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 Post subject: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #1 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:43 am 
Judan

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Review by the Author

General Specification

* Title: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
* Author: Robert Jasiek
* Publisher: Robert Jasiek
* Edition: 2014
* Language: English
* Price: EUR 26.50 (book), EUR 13.25 (PDF)
* Contents: endgame
* ISBN: none
* Printing: good
* Layout: almost good
* Editing: good
* Pages: 264
* Size: 148mm x 210mm
* Diagrams per Page on Average: 7
* Method of Teaching: principles, examples
* Read when EGF: 18k - 1k
* Subjective Rank Improvement: ++
* Subjective Topic Coverage: o
* Subjective Aims' Achievement: ++

Introduction

Most moves of a scored game belong to the endgame. Many small and a few big endgame mistakes amount to very many lost points. Therefore, studying the endgame offers a great potential for a player's improved playing strength.

Looking at the endgame literature creates the false impression that the endgame would consist of mainly value calculations and tesujis. However, a study of the frequencies of endgame mistakes by kyu players reveals that only the fourth most frequent kind of mistakes concerns tesujis, and mistakes related to value calculations are much less frequent. Endgame 1 - Fundamentals includes both the most frequent kinds (mistakes related to choosing the locally best move, reading, sente) and every other kind.

Volume 1 makes one exception: it forgoes the tedious topic of value calculations and leaves it for Volume 2. Although this book contains every other relevant endgame topic, learning and applying the theory is made easy.

Contents

Besides introductions, occasional reminders of what has been learnt and the detailed index, the twelve major chapters of the book discuss every relevant topic of the endgame. The most important topics have the longest chapters with subchapters explaining all essential aspects.

Since Endgame 1 - Fundamentals has a detailed structure of its 57 topics in the subchapters, every topic receives a usually only short explanation of the theory, one general principle and a few examples illustrating their application. Nevertheless, the contents is understood easily because the theory and principles are kept simple, related subchapters and countless diagrams are available, and many problems provide the necessary practise. A few subchapters have longer explanations, a few principles, methods or a definition of an important concept.

The first three major chapters cure the reader's negative strategy, when losing points, suffering from the seven aspects of conquering neutral intersections or making premature endgame. While these seemingly trivial topics are often neglected elsewhere, here one can improve several ranks already by learning to avoid superfluous moves worse than passing and worthless moves in neutral regions.

When the reader is ready, the following chapters teach him the heart of positive strategy by taking more than the opponent while considering both the global positional context and the locally best endgame. Besides all the basic concepts of the endgame, such as efficiency, corner ko or double purpose moves, he becomes familiar also with the endgame aspects relevant during the opening and middle game.

Besides the topics 'weaknesses' and 'attack and defense', the chapter 'ko' explains to respect numbers of ko threats, not to waste threats and avoid loss-making threats. A chapter of intermediate length exhibits the dozen most frequent kinds of endgame tesujis.

Since reading move sequences and decisions correctly is one of the most important topics, it does not only receive its own chapter. Reading is emphasised throughout the book in the more demanding examples and problems.

Of course, there cannot be an endgame book without sente and gote. However, Endgame 1 - Fundamentals goes beyond your usual distinction from double and reverse sente by clarifying how to identify and verify sente, the ordinary order of endgame moves, its exceptions and quite a few other aspects.

Every major chapter concludes with problems. The 229 problems and their answers fill half of the book. The answers are as detailed as necessary: they show all relevant variations so that the reader can verify the quality of his reading. The difficulty varies. Except for absolute beginners, kyu players of all ranks find enough suitable problems whose solution requires to overcome one's current playing strength. Besides ordinary next move problems, other problems create special tasks, such as explaining or correcting a mistake, comparing Black's versus White's first move or finding the sente moves.

Conclusion

By discussing all topics relevant for overcoming the frequent and less frequent endgame mistakes, Endgame 1 - Fundamentals fills a wide gap in the literature. Despite the comprehensive coverage of the fundamental theory essential for every kyu player, the valueless approach to the endgame, the simplicity of the principles and the detailed explanation of the examples and problems enable easy learning of the theory. At the same time, the reader cannot dispense with training and improving his reading skill. Only dan players would regret the absent calculations of numerical endgame values.


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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #2 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:24 am 
Lives in sente
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The whole idea of a review implies an impartial judgement. In real life, I know that isn't always completely true. But the idea of an author writing his own review is beyond ridiculous.

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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #3 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:36 am 
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Marcel Grünauer wrote:
Read "extended overview" or "expanded blurb" instead of "review".

I bought the book and have already learned something about efficiency. :) Any book on endgame that's not about "this hane and connect is four points" is more than welcome.

Hi Marcel,

I'd be cool if it said extended overview or blurb, but it doesn't. It is written and formatted just like his reviews of other authors, and is titled accordingly.

