Overall structure of the ICS curriculum

In the first month, we see the subject breakdown by month is as follows:
Month Subject
1 Think Like a Strong Player
2 Watch the 2 Centers
3 - 4 Master the Piece Play
5 – 6 Master the Pawn Play
7 – 8 Pawn Structures Explained
9 Advanced Fighting Strategies
10 – 13 The Art of a Master: Analysis

I'm wondering about the endgame. Perhaps this is more a middle-game course, though when I emailed them about this they said in month 7 they would cover "complex" endgames, and said I would probably need to learn basic endgame technique independently.

so far i have seen no endgame lessons
here you can see what you can expec from month 7:
Month 7
Strategy - Pawn Structures
7.1. d- and e- Pawn Phalanx
7.2. e- and f- Pawn Phalanx
7.3. c- and d- Pawn Phalanx
7.4. a-, b-, and c- Pawn Phalanx
7.5. Weaknesses in the Pawn Phalanx
7.6. Isolated Pawn - Introduction
7.7. Isolated Pawn - How to play with it
7.8. Isolated Pawn - How to play against it
7.9. Isolated Pawn Couple
7.10. Hanging Pawns

Tactics
Collaboration between pieces

Thanks Strad, that is helpful (and it sounds awesome!).

Strad,

Can you give us an idea what material have you seen for the opening module up to now and including month 7. I'm sure we are all curious here.

Unfortunately i'm just suscribed to main module only, after considering it for a while i decided to find my own way through Openings.

I'm wondering about the endgame. Perhaps this is more a middle-game course, though when I emailed them about this they said in month 7 they would cover "complex" endgames, and said I would probably need to learn basic endgame technique independently.[/quote]


Yes, i think this is a middle-game course....a excellent one in my opinion. :-)

I'm actually fine with it being just a middle game course. The more I study chess the more complex I find it to be and so I'd rather the course just devoted itself 100 percent to its main course aims and didn't waste valuable time and space dipping into to the endgame.

Maybe in another year or so they can develop and release a one year endgame course, I know I'd sign up for sure!

I only have month one so far (for about 5 days) but i can only say that i like what i see. I am even glad when reading that this course is more a middlegame course and that endgames isn't a specific subject of it because
their are many good books about endgames on the market, like for example "The complete endgame course" from Jeremy Silman, which can help you excellent in the endgame department.

For the middlegame however such books don't excist, or maybe i didn't find them, so this course fills a gap, well atleast for me.

Interesting everyones views. My thoughts are similar to chesstiger I took the program specifically as a positional middle game course (although I also subscribed to the openings). The course does seem light on "tactics" and "endgame" but I thought that this was intentional. As mentioned in the first month (& I only have month 1 so far ) material "tactics" are assumed on the course ( double check etc ) and certainly they I believe are the major contributor to say reaching 1700 or so. It is the next stage that I expect is mainly covered. I confess I do not have Silman's book but it does look excellent when I have browsed. I think there is loads of free material on endgames on the internet that meets my current purposes though.