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This Modern Endgames is a practical chess endgame book that focuses on the decisions that matter most once the opening and middlegame are over. In this second edition, Aleksander Bielawski and Adrian Michalczyszyn show how to convert an advantage, defend accurately and avoid the mistakes that can still happen in even the strongest games.
What this book covers
The book takes a modern approach to endgame play and concentrates on the ideas that decide results in the final phase of the game. It looks at how to turn a better position into a win, how to hold difficult endings and how to handle endgames with different amounts of material.
Particular attention is given to rook endgames, which appear very often in practical play, as well as bishop versus knight endings. The authors also connect opening understanding with later endgame play, helping the reader think about the whole game as one continuous plan.
Practical play, not just theory
This is not a book of abstract patterns alone. The emphasis is on practical choices at the board: when to simplify, how to keep a winning position under control and how to defend actively when the position looks worse. The book also draws on the endgame technique of Anatolij Karpow, one of the great masters of this phase of the game.
The final section offers critical analysis of endgames from the Olympics and from World and European Championships. That gives the reader theory supported by real games, along with examples of both good decisions and costly errors.
The authors
Aleksander Bielawski is a grandmaster, former world junior champion and Soviet champion who spent more than twenty years among the world elite. He also worked as Garri Kasparow’s trainer during the 1993 world championship match against Nigel Short.
Adrian Michalczyszyn is also a grandmaster and a respected Ukrainian coach, theoretician and chess author. As a former participant in the Soviet Championships, he combined tournament play with coaching work for many years.
For players who want to improve their endgame understanding in a structured way, Modern Endgames is a valuable study resource. It is also a strong choice for coaches and ambitious competitors looking for material based on the experience of two leading grandmasters.
Other books by the same authors include Winning Endgame Technique and Winning Endgame Strategy.
Key details
- Product type: chess endgame book
- Title: Modern Endgames
- Edition: second edition
- Subject: chess endgame technique
- Main focus: practical endgame decisions, defence and converting an advantage
- Endgame themes: rook endgames; bishop versus knight endings
- Approach: combines theory with analysis of real games
- Authors: Aleksander Bielawski and Adrian Michalczyszyn
Tangible precision
Each move strengthens curiosity, concentration, and self-confidence.