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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #4 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:41 am 
Judan

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The first line declares "Review by the Author". I try hard to apply the same standard for reviews of my own books as for reviews of books by other authors. If you have doubts about the quality of the review, read the book, write your own review, discuss the contents of my review, discuss the contents of the book itself, pose questions about either or compare the book to other books. This allows everybody to judge better.

EDIT: You can also report about the experience and effect of applying the contents of the book to your own games.


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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #5 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:52 am 
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IMHO, it's closer to what's called a "precis" in academic writing, and it's not uncommon to write one. Of course many people wouldn't know what a precis is, but that's better than being put off by the term "review" which usually implies a third-person.

A precis can be more or less explicit about how the author thinks they have written the best book ever, more literal (http://consc.net/papers/precis.html) or more ...well, how would you describe Jerry Fodor? (http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/Fodo ... nd1985.pdf).

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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #6 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:11 am 
Judan

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Precis: I learn a new word, but I have been aware of the concept. (What is the German word for precis?!) My dictionary defines precis as "abstract, summary" and your first example amounts to a declaration of contents and what the contents shall show. However, this is not what I convey in my review. I might understate it as a "description" of the book, but then someone can complain "What kind of description?" and the answer is: "Like a review, except that it is written by the author." In German, there is the nice word Eigenrezension, but I think that "self-review" is a dubious translation; wouldn't that be a review of the writer's person himself? If, however, this meaning does not exist and self-review equals Eigenrezension, I can as well call it a self-review.

Anyway, what matters is not the meta-discussion about the title of the review but the accuracy of the contents of the review.

BTW, I have had the by far greatest hesitations about one aspect of the review: is the lower bound of readership really 18 kyu? I looked through the book thrice only for answering this one question to me. An 18 kyu will find many problems too difficult, but nevertheless I think the book should be recommended also to 18 kyus because most of the theory is sufficiently easy and relevant also for him, and IMO there are also readers of books that appreciate them as far as they can, knowing that they need to improve to understand the other parts well.

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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #7 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:16 am 
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As the first line declares "Review by the Author", this seems reasonable to me. It passes the test of not being misleading. It is entirely clear to anyone reading it that there is a possibility the author may be biased towards his own work, and yet the author is well placed to give a clear summary and highlight the value of his work.


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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #8 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:58 am 
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If a player misplays an endgame tesuji, which causes a loss of points, then the move order was incorrect. How do you differentiate this from other endgame, value calculations where move orders are also incorrect?

Thank-you

RobertJasiek wrote:
However, a study of the frequencies of endgame mistakes by kyu players reveals that only the fourth most frequent kind of mistakes concerns tesujis, and mistakes related to value calculations are much less frequent.

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 Post subject: Re: Review By Author: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #9 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:07 pm 
Oza
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Robert, you know you can change the thread title by editing it in your opening post, do you?

And thank you, I appreciate learning a bit more about the book before I purchase it … which I will do today or this week, together with one two others of your books because every of your books that I’ve read has been highly educative for me, and I find that sometimes an amazing “wow” effect happens two or three months after I have laid one book aside :-)

And I like to tell people that your books are nutritious fodder for my subconscience :-D I read, I think about it while reading, thus I learn, I put the book aside and “forget”, and when I play, “it all comes to me by itself”, I don't really consciously think about what I read in your books then but I have some of the principles imprinted in mind (albeit sometimes foggily).

Thank you, I appreciate your work!

Tom


<edit>

That I improved from ~17k to now ~13-11k (albeit slowly, due to lack of time) I attribute mostly to reading in your books.

</edit>

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 Post subject: Re: Review: Endgame 1 - Fundamentals
Post #10 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:29 pm 
Judan

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logan wrote:
If a player misplays an endgame tesuji, which causes a loss of points, then the move order was incorrect. How do you differentiate this from other endgame, value calculations where move orders are also incorrect?


The move order need not be incorrect. There can be endgame tesujis never to be played, if the global context changes so that always some other move is better. (Example: There can be endgame tesuji in a shape of a dead group, which is irrelevant because the group is dead. If an executed ko threat revives the group, the endgame tesuji could be activated.)

Therefore I prefer to answer your question independent of the aspect of timing.

Knowledge of an endgame tesuji and value calculations (comparing positions after the endgame tesuji versus after a different move) coexist. Both methods can sometimes be used to find the correct move: a move that is an endgame tesuji and gives the most favourable value calculation. However, finding the correct move can be faster by means of recognising an endgame tesuji than by doing value calculations. If so, there is no conflict between the two methods, but usage of one can make usage of the other superfluous.

One can make mistakes with endgame tesujis (playing if one should not) and with value calculations (calculating wrongly to play a wrong move).

If one does not know if playing an endgame tesuji is right, one can, e.g., use value calculations to find out. If one does not know if value calculations have been applied to enough moves, considering an endgame tesuji can be used to enhance the value calculations and possibly correct them.

Hence, I do not see a conflict, but a coexistence between the two methods.

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