/----------------------------- British Chess Federation Book of the Year 1988: Nunn, John, and Griffiths, Peter: Secrets of Grandmaster Play (1987) 1987 paperback, ISBN 0020531303 1989: Winter, Edward: Capablanca : A Compendium (1989) 1989 hardcover, ISBN 0899504558 1990/1991: Dvoretsky, Mark: Secrets of Chess Training (1991) ISBN 0020081820 1996 reprint, ISBN 0713462876 2006 reprint, ISBN 328300515X 1992/1993: Hooper, David, and Whyld, Kenneth: The Oxford Companion to Chess (1993) 1984 1st edition, ISBN 0192175408 1993 2nd edition, hardcover, ISBN 0198661649 1996 2nd edition reprint, paperback, ISBN 0192800493 1994: Soltis, Andrew: Frank Marshall, United States Chess Champion (1994) 1994 hardcover, ISBN 0899508871 o positive review ("A great book about one of the most colorful players from the first half of the 20th century") by Soren Sogaard at: 1995: Nunn, John: John Nunn's Best Games (1995) 1995 paperback, ISBN 080503899X 2001 paperback, ISBN 0713477261 1996: Bronstein, David and Furstenberg, Tom: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1995) ISBN 1857441516 Review by Dave Regis at: . Positive review by Geoff Chandler at: . 1997: Burgess, Graham: The Mammoth Book of Chess (1997) ISBN 0786707259 2000 reprint as "Chess", ISBN 0785815163 1998: Anand, Viswanathan: My Best Games of Chess (1998) ISBN 1901983005 o review at: o glowing review ("a modern classic" and "a must-buy" and "one of the best game collections I have seen so far") by Soren Sogaard at: 1999: Watson, John: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy (1999) 1999 paperback, ISBN 1901983072 2000: Sadler, Matthew: Queen's Gambit Declined (2000) 2000 paperback, ISBN 1857442563 2001: Korchnoi, Victor: My Best Games: Vol 1: Games with White (2001) ISBN 3283004048 2002: Muller, Karsten, and Lamprecht, Frank: Fundamental Chess Endings (2002) 2001 paperback, ISBN 1901983536 2003: Kasparov, Garry: My Great Predecessors, Part I (2003) 2003 paperback, ISBN 1857443306 2004 hardcover, ISBN 1857443713 2004: Benko, Pal, and Silman, Jeremy: Pal Benko: My Life, Games, and Compositions (2003) 2003 paperback, ISBN 1890085081 2005: Kasparov, Garry: My Great Predecessors, Part IV (2005) 2004 hardcover, ISBN 1857443950 2006: van Perlo, G.C.: Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics (2006) 2006 paperback, ISBN 9056911686 \----------------------------- RECID (record ID): HRHR4F keyword: chessbooklist, chess book list, web, booklist ead-recommended (mostly) chess books % wget -w 15 --random-wait --user-agent="" -i in.txt -O out.htm /-----------------------------# begin chessbooklist ##---## ## A ## ##---## o Aagaard, Jacob: Excelling at Chess (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857442731 ChessCafe Book of the Year 2002; cf. o Aagaard, Jacob: Excelling at Chess Calculation (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443608 Positive review by Rick Kennedy at: . Did that "Train" thing in the beginning of this review scare you away from Aagaard? Sorry. My bad. You still have to calculate, you know. Try Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess and see if that helps. Look at C.J.S. Purdy's writings in The Search for Chess Perfection and see if his method of thinking is useful to you. Enjoy Soltis' The Inner Game of Chess: How to Calculate and Win--it's a keeper. Sooner or later, though, if you strive after excellence, when you're ready, you'll come back to Aagaard. o Aagaard, Jacob: Excelling at Combinational Play (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443455 o Aagaard, Jacob: Excelling at Positional Chess (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443257 o Aagaard, Jacob: Excelling at Technical Chess (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443646 Positive review by Rick Kennedy at: o Aagaard, Jacob: Practical Chess Defence (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9789197524445 Positive review by Dennis Monokroussos at: . "3. Jacob Aagaard has been giving Mark Dvoretsky a run for his money as the best producer of quality training materials, and his newest book, Practical Chess Defence, is yet another excellent work. After two chapters presenting various aspects of chess defense (chapter 1: psychological aspects; chapter 2: particular defensive/thinking techniques), the reader is faced with 200 exercises divided into four levels: Warming Up (30 exercises), Level 1 (41 exercises, requiring primarily the "ability to find candidate moves/ideas and to spot the differences between seem- ingly equal opportunities"), Level 2 (74 exercises requiring primarily persistent calculation), and Level 3 (55 really tough exercises). It's a terrific book for ambitious players, but I don't recommend it for typical club players unless they are con- cerned with Aagaard's quality of life: they will get discouraged quickly and shelve the book for good." o Adams, Bill, and Adams, Michael: Chess in the Fast Lane http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441321 Positive reader review at: . 5 stars Unknown gem, May 20, 2003 Reviewer: chessgeek1 (United States) This is an excellent collection of games annotated by one of the top 10 players in the world, Mickey Adams. The games are great, and feature lots of openings that you don't often see in the game collections from the top GMs, but that you see a lot in your own internet games: Benko Gambit, Pirc, Modern, Smith-Morra, Giocuo Piano, Trompowsky, Wade Defense, and a host of Sicilians and Ruy Lopezes. I have found this book to be most useful and entertain- ing. The annotations are crisp and to the point. They remind me a little of Fischer's annotations, though Adams uses more words than Fischer. Excellent production by Cadogan: crisp, white paper, lots of diagrams, two-column format. In my opinion, this book would be more in demand if it were better known. o Adams, Bill, and Adams, Michael: Michael Adams: Development of a Grandmaster (1991 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080378022 Positive reader reviews at . 5 stars Excellent!!, June 7, 2004 Reviewer: A reader The negative review from Moscow was, in my opinion, very unfair. This is one of my favorite chess books. It shows how Adams' play developed through his childhood through maturity. True, it does not address some of the points that the Moscow reviewer notes, but why do reviewers rate books so much based on the title? This is a games collection by a top GM, annotating his own games. Adams is succinct, instructive, blunt, and he plays a universal e4-reper- toire that is woderful for the average player to emulate. I have over 500 chess books, and this and its sequel, "Chess in the Fast Lane" have emerged over time as two of my favorite games-collec- tion books. They are very worth having, especially for the cheap used price you can find. I will not part with my copies. In fact, I have this book in my briefcase with me at work today! 5 stars Amazing!, May 29, 2003 Reviewer: chessgeek1 (United States) A wonderful and unique chess journey through Michael Adams career, as told by his father, with all the games annotated by Michael. Many of his first competitive games are here, and you see him make typical mistakes that we all make, when he was 8 and 9 years old. Then you see him improve steadily. It is a marvelous thing to see this type of progression in a book. Most game collections by GMS just have them destroying other GMs. This is the only book I can think of that shows a GMs early games, played when he was a mere mortal. This is not ony very instructive, but somewhere in the book is the transition in play from an intermediate club player to a GM. The lessons are there for you to absorb. It is a beautifully written and annotated book. I think it belongs on everyone's shelf, and that it, along with its sequel, Chess in the Fast Lane, have been seriously overlooked by the masses of chess players. Because of this, you can get each of them cheap used, and I suggest that you snatch them up while this book can still be found. Adams comes across very much as a normal guy, and this book, in addition to its inherent strengths, also gives hope to the aspiring player that with hard work, he can improve! Highly recommended. non-chess book o Adobe Creative Team: Adobe Photoshop CS2: Classroom in a Book (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780321321848 Many positive reviews at: . o Alburt, Lev: Chess Training Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas (2000 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323145 Alburt, Lev: Chess Training Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323046 This is Volume 6 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Alburt, Lev, and Palatnik, Sam: Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323053 This is Volume 5 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Alburt, Lev, and Palatnik, Sam: The King in Jeopardy (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323138 Alburt, Lev, and Palatnik, Sam: The King in Jeopardy (1996 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323039 This is Volume 4 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Alburt, Lev, and Krogius, Nikolay: Winning Chess Endgames: Just the Facts (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323152 This is Volume 7 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Alekhine, Alexander, and Nunn, John: Alexander Alekhine's Best Games (1996 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780805047233 On the top chess book list featured at The Essential Chess Library by NM Michael Fletcher at: . o Alekhine, Alexander: My Best Games of Chess 1908-1937 (1985) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486249414 o Alekhine, Alexander: My Best Games of Chess, 1924-1937 (1969) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679140245 o Anand, Viswanathan: My Best Games of Chess (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983548 Anand, Viswanathan: My Best Games of Chess (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983005 BCF Book of the Year Award 1998, cf. . Review at: . Glowing review by Soren Sogaard at: "A modern classic" and "A must-buy" and "One of the best game collections I have seen so far." o Ashley, Maurice: Chess for Success (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780767915687 Review by Rick Kennedy at: . o Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge, ??? ed (1993 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857440225 Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge, 2nd ed (1987 hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080320502 Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge, 2nd ed (1987 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080320458 Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge (1966) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080118222 Called "a classic" by chesscafe.com, and the book has gone through multiple editions since 1966 when it first appeared. o Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441253 o Averbakh, Yuri: Chess Tactics for Advanced Players (1992) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780875682181 o Averbakh, Iu: Comprehensive Chess Endings (1987 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269108 Averbakh, Iu: Comprehensive Chess Endings (1983 hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269009 Averbakh, Iu: Comprehensive Chess Endings (1987 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080320489 o Averbakh, Yuri, and Neat, Kenneth P.: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Bishop Endings Knight Endings, Volume #1 (1989) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080268996 Averbakh, Yuri, and Neat, K.P.: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Bishop Against Knight Endings Rook Against Minor Piece Endings, Volume #2 (1985 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269023 Averbackh, Yuri, and Neat, Kenneth P., Comprehensive Chess Endings: Bishop Against Knight Endings Rook Against Minor Piece Endings, Volume #2 (1989 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269016 o Averbakh, Yuri: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Pawn Endings, Volume #4 (1987 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269061 Averbakh, Yuri: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Pawn Endings, Volume #4 (1987 paper) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080320434 o Averbakh, Yuri: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Queen and Pawn Endings Queen Against Rook Endings Queen Against Minor Piece Endings, Vol. Volume #3 (1989 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269030 Averbakh, Yuri: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Queen and Pawn Endings Queen Against Rook Endings Queen Against Minor Piece Endings, Vol. Volume #3 (1986 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269047 o Averbakh, Uyri, and Kopayev, Nikolai: Comprehensive Chess Endings: Rook Endings, Volume #5 (1988) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080269085 ##---## ## B ## ##---## o Barden, Leonard: Modern Chess Miniatures (1977) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486235417 non-chess book o Beardsley, John, et al.: The Quilts of Gee's Bend (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780965376648 o Beim, Valeri: Chess Recipes from the Grandmaster's Kitchen (2002 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983555 Positive review by John Donaldson at: . GM Beim's book is an interesting and original work. It's not a hefty tome, but the chapters on the technique of analyzing and inverse thinking in chess are worth the price of admission alone. This is not a stand-alone instructional work the way Hall's is, but there is much food for thought for players 2000-2400. Positive mention of the book by John Donaldson at: . When I was a 1900 player in high school, I remember going through the first book of Euwe and Kramer's two-volume work on the middlegame and the Dover edition of Pachmann's MODERN CHESS STRATEGY. Working through them cover to cover I learned a tre- mendous amount and quickly found myself heading towards 2200. Until recently, the old cannons - Kramer and Euwe, Pachmann and Fine - were all the aspiring student had to work with. There have been remarkably few comprehensive middlegame books written in the last forty years. That's changed recently. One recent welcome addition to the field is LESSONS IN CHESS STRATEGY. The author of the well received CHESS RECIPES FROM THE GRANDMASTERS KITCHEN (click to see Donaldson's and Bauer's reviews of this book), Beim has produced a work which combines the old classics with new examples. Lukewarm review by Randy Bauer at: . Rather lukewarm review by Carsten Hansen at: . "Overall, too many of the examples are rather familiar, while, rather surprisingly, the book seems to lack a common thread. Although we know that the author is quite ambitious from the introduction, unfortunately, the book just doesn't deliver; it has a few bursts of energy, but overall it fails to impress." o Beim, Valeri: How to Calculate Chess Tactics (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600503 Very positive review by Derek Grimmell at: . Perhaps the least common thing in chess literature is a grand- master who reveals exactly what he or she really thinks. When they appear, books of that sort can advance the entire game, or at least the teaching thereof. Kotov advanced the field with his book, and Beim's effort to build on Kotov bears the same signs of deep, patient analysis and astute observation that made Kotov's works essential reading for strong players. This is not a book for everyone. It is a professional work for budding professionals. It would probably confuse the intermediate player, and might well frighten the novice. The target audience is clearly those who have already developed some tactical and strategic acumen - say, an ELO rating within 200 points of the 2000 mark - and who must now discipline their thought processes to improve the accuracy with which they implement their plans. Yermo- linsky correctly pointed out that, beyond a rating of about 1800, progress depends largely on motivation. Yet motivation alone is not enough; one must also have good ideas. Beim shares with us a set of tools that, once mastered, appear well-designed for rapid, effective calculation in the critical positions that separate the master from the amateur. It is a worthy contribution to chess literature, and a challenging and intriguing read. o Beim, Valeri: Lessons in Chess Strategy (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983937 Positive review by John Donaldson at: . When I was a 1900 player in high school, I remember going through the first book of Euwe and Kramer's two-volume work on the middle- game and the Dover edition of Pachmann's MODERN CHESS STRATEGY. Working through them cover to cover I learned a tremendous amount and quickly found myself heading towards 2200. Until recently, the old cannons - Kramer and Euwe, Pachmann and Fine - were all the aspiring student had to work with. There have been remarkably few comprehensive middlegame books written in the last forty years. That's changed recently. One recent welcome addition to the field is LESSONS IN CHESS STRATEGY. The author of the well received CHESS RECIPES FROM THE GRANDMASTERS KITCHEN (click to see Donaldson's and Bauer's reviews of this book), Beim has produced a work which combines the old classics with new examples. For example, in the chapter on the isolated center pawn, such classic games as Smyslov-Karpov USSR Championship 1971 and Korchnoi-Karpov World Championship 1981, are given alongside the contemporary example Donchev-Eingorn Debrecen 1992. Beim has arranged his material in nine chapters (The Geometry of the Chessboard, The Major Pieces, The Isolated Center Pawn, The Central Passed Pawn, The Space Advantage, Zugzwang, The Bishop Pair, Symmetrical Pawn-Structures, and Static and Dynamic Fea- tures). What makes this book especially valuable are the 124 exer- cises given to test the reader's understanding. These exercises come with full and detailed solutions. o Bellin, Robert, and Ponzetto, Pietro: Test Your Positional Play (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713446265 Bellin, Robert, and Ponzetto, Pietro: Test Your Positional Play (1985) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780020280903 Positive mention on: . o Benko, Pal, and Silman, Jeremy: Pal Benko: My Life, Games, and Compositions (2004 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085087 2004 British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award. 2004 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . non-chess book o Blatner, David, and Kvern, Olav Martin: Real World InDesign CS2 (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780321322029 Positive recommendation by Pariah S. Burke on: . For proven shop hows, whys, and whens of using InDesign, get Real World InDesign CS, written by Olav Martin Kvern and David Blatner. o BLOKH, Maxim: 600 Combinations ISBN 5900713164 This is an abbreviated version of Blokh's Combinational Motifs - a dedicated approach to a detailed classification of combinational motifs - tactical weaknesses in a position, particular features of piece placement and cooperation - that offer the opportunity to find and execute a combination. The detailed table of contents facili- tates finding good theoretical examples when a coach prepares for chess lessons, while less experienced players can use the index as a subtle hint in solving the more difficult exercises. A unique fea- ture of the work is the use of positions with separate solutions for "White to play and win" and "Black to play and win". o Blokh, Maxim: The Art of Combination (1994) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781879479180 o Blokh, Maxim: Combinative Motifs (2006) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889846699 o Bo Hansen, Lars: Foundations of Chess Strategy: Applying Business Methods to Chess Preparation and Training (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600268 Exceedingly positive recommendation from Michael Jeffreys at: . Up until just a few years ago, there weren't a whole lot of "chess strategy" books to choose from. Euwe's two books on the middlegame as well as Romanovsky's come to mind, as well as Silman's efforts and a handful of others. Tactics and opening manuals were the darlings of the chess publishers throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. However, over the last several years, there have been quite a few books out on Strategy. There's Secrets of Positional Chess by Drazen Marovic, Improve Your Positional Chess by Carsten Hansen, Lessons in Chess Strategy by Valeri Beim, and Creative Chess Strategy by Alfonso Romero, to name but a few (all put out by Gambit, I might add, which puts them at the forefront of chess publishers these days). And now we can add this latest effort by Lars Bo Hansen, a GM from Denmark (must be something in the water, as it seems like this part of the world produces more than its share of talented play- ers) who is attempting to break new ground in his book, Founda- tions of Chess Strategy (Applying Business Methods to Chess Pre- paration and Training). Since Hansen's background is in business economics, his goal is to instruct the reader on how to utilize key business strategies to make oneself a better chess player. From the back cover: The theory of business strategy is extensively developed, and Hansen adopts the novel approach of investigating whether any of the vast amounts of research and modeling done for business purposes can be applied to chess. He finds that there are indeed many useful parallels, and focuses on how these ideas can be used to good effect by chess players, both in their preparations and when making over-the-board decisions. This is quite an ambitious effort, to say the least. Whenever an author tries to mesh two separate disciplines, the results can either produce a classic, such as Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel, or a mess, such as The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson. Where does Hansen's effort