Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies Paperback – June 20, 2007

This book is in re-release but I found a used (but primo condition) first edition hardcover just like the copy I once had in my old chess library. This particular volume had dual unexpected surprises to multiply my delight. Firstly, it bore a bookplate that identified it as once belonging to the chess library of noteworthy master Arthur Dake. And on top of that it had a gift dedication to yet another West Coast chess luminary, Val Zemitis. It's a real treasure to me. As to the content, these endgame studies collected together by Soviet Chess Author Ghenrikh M. Kasparyan are astonishing for their depth of analysis and thoroughness of endgame coverage.Incidentally, former world champion Kasparov's mother - a lovely Armenian woman named Klara Kasparyan (or Gasparyan) Shagenovna - changed Garry's last name (when he was 12 years old) to a Slavicised/Russified version of her own family surname. This was done after consultation with other family members, the idea being that the name Kasparov would better Garry's chances of success at a time when the chess world was still dominated by the Soviet hegemony. His father, Kim Moiseyevich Weinstein (Вайнштейн [Rus] or Vyainshtein [anglicised]), had passed away 5 years earlier.NOTE to readers who have complaints about the typesetting or printing: The original book was printed in 1974 BC (Before Computers!) and the Progress Publishers (Moscow) edition in 1980 SBC (STILL Before Computers!). My poor date jokes aside, my 1980 copy is crisp and clear despite the use of "hot lead" typesetting. In fact, as Russian books from that era go, this was a particularly fastidious print job... thin pages, yes, but the same quality paper stock throughout. To see what a chess book looked like in the 1700s, go to books.google.com/ and type the name "Philidor" into the search field (but without the quote marks). Then click on the second or third result, "Analysis of the Game of Chess," by François Danican Philidor. This book was published in 1777 and I suspect you may have a keener appreciation of the Kasparyan endgame manual after pressing your Page Dn key a few dozen times to examine the text. Let me know if you even find a diagram; I should be very surprised indeed. There is some merit to this complaint when the book is compared to very crisp, clean, computerized publications of recent vintage... and although I have not seen the Ishi Press re-issue (look for a line of Japanese kanji characters top and bottom of the pages), I do possess other re-issue chess books from that publisher. Many of those appear to be merely scans of the original books. This would be tantamount to a "3rd generation" reproduction (original book - digital scan - reprint book), which practically guarantees deterioration of clarity and maybe even smudging of "screened" dark squares in chess diagrams (such as those in the original "Domination" book), especially frustrating if they also happen to have black pieces on dark squares. Sometimes that can make it difficult to distinguish a pawn from a bishop.Thanks and kudos to DD, who pointed out some discrepancies in my original review.

This is THE best book for endgame puzzles. No theory just thought provoking end game studies thematically presented. A must have book in every Chess Library. I first found this 30 years ago in Russian. I couldn't read the text but fortunately I didn't have too. Keep it on your kitchen table to solve a problem with your coffee every morning, should be good for 7 years!

I love the book. I use it to start my training sessions, I typically do 1-2 endgame studies before I move on to other things. These domination studies are especially good to teach you about how pieces play with and against each other. I'm still only doing knights dominating bishops and I've already learned a lot about the beast.The downside is the print job on this new edition. The images look like scans, so pieces on dark squares are often not very clear. It's not unusable, it's just a bit annoying. It annoyed me enough that I'm selling my new copy to get an older edition but it is not easy to find an inexpensive old edition book. So if you're planning to use these studies in your training program, you might as well go ahead and buy this as it doesn't impede with training (I usually set up the positions on a physical board, so it doesn't matter too much to me from a practical standpoint but I just want my books to be as perfect as possible in all regards).

I'm a 2nd category player who picked up this book because of a Baadur Jobava interview on ChessBase where he recommended doing 3 hours of tactics and 3 hours of studies a day. Now I don't approach that but these studies are amazingly aesthetic. 100 studies in and thoroughly enjoying it. The studies are challenging but not overwhelming...although some of them run 15+ moves deep! The only question is will I be able to finish this text in my lifetime?!

Amazing! The whole world should know how great this guy is at endgame studies and compositions - very instructive! Kasparyan is the Shakespeare of chess endgames.

I read the previous reviews. The diagrams in the copy I purchased were clear.

If you need to understand more about domination criteria in end games studies buy this book.It is also useful to help solvers for the exemple that are listed about each material involved

Graphics are not clear. I wish i could return the product, if you wear glasses you will not be able to distinguish if it is Pawn or a Bishop without them. I have never experienced such disappointment with any other chess product, especially one that came so highly recommended.