Is Encyclopedia of Chess Endings worth it?

I'm looking for something to improve my endgame after finishing Fine's Basic Chess Endgames (just started the knight and pawn section yesterday so I still have a long way to go), and ECE seems like a logical choice since it's over 400 pages of a specific endgame in one book (so 400 pages of queen endgames, 400 of minor piece endgames, etc.)

I have a gold membership at ChessTempo and do the endgame training there, but it feels more like a test than a learning tool since ratings are at stake and problems scale up, so there's not really any refresher courses for certain things. 

Then again, maybe ECE is one of those resources for over 2000 FIDE players since all that extra endgame knowledge might have diminishing returns at club level.  Still, to break out of club level we need to bring what we know to the next level and Capablanca recommended endgame study. 

Still, all those positions would be great to burn into my memory if nothing else, but those memorized positions only make sense within the context of understanding. 

I don't find ChessTempo's endgame training particularly helpful. There, you must match computer moves. The solutions in Encyclopedia of Chess Endings are human solutions that often would fail on Chess Tempo, but they are grounded in understanding. The solutions lack verbal explanations. If you've been all the way through Fine's book, you should be very strong. I would think that going all the way through Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual would correct the errors you've picked up from Fine, while deepening your understanding.

Yes =you can download the Encyclopedia from Chess.Com

Ziryab, that's why I do practice and stay away from theory, which can be quite zany it said I was wrong for winning a rook with a queen instead of going for the fastest checkmate (leaving the rook alive).  The rook was really far from the king so the fork wouldn't even lead to stalemate either. 

Chessmicky, I already have Fine's Basic Chess Endings and am working my way through it, finished up king and pawn endings and still have hundreds of pages to go.  Though agreed that understanding is most important and not memorization, but memorization still matters since we burn the patterns into our memories.  Since basic means essential must know information I need to finish and understand it if I'm going to have at least a class D understanding of the endgame. 

I've always primarily been a middlegame player, but middlegame play, tactics, swashbuckling, and positional manouvering are all within the context of achieving a superior endgame. 

I have ECE in pdf format, and the endings from the first 99 volumes of Chess Informant in electronic format. I have a couple of Nunn's books alongside Fine and a dozen other endgame texts. The book that I use most often and find most helpful is Dvoretsky. Even so, I use Fine, Silman, and Muller and Lamprecht all regularly.

dude i also have fines basic chess endings but ive heard bad reviews. For me Capablancas chess endings, Karpov endgame virtuouso, and  the Final countdown are the best. Or you may also want to study AKiba Rubinstiens games.

I bought Batsford's (publisher) Chess Endings many years ago, by Speelman/Tisdall/Wade, and i found it a great companion. After a break of 6 years from the game due to poor health i found endgames particularly difficult again, and need to put more work back into that part of my game.

I have been recommended from different sources Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, which i got in both pdf and a cbh, but never got round to studying...

I have had Fines book for years...its just simply impossible for me to use it lol. Its like trying to read thru the Bible...Genesis and Exodus are easy to read and fast...then you hit Leviticus and its all over

An overlooked endgame book is Smyslovs "endgame virtouso"...it has complete games showing how he transitioned from middle to ending and it also has many endgame positions with explanations

Yes it is. Trust me, for if you spend some time to go throught these endings you will begin to recognise similar patterns in a game.  Studying these is a long term investment, for the more you know the more likely you are to see these paterns in games. I recognise many of the daily puzzles in the chess games I play, so in the game I remember the move sequences already. Some of the endgames are avoidable at the first move or so, and noticing the threats them early on may increase the chance of being able to force a draw.

Yuri Averbakh's Comprehensive Chess Endings Volumes 1-5

Highly recommend for additional study on Rook Endings after working through Volume 5  (this book should take you awhile to work through)

1000 Rook Endings by Josef Pinter

http://www.newinchess.com/1000_Rook_Endings-p-1521.html

Practical Rook Endings by Victor Kortchnoi

http://www.newinchess.com/Practical_Rook_Endings-p-720.html

This is out of stock but if you can find it used at a book store get it good stuff.

I'll order all five volumes together to qualify for the free shipping since the pawn and rook volumes sell out really fast.  I'm not up there yet (still need to complete Averbakh and Nunn) but will offer years of training material.

"How on earth are you taking Capablanca's recommendation of endgame study and planning to complete theoretical books like ECE."

It's a logical progression and I won't dive into it before tackling more appropriate books.  I have Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual on hold to cap off specialized endgame books (e.g., I won't read its section on queen endings before reading the queen ending volume of Comprehensive Chess Endings) even though there's some overlap it's nice to review positions. 

You thoroughly read a book on basic endgames, then build on that knowledge with specialized books, then you tackle more advanced stuff, then finally you're ready to store many patterns into memory.  If you don't know what widening the beachhead, Vancura's Position, Philidor Position, short side defense, pawns in the crosshairs, the one diagonal principle, etc., are then you probably aren't ready to tackle the ECE. 

Even then there's a right way and a wrong way and I wouldn't just want to passively play through the positions but rather treat it like a puzzle collection and cover up the continuations.  If Capablanca and many others recommend studying endgames for improvement who am I to argue?  Besides I might have a tough and sensitive win or draw that's hard to figure out over the board so preparing for those situations is good anyway. 

Excellent text!