fall? Well, to be honest I had my doubts going in (as those of you who have read my reviews in the past know all too well!). However, I have been so pleasantly surprised by how deep, rich, and original Hansen's ideas are. If you are serious at all about improving your game, all I can tell you is don't walk, RUN to the bookstore (or better yet, click on the link at the bottom of this review), and purchase this book! As my title ("The Book of the Year?") to this review indicates, I consider this book to be a very strong candidate for "Book of the Year," and I feel that GM Lars Bo Hansen should be quite proud of this landmark work he has given the chess world. On a scale of 1-10, Foundations of Chess Strategy gets a well deserved 10. o Bo Hansen, Lars: Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600442 Shortlisted for 2006 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year at: . (visited 2007.03.09) Very positive recommendation by Michael Jeffreys at: . Hansen has succeeded in putting out another winner. The oversized, double-column book is beautifully produced by Gambit and contains plenty of diagrams. Hansen's examples are clear and his writing lucid. A careful reading of, thinking about, and playing through of the positions contained within this book is virtually guaran- teed to significantly improve not just your endgame play, but your entire understanding of the game of chess. On a scale of 1-10, Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy gets a 9. o Bohm, Hans, and Jongkind, Kees: Bobby Fischer: The Wandering King (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489354 Review by David Surratt at: . Positive review by Randy Bauer at: . o Bronstein, David: 200 Open Games (1992) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486268576 Bronstein, David: 200 Open Games (1974) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713404104 o Bronstein, David: Chess Struggle in Practice (1980 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679141525 Bronstein, David, and Hochberg, Burt: The Chess Struggle in Practice (1978 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679130642 Note: This edition is said not to use algebraic notation. o Bronstein, David: The Modern Chess Self-Tutor (1995) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441369 Very mixed review by Dave Regis at: . In short, there is no sense that the book has been edited with sufficient vigour. You can probably get better instruction for your money from other books, whatever your standard, but if you fancy an interesting chat over some striking combinations with your favourite uncle, this is fine. o Bronstein, David, Furstenberg, Tom: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441512 Review by Dave Regis at: . Positive review by Geoff Chandler at: . o Bronstein, David: Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953 (1979) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486238005 o Burgess, Graham: Chess (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780785815167 Burgess, Graham: The Mammoth Book of Chess (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786707256 Reprint of BCF Book of the Year Award winner 1997 "The Mammoth Book of Chess"; cf. . o Burgess, Graham: The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786714117 Burgess, Graham: The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786705870 Burgess, Graham: The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786704316 Favorable review by John Watson at: . "In the last few years, Burgess has written some lighter works, co-authored Nunn's Chess Openings, and turned his attention to historical themes. He was project editor for 'The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games', annotating fully half of the 100 games in it and allocating 25 apiece to co-authors Nunn and Emms. The book is a presentation of the games from 1834 to 1998 that the authors consider the 'greatest' in chess history. As it turns out, 'greatest' doesn't just consist of the quality of the play, but includes the criteria of 'historical significance' (which in some cases seems to mean 'fame'), and 'instructive value', another rather subjective criterion. While the book's title may not be literally reflected in the choice of games, it's value as an absorbing survey is enhanced by this approach. Because what we end up with, rather than simply beautiful or complicated battles, is a captivating and informative look at the history of chess. Indeed, each game is introduced by a biographical sketch of the players, some historical context, and a general description of the play. At the end of each game, a section of 'lessons' outline a few simple concepts that the student can focus on. In general, since the games are so well-known, the book is best suited for the young and upcoming player, who should be especially inspired by their first exposure to these monumental struggles. A mass-market book of low physical quality, its price is quite modest for 560 pages, and I think this would be a terrific gift for a young en- thusiast. But the rest of us can also derive a lot from this book, even beyond the obvious pleasure of revisiting the classics. What makes this book really stand out for me (and the reason that I'm writing about it at such a late date) is the game analysis. These are some of the most famous games in chess history, most of them annotated innumerable times, yet the authors consistently find significant improvements upon earlier published analysis. I am in the middle of a project that involves looking at numerous of these games, and have also had occasion to refer to 'The World's Greatest Chess Games' while doing research. Each time, I have found that by far the best and most interesting analysis was given by Burgess, Nunn and Emms, improving upon notes by world champions and leading writers, notes which were sometimes uncritically passed on for generations. The improvements, furthermore, are not only the out- put of some silicon brain (although that contribution is clearly important), but part of an effort to approach each game freshly and uninfluenced by the received wisdom. Now this is very similar to what John Nunn has done with some classic books (Alekhine's games, 'The Art of Attack', and others). In those cases, however, there was always the potential issue of interfering excessively with what the original author said, however flawed that may have been; one is grateful for the corrections, but disturbed by the notion that the author's book has been taken from him. In the case before us, no such problem exists (in fact, the games are mostly annotated without much reference to earlier annotators' errors). Thus, this book makes a real contribution to the historical liter- ature of the game, one I personally find far more compelling than corrections of name spellings and whether a game was played in one year or another." o Burgess, Graham: The Quickest Chess Victories of All Time (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857445381 ##---## ## C ## ##---## o CHERNEV, Irving: Combinations: The Heart of Chess (1967) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486217444 o CHERNEV, Irving: Logical Chess: Move by Move (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713484649 o CHERNEV, Irving: Winning Chess Traps (1979) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679140375 o CLARKE, P.H.: 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486408446 Positive reviews by readers at: . Joseph L. Pe, Schaumburg, IL: "The games in this book are exciting and beautiful, and the annotations are informative and entertaining. The players (relatively unknown Soviet masters) rarely make obvious mistakes, and their games exhibit a very high degree of creativity and imagination. This is a charming book to have, a great addition to anyone's chess library. Many thanks to Dover Publications for an inexpensive, attractive reprint of a terrific game collection!" A reader: "I first read this book in 1972 or 1973. Seeing that it was back in print, I bought a copy last month and had just as much fun with it as I did the first time I read it. This time I went through all the games with a strong computer program. There are 100 games in this book, and there are around 300 major analytical errors, but they don't detract from the enjoyment of the games, nor from the overall high quality of the writing." non-chess book o COFFEY, Geoff, and PROSSER, Susan: FileMaker Pro 8: The Missing Manual (2004 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780596005795 non-chess book o COHEN, Dennis, and SCHWARTZ, Steven: FileMaker Pro 8 Bible (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780471777083 non-chess book o COHEN, Dennis, and SCHWARTZ, Steven: FileMaker Pro 8.5 Bible (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780470082775 o CROUCH, Colin: How to Defend in Chess (2007 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600831 CROUCH, Colin: How to Defend in Chess (2000 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857442502 Exceptionally positive recommendation from John WATSON at: . "...his original concept is to center the discussion around the play of two world champions, Lasker and Petrosian. Crouch believes that these two players have fundamentally different defensive styles. Lasker's defense tended to be active and opportunistic. Crouch claims that "Lasker's greatest skill in defense was his ability to render a normal (inferior) position chaotic." By con- trast, he characterizes Petrosian's play by its key features: (a) patience: "he...was free of the moral obligation to be doing something;" (b) he had a "positionally defensive style rather than an initiative-seeking positional style;" (c) prophylaxis: "concen- trating on ensuring that, as far as possible, no opponent is al- lowed any meaningful advantage on any contested part of the board... The prophylactic player would be thinking in terms of complexes of squares here, and not just single squares." Crouch's concise, eloquent description of balance in chess (which partially applies to both players, I think): "For peace of mind, one needs to ensure that pieces have, both actually and potentially, both attacking and defensive roles." How to Defend in Chess is an anal- ytical book that reevaluates games by these greats, ones which are often familiar or very famous. Crouch presents several very inter- esting games, however, that are neglected in the anthologies and books on strategy. Apart from research and analysis, each game has a great deal of absorbing discussion in and around it, beginning with its background (e.g., competitive and biographical), and involving positional, tactical and strategic ideas, quite apart from those relating directly to defense. Before continuing, I think that I'd better emphasize how much I enjoy and admire this effort. Crouch is obviously fully engaged in and excited by his material. The examples are brilliantly chosen, and the annotations are well thought out, as is his approach and philosophy. One needs to have a little discipline to fully appreciate and learn from this book. But even a casual reader can pick up a lot just by playing through the main moves and reading the author's comments. ...the essence of this work is the meticulous care he gives to presenting every aspect of games that he obviously loves. His choice of examples is brilliant, his analysis thorough, and his comments at least stimulating and often more. I very much recom- mend this effort and I think it ranks among the very best books of the last few years." Very favorable review by Jeremy SILMAN at: . "Like it or not, defense is a major part of chess, but it's a skill that very few of us have ever really nurtured. Looking at the available literature, this problem is exacerbated by the scarcity of available books on the subject. In the old The Art of the Middlegame by Keres and Kotov, Keres presents a wonderful section on defending difficult positions. In 1975, Andy Soltis gave us more to chew on with his excellent The Art of Defense in Chess. Some years later (1988) we got another good book with the exact same title (The Art of Defence in Chess), this time by Polugayevsky and Damsky. Note that the Soltis book incorporated the American spelling of the word defense, while the Polugayevsky book used the English spelling (defence). In 1998, Dvoretsky gave us Attack and Defence, though the section on defense was only fifty pages. This, too, was a good piece of work, and one might suppose that enough is enough, what's left to say about such a "boring" subject? Now, in 2000, we get Colin Crouch's How to Defend in Chess (notice how his title carefully avoids the defense with an "s" compared to defence with a "c" question), a book that is so well thought out, so well written, so interesting, and so instructive (no, Colin didn't bribe me to say these things!), that it made me pack up the previously mentioned tomes in favor of this one fascinating title. Clearly, Crouch is using a very different approach than the two "Art of" titles (both of which worked with specific chapter themes). His book is less compartmentalized, but more readable and far more flowing. Instead of leaping from player to player and example to example, he tries to get into the heads of Lasker and Petrosian, and he uses whole games so you can see how the situation developed, and how they saved themselves from danger or, in many cases, from a veritable abyss. An excellent addition to any chess library, Mr.Crouch gives us, in one book, instruction, a history lesson, many deeply annotated games, and excellent glimpses into the lives and art of two chess greats." ##---## ## D ## ##---## o Damsky, Iakov: The Heavy Pages in Action (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857440546 Positive review by Jeremy Silman at: . This interesting book covers an area of the game that has been largely ignored, namely the strategies and tactics surrounding the Rooks and Queens. Subjects like "The Back Rank," "The Seventh Rank," "Different Types of Coordination," and my favorite section, "The Wrong Rook," are covered in detail. Though Mr. Damsky gives a lot of prose in his efforts to explain each different theme, the real strength of the book comes from his excellent choice of examples, many of which I wasn't familiar with. This is an important middlegame book, and one that will expose any player to a deep, subtle form of chess that many of us aren't used to seeing (it makes us realize how even the most obviously good moves sometimes miss the mark). An excellent addition to any library. o De Firmian, Nick, and Korn, Walter: Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14 (1999 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812930832 De Firmian, Nick, and Korn, Walter: Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14 (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812930849 o Del Rosario, Frisco: A First Book Of Morphy (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781412039062 A review by Kerry Lawless at: . o Denker, Arnold, and Parr, Larry: The Bobby Fischer I Knew (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781843820802 Denker, Arnold, and Parr, Larry: The Bobby Fischer I Knew (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781886040182 1996 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . o Donaldson, John, and Minev, Nikolay: The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (2007 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888690293 o du Mont, J.: 200 Miniature Games of Chess: Combinations in the Openings (1965) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007EI4TI/ du Mont, J.: 200 Miniature Games of Chess: Combinations in the Openings (1965) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007EMLE2/ Du Mont, J.: 200 Miniature Games of Chess (1942 hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000NV9DXQ/ du Mont, J.: 200 Miniature Games of Chess: Combinations in the Openings (1942) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GR9J6S/ o Dumont, Julius: Basis of Combination in Chess (1978 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486236445 o Dunnington, Angus: Mastering the Middlegame (2001) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857442281 Balanced review by Brian Karen at: . Dunnington reveals the book's objective in the introduction: "This book is designed to help the student of the game sit at the board with more confidence, armed with the appreciation of a number of important practical aspects of the middlegame... I have accumulated a selection of practical examples that can be seen in tournament halls everywhere, with an emphasis on how this or that factor might be applied in our own experience." These are appropriate introductory remarks because they show that this book is primarily about the 62 examples contained in its 144 pages. The examples are excellent because they are memorable, well played, and sharp. They add to the literature in that they are re- cent, almost all played within the last decade. Instead of seeing the same Capablanca or Botvinnik textbook positions, the reader watches modern stars such as Leko and Kramnik, as well as rela- tively unknown Grandmasters, shine. Each example is prefaced by two diagrams, one showing the initial position and the other show- ing the game a few moves later. The examples are approximately fifteen to twenty moves in length, with Dunnington providing good, if not exhaustive, variations for each major alternative. They are grouped according to theme. These themes are attacking the king, defending, opening lines, using the pieces, using the pawns, and a miscellaneous section that discusses creating and using outposts, the color complex, piece placement, and complex situations. The examples are advanced and will be hard to understand for players rated below 1800. Dunnington has tips, notes and comments scattered across each example and summaries at the end of each chapter. [...] I should mention that some of the comments are helpful but books written by the authors I mentioned earlier provide much better verbal expla- nations. Especially, Silman for those under 2100 and Dvoretsky for those over 2100. This book is about the examples not the advice. If you are a strong player looking for practice positions to sharpen your game, or have finished a great Silman or Watson book and want to practice newly acquired ideas, or someone who believes that the best way to improve in chess is to study many positions - then buy this book. However, if you want a strong author to show you how to think about the middlegame, to give you good rules and advice, to give you a new perspective on chess, then you are ad- vised to look elsewhere. Middling review by Soren Sogaard at: . The author has succeeded in writing a practical book about the middlegame containing a lot of positions from play over the board. Although the examples are good and instructive it is not clear to me how much the student will benefit from reading this book. The examples are nice, but the author only deals with themes like "The Power of the d-pawn" and "The Pawn Break" on only four pages each. This also goes for the other themes throughout the book. This is only enough to give the reader a little knowledge of how to deal with the different types of positions. At the end of each chapter there is four exercises. Recommended to players up to ELO 1900. o Dunnington, Angus: Understanding the Sacrifice (2002 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443127 Very positive review by Jeremy Silman at: . "Dunnington's UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICE is a fantastic book. Players of all strengths will get a lot of pleasure from it, and they will gain a far deeper understanding of both tactical and positional concepts." Very positive review by John Donaldson at: . I came across this book while searching for reviews of Chess College Strategy by Estratios Grivas. It was mentioned favorably in a lukewarm review of that book by S. Evan Kreider at: : "The next thing to notice is the wide variety of topics for such a short book. There seem to be three major categories: attacking, sacrifices (of the non-combinational variety), and strategic elements such as files, outposts, etc. All of these three things could be a topic for their own whole books -- in fact, they are! Vukovic's Art of Attack in Chess comes to mind, as do Spielmann's and Dunnington's books on sacrifice." o Dvoretsky, Mark, and Yusupov, Artur: Attack and Defence: How Creative Thought Develops in a Chess Player (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713482140 o Dvoretsky, Mark: Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (2006) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888690286 Dvoretsky, Mark: Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888690194 o Dvoretsky, Mark: School of Chess Excellence 1: Endgame Analysis (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9783283004163 solid review by Allan Holst ("This book is an enlarged edition of "Secrets of Chess Training", which Dvoretsky wrote some years ago (Batsford 1991). It is the first in a new series from Edition Olms, where according to plan four books will appear. Although I am happy for my signed version of the old edition, it is also a pleasure for me to review this enlarged and improved new version. The books to follow will cover tactical play, positional play and opening developments.") at: o Dvoretsky, Mark, and Neat, Ken: School of Chess Excellence 2: Tactical Play (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9783283004170 solid review ("an outstanding book") by Pelle Bank at: o Dvoretsky, Mark: School of Chess Excellence 3: Strategic Play (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9783283004187 Positive review by Allan Holst at: . "Yet another great Dvoretsky book." Very positive review by Don Aldrich at: . "All in all, this is a smashing good read, and probably the most accessible for players of all classes of all the books Dvoretsky has put out. It will absorb virtually as much work as one wants to put into it, and one will actually begin to see the fruits of these efforts in his games. Every serious