Winning Endgame Tactics 2 Advanced Queen Maneuvers by IM Thomas Willemze Chessable

Endgame study improves your whole game!

The first Winning Endgame Tactics by IM Willemze served as a starter kit focusing on how to practise the important tactical (mating) patterns that the queen can pull off. It emphasized learning the value of a preparatory move and ended with how to defend against mating threats.

Winning Endgame Tactics 2, however, extends the scope of Queen Maneuvers curriculum by combining the lessons you’ve learned and taking them to a much higher level.

But, not before revising the three most important types of preparatory moves used to initiate a double attack, discovered attack, or a skewer: a) targeting, b) chasing and c) luring.

All these preparatory moves were dealt with in the first course, but they merit review because they reappear in every chapter in this course.

The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard because she can decide the game at once. Imagine how dangerous you become, once you recognize tactical opportunities and exploit them with simple, but powerful queen maneuvers.

Truly mastering the winning queen maneuvers will make you unstoppable in all phases of the game.

– IM Thomas Willemze

In four learning modules, IM Willemze pays particular attention to:

1 ♛ Winning the rook
2 ♛ Winning the queen
3 ♛ Mating the king
4 ♛ Defending against the queen

Like course 1, the final learning unit against teaches students to rebuff an attacking queen because strong defensive skills can help a player extend the game and sometimes win the game with a counterattack.

Targeting, chasing and luring

The tactical combinations are less obvious this time though. They are advanced techniques and exercises that will improve our tactical abilities, sharpen your calculation skills, and enable you to extend your visualization horizon.

IM Willemze argues the endgame is an excellent environment for improving both your calculation and visualization skills, due to the forcing and uncluttered nature of the positions.

Unclutter your endgames by developing a clear understanding of the power of the queen – the piece with the power to win a game almost on its own.