It is not the quality of your best moves that wins you games; it is the quality of your worst moves. The quickest way to improve your chess skills is to raise the bar.

The Spanish grandmaster and coach Jesus de la Villa has proven with his best-seller 100 Endgames You Must Know that he understands exactly what a chess student needs. Building on his experience as a writer and as a coach for juniors, he has carefully selected the 50 Mistakes every player should be aware of – so the mistake can be avoided.

De la Villa loves this quote from the American First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt: ‘Learn from the errors of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.’

For over a decade, De la Villa has closely observed the Spanish junior championships, noting the recurring errors that players make. He has taken notes, classified these errors, and created training tasks based on them. From this wealth of chess exercises, he has selected the most impactful and has added recommendations how to correct the error.

Your performance will improve dramatically because this book offers you:

• 50 important chess lessons


• detailed and lively explanations


• clear summaries and recommendations


• dozens of tests.

Jesus de la Villa (1958) is an International Grandmaster born in Spain. He is a successful author and a well-known chess trainer. He has twice won the Spanish Championship. His book 100 Endgames You Must Know is an international bestseller

Reviews

IM Gary Lane (Australian Chess)
“The 50 errors are presented logically so that a keen reader can quickly eliminate at least a few in their online or over-the-board games. Of course, others might be harder to eradicate, but it does not harm to have many examples of how players have gone wrong, to remind yourself how to avoid such positions in the future instinctively. A great way to boost your chess rating.”
(full review)

Sean Marsh (CHESS magazine)
“This is not a collection of simple errors, such as don’t allow your pieces to be forked, but is instead an erudite addition to the library of books genuinely trying to help club and tournament players to improve their game.”

Fernando Offermann (Berliner Schachverband)
“This book is a great resource for players who want to better understand and learn from their mistakes. Every page is a winner; the clear explanations and examples make it a valuable aid for ambitious chess players. Highly recommended!”

Michel Hoetmer (schaaksite.nl)
""Each chapter begins with several example positions, which are discussed later in the chapter. The reader can, therefore, first sink his teeth into these positions and later judge whether he has made the same mistakes as the players concerned. This is an extremely useful mirror!""
(full review in Dutch)

Forward Chess
“An excellent and original book. It combines excellent examples and clear and lucid commentary. Hence, players of all levels will benefit from a careful study of the book.”
(full review)

GM Matthew Sadler (New In Chess magazine)
“I think this book is just as good as De la Villa’s endgame book, which is quite some praise. A must for any player looking to understand how to improve and where to look for mistakes to improve!“
(full review)