Descripción

Conceptual Rook Endgames Workbook Rook endgames are the most frequently occurring endgames, as well as one of the most exciting and challenging areas of chess. In 2023, Quality Chess published «Theoretical Rook Endgames» by GM Sam Shankland and its sister volume «Conceptual Rook Endgames» by GM Jacob Aagaard – a dazzling dyad of domination in endgame literature.

Conceptual Rook Endgames Workbook

This new book tops off the triumphant trio by presenting 208 instructive exercises of varying difficulty, testing and reinforcing the reader’s skill and understanding. Conceptual Rook Endgames Workbook will skyrocket your endgame abilities, whether used as a standalone workbook or as the last step in the Aagaard-Shankland Rook Endgames trilogy.

Workbook

In the manual Conceptual Rook Endgames (CRE), I presented a different way to view rook endgames, through typical ideas, rather than fixed positions. Not that there is anything wrong with that traditional approach; the two ways of looking at rook endgames supplement each other beautifully, which is why CRE was published alongside Theoretical Rook Endgames by Sam Shankland.

This workbook is meant to function both as accompanying to CRE, and as a small exercise book that can stand on its own feet. For this reason, I want to briefly run through the key ideas of CRE here, making it easier to understand the explanations later in the book.
To save trees, the explanations here will be an exercise in brevity. If you want to see examples, please go to Conceptual Rook Endgames. It is full of them.

 Activate the rook first

In the endgame, it is wise to make the most out of your strongest piece. In the rook endgame, this is the rook. Therefore, we should seek to activate the rook, rather than the king, when possible.

 The Rook belongs behind the Passed Pawn

The most famous concept in the rook endgame, formulated by Dr Tarrasch. Both on the defence, and if seeking to convert an advantage, the rook is highly effective behind the passed pawns.
Rarely is this goal achievable, yet undesirable.

 Shouldering

A term borrowed from football, where you can keep an opponent away by means of a shoulderto-shoulder block. Ice hockey fans prefer the term ‘bodycheck’, meaning the same thing. This most often occurs in positions with king and rook vs king and pawn(s).

Jacob Aagaard

The side advancing a pawn is attempting to keep the opponent’s king at a distance, as long as possible, by placing his own king in the way. That is frequently two files from the passed pawn, making it possible to always return to its protection.

Conceptual Rook Endgames Workbook

Workbook