player should study this book. Highly recommended." o Dvoretsky, Mark: School of Chess Excellence 4: Opening Developments, Vol. Volume #4 (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9783283004194 Positive review by Jesper Lauridsen at: . "High quality annotation in the usual Dvoretsky style." o Dvoretsky, Mark: Secrets of Chess Tactics (1993) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780805026306 o Dvoretsky, Mark: Secrets of Chess Training (2006) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9783283005153 Dvoretsky, Mark: Secrets of Chess Training (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713462876 Dvoretsky, Mark: Secrets of Chess Training (1991) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780020081821 BCF Book of the Year 1991; cf.: . o Dvoretsky, Mark: Technique for the Tournament Player (1995) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780805039009 Positive review by Hanon Russell at . o Dvoretsky, Mark: Training for the Tournament Player (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713472387 Dvoretskii, M.I.: Training for the Tournament Player (1993) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780805029420 ##---## ## E ## ##---## o Edmonds, David, and Eidinow, John: Bobby Fischer Goes to War: The True Story of How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time (2004 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0060510242 Edmonds, David, and Eidinow, John: Bobby Fischer Goes to War: The True Story of How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0060510250 Edmonds, David, and Eidinow, John: Bobby Fischer Goes to War: The True Story of How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0571214118 review by David Surratt at: non-chess book o Emmerson, Gordon: Ego State Therapy (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1904424007 o Emms, John: Concise Chess (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857443276 positive review ("As a study guide for the beginner though, this little book excels") by David Surratt at: o Emms, John: The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/190198334X o Euwe, Max, and Meiden, Walter: Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur (1994 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486279472 o Euwe, Max: Judgment and Planning in Chess (1980 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679143253 Positive recommendation by Bruce Pandolfini on : "Good books on chess strategy are another matter. The choices are not yet as great here, but they're starting to mushroom as well. There are a bunch of strategic books that ninety percent of masters and teachers endorse, probably by force of habit, or because these books are supposed to be great. For example, practically everyone recommends Nimzovich's My System and Chess Praxis without thinking about the student's particular needs. You might want to take a look at them, as well as Kmoch's Pawn Power in Chess, Development of Chess Style by Euwe and Nunn, Pawn Struc- ture Chess by Soltis, Modern Ideas in Chess and Masters of the Chessboard, both by Reti, The Middlegame Books by Euwe and Kramer, Judgment and Planning in Chess by Euwe, Petrosian's Legacy by Petrosian, and Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess. You should also get your hands on Romanovky's Chess Middlegame Planning for strategy and his Chess Middlegame Combinations for tactics. A few of the classic game collections could also prove beneficial, es- pecially My Best Games of Chess by Alekhine, One Hundred Selected Games and Soviet Chess Championship by Botvinnik, The Chess Strug- gle in Practice by Bronstein, My 60 Memorable Games by Fischer, and Tal's brilliant account of the Botvinnik-Tal World Champion- ship of 1960. Finally, you might consider acquiring copies of the new books by Yermolinsky and Watson, both of which are fast becom- ing classics in their own right." o Euwe, Max, and Nunn, John: The Development of Chess Style (1997 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479664 Euwe, Max: The Development of Chess Style (1978 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/067914045X o Evans, Larry: 100 Easy Checkmates (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781580421218 o Evans, Larry: Chess Catechism (1973 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780671215316 Evans, Larry: Chess Catechism (1970 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780671204914 o Evans, Larry: Modern Middlegame Lessons (1994) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0875682138 positive mention on: ##---## ## F ## ##---## o Fauber, Richard: Impact of Genius: Five Hundred Years of Grandmaster Chess (1992 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479044 o Fine, R.: The Middle Game in Chess (1952) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0679140212 o Fine, R., and Hochberg, Burt: The Middle Game in Chess (2003) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0812934849 Hochberg is alleged to have butchered this Fine work. o Fischer, Bobby: My 60 Memorable Games (1972 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0671214837 Fischer, Bobby: My 60 Memorable Games (1989 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0571099874 o Flear, Glenn: Grandmaster Chess (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441001 no reviews found; book seen in Book Buyers bookstore in Mountain View, CA o Flear, Glenn: Improve Your Endgame Play (2000) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442466 see "Flear, Glenn: Mastering the Endgame" for some statements about this book; negative review by Hanon Russell at: o Flear, Glenn: Mastering the Endgame (2001) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442334 positive review by Soren Sogaard ("The best book of the three! Glenn Flear wrote the book "Improve your Endgame Play" last year and this one is a worthy follow-up. Glenn Flear has written an interesting and very good book for those who have learned the basics of the endgames. It is not a book about endgame theory, but includes many examples categorized in the chapters you can see above. Glenn Flear's way of explaining the different endgames is very instructive and he has included a lot of his own games. At the end of each chapter there is four exercises. Recommended to players with ELO 1500-2100.") at: o Fogel, Dan: Blondie24: Playing at the Edge of AI (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1558607838 o Forrester, Tony: Vintage Forrester: Selected Writings from the Daily Telegraph (1998) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713482923 I can't find any reviews of this book. o Franco, Zenon: Chess Self-Improvement (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600299 Very positive recommendation by John Donaldson at: . CHESS SELF-IMPROVEMENT continues Gambit Publishing's successful trend of publishing new authors for the English language market. Franco, who learned his chess in Argentina -- a country with a rich chess heritage -- was particularly fond of the "guessing of moves" competitions that were popular in his youth. Good memories of these encouraged him to write columns along the lines of soli- taire chess in El Rey, Jaque and Torre & Cavallo Scacco! This book is based on the best of these columns. Solitaire chess is nothing new. I.A. Horowitz made it a long run- ning feature in Chess Review. What makes CHESS SELF-IMPROVEMENT go well beyond this is the quality of the material. Recommended. Positive review by Derek Grimmell at: . Middling review by Michael Jeffreys at: . ##---## ## G ## ##---## o GALLAGHER, Joe: 365 Ways to Checkmate (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983951 Positive review by John DONALDSON at . o GAPRINDASHVILI, Paata: Imagination in Chess: How to Think Creatively and Avoid Foolish Mistakes (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713488913 o GELFER, Israel: Positional Chess Handbook (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486419495 GELFER, Israel: Positional Chess Handbook (1992) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/002028831X o GIDDINS, Steve: 50 Essential Chess Lessons (2006 paperback) Shortlisted for 2006 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year at: (visited 2007.03.09) Positive recommendation by NM Dan HEISMAN (book is #5 of 7 of his recommended instructive game anthologies) at: . Very positive review by Michael JEFFREYS at: . ...a truly outstanding book. I can't imagine any 1200-1800 player not learning a tremendous amount from going through these games. Positive review by Chessbug at: . Highly recommended for 1200-2000 players seeking for a game col- lection, especially those who would like to improve their under- standing in middlegame pawn-structures. Giddins tried to update Chernev's Most Instructive Chess Games but he outdid his teacher. Very positive review by Richard ROSEBOROUGH at: . With 50 Essential Chess Lessons, Steve Giddins has taken inspiration from Irving Chernev's The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played and produced an excellent primer of positional play for the novice to intermediate player. His thoughtful selec- tion and arrangement of games, and his clear and instructive anno- tations put this book at the top of the list of annotated collec- tions for the developing player. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600411 o GIDDINS, Steve: 101 Chess Endgame Tips (2007 paperback) Positive review by Steve GOLDBERG at: . A number of excellent books on the endgame have been published in recent years, with new offerings continuing to appear. What I like about Giddins' 101 Chess Endgame Tips is his concise writing, clear analysis and brevity. He makes his points quickly and moves on. It's easy to actually *use* this book. For the player rated about 1800 or below, this text will serve as an easy and efficient introduction to or review of the most common endgame problems he or she needs to master in order to move on to the next level. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600664 o GLIGORIC, Svetozar, et al.: Understanding the Open Games (1980) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0890580502 o GUFELD, Eduard: Leonid Stein: Master of Risk Strategy (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0938650548 glowing review by Soren SOGAARD at: . Recommended to all chesslovers who want to learn more about a great chessplayer, and at the same time like having a high-class game collection. ##---## ## H ## ##---## o Hall, Jesper: Chess Training for Budding Champions (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983471 positive review by Soren Sogaard ("Recommended for the serious student, and it is indeed a very useful book if you are a chesstrainer!) at: o Hallman, J.C., The Chess Artist (hardcover 2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0312272936 Hallman, J.C., The Chess Artist (paperback 2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/031233396X o Harding, Tim: Better Chess for Average Players (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486290298 o Hartson, William: Teach Yourself Better Chess (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0071419705 Hartson, William: Teach Yourself Better Chess (1997) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/084423933X o Hartson, William: Teach Yourself Chess (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0071419756 Hartson, William: Teach Yourself Chess (1987) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1850891303 o Heisman, Dan: Everyone's Second Chess Book (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0938650556 Heisman, Dan: Everyone's Second Chess Book (1999) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000LZJL1S/ o Heisman, Dan: Looking for Trouble: Recognizing and Meeting Threats in Chess (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888690187 Very favorable review by Capamantis at . Level: intermediate upwards. Contains: Heisman's book is divided to three chapters of game positions from the opening, middle and endgame respectively. Each position asks the reader to find the threat and the best way of dealing with it. A system of stars beside each task denotes the difficulty ranging from one star [novice] to five stars [challenging to an expert]. The good things: Heisman begins with a brilliant introduction in which a "threat" is defined as "a move which, if not stopped by the opponent's re- ply, can do something harmful to the opponent and/or useful for your next move". [p3-4] Then numerous diagrams and exercises are given from all 3 phases of the game. The threat is given in each case and then the reader is asked to respond. Heisman provides more than the mere "point-blank" answer given in so many books; his explanations include both specific discussions of the puzzle in question and instructive generalizations about responding to comparable positions. For instance, after discussing a wrong an- swer that would have blundered material, Heisman adds, "yet an- other example of why even low intermediate players need to play slowly and count carefully". (p 42) Throughout the book his cry- stal clear explanations of each answer to the threat and the in- ferior alternatives made me feel like I was actually being coached instead of reading a book. While the entire book is brilliant the outstanding section, in my opinion, is that on the endgame. His endgame examples are linked together so that each one follows on from the previous one in "sets". This creates an emphasis of themes such as the Lucena position etc that is highly instructive. The bad things: I could find no faults amidst such a brilliant book. At first I thought that Heisman had erred by putting the answers below the question rather than at the back of the book. But upon reflection I think that Heisman did the right thing since his thorough ex- planations need a continual flow that a single "quick answer at the back" cannot give. It is no great bother to cover up the answer with a piece of card in any case. The bottom line: A wonderful piece of thorough, fascinating chess instruction; I have learnt more about tactics from this book than dozens of others. It is one of the pleasures of reviewing chess books to be able to bring such lucidity to a wider audience. There is only one mark I can give: 10/10. Rating: 10/10 non-chess book o Hester, Nolan: FileMaker Pro 8 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual Quickstart Guide (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780321396747 o Hilbert, John Samuel: Essays in American Chess History (2002 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780939433599 2002 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . o Hilbert, John Samuel: Napier: The Forgotten Chessmaster (1997 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780939433513 1998 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . o Hilbert, John: Young Marshall no ISBN found 2003 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . o Wellmuth, Francis J.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1943, unknown binding) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007DPDN4/ Wellmuth, Francis J.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1958, hardcover) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007IUYXI/ Horowitz, I.A.: The golden treasury of chess (1969, hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0883650657 Horowitz, I.A.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1969, paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0346123690 Horowitz, I.A.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1969) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I8WVVK/ Horowitz, I.A.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1971) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GTFBS6/ Horowitz, I.A.: The Golden Treasury of Chess (1974) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006W8X1K/ o Howell, James: Essential Chess Endings (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713481897 glowing review by Jeremy Silman ("In my opinion... there are only three endgame books that players in the C-2200 classes need buy: Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy, Soltis' GM Secrets/the Endgame, and Howell's Essential Chess Endings. A serious study of these three books will give you a 2400 understanding of this all-impor- tant phase of the game, so don't hesitate to add them to your library.") at: o Hsu, Feng-Hsiung: Behind Deep Blue: Building the Computer That Defeated the World Chess Champion (2002 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0691090653 Hsu, Feng-Hsiung: Behind Deep Blue: Building the Computer That Defeated the World Chess Champion (2004 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0691118183 o Hurst, Sarah, and Whyld, Ken: Curse of Kirsan (2003 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1888690151 Positive review by John Donaldson at: . "The CURSE OF KIRSAN is that very rare chess book that doesn't have a single game of chess in it, not even one diagram! The book consists of a series of interviews, but don't be mislead. Only a small portion of this book is devoted to chess politics and Kalmykian dictator Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Much of CURSE OF KIRSAN is taken from a series of articles that the British journalist Sarah Hurst did for the English magazine CHESS (There is a previously unpublished seventeen-and-a-half page interview with Raymond Keene that does a good job dealing with the complexities of the man often called "Raymundo"). The subjects run the gamut from top-level players, like the Polgar sisters, Alex- ander Alekhine and Ruslan Ponomariov, to lesser-known figures such as Robert Wade, Leonard Barden, Tony Gillam and Ken Whyld. These latter four are, to my mind, much more interesting to read about than many better-known personalities. Wade, who left his native New Zealand more than 50 years ago, has many interesting stories to tell about his travels around the world, including visits to the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Barden stopped playing at a rela- tively early age, but has been writing columns in English papers for over four decades and has seen England rise to become a great chess power. He has interesting things to say about the one re- corded game Bobby Fischer played in the United Kingdom and the late Gordon Crown. Right after the Second World War, England played the Soviet Union and the teenage Crown was one of its stars, defeating Alexander Kotov. Tragically, Crown died just a short time later. Gillam and Whyld are perhaps even less well known to the casual tournament player than the two afore mentioned individuals, but I think that Hurst does a great job of showing their passion for the game. Both individuals long ago gave up playing tournaments, but that in no way caused them to lose interest in chess. Gillam, with close to 500 published chess books to his credit, is one of the greatest chess preservationists of all time. His books (in many cases, booklets) don't cater to the mass market, but fulfill an important function in making available hard to find information at reasonable prices. Whyld is simply one of the greatest chess his- torians of all time. Hurst, who took up the game late, is by her own admission, not a very good chess player, but she was definitely bitten by the bug. You may not always agree with some of her views, but I guarantee that after reading this work, you will be completely convinced that chess journalism is not a well-paid profession! I can warmly recommend this book to anyone interested in more than the latest novelty in the Najdorf." ##---## ## I ## ##---## o Ivashchenko, Sergei: The Manual of Chess Combinations (1a) (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/5946930451 Ivashchenko, Sergei: The Manual of Chess Combinations (1a) (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/5946930443 Ivashchenko, Sergei: The Manual of Chess Combinations (1a) (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/5946930060 Eugene Manchester, Chess Cafe, February 2006 All in all, a very worthwhile addition to an otherwise crowded field of books on tactics for beginners. Book Description The book is a new edition of a bestseller by an experienced coach Sergey Ivashchenko. Over 250,000 copies of his books were sold in the Soviet Union in the late 1980's. This book is intended for beginners, both children and adults. The themes are: Mate in one, Mate in two, Win a queen, Win a rook, Win a piece, etc. The book designed for chess players with ELO 900-1200 points. Includes more than 700 tactical problems classified according to themes and difficulty. Languages: English, German, Russian and Spanish. Book Description An experienced chess teacher presents this selection of combina- tions from well-known players, including outstanding masters of the past and the present. This book is suitable for both children and adults with 1500-2100 rating. In English, German, Russian and Spanish - all in one volume! o Ivashchenko, Sergey: The Manual of Chess Combinations 2 (2002, hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/5946930060 positive review by Magnus Lindfeldt ("Recommended for tactical training") at: ##---## ## J ## ##---## o Jacobs, Byron: Mastering the Opening (2001) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442237 lukewarm reception by IM Richard Palliser ("Overall this work is useful for those players wishing to learn about the main ideas behind each opening in order to see which will best suit them. However, on the basis of seeing a few illustrative games here, many may well need far more material before making such an impor- tant choice. Thus they will probably turn to more specialist books (which do often feature a general introduction that provides all the key plans) as well as theoretical coverage (for objective as- sessments). Jacobs does a good job at starting readers off in their hunt for an ideal opening, but by including some basic theo- retical coverage he could have made this work much more useful for the club player.") at: o Jacobs, Byron: Starting Out in Chess (2000) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442261 Negative recommendation by Paul Kollar at: . "The book has no endgame section." o Just, Tim, and Burg, Daniel: U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess (5th Edition) (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0812935594 ##---## ## K ## ##---## o KAROLYI, Tibor, and APLIN, Nick: Kasparov's Fighting Chess 1993-1998 (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489941 o KAROLYI, Tibor, and APLIN, Nick: Kasparov's Fighting Chess 1999-2005 (2007 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489842 Very positive review by Jeremy Silman at: . o KASPAROV, Garry: Modern Chess Series: Revolution in the 70's (2007 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857444223 o KERES, Paul: Grandmaster of Chess: The Complete Games of Paul Keres (1972) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0668026456 KERES, Paul: Grandmaster of Chess: The Complete Games of Paul Keres (1977, paperback) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JQ1B3U/ KERES, Paul: Grandmaster of Chess: The Complete Games of Paul Keres (1977, hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MBUF6G/ o KERES, Paul: Keres' Best Games of Chess 1931-1948 (1960) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486205932 o KERES, Paul, and HOCHBERG, Paul: Power Chess: Great Grandmaster Battles from Russia (1991 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0812919491 Very favorable review by ChessCafe.com at . This world-class grandmaster was also a world-class annotator. As Hochberg points out in his Introduction, "Keres had the rare abil- ity to make grandmaster chess comprehensible... A game annotated by Keres is like an adventure story in which the connections be- tween all the characters and all the events can be clearly seen and understood." Power Chess is a collection of 22 of the most dramatic and in- structive chess struggles played in that [late 60s and first half of 70s] period. These are divided into three basic sections: Kingside Crushes, Middlegame Masterpieces and Endgames under the Microscope. These are the cream of the 40 articles by Keres that appeared in Chess Life. If you belong to the "post-Fischer" chessplaying generation, it is possible that you did not experience Keres' wonderful Chess Life columns. Even if you are familiar with them, this collection will still delight you. In short, Power Chess deserves to take its place among the outstanding chess books of our time. Combining deep analysis with interesting, insightful writing, it belongs on the bookshelf of every chessplayer. o KERES, Paul: The Road to the Top (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479354 o KERES, Paul, and KOTOV, Alexander: The Art of the Middle Game (1990) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486261549 o KHMELNITSKY, Igor: Chess Exam and Training Guide (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780975476123 2005 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . Chess Cafe 2005 book of the year. Favorable book review in bottom half of: . Glowing book review at: . o KINGSTON, Taylor (ed.): Heroic Tales: The Best of Chesscafe.Com 1996-2001 (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1888690135 Very positive review by John Watson at: <>. "Requiring some discussion and deserving a strong recommendation is Heroic Tales: The Best of ChessCafe.com 1996-2001 edited and organized by Taylor Kingston. This is a collection of articles from the Website ChessCafe.com, which I have often referred to and recommended in this column. It features a typical and broad selec- tion of the site's authors. Here are some of those contributors (with their subjects and/or my descriptions in parentheses): Hanon Russell (the Site's founder and chief), Hans Ree (long-time inter- national chess reporter), the late GM Tony Miles (witty grandmas- ter annotator), Tim Harding (opening articles), Carsten Hansen (IM and reviewer extraordinaire), Tim Krabbe ('Chess Curiosities' ex- pert), Dan Heisman (teacher), Mark Dvoretsky (world-famous trainer and author), Karsten Mueller (endgame expert, co- author of Funda- mental Chess Endings), Bruce Pandolfini (elementary teaching col- umn), Gary Lane (strange openings), Geurt Gijssen (an Internation- al Arbiter), Richard Forster (IM and chess historian), Edward Winter (chess historian, ), Lev Alburt (the rare strong grandmas- ter who has devoted himself to teaching and many excellent books in that field), Burt Hochberg (former Chess Life editor, history), All these are established chess journalists with lengthy exper- ience in the world of chess. Of the above, my own favourite col- umns are Ree, Krabbe, Forster, and Hansen. Kingston himself is represented in both the History and Reviews sections; I always read his contributions the minute they appear. His chess book reviews are literate, widely read and enjoyably opinionated. They are also thorough and well thought out. He pro- bably takes the strongest stand on books of any regular reviewer, whether praising or criticising them, and adduces plenty of argu- ments to support his view. I agree with his assessments almost of the time, although when I do disagree I tend to do so strongly. A case in point, indicative of both of our interests, was Jonathan Rowson's The Seven Deadly Chess Sins. Kingston absolutely shredded it. His objections had to do mostly with Rowson's obscure and sometimes pretentious prose and his confusing flights of fancy. Here and in general I think that Kingston's reviews tend to be more concerned with writing style, readability, logic and argument than with the chess side of things. Those factors are important and sometimes even the key to whether a book is good or bad, par- ticularly when the content is unexceptional or lame. But I tend to judge the chess contribution first and the quality of the writing and coherence of the presentation secondarily. The chess contribu- tion might consist of general insights, for example, or the game as it is played, e.g., illustrated by examples and commentary. Thus, while I substantially agree with Kingston's criticisms, my own feeling was (and is) that Rowson's book is nevertheless a classic: he says more pertinent, and I think valid things about chess psychology than all the books and articles that I have read on that subject combined. I also think that his concrete examples well illustrate his points and reflect his first-rate chess intel- ligence. Finally, it is a rare case of the truly original book. In a sense, therefore, Kingston and I may both be right about the book, but our priorities are quite different. He is of course also one of favourites on the site. Returning to 'Heroic Tales' after that personal digression, I can perhaps simplify the reader's decision about whether to purchase a copy by the following guidelines: (a) If you go to the ChessCafe Website, sample the contributions, and like what you see, there's a very good chance that you'll also like this book. Regardless of whether the articles that Kingston has chosen are the best, they are still above average and make great reading; (b) If you just like reading about chess and aren't overly concerned with learning concrete opening theory or going over a great many games (neither a feature of most essays), then this is a book that should inter- est you; (c) Those interested in chess history and instruction will find a great deal to please them therein; (d) If you've read ChessCafe .com consistently for the years under consideration, you may conceivably find much of the book too familiar to be worth it. I'm in category 'd', but I've had great fun reading all the arti- cles that I missed and revisiting old ones anyway. I highly recom- mend this book as an entertaining general read that covers most areas of the game." o KINSMAN, Andrew: Improve Your Middlegame Play (2000) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442415 Negative recommendation by Glenn Budzinski at: . "Improve Your Middlegame Play may contain some useful tips for players gaining their initial experience into tournament play, but if you're truly seeking to improve your understanding of the middlegame, the best advice I can give is to look elsewhere." o KMOCH, Hans: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces/100 Selected Games (1941) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486206173 Positive recommendation by Jeremy Silman at: . "Offering a tiny biography and 100 annotated games, this was my first look at the great Polish genius. I suspect that many other Americans were also introduced to Rubinstein by this little book. This solid little game collection should prove useful to players in the "E" class right up to 2200." o KONGSTED, Christian: Beat the Grandmasters (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600275 Positive review by Michael Jeffreys at: . This is a first class puzzle book and anyone looking to improve their combination skills will certainly find a goldmine of material here. Most of the problems are fresh (and not the old Capablanca back rank stuff we've seen in dozens of tactic books) since the majority were taken from Megabase 2004 and T.W.I.C., according to Kongsted. Positive review by Baldomero Garcia at: . "Beat the Grandmasters" is a traditional style puzzle book. The bulk of the book is made up of 351 puzzles and their solutions. [...] Beat the Grandmasters was nicely produced. There are four diagrams per page and they are easy to see. o KOPEC, Daniel, and BLUMENFELD, Rudy: Practical Middlegame Techniques (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441420 Positive recommendations by Life Master A.J. Goldsby at: and . "The first book that I ever saw these catalogued in was the excellent volume, *Practical Middlegame Techniques* by IM Danny Kopec." "If you do not know what the basic mating patterns are, please get a copy of the book, *Practical Middlegame Techniques* by IM Danny Kopec." o KOPEC, Danny: Winning The Won Game Lessons from the Albert Brilliancy Prizes http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713489006 Kind and considerate but solidly negative review at: o KOPEC, Danny, and PRITCHETT, Craig: Chess World Title Contenders and Their Styles (2002) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/048642233X Pritchett, Craig: Best Games of the Young Grandmasters (1969) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713512598 o KOPEC, Daniel, and BLUMENFELD, Rudy: Practical Middlegame Techniques (1997 paperback) favorable recommendation by Life Master A.J. Goldsby ("If you do not know what the basic mating patterns are, please get a copy of the book, "Practical Middlegame Techniques," by IM Danny Kopec.") at: o KORCHNOI, Victor: Chess Is My Life: Biography (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/3283004064 o KOTOV, Alexander: Think Like a Grandmaster (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713478853 KOTOV, Alexander: Think Like a Grandmaster (1976, paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713431601 KOTOV, Alexander: Think Like a Grandmaster (1971, hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/071340356X review by USCF Senior Master Jude Acers at: review by Leopold Lacrimosa at: ##---## ## L ## ##---## o Lasker, Edward: Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters (1969) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486222667 a book that Jude Acers recommends o Lawson, David: Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess (1976 book) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679130444 o LeMoir, David: Essential Chess Sacrifices (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1904600034 very positive review by Sune Anderson ("a brilliant book") at: very positive review ("A desert-island tactics book - hundreds of positions , August 21, 2005, Reviewer: Leonard Neely (Columbia, Maryland) In one of my other reviews I got my LeMoir books mixed up. I meant to refer to ESSENTIAL CHESS SACRIFICES, his awesome collection of modern sacrificial themes which I would urge any attacking player to read. But his earlier work HOW TO BECOME A DEADLY CHESS TACTI- CIAN is also a book I enjoyed and benefited from. So many posi- tions from the master games were not familiar to me (and I own a lot of books), and his practical advice on finding combinations (or cunning swindles) is superb. This is so much material crammed into these LeMoir books - months of reading material rather than weeks or days. A LeMoir trait is to give several similar examples of the same sacrificial or tacti- cal concept, but in slightly varied settings, which is so helpful. Don't let some other ignorant reviewers put you off - this is a book of real quality, which will give you a competitive edge in games. The five stars are fully deserved.") at Amazon.com o LeMoir, David: How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983595 Positive review by Peter Connor: How To Become a Deadly Chess Tactician (Gambit) was obviously written as a labor of love by David LeMoir and is just chockfull of great tactical material. I absolutely loved the book. LeMoir classifies sacrifices by historical era and by type; for example, if you didn't know what a "silent" sacrifice was before you began, you'll be an expert when you finish this book. He also includes many outstanding games and examples of imaginative tactics and sacrifices. LeMoir's approach is a break from the traditional tactics manual. He focuses more on attitude and imagination than most other books, with plenty of emphasis on the mind-set a player needs to become a deadly tactician. He also creates an entirely different way of categorizing tactical and attacking themes, challenging the reader to think about tactics in a different way and making his ideas memorable. There's still plenty of advice about how to calculate and recognize patterns, and he doesn't invent any new tactical themes of course, but his approach to explaining, categorizing, and reinforcing the tactical ideas is unique enough to make them easy to recall and apply when those themes arise in your own games. The material is by no means simple, but if you make a serious attempt to come to grips with it, your chess imagination and tactical vision will expand significantly. Review at: . o Levitt, Jonathan: Genius in Chess (1997 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781879479579 Levitt, Jonathan: Genius in Chess (format unknown) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713480498 Lukewarm review by Jeremy Silman at: . Middling review by Glenn Budzinski at: . o Levitt, Jonathan, Friedgood, David: Secrets of Spectacular Chess (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780805039016 Listed at labatechess.com with rave reviews. Positive reviews at . o Littlewood, John: How to Play the Middle Game in Chess (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713486171 Littlewood, John: How to Play the Middle Game in Chess (1980) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713434392 Littlewood, John: How to Play the Middle Game in Chess (1974) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/000410577X o Littlewood, Paul: Chess Tactics (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489347 Littlewood, Paul: Chess Tactics (1989 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780946284955 Positive review at: . ##---## ## M ## ##---## o Marin, Mihail: Learn from the Legends: Chess Champions at Their Best (2005 paperback) Recommended by a chessplayer who reviews chess books on Amazon.com, I. Knezovic "Malto" (Croatia), at: . ChessCafe Book of the Year 2005: . http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9789197524322 o Marovic, Drazen: Secrets of Positional Chess (2003 paperback) Moderately positive review by John Watson at: . Marovic's new book SECRETS OF POSITIONAL CHESS is competent and well enough written, yet seems to me less instructive on a few accounts. Like UNDERSTANDING PAWN PLAY IN CHESS, it sticks with well-known themes; however, the presentation switches between things that are standard fare (probably even dull for some exper- ienced readers) and those that are very complex and entertaining but only indirectly related to the subject at hand. So although the book will be of use to those needing a refresher on basic positional ideas, which seems to be the goal, it might also inti- midate or confuse them. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983739 o Marshall, Frank J.: Marshall's Best Games of Chess (1942) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486206041 o Marshall, Frank J.: My Fifty Years of Chess (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1843820536 o Maurensig, Paolo: The Luneburg Variation: A Novel (1997 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0374194351 Maurensig, Paolo: The Luneburg Variation: A Novel (1998 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0805060286 o Mazja, Alexander: The Manual of Chess Combinations (3) (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/5946930192 Book Description Alexander Mazia is an international master and a coach of the highest rank. Since 1992 he has headed the Pioneers Palace chess school on the Vorobiov Hills -- a famous Moscow Pioneers Palace, which has produced such well-known players as Yuri Razuvaev, Artur Yusupov, Mikhail Krasenkov and Igor Glek. Of the grandmaster young- er generation 'graduates' we should mention Vadim Zviagintsev, Vla- dimir Chuchelov and Mikhail Kobalia. The examples taken from this book have been used when studying by pupils at special junior clubs, many of whom have become prize-winners in Russian, European and World Championships for boys and girls, in both individual and team events. 750 best tactical positions, grouped according to their topics. Intended for chess players with ELO 2000 - 2400. The instructions are in English, Spanish, German and Russian. Book Description An international chess master and well-known teacher presents 600+ problems that will sharpen skills and present hours of challenge to players rated 1600-2200. Suitable for both children and adults. In English, German, Russian and Spanish - all in one volume! o McDonald, Neil: Concise Chess Endings (2002) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857443136 Good review by Soren Sogaard at: . ...my guess that people up to ELO 2000 will benefit from reading [this]" and "McDonald has written a good book about the endgame. o McDonald, Neil: Concise Chess Middlegames (2004) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/185744356X Positive reviewby Allan Holst at: . "lots of useful advice" and "a nice little book". o McDonald, Neil: Concise Chess Openings (2001) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442970 Middling review by Soren Sogaard at: . My guess is that players with an ELO up to 1600 can benefit from this book. o McDonald, Neil: Mastering Checkmates (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713487747 Review by Carl Tillotson at: . Positive review by Magnus Lindfeldt at: "Very good job," and "Very good effort." o McDonald, Neil: Mastering Chess Tactics (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713487720 positive review ("a solid book") by Soren Sogaard at: mixed review by Glenn Budzinski ("To determine if all significant, typical combinational themes were included as claimed, comparisons of material were made with two other works: Znosko-Borovsky's classic The Art of Chess Combination and a newer book, reviewed at ChessCafe.com a while back, 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles by Wilson and Alberston. The latter contains 303 positions requiring tacti- cal solutions, each identified by a theme. It appears that all of the important combinational or tactical ideas identified by Znosko-Borovsky, and Wilson and Alberston have been captured by McDonald, if not always by the same name. But, arguably what's important about this book is not the material that's been included, but what's been excluded. By intention, all tactics focusing on the king, have been omitted. When one tallies up the final score for Mastering Chess Tactics, the book gets high marks for its examples of tactical themes and explanations of characteristics of such.") at: o McDonald, Neil: Modern Chess Miniatures (1995) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441664 Positive review by Dave Regis: "This is a most enjoyable little book. The games are arranged by themes, like play with rooks and typical mistakes. We are thus offered both entertainment and instruction." Review at: . Very positive review by Life Master A.J. Goldsby: 4/5 stars; One of my favorite books on miniatures, June 25, 2005 Reviewer: A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G." (Pensacola, FL (U.S.A.)) "(June 2005) This book is already ten years old ... and I have owned it for a very long time. Read the other reviews here, they all say that this is a good book. McDonald was a very young writer when he wrote this, he spent a great deal of time on this volume, and it is apparent from the first time that you pick this book up. Most authors just splash the game across the page with broad, vivid strokes, often they are content to let the moves speak for themselves. Not so for Mr. Neil McDonald, his love of chess is evident - he spends time telling you how the game was played, how the combination could have been improved - in short, he gives you most of the information and detail that other (more experienced?) authors could not be bothered with. Why should you study miniatures? Well ... there are a lot of good answers to this question. # 1.) You quickly learn tactics. # 2.) You learn how to punish your opponent's mistakes, especially in the early part of a chess game. # 3.) If you study enough games of this type, it will definitely improve your overall feel for the game. # 4.) Just because it is fun!!! I love this book, when I used to work nights at a local radio sta- tion, I studied this book for around an hour every single night. I really like McDonald's work ... he has written enough books now to show that he is a good author - and that he is here to stay. I did not give this book five stars ... for reasons that have no- thing to do