Jesus de la Villa's book comes highly-recommended by a coach (a Russian IM) whom I approached about this question. It is refreshingly focused on making your study time as productive (in terms of decisive game results) as possible. I agree that the more comprehensive works such as Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual and Averbakh's Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge should be left until you're at least 2000 ELO. I would also recommend using them sparingly; some of the topics are too arcane to be useful (such as K+R+f-pawn+h-pawn vs K+R, or K+B+N vs K). But by that time, you could just get Fundamental Chess Endings by Müller and Lamprecht, and you'd be set for life.

100 Endgames You Must Know - Jesus de la Villa (5th Edition)

My favorite endgame book, very clear and concise. If you only read one endgame book it should be this one." - GM Niclas Huschenbeth The fact that players think in patterns has an important side-effect: their endgame errors tend to repeat themselves. That’s why De la Villa has not just included examples from games of elite GM’s but also of amateurs. Errors are always instructive and working with this book will seriously reduce the number of typical mistakes you are prone to make. The many practical exercises that De la Villa has selected will help you improve and retain what you have learned. The good news about endgames is that there are relatively few endings you should know by heart. What's more: once you know these endings, that's it. Your knowledge never goes out of date!Most club players consider studying the endgame to be boring and have a clear weakness in their endgame play relative to their openings and middlegames. This increases the importance of endgame study because it is easier to increase the discrepancy between you and your peers by studying the endgame than by studying any other area of the game. If you really have no patience for endgames, at least read Jesus de la Villa's '100 Endgames You Must Know'." There’s not much to say about it, ­you just have to buy it and read it! De la Villa does a truly wonderful job of explaining useful endgames in a calm and measured manner that is clear enough for any strength of player to understand while still being interesting for stronger players. If you’ve never read an endgame book before, this is the one you should start with." Jesus de la Vila debunks the myth that endgame theory is complex and he teaches you to steer the game into a position you are familiar with.

100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess 100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess

Former Women’s World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk] said she had really enjoyed De la Villa’s 100 Endgames You Must Know and had made flashcards out of the 100 positions. One side of the card had the position, the solution was written out on the reverse, and she quizzed herself until she knew all 100.” - Elisabeth Vicary, USCF Online comparing '100 Endgames' with John Nunn's 'Understanding Endgames') "Though Nunn's comments are clear and to the point, I found De la Villa's discussions easier to digest." Former Women World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk] said she had really enjoyed De la Villa's '100 Endgames You Must Know' and had made flashcards out of the 100 positions. One side of the card had the position, the solution was written out on the reverse, and she quizzed herself until she knew all 100."The benefits of endgame study are obvious, but where to start? IM Mark Dvoretsky wrote an excellent book on theoretical endgames ( Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual), but this book is large and difficult to finish. A lot of the endgames chosen are extremely technical and difficult, so difficult that GM Hikaru Nakamura claimed that a player should be 2450 FIDE before starting this book. 100 Endgames You Must Know is a lot more approachable. Instead of trying to teach you all the theoretical endgames a professional should know, it focuses on the most important endgames (organized by type), making it a lot easier for the club player to digest. 100 endgames you must know starts with a basic test and then systematically teaches you the 100 most important theoretical endgames. A clear exposition of the most important endgames, with exercises to test your knowledge.” - British Chess Magazine De la Villa does the job quite well. He emphasizes the practical and prefers understanding to memorization." Jesus de la Villa (1958) is an International Grandmaster born in Spain. He is a successful author and a well-known chess coach. He has won the Spanish Championship twice.

100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player 100 Endgames You Must Know: Vital Lessons for Every Chess Player

The instructional explanations, the many diagrams and the pleasant presentation make this endgame book an interesting publication for club players with a rating from 1600." The greatest strength of the book: breaking things down into well-worded chunks of easily digestible information."The bad news is that, all the same, the endgame technique of most players is deficient. Modern time-controls make matters worse: there is simply not enough time to delve deep into the position. Most of the patterns Jesus de la Villa presents in this new book are from the phase of the game just before a theoretical endgame turns up. Knowing these practical endgame fundamentals will enable you to fully reap the benefits of what you learned in De la Villa’s widely acclaimed classic 100 Endgames You Must Know. There’s not much to say about it – you just have to buy it and read it! De la Villa does a truly wonderful job of explaining useful endgames in a calm and measured manner that is clear enough for any strength of player to understand while still being interesting for stronger players. If you’ve never read an endgame book before, this is the one you should start with.” - GM Matthew Sadler