Mastering Endgame Strategy By GM Johan Hellsten

The third installment of Grandmaster Johan Hellsten’s acclaimed strategy courses is the last piece to a perfect strategic education.

Endgames are the most challenging part of chess. Just one wrong move, and the outcome of the game can be irreversible. And somehow, it’s the part of the game that chess players study the least. That’s why endgame mastery will give you a substantial advantage over your competitors.

And with this course, you are sure to get that. Under GM Hellsten’s guidance…

Stop guessing endgames – master them!

Should I exchange bishops and play a pure rook endgame? Should I activate my king at the cost of a pawn? Is my active rook worth a passer? We all have pondered the same questions because most of our endgame knowledge only frames theoretical positions where the victory or draw is at hand.

But no one has ever landed in such positions. To get there, you need to understand the strategic features of endgame play. So, while most players try to learn endgames, you’re going to do something more effective with this course: you’re going to learn how to play endgames.

The ‘how to’ of endgames

In this course, you’ll learn that success in the last phase of the game depends on three factors: calculation, knowledge of basic positions, and knowledge of major and minor ideas.

The focus is primarily on this last one, although it will boost the first two anyway thanks to its active-learning structure:

In the first five chapters, GM Hellsten will teach you the strategic ins and outs of each piece’s endgame play, their common themes, strengths, and weaknesses. Then, he will show you universal aspects of endgame play like activity, simplification, fortresses, and defense, among many more. Along the way, you’ll be getting actionable tips to help you develop good endgame habits.

At the end of each chapter, your newly acquired knowledge will be tested with a set of puzzles. Whether it is a well-known position or an example from practical play, you will notice the difficulty grow as you advance.

Here are some of the themes you will learn on your way to endgame mastery:

🎯The three angles of a rook
🎯Cutting off the king
🎯Building barriers
🎯Fixed pawns
🎯The dynamic between bishops and knights
🎯Mating attacks
🎯Space advantage
🎯Material sacrifices for activity
🎯And many more

The focus is not on difficulty, but on hammering down the chapters’ ideas and developing your practical sense for endgames.