with chess. ---> The diagrams are not 100%, the print is fading, and the pages are rapidly yellowing. ALSO - the binding has come apart on two of these books ... but I will readily admit that intense wear could have been the cause. (This is like my third or fourth copy of this book.) But I honestly do not think these are serious issues, many of you may not even notice these flaws. I wholly endorse this book - the quality of the writing is well above the standard most authors normally set for a book of this type. McDonald - by turns - instructs, delights and amazes his readers. (Recommended.)" Review at: . o McDonald, Neil: Practical Endgame Play (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441761 positive review ("eminently usable book", "if you are over 1800, get [book]") at: o McDonald, Neil: Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking From the First Move to the Last (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713488948 review by Rick Kennedy at: glowing review by Sune Andersen ("Wholeheartedly recommend") at: o McDonald, Neil: The Art of Planning in Chess: Move by Move (2006) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/071349025X Positive recommendation by Michael Jeffreys at: . If you like lots of clear verbal annotations rather than lines of variations this book will definitely appeal to you. McDonald, much like Steve Gidden's did in his excellent, 50 Essential Chess Lessons, does a great job of breaking down and explaining what each side is doing throughout the game. While the book does contain some typos, they don't significantly take away from the excellent chess instruc- tion. On a scale of 1-10, The Art of Planning in Chess gets an 8.5. non-chess book o McFarland, Dave: Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780596100568 Many rave reviews of this 900-page Dreamweaver 8 primer at: . non-chess book o McFarland, Dave; Vander Veer, Emily; Chase, Kate; Hoekman, Robert: Flash 8: The Missing Manual (2006 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780596101374 Many solid reviews, though including the common complaint that this is a monochrome and not color volume, of this 460 page book, at: . o Mednis, Edmar: From the Middlegame into the Endgame (1994) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857440609 Mednis, Edmar: From the Middlegame into the Endgame (1987, paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0080320384 Mednis, Edmar: From the Middlegame into the Endgame (1987, hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0080320376 positive mention on: o Motwani, Paul: Chess Under the Microscope (1999) (do not buy) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713483903 very negative review at: o Motwani, Paul: C.O.O.L. Chess (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479516 very positive review by chesscafe.com ("About six months ago, we reviewed Scottish Grandmaster Paul Motwani's book "H.O.T. Chess" and remarked that once you were able to get by the peculiar title, there was a pretty good book. Well, after a few months' break, Paul has written another acronym-titled book - "C.O.O.L. Chess" - wherein he tries to show how Creative Original Opening Lines can bring the attentive student success. This time, once you get beyond the peculiar title, you will not find a good book. You will find a terrific book. Twenty-three heavily annotated games (with no less than another 80 complete games in the notes!) are spread over six chapters. The emphasis is on original thinking, from opening through the middlegame and into the endgame. The text is peppered with trivia questions, test positions, puzzles, all of which leave a very pleasant impression on the reader. Amusing anecdotes, some having nothing to do with chess (!) and the occasional philosophical digression combine with some original opening analysis and in depth look at games to produce quite a gem.") at: o Motwani, Paul: H.O.T. Chess (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479435 favorable review by chesscafe.com ("Thirty-eight deeply annotated games are given by Motwani, along with several dozen additional references, positions and puzzles to stimulate the reader's chess acumen. The emphasis seems to be on exciting, attacking chess, rather than slow positional squeezes. The games are current, well annotated and without stressing any particular opening lines, thereby maintaining general appeal to most readers. It all sounds a bit hokey, but in fact it works. Many players, particularly weaker ones, emphasize three things in their tournament preparation: Openings, openings and openings. They memorize lines and then are puzzled when, after coming to the end of a line, they are outplayed by their opponents. This book will help raise the consciousness of those players and give them some idea of how to approach their games when at the end of lines learned by rote. And, although not promoted as such, it will not do badly either as a text for teachers who wish to use it with instruction of some of their higher rated students. It is a very useful guide to play in general, especially for those rated below master. Nice job, Paul.") at: o Motwani, Paul: S.T.A.R. Chess (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/190198303X positive review by chesscafe.com ("It is quite possible that, as a boy, Scottish Grandmaster Paul Motwani spent a wee bit too much time hanging around libraries and thumbing through dictionaries. Perhaps his parents thought they had a mnemonically challenged child and decided to rectify the matter. Or, perhaps he simply had too much free time. At any rate, his latest work, "S.T.A.R. Chess" - Strategy, Tactics, Attack, Reaction - is packed with these petit word tricks. This is nothing new. His first two books, "H.O.T. Chess" and, of course, its logical sequel, "C.O.O.L. Chess", used the same technique to bring readers into his world of deeply annotated games, interesting anecdotes and brain teasers. He has continued along this unique path with his third book. Twenty thoroughly annotated games combine with amusing anecdotes, the occasional brain teaser (having nothing to do with chess) and chess puzzles to produce another highly entertaining book. When we first took a look at this book, what immediately struck us was the high energy level and enthusiasm evident throughout. It's almost as if the author struts into the room, tells you to strap yourself in and to get ready for the chess ride of your life. Here he challenges you to solve a cryptogram; there he throws a math puzzle at you; and, then he invites you to listen to his conversa- tion with an extraterrestrial. Chess books seeking to raise your level of play have come a long way since the days of Fred Rein- feld. It would be easy to dismiss this book as a self-indulgent tour by the author into his stream-of-consciousness. That would be a mis- take, for in fact it is a very useful, instructive and eminently readable book that most players up to about 2100 Elo range (and perhaps even higher) will certainly enjoy. Time and again, while annotating the games, Motwani takes the reader on a digression to elaborate an important point relating to the opening, tactics, strategy, etc. This third major work turned out by the gifted grandmaster is a Good Read, Energetic And Thorough. That having been said, it may be hoped that the good Scottish grandmaster has played the mnemo- nic gambit for the last time. He has the energy and will to cap- ture the imagination and instruct. Now let's see if he can do it without a gimmick.") at: negative review by IM John Watson ("...my first, second, and con- tinued reaction to GM Paul Motwani's S.T.A.R. Chess is: I don't get it. I know that this book's predecessors, H.O.T. Chess and C.O.O.L. Chess, are quite popular (unfortunately, I haven't read them), so there will undoubtedly be enthusiastic fans of Motwani's latest effort as well. But to me, it is a book which combines apparently unrelated chess games with rambling and ridiculously self-indulgent prose. Moreover, from the examples I've looked at closely, the chess analysis itself is unimpressive (especially for a grandmaster); Motwani consistently prefers to show cheap tricks instead of examining the best moves, and apparently takes little or no time to research the numerous comments he makes about known positions. Worse still, it's never clear (to me, anyway) what the reader is supposed to be learning. The author seems far too in love with himself to slow down and tell us, and the constant sup- ply of irrelevant 'puzzles' and amazingly banal new-age blather doesn't help in this regard. It seems to me that at some point, the stream of acronyms, colorless stories, bad poetry, astrologi- cal presentations, and conversations with extra-terrestrials(!) begin to consume so many pages (which the reader is paying for, after all) that the chess content of Motwani's book is seriously impaired. After going through the book a second time, trying to grasp what I was missing, I finally had to ask myself: Did I learn anything from this book? Of course I did--a position here and a position there--but that's not much, and it's a bad sign that I even had to ask. ...I would much rather have a student of mine be exposed to games and positions for whatever reason than to avoid studying alto- gether. And, although the games Motwani chooses tend to be a bit obvious, they are chock full of useful tactical themes. So if you can stand Motwani's philosophy and humor (I am resisting putting those words in quotes), this may be a good book for you. I just can't recommend it myself.") at: o Motwani, Paul: The Most Instructive Games of the Young Grandmasters (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857445341 Middling review by Taylor Kingston at: . This book marks a long-overdue though incomplete change for its author. It forces some badly needed discipline on Scottish GM Motwani, whose earlier work (see for example Chess Under the Microscope in the archives) has been noteworthy mainly for its self-indulgent silliness and unfocused meandering. This time a rigid format causes Motwani to stick more (but unfor- tunately not completely) to business. Each chapter focuses on one of 13 top young GMs (Ivanchuk, Anand, Adams, Shirov, van Wely, Sadler, Kamsky, Topalov, Kramnik, Svidler, J. Polgar, Shaked, and Leko). Each has a brief biographical sketch, two annotated games and six tactical exercises. The annotations are lengthy and fre- quent, almost at the one-per-move rate of Chernev's Logical Chess, though they are a bit more sophisticated. They are aimed at young- er, less-experienced players, in the rating range of, say, 1200- 1600. A good many worthwhile instructive points are made.... To be fair, readers who can stomach Motwani's intermittent foolish- ness will find a fair amount of decent instruction here, and the good/silly ratio is higher here than in his earlier books, but why subject one's self to any of it? Equally good or better instruc- tion without puerile nonsense is available from other authors, such as Chernev, Purdy, Silman, Kostyev, Seirawan, or Alburt, to name only a few. o Mullen, Ian, and Moss, Moe: Blunders & Brilliancies (1990 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080371368 5 star book ("You'll get this one when you pry it out of my cold, stiff fingers") rated E (Educational) and F (Fun) by Rick Kennedy on his "My Chess Psychology Bookshelf" at: . If Soltis' Catalog is the Driver's Education film of chess, then Blunders is a slide show taken from the smoldering wreckage. With wit and charm, quotes galore and introductions which all seem to start like It was a dark and story night, Mullen and Moss present over 300 positions from games, most set up like a mystery with questions like What had the Danish grandmaster seen?, Can you see the immediate and compelling finish he had overlooked?, and What, in his haste to draw, had he overlooked?. (Of course, answers to the questions are provided at the end of the book.) Our objectives were threefold: o To supply test positions of great human interest and thus provide the reader with motivation which otherwise might be lacking... o To emphasize the importance of learning from one's mis- takes... o To entertain. Chess, despite rumors to the contrary, is first and foremost a game... Contents: Introduction; Combinations; Missed Opportunities; Never Say Die!; Coincidence in Chess; Opportunities. o Muller, Karsten, and Lamprecht, Frank: Fundamental Chess Endings (2001 paperback) ChessCafe.com 2002 Book of the Year Award winner. Very positive mention by Steven Goldberg at: . Giddins makes it clear that this book is not intended to be a magnum opus of endgame play. There are already other texts that fulfill that role, such as Muller and Lamprecht's *Fundamental Chess Endings*, Fine's classic *Basic Chess Endings* and Dvor- etsky's monumental *Endgame Manual*. Very positive review by Carsten Hansen at: . This book is absolutely phenomenal and it is a book that you, if you don't already have it, should get; you will not regret it. The material is comprehensive and the presentation easy to follow, while at the same time very instructive. Had it not been for the fact that it was published towards the very end of last year, when only few people knew about it, I would think that it could easily have run away with the book of the year award, it is that good! In my opinion this book will go on to be- come a classic, much like Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings is. Just like Fine's book, which covered much more than just the bas- ics, the present book covers much more than what is just funda- mental. My only regret regarding this book is that I would have liked to see it hardcover, but that of course would have made the book considerably more expensive. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983531 o Muller, Karsten, and Polgar, Susan: The ChessCafe Puzzle Book (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888690217 Enthusiastic review by Eugene Manchester at: . There is no shortage of books on tactics. So what sets this book apart from pack? For one thing, the great majority of the posi- tions--and there are 565 of them to solve--come from fairly recent practice. And the author's enthusiasm for tactics is conveyed to the reader throughout the book. The discussions are instructive, but easy to read and appre- ciate. Endings may be Muller's stock and trade, but tactics must surely be his passion. ##---## ## N ## ##---## 1987: Secrets of Grandmaster Play, by Nunn and Griffiths (covers through 1985) BCF book of the Year 1988; cf.: 1995: John Nunn's Best Games, by Nunn (covers 1985-1993) BCF Book of the Year 1995; cf.: 1997: Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, by Nunn (reissue of 1987 book) 1998: Secrets of Practical Chess, by Nunn 2001: Understanding Chess Move by Move, by Nunn shortlisted for BCF Book of the Year 2001; cf.: 2003: Grandmaster Chess Move by Move, by Nunn (covers 1994-2003) o Nunn, John: 101 Brilliant Chess Miniatures (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983161 Glowing review by Paul Kollar at: . o Nunn, John: Grandmaster Chess Move by Move (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1904600344 Positive review by Michael Jeffreys at: . GM John Nunn is at the pinnacle of chess writers and this book shows why. His analysis is always first-rate, and he does a good job of using words, where practical, to explain what's going on. Besides giving you 46 of his most interesting games (complete with detailed notes) played during the last third of his career, he also throws in a slew of chess problems and studies, as well as two interesting articles. I mean, what more do you want for $24.95?? The only caveat I would give is that this book has more analysis in it than Nunn's previous effort, Understanding Chess Move by Move, and thus is really geared for those rated 1800 and above (or lower rateds that are willing to put in some work). Finally, although Nunn had the nerve to include not one, but TWO games where he trounced my beloved Trompowsky (first against the opening's guru, GM Julian Hodgson, and then against GM Peter Wells, who wrote a book on it!) I am still very happy to recommend this book. On a scale of 1-10, Grandmaster Chess Move by Move gets a 9. Positive review by Akram Shehata at: "While I liked Secrets of Grandmaster Play more than Grandmaster Chess Move by Move, the quality of the games is excellent and the annotations are objective, instructive and quite comprehensive. The study section is very interesting and the problem section is entertaining enough for most chess lovers. The bottom-line is that this is a great book and should be in the library of every serious chessplayer." o Nunn, John: John Nunn's Best Games (1995) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713477261 BCF Book of the Year 1995; cf.: o Nunn, John: John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983080 book #4 of 9 of NM Dan Heisman's list: Books with Tactical Problems in Algebraic or Figurine Algebraic, about which he says, "Each problem checked by computer; excellent but very difficult": positive review by chesscafe.com staff ("This is a very good book, recommended not only for its interesting problems but for its instructional value, as well. If more quiz books were as good as this one, well, there probably wouldn't be a need for any more quiz books.") at: o Nunn, John: Learn Chess Tactics: Discover the Secrets of How to Win Chess Games (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983986 Recommended as a simpler version or a precursor to "Understanding Chess Tactics" by Martin Weteschnik, at least as seen on Amazon.com review page for that book. Unreserved recommendation from John Donaldson: LEARN CHESS TACTICS by John Nunn is a book that is sure to go through many editions. Unlike most Gambit books that are geared at those rated 2000 on up, this one is aimed specifically at those who need a through grounding in the fundamentals of chess tactics. This is just what they get. Chapter by chapter, Nunn covers the basic building blocks -- fork, discovered attack, skewer, deflec- tion, trapped piece, opening and closing lines, back-rank mate, pawn promotion, in-between moves and defensive tactics. Each chap- ter features a clear explanation of the theme under discussion, shows practical examples and offers exercises to test the student's knowledge. The book concludes with exercises featuring multiple themes. LEARN CHESS TACTICS is an attractively produced oversized paperback. It features plenty of prose explanation in both the discussion of the subject matter and the solutions to the exercises. I can recommend it without reservation to players from 1200-1800. Review at: . Positive review by Graham Brown. Review: "*Learn Chess Tactics* is a basic course for beginners. Some basic chess knowledge is assumed but there is a quick revision course in the first chapter. It is from the author of many diverse works, from the fun and intriguing *Solving in Style*, to the rather dry & dusty, but academically super-charged treatise: *Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings*. This book falls somewhere between these two in style. Certainly it has elements of dullness. There is the slight scent of school book to all this, with each chapter laid out very much the same, and a massive solutions section taking up nearly 1/3 of the book. Having said that, judged by textbook standards, this is a super book." Review at: : Positive recommendation by NM Dan Heisman. Review: "Superb descriptions of how each tactic works. This can almost be viewed as a successor book to my *Basic Chess Tactics A to Z* (working title) since the problems are on the average much more difficult." Review at: . Positive recommendation by Steve Higgins. Review: "As with most of Nunn's books, *Learn Chess Tactics* is a pleasure to read and contains interesting and informative examples and ex- ercises. Tournament players striving to reach the 1800-plus ratings level will learn a great deal from it." Review at: . o Nunn, John: Nunn's Chess Openings (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442210 o Nunn, John, and Griffiths, Peter: Secrets of Grandmaster Chess (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1879479540 1997 reissue of the 1987 book "Secrets of Grandmaster Play" o Nunn, John, and Griffiths, Peter: Secrets of Grandmaster Play (1987) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0020531303 o Nunn, John: Secrets of Pawnless Endings (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/190198365X Nunn, John: Secrets of Pawnless Endings (1994) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0805032851 glowing review by Soren Sogaard ("An impressive work") at: o Nunn, John: Secrets of Practical Chess (2007) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1904600700 Nunn, John: Secrets of Practical Chess (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983013 Very positive review by IM John Watson: It is ... well-written, thoughtful, and original. The book begins with a series of mini-essays on topics such as calculation, positional play, tactics, blunders, and time trouble. Nunn gives us practical advice about all these subjects, and then moves on to separate chapters on the opening, middlegame, endgame, and 'using a computer'. Every chapter is well-done; but I person- ally feel that the endgame chapter is a little incongruous, being essentially a survey of frequently-occurring endings. Not only do scads of other books cover this material, but the amount of prac- tical advice (e.g., how to think about endings and how to approach the example at hand) is minimal in comparison with the rest of the book. This is not a very serious objection, however, as just about everyone could use a review of this material. The only other as- pect of the book which is slightly disappointing is its length: the material is so good, we could use more of it! Secrets of Practical Chess is highly recommended, with players from 1500 to 2200 probably able to benefit the most from it. Review at: . Favorable chesscafe.com review: British GMs Murray Chandler (editor of the "British Chess Magazine"), John Nunn and FM Graham Burgess