Secrets of Queen Endgames by Ferenc Berkes

A revolutionary new work on a notoriously challenging type of chess endgame

Queen endgames can seem unfathomably complicated. Computers have provided complete information for some of the basic queen and pawn endings, but human understanding has proved elusive.

In this groundbreaking work, two Hungarian authors have gone to extraordinary lengths to explain strategies and methods in queen endgames. Rather than a random series of checks, we can now understand king and queen triangulations that gradually bring the pieces to the squares they need to be to engineer the killer tactic that completes the process. Berkes and Karolyi have devised guidelines that help us judge what we need to aim for, and provided a broad set of tools to help us achieve these goals.

Going beyond previous texts, the authors have used not just seven-man tablebases and modern engines, but the specialized program FinalGen to delve with the same certainty into endgames with several more pawns. But most of all, they have spent thousands of hours seeking to present the whole truth about queen endings in human terms. Their wide-ranging discussion of shelters is especially instructive.
A definitive guide to a fundamental class of endgames
Explains all types of endings with queens and pawns
A wealth of guidelines for handling positions with many pawns
Spectacular and previously unpublished endgame studies
Thoroughly up to date, with more than 1000 chess diagrams

Ferenc Berkes is a grandmaster from Hungary. A former World Under-18 Champion, he was won the championship of his country on eight occasions. He plays team chess in several European leagues. IM Tibor Karolyi is also from Hungary. His many pupils have included super-GMs Peter Leko and Judit Polgar, and he is a highly experienced chess writer.

"This queen endgame manual looks excellent. Highly recommended for the tournament player and advanced players in general. These endings are a great mystery for many players and even teachers. However, their practical value is enormous since they occur frequently. Much of the book is devoted to the all-important queen and pawn versus queen ending. The ending is studied with the pawn on each file and according to how advanced it is. Time to get to work!" - FM Luis Fernández Siles @capakhine

"The authors combine general principles with illustrative examples. This is certainly fantastic study material for the chess chess that really wants to improve his knowledge ... The most important elements of each piece are explained with another an avalanche of examples. ... Buy this book if you want to make serious studies of the endgame but in a fun and inspiring way. Bear in mind that queen endgames give you access to concepts and tactical ideas that you can apply in other situations as well." - Barry Braeken, schaaksite-nl