For example, there is one line in particular "draw trap" in the Slav which is very well known to GMs:

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White to move, and it might seem as if the b7 pawn is hanging. But you rarely see a GM take it, because it only leads to a draw: Qxb7 Rb8; Qxa7 Ra8; Qb7 Rb8; Qa6 Ra8; etc. It's a "perpetual queencheck"!

As cute as this is, what good does that do me, playing in the under-2000 group against people who would happily gobble that pawn, oblivious to the draw? I don't want draws, I want wins!

So openings have to be regeared for the purposes of a weekend tourney, and Flear is good making that distinction between lines that are "theoretically correct" and the lines with good winning chances.

He also has a great section on the Exchange variation, he demystifies its drawish reputation, and offers some really neat ideas for mixing things up and turning it into a real fight.

<Practical Endgame Play - Beyond the Basics - Glenn Flear

The definitive guide to the endgames that really matter.

The most common endgames you will ever encounter.

Examinations of material balances you will reach in almost half of your games.

Over 500 pages of grandmaster advice and analysis, assisted by the latest computer software.

Forget those books which just recycle established theory. Forget those books which concentrate on fantastical studies. Grandmaster and endgame expert Glenn Flear has created an in-depth book of all endgames which feature either two pieces for each side, or two pieces against one - an essential area of the game that has never before been comprehensively covered in one volume.

Why is this so important? Because these situations arise incredibly frequently in practical play. These are the endgames that matter. If you can handle such endgames well, your results will improve. This book shows you how.

Published by Everyman >

<Practical Endgame Play – Beyond The Basics by Glenn Flear, Everyman, 544 pages, £19.99.

Most endgame books deal primarily with positions where each player has only one piece – Q+R+Ps v Q+R+Ps, Q+B+Ps v Q+B+Ps, etc. But in practice many more of the endings which arise see more pieces than this on the board. In this huge volume, English grandmaster Glenn Flear deals at length with endings where one or both sides have two pieces. Thus we have detailed coverage of endings with rook versus two minor pieces, rook plus minor piece versus rook plus minor piece, queen and rook versus queen and rook, etc. In fact the book covers what Flear calls endgames and “NQEs” (pronounced “nuckies”), i.e. Not Quite Endgames – those indeterminate positions which are simplified (usually queenless), but which you will not find in Basic Chess Endings or other such textbooks.