recently formed a new chess publishing company in Great Britain called Gambit Publications. Several of the new releases are first quality, among them John Nunn's "Secrets of Practical Chess." Nunn has written several books that feature profound, almost mind- boggling analysis. His treatment of the Bg5 Najdorf comes immedi- ately to mind in that regard. And his book on K&R vs. K, R & P endings is *the* definitive work in this area. "Secrets of Prac- tical Chess", however, is a different kind of book, at least for Nunn. First, it is clearly designed for the lower-rated player (perhaps just the kind of player who would *not* consider playing the Bg5 Najdorf), one who takes a more relaxed approach to the game, but still likes to win. And it is chock full of practical tips and advice designed to help a player's OTB performance and results. The book is divided into five chapters: (1) At the Board; (2) The Opening; (3) The Middlegame; (4) The Endgame; and (5) Using a Com- puter. Nunn states his objective in the Introduction: "This book includes a description of various common failings at the board. I think that many readers will reach a particular section and sud- denly think 'Yes, that's exactly the mistake I always make.' Re- cognizing the problem is already the first step towards solving it. An awareness of when one is most likely to go wrong enables one to take special care in these 'danger situations'. Eventually, by concentrating on a particular weakness, it is often possible to eradicate it completely." In many respects, Nunn challenges conventional wisdom. This is evident from Chapter One. Many players may be familiar with the "Tree Analysis" approach originally set forth by Alexander Kotov in his seminal work "Think Like a Grandmaster" which appeared over two decades ago. Kotov discusses the selection of candidate moves and the thought processes that might be used to narrow the selec- tion to a final choice. Nunn takes issue with this academic ap- proach and makes some valid points about practical factors that should also be considered, factors such as intuition, the clock and psychology. Although he does not reject Kotov's theories completely, he does cast doubt about their usefulness for most players. His treatment of opening study is also different. He not only dis- cusses what should go into the selection of a particular opening system but also, most interestingly, how one might regard and use opening books. He admonishes the reader to be wary of "Winning with ..." manuals. As he rightly points out, such texts, by virtue of their title, require the author to reach a pre-determined con- clusion that the opening is sound, playable etc., and he questions the effect of either contrary analysis being discovered by the au- thor during the production of the book, or those books that essen- tially are premised on one narrow line or move. He illustrates his points nicely by examining opening manuals by Kosten and Soltis. This is unique, eye-opening stuff. This no-nonsense approach also runs through his brief but helpful look at endgame study. His examination of both pawn endings and rook endings will offer sound, practical advice that will improve your endgame play. The book is rounded out by a brief chapter on the use of computers and databases. No revelations here, but some practical advice. In short, Nunn's "Secrets of Practical Chess" delivers exactly what it promises. A helpful guide for the weekend warrior. And at a rea- sonable price. Primarily designed for players in the 1600- 2200 Elo range, most will find useful nuggets of wisdom to take with them into battle royal, with their chances of success greatly enhanced thereby. Nicely done, John. Review at: . Review by Amazon.com reader: 5 stars, Dr. J. Sarfati, May 14, 2002 (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) As usual, Dr Nunn has produced a first-rate book, with all sorts of practical advice. It's really for fairly strong club players upwards, and I think most players below GM would learn some things. A few examples: DAUT -- don't analyse unnecessary tactics. Especially cogent from an author who's won fierce tactical slugfests with some of the world's best. Be sceptical of books advocating offbeat openings, and learn to decipher their "codes". You'll never have to fear the Latvian Gambit or Moller attack again! Instead, study proper openings like the Ruy Lopez that will serve you for years to come. Calculation tricks -- don't be too worried about Kotov's candidate move theory. But learn about safety nets, i.e. a way to bail out with say perpetual check if it turns out not to be as good as you thought. Avoid time trouble -- you might get a 0.1 pawn advantage more by taking all that extra time, but the piece hung in time trouble will more than make up for this. Some practical endgame lessons. Most people will benefit greatly by knowing how to save R v R+B, and the "second rank defence" is not found in Keres' "Practical Chess Endings". Some very useful tips in Q and R endings too. How to defend bad positions, and let's face it, unless our initials are GK or VK, all of us have to some time (and even those initials don't always work!). Review at: . Review by Amazon.com reader: 5 stars, A Reader, October 12, 2005 (Norfolk, VA) The highlighted comments of Dr J Sarfati are well written - he is an excellent Amazon reviewer. I agree that John Nunn's book is a goldmine of useful tips, and includes many a remedy for bad habits. The great thing about Nunn's writing is that he does not have an agenda. Unlike, say, an author trying to sell you his book on a dubious opening variation. Nunn just tells it as it is. The chapter on building an opening repertoire should be compulsory reading for anyone serious about improvement, or who wishes to better their competitive results. Keys lessons: a) never, ever, play the Latvian Gambit, and b) choose a sensible and sound opening repertoire. GM Nunn devotes the first third of the book to the role of deci- sion making (including the analysis tree thing) and examining why oversights happen. There follows the opening section, which mainly consists of that stern warning: do not be seduced by the lure of those off-beat lines. Unsound variations will do nothing for your long term improvement. Then comes the middlegame section, dealing with good positions, bad positions, attack and defense. I was surprised to find the endgame section equally fascinating. The final 50 or so pages feature all manner of practical situa- tions, and cover a wide range of typical scenarios. You will never take a routine endgame for granted again after seeing these amaz- ing examples. I rate this the best book ever written for the competitive player. Review at: . Review by Amazon.com reader: 5 stars, A Reader, February 14, 2005 (CA, USA) Although there are no quick-fix promises made, the always sensible Nunn advice and clear-cut writing will probably make this the most useful improvement book you will ever own. The section on openings and selecting an opening repertoire is required reading for anyone of tournament level. Famously Nunn demolishes the Latvian Gambit in one section (Books on Offbeat Openings). Whilst that analysis in itself is of some importance, Nunn's main objective was to pound home an important point - an opening reper- toire based on risky sidelines is in danger of being busted over- night. A well-written and well-focused book. Review at: . Review by Amazon.com reader: 5 stars, Ira Finkelstein, January 4, 2005 After reading this book I had an epiphany. Nunn spoke about not allowing one mistake to effect another. Essentially I think he meant general tactical blunders. Nevertheless one night I was playing with fritz when a thunderbolt from the blue hit me. I allow one bad move to effect another due to perfectionistic ten- dencies. This concept of bad move can be expanded to bad plan. A example of this would be, on move 10 I have developed what at that time what I thought to be was a good plan. At move 20 it hit me like a ton of bricks that my initial idea was weak and flawed. Normally I would become upset with the game and virtually fall apart. I remembered Nunn and was able to make an objective adjust- ment in my thinking process. So my game isn't as good as I thought it was. Therefore I will change my evaluation in the position and change my plan to cope with the new existing situa- tion on the board. This is a Quintessintial example of flexibility of thought. Live in the moment the tao of chess. Deal with the new situation at move 20 40 50 etc. Earlier mistakes are for the skittles board after one goes over their mistakes. Of course other things are mentioned which really does not need to be repeated for this re- view. Nevertheless I felt this secret of practical chess to be of utmost importance to me personally. Therefore kudos to John Nunn and his book secrets in practical chess. Review at: . o Nunn, John: Secrets of Rook Endings (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983188 Nunn, John: Secrets of Rook Endings (1993) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0805026401 unusual review by John Watson ("I can't say much about the 1999 version of John Nunn's Secrets of Rook Endings, because it is so specialized: there are 342 pages of rook-and-pawn versus rook. Nunn generated every possible ending of this type using a computer program, thus ensuring an error-free book(!). His task was to find themes of interest in this mass of material, and an incredible finding he cites is that there are 209 examples of mutual zugzwang in these endings, all of which he lists. This is a massive, futur- istic project, but I'm not sure how many people will find it com- pelling, the exception being endgame fanatics who want to achieve certainty about these deceptively complex endings.") at: o Nunn, John: Tactical Chess Endings (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713459379 Nunn, John: Tactical Chess Endings (1988) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0020447515 o Nunn, John, and Harding, Tim: The Marshall Attack (1990) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0020355300 o Nunn, John: Understanding Chess Move by Move (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983412 Shortlisted for BCF Book of the Year 2001: . Very positive review by Peter Connor: Understanding Chess Move By Move (Gambit) exemplifies the traditional method of self-improvement through the careful study of the games of the great masters, with the sagacious Dr. Nunn as interlocutor performing in his usual excellent manner. Nunn's book is reminiscent of the Chernev classic Logical Chess Move By Move, but is much deeper & more thorough, being written for somewhat more advanced players. Through 30 games in a wide variety of openings, every significant move is explained, and many important alternatives are discussed. Each game is identified by a theme (though in reality, no game is quite so mono-thematic), all the key ideas & plans are thoroughly explained and discussed, and finally, there's a game summary. If we occasionally wish that the discussions had gone further, we must remember that there are limitations on the length of a popular work. Understanding Chess Move By Move is beautifully put together, and in my opinion, anyone who plays over the games in it slowly and carefully is bound to improve his understanding of chess. In effect, it is a very inexpensive chess lesson from a top GM. If you are a class player seeking rapid improvement, of course, you will probably focus on the games involving openings you frequently play or play against. It's hard to find anything about this book not to like and it was almost certainly the best chess book of 2001, and one of the very best of the past decade or so. Review at: . Positive review by Soren Sogaard: This is a great book. Review at: . ##---## ## P ## ##---## o Palatnik, Sam, et al.: Chess Tactics for the Tournament Player (1996 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323022 Palatnik, Sam, and Alburt, Lev: Chess Tactics for the Tournament Player (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780961720766 This is Volume 3 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. This is book #10 on the Atkins/Kreider book list noted on "The Path to Improvement" at: . o Pandolfini, Bruce: Chessercizes (1991 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780671701840 o Pandolfini, Bruce: Every Move Must Have a Purpose (2003 hardcover) o Pandolfini, Bruce: More Chessercizes: Checkmate! (1991 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780671701857 o Pandolfini, Bruce: The Q&A Way in Chess (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812936582 o Pelts, Roman, and Alburt, Lev: Comprehensive Chess Course: From Beginner to Tournament Player in 12 Lessons (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323015 This is Volume 2 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Pelts, Roman, and Alburt, Lev: Comprehensive Chess Course: How to Teach Chess to Beginning and Intermediate Players, Volumes I & II in One, 2nd edition (1988 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780961720759 o Pelts, Roman, and Alburt, Lev: Comprehensive Chess Course: Learn Chess in 12 Lessons (1996) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781889323008 This is Volume 1 in the Comprehensive Chess Course series. o Pelts, Roman, and Alburt, Roman: How to Teach Chess to Intermediate Players (2nd edition) (1988) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780961720742 o Plaskett, James: Starting Out: Attacking Play (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443677 Mixed review by Richard Roseborough at: . Starting Out: Attacking Play is a nice collection of games that illustrate some, but not all, of the major attacking motifs of chess, and it stands unrivaled as a collection of James Plasket's best attacking games. As a guide for recognizing when to launch and how to conduct precision attacks against the enemy king, this book is a missed opportunity. o Plaskett, James: Catastrophe in the Opening (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443905 Positive review by John Donaldson at: . This type of book has been done before, a collection of miniature games that teaches tactics and how to attack, but Plaskett's is one of the better ones. The first thing that makes it a first rate collection of miniatures is the selection, which runs the gamut from old classics to contemporary games. o Plisetsky, Dmitry, and Voronkev, Sergey: Russians V Fischer (2005 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443806 o Polgar, Laszlo: Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781579125547 Polgar, Laszlo: Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games (1995 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781884822315 o Polgar, Susan: A World Champion's Guide to Chess (2005 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812936537 o Polgar, Susan: Breaking Through: How the Polgar Sisters Changed the Game of Chess (2005 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443813 o Polgar, Susan: Chess Tactics for Champions (2006) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812936711 o Polugayevsky, Lyev, and Damsky, Iakov: The Art of Defence in Chess (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441543 Very positive recommendation by Rick Kennedy at: . Stronger club players will benefit from Dunnington's [*Starting Out: Defensive Play*] book--any insight into the dark arts of defense is to be pursued by serious players--but it is not clear that it should be chosen before older works such as Polugayevsky and Damsky's beefier *The Art of Defence in Chess*. o Purdy, CJS: Action Chess: Purdy's 24 Hours Opening Repertoire hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650799 Middling review by IM John Watson at: . On a completely different and more nostalgic note, C.J.S. Purdy's 'Action Chess' is the latest volume in the Purdy series published by Chessco. I discussed a book from this series in review #3; 'Action Chess' is different in several respects. First, it is ex- plicitly a repertoire book, taken from a series of Purdy's arti- cles (the dates of these specific articles are not clear-I think between 1951 and 1960). Purdy suggests lines for both White and Black, with the goal of presenting material that the reader can absorb in a minimum of time. Second, U.S. master Ron Wiecks sup- plies a much-needed and useful 'commentary', which largely updates the theory on the lines Purdy presents, and occasionally corrects some of his misconceptions. Even with Wieck's commentary, Purdy's repertoire is not systematic; rather, with many detailed explana- tions, he gives sample games and general concepts aplenty. The goal is a simple and easy-to-learn repertoire (as indicated by White's Colle System), which the book claims can be learned in '24 hours', a forgivable overstatement. o Purdy, CJS: Extreme Chess: C. J. S. Purdy Annotates the World Championships Alekhine-Euwe I, 1935 Alekhine-Euwe Ii, 1937 Fischer- Spassky I, 1972 (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650812 Solid middle review by Jeremy Silman at: . Thinkers' has carried on a love affair with Purdy for quite some time, virtually resurrecting the memory of the Australian postal champion. I felt his instructional material for weaker players was outstanding, but here Purdy's work, though very good for its time, fails to shine so brightly. His notes are the main point of con- tention. Though they are more interesting than Botvinnik's dry prose and lazy analysis in his book on the same match, I get the impression that Purdy didn't understand all the subtleties that such high-class games naturally contain (in other words, he simply wasn't strong enough to do complete justice to the games of the World Champions). Nevertheless, his notes are entertaining, lucid, and do explain many key strategic and tactical points. The thing that made this book memorable for me (aside from finally owning an annotated version of the 1935 match!) is the addition of photos, interviews and comments by Euwe, Alekhine, Lasker, Spiel- mann and others. Overall, I'd say this was a very useful addition to most player's libraries. It's also another good effort by Thinkers' Press. o Purdy, CJS: Guide to Good Chess (2001 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888710045 Purdy, CJS: Guide to Good Chess: First Steps to Fine Points (11th edition) (1996 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650775 Positive review by chesscafe.com at: . A "Guide to Good Chess", by C.J.S. Purdy, the first World Correspondence Champion and many time champion of Australia, is aimed primarily at the beginner-to novice-level player. Given the quality of instruction offered, it's easy to understand why the book is now in its eleventh printing. Purdy's "Guide to Good Chess" [...] is an excellent choice for the beginning player. The author usually gets to the heart of the matter, stressing basic concepts in an organized format. This is one of the best beginner's books that this writer has seen. o Purdy, CJS: How Purdy Won (2nd edition) (1998 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650805 Middling review by IM John Watson at: . How Purdy Won, is about Purdy's correspondence career. Originally published in 1983, the book was an effort by two collaborators, Frank Hutchings and Kevin Harrison, to complete a 'half-finished' set of notes left by Purdy when he died. Essentially, the book is a games collection, differing from books written by Purdy alone in that there is not as much chess advice, and considerably less of Purdy's unique writing voice. Nevertheless, the games are instruc- tive and interesting; among others, Purdy fans (a growing cult!) will be delighted, as will collectors and historians. My guess is that readers from about 1200 to 2000 would enjoy it most. o Purdy Series, Volume Five: Bobby Fischer: From Chess Genius to Legend (2001 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650843 Purdy Series, Volume Five: Bobby Fischer: From Chess Genius to Legend (1999 hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650867 o Purdy, CJS: C.J.S. Purdy on the Endgame http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888710038 See volume one review, above. Solid review by Randy Bauer at: . This volume isn't an endgame book by Purdy per se; rather it com- bines various endgame articles from his periodicals. the content is split between "the short course" and the rest of the book. This is a useful delineation that guides the reader to the fundamental positions that should be studied first. The short course covers important ideas in key endgames involving rook and pawn versus rook, pure pawn endings, queen and pawn endings, and practical endgame studies. The material in this section covers 55 pages. The second section, covering all facets of the endgame, is the bulk of the book (176 pages). The material in the second section is much broader in many respects; besides covering all the other types of endgames, there is also a discussion of the transition to the endgame and general principles. Later on, the authors tackle "sure draws" (not always?), present a chapter on interesting end- games, cover some instructive endings by "endgame wizards" and present some problems for solution by the reader. The book closes with a restatement of key conclusions from the various chapters, which can be a handy reference guide. This is an excellent work, and I think it will most benefit the serious student. While the first part of the book can be useful for one who is less advanced, the bulk of the book requires some reasonable knowledge of the endgame and willingness to critically examine the positions and text that follows. This would likely be a good second or third book on the ending after a player has mastered the basics and is wanting to start thinking on his own. Solid review by Don Aldrich at: . This book should have something of interest for players of all classes. It can be used to reinforce, or even learn for the first time, certain basic endgame principles. It presents many quite interesting games and positions that one probably has not seen before, as many are taken from