THE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO ROOK ENDINGS
Author: John Emms
Gambit (2008)
160 pages
$25.95
Reviewed by John Donaldson
Gambit Publications has recently reissued GM John Emms classic work THE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO ROOK ENDINGS. If you have the first edition published by Everyman in 1999 read no further, but if you missed out the first time around don't make the same mistake twice. Rook endgames are very important.
The Canadian/American GM Peter Biyiasas was once quoted as saying he had gone through only two chess books in his life but had read them cover-to-cover several times. The two titles? MY SIXTY MEMORABLE GAMES by Bobby Fischer and ROOK AND PAWN ENDGAMES by Vassily Smyslov and Grigory Levinfish. More than a few people have gone through Bobby's book, but not many can have claimed to have mastered the latter, which was more of a reference book after the first couple chapters.
Emms’ book is certainly not a reference work, although he goes through the material in a very systematic fashion. He offers lots of explanation, all the examples have been thoroughly computer checked for accuracy and there is a quiz to test what the student has learned (there is also one on double rook endings at the very back of the book as well).
