Amateur to IM: Proven Ideas and Training Methods Paperback – Student Calendar, November 16, 2012

Judging by the comments of a number of people on this site this book seems to have disappointed due to its lack of 'meaningful road maps to studying...' and 'little advice on "training methods"...' Having spent the last month working through Amateur to IM, I find these objections difficult to understand.Any book on chess endings worth its salt should stress schematic thinking and here the author has clearly thought a great deal about how best to present this aspect in the most coherent and logical way. This is evident in the book's format and layout. In his Introduction Hawkins gives persuasive reasons for endgame study along with his own frustrating and grimly amusing efforts to improve prior to a major re-appraisal the result of which was a 400 points leap in playing strength! In part 1 (pages 13-63) the reader finds great advice and examples on such topics as "Thinking Techniques" - reference points in calculation and the recognition and use of key squares; building blocks methods to master the art of planning and obtaining a clear picture how to proceed. Each chapter is introduced by "lesson aims" and conclude with a summary of ideas and theoretical notes which augment what has been covered. Amateur to IM contains some of the most lucid and concise explanations on endgame technique I have come across in any work on the subject. Parts 2 & 3 (pages 66-366) are some what more advanced and require greater effort on the reader's behalf yet are far from impenetrable and should be well within the reach of understanding of most intermediate players. I don't usually mention ratings as a guide to understanding chess books as this can be misleading and divisive; however, in view of the remarks of fellow reviewers, I'll hazard a guess and say 1900-2200 USCF. What insight a student gets from a book, especially one concerned with technical date like chess endings, will likely depend on their knowledge and experience at the time. The issue seems to be one of methodology.Having said all this, my own impression of Amateur to IM is almost entirely favourable. Apart from a few typos and proof reading errors the book's layout, diagrams and figurine algebraic notation are all of acceptable standard. The narrative unfolds in a discursive way, the author relying on verbal explanation rather than extensive analysis to guide the reader, which makes the book easy to get through. The relaxed formality of the writing style comes across as hugely readable and the impression is one of an ordinary bloke that does not talk down to his readers, trying only to aid their understanding of a difficult subject. Hawkins emphasis is on the practical with the majority of examples taken from actual play though these are often examined against a backdrop of theoretical best-play scenarios to draw attention to just how difficult endings can be even for the very best players. The student will quickly realize that the positions covered will likely arise time and again in his /her own games ( I'm thinking now of such things as the Carlsbad pawn structure examined in endgame exploration 3; extra pawn on the Q-side - positional advantage part 1; walking the borderline - Alekhine - Capablanca K+R+P ending from their WC match in part 2). I dare say that no work of this nature can avoid some discussion of theoretical matters and there is a chapter dealing with the Lucena and Philidor positions but this is relatively brief. Perhaps the author begs indulgence in the chapter titled My Favourite Endgame in which he gives an early account of his OTB experience in mastering a K+R+B v K+R ending, a situation that, one might fairly argue, is hardly ever encountered. However, Hawkins sardonic account of this incident raised a smile and his subsequent treatment of this particular ending is, I came to appreciate, rather fascinating. It was also the catalyst for writing this book. Amateur to IM is not as comprehensive as, say, Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy but, as the author points out, this was never his intention. Rather the work does an excellent job of revealing specific principles, methods and regularly occurring patterns of endgame play and how one deals with them. These, among others, include how to build a fortress in B+P v R+P endings; restraining bishops by using a pawn chain; examples of active & passive defense; understanding the themes of zugzwang and sacrifice...To those who may still be skeptical about the value of endgame study and the benefit they may or may not derive from reading Amateur to IM, I should like to add this observation: watching GM blitz games, I'm constantly impressed by the high level of expertise displayed during time pressure. You could wake these guys up at 3 O'clock in the morning and they would still be able to play a faultless Lucena or Philidor's position. If this is your aim then there no better place to begin than with Amateur to IM. Improving one's endgame skill is no easy task even for a naturally talented player like Hawkins and reading his book made me aware of the countless hours of study and training necessary in order to reach GM level. His experiences and findings eventually found there way into this book and I for one am glad that they did. For those that found the work wanting, I urge perseverance. For my part the book is pure gold. Definitely recommended.

Reading this book is like eating pistachio. You will have to crack open the tough shell to discover the crunchy buttery meat inside that is both good tasting and supports overall bodily health. So it is with this book, if you can get pass the sappy title, the bright neon light cover and chew on the meat little by little you will get to taste the felicity of endgame strategy, and understand better about chess pieces -- the rook, the knight, the bishop and pawn. How they move how they coordinate with each other, how/when to induce weakness in opposing force's pawn structure. Yes there are more classical books on the subject by better known authors, such as Shereshevsky and Dvoretsky, but this book will help you laying the first stones on which to climb greater height. It gives you concrete useful scenarios to work on bit by bit, and nudges you to go yet a few steps further, and as you step further along the book you'd feel more confident and more curious that you, at least I did, would attempt to stop and ponder each scenario instead of just receiving the information passively. This is the purpose of Hawkins in writing this book as he clearly states in the introduction of the book, and for which the book achieves with high mark.The only chapter I have not read in this book is the small chapter, about 20 pages, on R + B vs R endgame. I admit that is a little bit too esoteric for my taste at the moment, but one thing for certain whenever in the future when I feel the urge to understand R + B vs R this chapter will be the first that I will read.Overall a great introductory endgame strategy book, one that I'd go back and reread until I completely exhaust all finer details the book has to offer.

This is a very good book. I rarely review books but was motivated to do so because of the review at ChessCafe by Vijay Raghavan. Whilst any reviewer is entitled to his opinion, it is unfortunate when a book that has much to recommend it to a wide audience is dissected in such an elitist way.Jonathan Hawkins has an engaging writing style and the content of his first book is interesting. The book teaches you to understand and learn an ending by identifying a number of 'basic blocks'. Once you know these basic blocks, the variations are easy to understand. He constructs examples that, from a teaching point of view, get his ideas across well.His explanation of the Lucena and Philador positions is the clearest I have come across. He starts off with an 'extreme' position where the defending king in a rook and pawn versus rook ending is cut off by many files from the pawn. This extreme position is used to illustrate three techniques to promote the pawn (one of which is the familiar building a bridge technique). This is a really good teaching.Another example is his challenge to the reader to position the bishop on any square in a R+P versus B+P ending where the pawns are blocked. On one coloured square, the bishop can defends his own pawn; on the other, it attacks the enemy pawn. Hawkins shows that passive defence of your own pawn is easily overcome. Again, really good teaching.This book does not teach you all the endings you need to know. For that I recommend Jeremy Silman's  Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master  or Jesus de Villa's  100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player . It teaches you a few of these endings, but more importantly, it teaches you how you can learn endings by yourself.

I'm very pleased with this particular chess book! Good. Thanks.

This book is well written and has an unusual format. However, in Kindle format every piece is denoted as a square, so, for example, "square d4" could mean any piece moves to d4. Very confusing! In fact, this renders the book virtually useless as it is impossible to link one diagram with the next. For this reason alone I cannot recommend this book in Kindle format. Buy the hard copy instead.

This book covers a lot of ideas and plans excellent for beginners and intermediate’s alike worth every penny.

Warning kindle format is unusable. I had to get refund. It seems the move sequences use a small graphic rather than letters and these small graphics display as squares. Shame as the book looks good otherwise. If my refund comes through I might buy printed version.

Purchased as a gift recipient extremely pleased