Australian-New Zealand tournaments from the 40s/50s/60s. And perhaps most importantly, Purdy's abili- ty to charm and entertain shines through from virtually every page. Recommended. o Purdy, CJS: The Search for Chess Perfection (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650782 o Purdy, CJS: The Search for Chess Perfection II (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888710304 ##---## ## R ## ##---## o Raetsky, Alexander, and Chetverik, Maxim: Alexander Alekhine: Master of Attack (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443721 Positive review by Mark Houlsby at: . To sum up: if one already has any of the abovementioned collections of Alekhine's games, Master of Attack adds only little. If it is by no means novel in its approach, this little book does have considerable merit, notwithstanding. Who among us can say with honesty that we know and understand tactics so well that there is nothing left to learn about them? This is perhaps not an essential book, but nevertheless it could make a welcome addition to any serious collection of volumes devoted to tactics, or, indeed, the question of how properly to conduct an attack such that it will have the greatest possible effect. "Houlsby Tip": no matter whether you are a patzer or a master, if you are an aficionado of tactics books, or of anything Alekhine-re lated, or both, then you should definitely buy this book. If you're not quite as enthusiastic as that, it still may be worth considering, nevertheless. If, however, you have several other books about tactics, or about Alekhine, you may not be missing out on too much if you decide to be diverted elsewhere. It's a good book, certainly, but perhaps not a classic. Positive review by Donald K. McKim at: . These instructive games of Alekhine, interestingly presented by the authors, will sharpen one's abilities for attacking and re- cognizing combinations on the chessboard. The book is a tribute to Alekhine's genius. Garry Kasparov once said, "I fell in love with the rich complexity of his ideas at the chessboard. Ale- khine's attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted from a clear sky." This book captures these "thunderstorms!" Middling review by Derek Grimmell at: . No collection of Alekhine's games could be a waste of time or money; he makes everyone's short list of players who truly deserve study. If you can study complete games without annotations and still understand what's going on, and if you are already fairly tactically sharp, you may find this book helps you develop your attacking skills in several different ways at once. But it will demand initiative and work from the student. Many players, espe- cially those below club strength, will do better either to get a fully-annotated collection of games, or a larger collection of puzzles. Perhaps both. o Raetsky, Alexander, and Chetverik, Maxim: Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative (2006 paperback) Very positive review by Michael Jeffreys at: . In this review we will look at their latest publication in this series: Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative. The book is basically a puzzle book, made up of combos played by the 10th World Cham- pion, Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (born January 30, 1937). [...] Despite this apparent gaff in the Polgar-Spassky puzzle, I still like this book very much. Studying the winning tactics and combi- nations played by a world champion is without a doubt one of the best ways to improve your game. Everyman Chess has made it easy for you by collecting some of World Champion Boris Spassky's best combos and putting them into one book. Many players of today's generation aren't as familiar with Boris Spassky's games as perhaps they should be. If you fall into this group, here is your chance to learn about and study the winning combos from one of the true legends of our game. On a scale of 1-10, Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative gets an 8. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857444254 o Raetsky, Alexander, and Chetverik, Maxim: Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857443659 glowing review by Michael Jeffreys ("If you enjoy solving chess puzzles from real games and you want to improve your chess creati- vity, going through these amazing Tal combinations will not only bring you hours of enjoyment but will definitely improve your game. While there are quite a few other books out there on Tal, Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik have done a good job of or- ganizing the material as well as adding in their own instructive comments. As I mentioned in the opening to this review, this is one of those rare books that both entertains and instructs. Highly recommended.") at: o Ray, Erik: Learning XML (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780596004200 o Reinfeld, Fred: 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate (1971) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0879801107 o Reinfeld, Fred: Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters (1995) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486286142 o Reinfeld, Fred: One Thousand and One Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations (1969) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0879801115 o Reinfeld, Fred: The Complete Chess Course (1990) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0385004648 o Renaud, Georges, and Kahn, Victor: The Art of the Checkmate (1953) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486201066 o Rowson, Jonathan: Chess for Zebras (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983854 shortlisted for BCF book of the Year 2006, cf.: review by Michael Jeffreys at: o Rowson, Jonathan: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (2001) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983366 Shortlisted for BCF book of the Year 2001; cf.: . Very balanced review by Rick Kennedy at: . Glowing review by Jeremy Silman at: . Scathing review by Taylor Kingston at: . Strongly positive review by Soren Sogaard at: "This is a classic chessbook." ##---## ## S ## ##---## o Sadler, Matthew: Tips for Young Players (2000 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857442311 Positive review by Glenn Budzinski at: . Sadler has prepared an excellent account of the basic concepts of the game that every beginner needs to know to become a competent player. Very positive reviews from club players on: . Practically demonstrates basic opening, middle, and end-game strategies. I like the presentation of this book better than the older classics. A bit simpler, and broader in scope, than Seira- wan's "Winning Chess Strategies. An excellent precursor to Sil- man!" "Though most club players will know the tenets given here in one form or another, it is still helpful to see them in one place, given clearly and illustrated with appropriate examples. I remem- ber that Tal used to watch chess instruction programs on televi- sion designed for beginners. His argument was that one can't suf- ficiently overlearn the basics. This is the way I feel about this book. It is a manual of chess wisdom, as easy to read as a book of zen aphorisms and with as much depth. o Saidy, Anthony: The March of Chess Ideas (1994 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812922332 o Schmidt, Paul: How Chessmasters Think (1988 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780931462764 Positive mention by Michael Jeffreys on and by Bruce Pandolfini on . o Schultz, Don: Chessdon: Forty Years of My Most Interesting Chess Experiences (1999 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780967077505 2000 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year Award non-chess book o Schultz, Patricia: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780761104841 non-chess book o 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. and Canada Before You Die (2007 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780761147381 o Seirawan, Yasser, and Silman, Jeremy: Play Winning Chess (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443318 Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . Overall I think that this book is quite good, and I especially like that the readers are examined throughout the book. o Seirawan, Yasser: Winning Chess Brilliancies (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443479 Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . The book reminds [me] of the great "Understanding Chess Move By Move" by John Nunn. Seirawan chose 12 games which he uses 240 pages to analyse! This means 20 pages for each game and he really explains in depth what is going on. Of course there are some variations, but the main focus is on explaining what is going on. An excellent book... o Seirawan, Yasser: Winning Chess Combinations (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857444209 Positive review by Rick Kennedy at: . Seirawan's easy going writing style and humorous anecdotes? Check. Encouraging Introduction? Check. Useful Summary of principles? Check. Everyman Chess' usual well-laid out format (diagrams, fonts, space, etc.)? Check. Educational value? Check. Entertain- ment value? Check. Winning Chess Combinations is a fitting finish to the Winning Chess series. o Seirawan, Yasser: Winning Chess Endings (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443486 Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . On 230 pages he discuss the most important endgames and I can't say that there was something that I missed ;-) If you study this book carefully I don't think need another endgame book before you reach ELO 1900. o Seirawan, Yasser: Winning Chess Openings (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443493 Review by Dave Zaklan at: . Review by Soren Sogaard at: . o Seirawan, Yasser: Winning Chess Strategies (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443851 Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . Very positive review by Don Aldrich at: . This is a very well done introduction to the basic elements of strategy. It is suitable for a reader of any age as long as he or she is capable of understanding the vocabulary, and has the re- quired basic knowledge of the game. Highly recommended. o Seirawan, Yasser, and Silman, Jeremy: Winning Chess Tactics (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857443868 Positive review by Rick Kennedy at: . Winning Chess Tactics, as can be expected from Everyman Chess, is well laid-out, with clear diagrams and good use of fonts, white space and bolding. I encountered few typos. With Winning Chess Tactics the author has met his goal "to enlighten beginner and tournament player alike." He even gives a further nudge down the road: if you've developed a taste for tactics, Seirawan recommends Silman's Reassess Your Chess and Averbakh's Tactics for the Advanced Player for further learning (not just rote practice, as you can find with Reinfeld's still useful and inexpensive 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations and 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate. Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . The second book is about chess tactics, and here the reader learns about the basic tactics and combinations like The Double Attack, The Pin, The Skewer and Zwischenzug. In the Introduction you can read was this book is all about: "Winning Chess Tactics won't teach you anything about tactics and combinations that the chess world doesn't already know. However, I've found that accessing this knowledge about these concepts can be anything but easy. Few of the books that teach combinative play explain tactics and combinations in an instructive. The rare exceptions tend to be for advanced players, making a study of this subject rather difficult for those with less experience. In this book, I divide tactics into themes, which I thoroughly explain and illustrate." The main readership for this book should be players with an ELO between 1000 and 1600. This is one of the best books I have seen about this subject, and with 137 test positions you get a good start in this area. o Sergeant, P.W., and Watts W.H.: Pillsbury's Chess Career (2002 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781843820093 Sergeant, P.W., and Watts W.H.: Pillsbury's Chess Career (1987 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780844629087 Sergeant, P.W., and Watts, W.H.: Pillsbury's Chess Career (1966 book) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486215433 o Sergeant, Philip W.: Morphy's Games of Chess (1985 hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713450576 Sergeant, Philip W.: Morphy's Games of Chess (1957 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486203867 o Shahade, Jennifer: Chess Bitch: Women In The Ultimate Intellectual Sport (2005 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085094 o Shereshevsky, M.I.: Endgame Strategy (reprint) (1994 paperback reprint) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857440638 Shereshevsky, M.I.: Endgame Strategy (1st edition) (1985 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080297460 Shereshevsky, M.I.: Endgame Strategy (1st edition) (1985 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080297453 Glowing review by Jeremy Silman at: . In my opinion... there are only three endgame books that players in the C-2200 classes need buy: Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy, Soltis' GM Secrets/the Endgame, and Howell's Essential Chess Endings. A serious study of these three books will give you a 2400 understanding of this all-important phase of the game, so don't hesitate to add them to your library. o Shibut, Macon: Paul Morphy and the Evolution of Chess Theory (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486435749 o Silman, Jeremy: The Amateur's Mind (1999 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085025 Silman, Jeremy: The Amateur's Mind (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780945806134 Review by Randy Bauer at: . Strongly positive review by Arne Matthiesen at: . "Strongly recommended" and "Full of useful material". o Silman, Jeremy: The Complete Book of Chess Strategy: Grandmaster Techniques from A to Z (1998 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085018 Positive recommendation by IM John Watson on: . "Siles Press is a newcomer with Jeremy Silman's The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, a compendium of positional chess ideas which I strongly recommend to all chess teachers." Middling review by S. Evan Kreider at: . "If making a notebook or flashcards sounds like too much work (it sure is for me . . . ), there are some books which essentially do this for you. Pandolfini's Weapons of Chess book is organized in such a fashion. Jeremy Silman's Complete Book of Chess Strategy does the same thing; in fact, he even says in the introduction that the purpose of the book is to provide you with a ready-made notebook of essential positions and information. The only reason that I don't specifically recommend this book in my list is that it has quite a few typos, diagram errors, and downright omissions! For example, there are a whole bunch of things in his How to Reassess Your Chess that he forgot to include, or only included partially. I've actually talked with him about this a little via e-mail, and have asked him to consider printing a second edition with revisions, corrections, and expansions. If he does, and it meets my approval, then I'll recommend it for sure! :-)" o Silman, Jeremy: How to Reassess Your Chess: The Complete Chess-Mastery Course (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085001 Silman, Jeremy: How to Reassess Your Chess (2nd edition) (1991 book) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650539 o Silman, Jeremy: The Reassess Your Chess workbook (2001 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085056 o Silman, Jeremy: Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master (2007 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781890085100 Positive review by Michael Jeffreys at: . The Bottom Line: I won't beat around the bush: Jeremy Silman has written hands-down the best endgame book ever. Sure, Muller and Lamprecht's endgame book may be more comprehensive, but this one you will actually read! o Skinner, Leonard M., and Verhoeven, Robert G.P.: Alexander Alekhine's Chess Games, 1902-1946 (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786401178 Glowing review "Highly recommended" by Soren Sogaard at: . 1998 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year Award o Soloviov, Sergei: Boris Spassky's 400 Selected Games (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9789548782296 Slightly positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . A decent game collection. o Soltis, Andrew: Grandmaster Secrets Endings (1997 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650669 Glowing review by Jeremy Silman at: . In my opinion... there are only three endgame books that players in the C-2200 classes need buy: Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy, Soltis' GM Secrets/the Endgame, and Howell's Essential Chess Endings. A serious study of these three books will give you a 2400 understanding of this all-important phase of the game, so don't hesitate to add them to your library. o Soltis, Andy: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713488463 Positive review by IM John Donaldson at: . Positive review by John Watson at: . Positive review by Andy Ansel at: . Positive review by Taylor Kingston at: . o Soltis, A.: Catalog of Chess Mistakes (1980 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679141518 Soltis, A.: Catalog of Chess Mistakes (1979 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679132509 o Soltis, Andy: Frank Marshall, United States Champion: A Biography With 220 Games (1994 hardcover reprint) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780899508870 BCF Book of the Year Award 1994; cf.: . Positive review by Soren Sogaard at: . A great book about one of the most colorful players from the first half of the 20th century. o Soltis, Andrew: Pawn Structure Chess (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812925296 Soltis, Andrew: Pawn Structure Chess (1976 book) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679130505 o Soltis, Andrew: Rethinking the Chess Pieces (2005 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489040 Very positive review by NM Dan Heisman at: . o Soltis, Andrew: The Art of Defense in Chess (1983 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679141082 Soltis, Andrew: The Art of Defense in Chess (1975 book) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679130437 o Soltis, Andy: The Inner Game of Chess (1994 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812922912 o Soltis, Andy: Soviet Chess 1917-1991 (1999 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786406760 2000 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . Positive review by John Watson at: . Positive review by Taylor Kingston at: . o Soltis, Andrew: Turning Advantage Into Victory in Chess (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780812935813 Glowing review by Mark Houlsby at: . o Soltis, Andrew: Why Lasker Matters (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780713489835 2006 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . non-chessbook o Sorokie, Alyce: Gut Wisdom: Understanding and Improving Your Digestive Health http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781564147530 o Spielmann, Rudolf: The Art of Sacrifice in Chess (1995 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486284491 Spielmann, Rudolf: The Art of Sacrifice in Chess (1979 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780679140009 o Stean, Michael, and Wilson, Fred: Simple Chess (2003 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486424200 Positive review by Jonathan Winer at: . o Stohl, Igor: Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces (2001 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781901983425 Recommended by Dan Heisman on: . Book #7 of 7 of his recommended instructive game anthologies. 2001 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, cf. . Very positive recommendation by Stephen Ham at: . non-chess book o Strogatz, Steven: Sync (2003 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786868445 Strogatz, Steven: Sync (2004 paperback reprint) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786887217 ##---## ## T ## ##---## o Tal, Mihails; Littlewood, John Eric; Koblents, A.N.: Study Chess with Tal (1981) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713436069 o Tal, Mikhail: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442024 glowing reviews by end users ("5 stars, G. Camara, April 28, 2004 (Sao Jose dos Campos, SP Brazil) I've been a chessplayer for 40 years (best rating was 2250 ELO) and I still enjoy Internet chess. During my chess life I have read dozens of chess books, mostly in openings which are quickly outdated. Not this book. This is a great book by one of the five all-time best chess players (the others being Kasparov, Fischer, Alekhine and Capablanca). It's a book I return very often, simply for enjoying myself. In Chess, beauty does not lie in winning a game, but in the ideas and the conceptions that are required for the battle. Mikhail Tal had it all: an amazing mind, and the free-thinking that illuminates the lifes of lesser mortals. And the book is exceptionally well-written and well commented. I agree with other reviewers: this is probably the best chess book ever written. 