My endgame studies

Got my copy of Silman's Endgame book in the mail this week and have been plowing through it.  Already up to the Expert Section.  Spent a long time on the minor piece section making sure that I keep the middlegame ideas from Reassess in mind when I look at the relevant endgame section.  Trying to work on linking the 2 parts of the game.  I'll get there yet!!

   The things I love most about studying endgame are all the cool moves that confound those who don't understand them!  Outflanking, triangulation, opposition, and how to effectively use them are basic tools in endgame but so few study this part of the game that they have no idea what they are missing!

White to move.  1. Kf2! (1.Ke3? Ke5! and white must give way) e3! (1...Ke5? 2.Ke3! and black loses the pawn and his chances) 2.Ke2! (2.Kxe3? Ke5! leads to the same problem as the note to move 1) Ke5 3.Kxe3  All about triangulation!! 

 

White to move 1.g5 Kh7 2.g8=Q+! (2.g6+?? leads to 2...Kg8 and to avoid stalemate the white king must let on of the pawns fall and go into a dead drawn K+P vs. K position; 2.Kf7?? is a little something we call stalemate) 2...Kxg8 3.Kg6  White gets the opposition and black loses.  How can someone see positions like these last two and think that studying endgames is boring??  If you say such things you must be doing it wrong.