron and Yuri Averbach could only provide educated guesses. A fine comprehensive work with an excellent index which will simultaneously both inform and entertain. In to-day's position, taken from this work, white will obtain a win by promoting his pawn but this appears an impossible goal as black has only to advance his pawn to prevent white from making constructive progress. So how does white obtain a most unlikely win?
White continues 1, Ba7, Ba1 (1Bxa7; 2, h7, wins); 2, Kb1, Bc3; 3, Kc2, Ba1; 4, Bd4, this is the winning move. If 4exd4; 5, Kd3, blocks the pawn. Also 4Bxd4; 5, Kd3, Kg5; 6, h7, Ba1; 7, Ke4, wins.