The second session of the Beckenham Chess Club Study Group will be held at the club on Thursday November 20 at 7:30pm.

This session will be on Concepts in Endgames and will be led by Ian Snape.
Many of you will know Ian, but you may not know that he is an ICCF International Master, having also registered a grandmaster norm. His current Over the Board BCF Grade is 199 and FIDE Elo is 2251. Ian is the author of "Chess Endgames Made Simple", which was published earlier this year by Gambit. From the Introduction:

"This book is based on learning patterns, concepts and plans rather than memorizing or calculating. ... Personally, I find it much easier to base my moves on an understanding of the plans and concepts associated with a particular position rather than the calculation of variations. ... The rewards for improved endgame play are significant. First, it is surprising how low the standard of play is in this area, often from otherwise strong players. Second, confidence is important in chess. A lack of confidence when approaching the endgame can result in an excess of draw offers in superior positions, especially against higher rated opponents."

Below are three exercises from the book. Ian will give the solutions on the night.
(For those of you who have the book these are Exercises Numbers 1, 2 and 23.)

White to Play.

After turning down a draw earlier in the game, White is now struggling to hold the draw. How to proceed?

White to Play.

It looks like White is in difficulty since Black has the tempo move ...f4 to gain the opposition. Does White have any resources?

Hope to see you on November 20th!

David Sandham
davidinlondon64@hotmail.com