5 stars, Avital Pilpel, October 20, 2004 (New York, NY United States) This book is really two books. It is arranged chronologi- cally, with every chapter containing two part: first, the personal and "chessic" biography of Tal during the period discussed in the chapter, and then, a selection of games (annotated by him) played in that period. The biographical section (wittily written as an interview between "journalist" and "chessplayer") is extremely well-written. It is chock-full both of funny anecdotes (e.g., how Tal lost the first game of the 1962 Olympiad to "a tactical shot by an unknown player"--a drunk hit him over the head with a bottle before the opening ceremony) and of serious, insightful observations about Tal's own playing style, the style of other masters, and what being a chess master in the USSR was like. We get to "see" not only Tal's personality and thought, but also that of Smyslov, Spassky, Botvinnik, Geller, Bronstein, and the rest. And then there are the games. Analyzed by Tal himself, of course, long before computers, the analysis of the almost 300 games in the book is wonderful. It shows not only the lines Tal was consider- ing, but also the psychology of the game, Tal's stylistic prefer- ences, and so on. It is lightyears ahead of computer analysis--not because it is more accurate, but because Tal takes us into his mind and tells us the real reasons he chose move A over move B AT THAT MOMENT, giving us the feeling we are "in" the game. Unlike so many chess books, it's positively EXCITING to follow Tal's annotations. The difference between them and Fritz's anal- ysis is like the difference between reading the baseball statis- tics the next day or watching the commentators during the live game. The statistics are sometimes more accurate, but... Each one of these parts would be well worth the price in itself as a seperate book. Together, they're amazing. Highly recommended. 5 stars, Jonathan, October 26, 2005 6 stars! This book, along with My 60 Memorable Games was the best book I have ever read. Mikhail Tal explains his ways from a junior player to a GM and even WCH! 4 stars, Gilles Benson (Beauvais, France) I bought the book in 1978 when I was still expecting Misha Tal to reach again the chess Olympus. It is a very witty account of his life up to 1975 but far from the truth... It is still an open question to know if Tal was obliged to lose his return match to Botvinnik in 61. As a jew with a very original thinking in soviet Russia, the man was not free; accounts of his life released after his death in 1992 make this clear (see Gennadi Sosonko's "my Misha" in Russian silhouettes); nevertheless, it stands apart in the dull world of chess players autobiographies... 5 stars, Alexander A very nicely written book, interesting side-looks from a truly great player. The only thing which might stop someone from buying it would be its high tactical complications. Often Tal will rattle off a variation and write " would obviously not work". However, he doesn't bother to explain it, assuming the reader understands why the variation can't be played. This is ok for an advance reader, 1800-2400+ range. But for the average player it maybe very diffi- cult in some positions, especially complex endgames to see why white or black has a win. Overall a good book that anyone would learn something from, but the amount learned will vary with skill. 5 stars, kazzamh, February 27, 2004 (Wilmette, IL United States) I was a little skeptical when I first picked up this book, seeing how much of it was filled with stories, instead of actual chess analysis. Well, guess what, those worries were put to rest within the first hour. The stories give a look into the thoughts of "the magician from Riga" and are a perfect supplement to the brilliant games that he annotates. Do yourself a favor, and read this book, and immediatly follow it up with Tal-Botvinnik, 1960.") at: o Tal, Mikhail: Tal-Botvinnik, 1960 (2001 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1888690089 Tal, Mikhail: Match for the World Chess Championship, 1960 (1977) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0890580324 o Tals, Mihails: Tal's Winning Chess Combinations: The Secrets of Winning Chess Combinations Described and Explained by the Russian Grandmaster Mikhail Tal (1979) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0671242628 o ten Geuzendam, Dirk Jan: The Day Kasparov Quit (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9056911635 very positive review by Jeremy Silman ("There is a tremendous amount to read in THE DAY KASPAROV QUIT, and everything proved extremely interesting to me. If you enjoy chess history and/or the thoughts of chess titans, then this book will give you enormous pleasure.") at: very positive review by John Donaldson ("THE DAY KASPAROV QUIT will provide many hours of reading pleasure for chess players of all strengths and ages. Note that all interviews in this book were previously printed in New in Chess with the exception of those with Miguel Najdorf, Vasily Ivanchuk, and the one with Vladimir Kramnik form Novgorod, 1997. Like SMART CHIP FROM ST. PETERSBURG, there are many fascinating photos throughout the book.") at: o Timman, Jan: Timman's Selected Games: Chess the Adventurous Way (1996 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441214 positive review by Dave Regis ("a good source of study material") at: o Timman, Jan: The Art of Chess Analysis (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441796 Timman, Jan: The Art of Chess Analysis (1980, paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0890580480 Timman, Jan: The Art of Chess Analysis (1980, hardcover) hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MBXKSG/ High praise at: . High praise in review of Alfonso Romero's "Creative Chess Strategy" by Bill Kelleher at: . o Tisdall, Jonathan: Improve Your Chess Now (1997) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857441567 Positive review by Peter Connor: Improve Your Chess Now (Everyman) by GM Tisdall, is an interesting combination of chess and psychology. In Lasker-like fashion, we are taught how to play a bad position by throwing up obstacles, how to train at pattern recognition, how to visualize the moves of a combination; in other words, how to approach chess as a struggle, from the perspective of a GM. There is also a good deal of tactical material that is interesting and worthwhile. Many chess books promise a new approach to improving one?s chess, but this one actually delivers. Tisdall focuses on the thinking behind the moves and offers a much more realistic and useful method for analyzing a position and choosing a move than that put forth by Kotov. Tisdall provides a number of very helpful & instructive exercises throughout the book, which force the reader to dig in and work, but they are very effective and instructive. I enjoyed the book, but I think the material is probably too abstract and difficult for lower level class players. For the serious player who?s reached the Class B level or above and is willing to work, this book is a good investment. Review at: . Very positive review by IM John Watson: GM Jonathan Tisdall's Improve Your Chess Now has a deceptively elementary-sounding title. This is a book with advanced and original insights, and arguably one of the very best chess books published in the last five years. Although many of the tactical and pattern-training exercises he presents are aimed at players of, say, 1600-2200 strength, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if grandmasters couldn't read this book and not only enjoy it immensely, but 'improve their chess' as well. Improve Your Chess is also a gold mine of practical advice. There is a chapter on playing bad positions, one on recurring patterns, and one on the value of the pieces (including a variety of positional sacrifices). Tisdall talks about bad bishops, the bishop pair, and a variety of material imbalances such as bishop and knight versus rook and pawns. Throughout all this, the author writes with a chatty and enthusiastic style. He draws upon a lifetime of thinking about chess, and includes numerous entertaining quotes and concepts from great players. To conclude his book, Tisdall provides two Appendices with useful mating and tactical patterns, followed by an entertaining biblio- graphy with a mini-review of each book! If it isn't already obvious, this is one of my favorite newer books, and I think you can hardly help but learn from it and be entertained by it, whatever your strength. Review at: . o TYKODI, Ralph J.: C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume One (revised 2nd edition) (2004 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781888710199 Very positive review by David Surratt at: . Bobby Fischer is said to have declared Purdy to be the finest chess teacher in the business, and many others have echoed this sentiment over the years. Dr. Ralph J. Tykodi, fortunately for lovers of chess, has compiled many of Purdy's writings into what has come to be known as The Purdy Library. Published by Thinkers Press, the list of titles includes: CJS Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume One CJS Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume Two CJS Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume Three How Purdy Won CJS Purdy On the Endgame The Search for Chess Perfection: The Life, Games, and Writings of CJS Purdy Action Chess: CJS Purdy's 24 Hours Opening Repertoire Guide to Good Chess Extreme Chess: The World Chess Championships of 1935, 1937, 1972) The current volume being reviewed is listed as a "Revised Second Edition", although I have been unable to discover just what has been revised. It really doesn't matter though, as what is deli- vered here is worth the price of admission, many times over. One hundred master-level games, annotated with Purdy's customary style and wit, comprise the bulk of the offerings. Take Purdy's advice, and study these games. There is much here to benefit the average tournament or club player. o TYKODI, Ralph J.: C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume Two (2002 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650836 See review for volume one, above. o TYKODI, Ralph J.: C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume Three (2002 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780938650850 See review for volume one, above. ##---## ## U ## ##---## o Utterberg, Cary: De La Bourdonnais Versus Mcdonnell, 1834 (2005 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780786421145 2006 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year Award Honorable Mention ##---## ## V ## ##---## o VAN PERLO, G.C.: Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9789056911683 2006 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year Positive recommendation by John DONALDSON at: . Mr. Van Perlo has produced a collection of over 1,100 positions, primarily from actual games, which illustrate just what pieces can do when they work to their maximum. This book is filled with endgames of all sorts -- pawn, queen, rook, minor piece endgames and various combinations thereof. The degree of difficulty of examples varies and this, coupled with the numerous diagrams, make for a wonderful book to dabble in whenever you have a few minutes to spare. There are few chess books that one can recommend to a wide audience, but VAN PERLO'S ENDGAME TACTICS is one of them. o VAN RIEMSDIJK, Herman Claudius, and HAJENIUS, Willem Diederik: The Final Countdown: Your Last Resource in Pawn Endings http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857441291 Enthusiastic review by Jeremy SILMAN at: . "Wonderful little book." Positive review by chesscafe.com at: . A very decent effort about a subject that is not easy to master. o VOLOKITIN, Andrei, and GRABINSKY, Vladimir: Perfect Your Chess (2007 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781904600824 No information yet. Seen in Border's Books on 2007.08.17. o VUKOVIC, Vladimir: Art of Attack in Chess (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857444001 VUKOVIC, Vladimir: Art of Attack in Chess (1993) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781857440539 VUKOVIC, Vladimir: Art of Attack in Chess (1975 hardcover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080111971 VUKOVIC, Vladimir: Art of Attack in Chess (1965) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780080111964 Review by Bill WHITED at: . ##---## ## W ## ##---## non-chess book o WAITZKIN, Josh: The Art of Learning (2007 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780743277457 [added 2007.05.08] o WALKER, John: Chess Openings for Juniors (1995) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/185744180X WALKER, John: Chess: Openings for Juniors (1990) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781852602192 WALKER, John: Chess Openings for Juniors (1975) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780192175441 Very strong recommendation at: . Positive recommendation, in passing, by Richard PALLISER, at: . o WARD, Chris: Improve Your Opening Play (2000) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1857442369 Not particularly recommended by Richard PALLISER on: . "Instead, get "Chess Openings for Juniors" by John Walker." o WATSON, John: Chess Strategy in Action (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983692 Review by Don ALDRICH at: . Chess Strategy in Action (CSA) is John Watson's eagerly awaited follow-up to Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy (SMCS). If SMCS was an update to My System, CSA is the new version of Chess Praxis. For those poor souls foolish enough to have skipped it, SMCS traced the evolution of chess strategy from Nimzowitsch to the current day. The basic premise was that modern players were much more 'rule independent' than their predecessors -- the modern master is perfectly happy to put his knights on the edge of the board if the situation calls for it. This premise was thoroughly investigated throughout the reach of chess strategy as Watson looked at the differences in the handling of pieces, pawn chains, the increase in exchange and pawn sacrifices and so forth. While the book had its critics, it met with general acclaim and won just about every award a chess book is eligible for, including the all important BCF Book of the Year. CSA is a straight up sequel, filling in the gaps if you will. Over a third of SMCS was devoted to establishing the base line of strategy as it existed in 1935, leaving less room for actual ex- ploration of the ideas. At many junctures, Watson would end a dis- cussion with the observation that he was curtailing it due to space reasons, or that a 'whole book could be written on the sub- ject.' This then is that book. Watson uses the introductory chapter to remind the reader of what was covered in the first volume. This has the commercially desirable effect of making CSA a 'stand alone' product. Familiarity with SMCS is not required. Watson also assures us CSA is new material. He is still exploring the same thesis, showing us how the modern game treats things differently, but the subjects covered are either covered in more depth than in SMCS or are subjects that were not dealt with at all. I cannot imagine any chess player not being fascinated by the discussion as presented by Watson. In SMCS he issued a strong caveat that it was not an instructional work, but rather a more academic survey of how strategy has changed, and he issues the same warning in CSA. That being said, I think it would be impossi- ble for a player to study this work and not have his understanding of the modern game greatly enhanced. This book will probably not receive the same wide spread acclaim as SMCS, much as Praxis is not as valued as My System. The first was ground breaking where the second is seen as simply more of the same. To ignore this book because you have read the first would be a mistake. The game selec- tion alone makes it a very worthwhile investment of time. Strongly Recommended." o WATSON, John: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances Since Nimzowitsch (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983072 BCF Book of the Year Award 1999, 1999 Chess Journalists of America Book of the Year (Cramer) Award, . See also . non-chess book o WATTS, Isaac: The Improvement of the Mind to Which Is Added a Discourse on the Education of Children And Youth (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1417921854 WATTS, Isaac: The Improvement of the Mind or a Supplement to the Art of Logic: Containing a Variety of Remarks and Rules for the Attain- ment and Communication of Useful Knowledge in Religion, in the Sciences, and in Common Life to (1999 hardcover) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781573580861 o WEERAMANTRY, Sunil, and EUSEBI, Ed: Best Lessons of a Chess Coach (1993) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0812922654 o WEINREB, Michael: The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, And Genuises Who Make Up a School Chess Team (2007 hard- cover) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/1592402615 o WENZHE, Liu: The Chinese School of Chess (2004) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/0713487739 Review by Jens MADSEN at: . o WETESCHNIK, Martin: Understanding Chess Tactics (2006 paperback) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9197524425 Positive note by Andrew MARTIN: "Uniformly excellent." Note at: . Positive reviews by Amazon.com reviewers: 5 stars. A Groundbreaking Book for the Serious Tactician, December 10, 2006. Reviewer: Robert J. Newell (Santa Fe, New Mexico). Make no mistake about it; this book is not easy and is hard work. Neither is it suitable as a first book of tactics; it might be a second or even a third. But it is a real groundbreaker in terms of teaching technique. It is in many ways reminiscent of the CT-ART computer tactics trainer; there are circles, squares, arrows, etc., drawn on some of the diagrams to make it absolutely clear how the tactical motif works---- with the advantage of clear and concise explanatory text, something the computer program doesn't give you. The book is rich with diagrams and you don't really need a board to work with it (and you are much better off working without one in any case). While the usual suspects appear (pins, mates, etc.) they are given fresh life with their unique treatment; and there are some things not explicitly dealt with in many a tactics book, such as "the reloader", gain of tempo, etc. This book offers a great deal and stands out in a crowded field. 5 stars. The best book on tactics that I've read, March 8, 2007 Reviewer: Alan Whitlatch (Des Moines, Iowa) This is by far the best book on tactics that I have read! I have read over 30 books on chess tactics and this one stands out as the best. While other tactics books show examples of tactics...this book EXPLAINS how to RECOGNISE the oportunity and then SET UP the tactical motiff. Thank you Mr. Weteschnik for sharing your work with all of us searching for help with our chess game. 5 stars. A Modern Classic?, November 30, 2006. Reviewer: C. Diniz "c17d70". This book could be a modern day classic. Why is this? What separates it from other tactical works? Quite simply it is the authors approach to 'breaking down' the tactical motiffs. How does he do this? He does it with that term 'pattern recognition.' He does not throw a bunch of boring puzzles at you he simply points out certain piece and pawn configurations that make each tactic possible. With this info you begin to spot tactical operations in a game. The author then begins to 'tinker' with each tactic such as 'if this was here and this was their you would do this!' AFter all of this the author begins to show one how and when to start setting up in game tactics. Also I found the sections on 'strate- gic possibilties'on each tactic to be fantastic...never quite looked at tactics this way before! Do you need to be an advanced player to reap the rewards from this work? The ansrew is a resounding NO! A very basic knowledge of tactics would save the reader some confusion though. It is obvious the author has put in a great deal of effort into his tactical studies. The layout of the book is nice with a clear presentation. I have not seen a tactical work from any author like this one. After reading this book my tactical knowledge was vastly improved. A Modern day classic? It has my vote but time will tell! Reviews at: . o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 200 Capture Mates: One And Two Move Checkmates http://www.bestwebbuys.com/9781580422154 o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 202 Surprising Checkmates (1998 paperback) hxxp://www.bestwebbuys.com/9780486401676 Do not order. Problems are composed and not taken from real games. Noted in: hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486401677/ o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 More Tricky Chess Puzzles (2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1580421822 o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 Perplexing Chess Puzzles (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1402711468 o WILSON, Fred: 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles (paperback, 2005) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/8172453183 WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/080692733X o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERTSON, Bruce: 303 Tricky Checkmates (2002) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1580420400 WILSON, Fred, and ALBERTSON, Bruce: 303 Tricky Checkmates (1998) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0940685906 review by Kevin BIDNER at: o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 Tricky Chess Puzzles (2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/158042144X o WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 Tricky Chess Tactics (2003) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1580420761 WILSON, Fred, and ALBERSTON, Bruce: 303 Tricky Chess Tactics (1999) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1580420109 o WILSON, Stanley D.: Stubblefield (hardcover, 2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1932560912 WILSON, Stanley D.: Stubblefield (paperback, 2004) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1932560920 ##---## ## Y ## ##---## o Yermolinsky, Alex: The Road to Chess Improvement (2000) http://www.bestwebbuys.com/1901983242 shortlisted for BCF Book of the Year 2000; cf.: ##---## ## Z ## ##---## o Znosko-Borovsky, Eugene: The Art of Chess Combination http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0486205835 widely viewed as a classic \-----------------------------# end chessbooklist