Description
Book SynopsisThe book before you is a product of what happens when two chess players start a relationship (which started over six years ago) and enter a dialogue about how to get ready for the next tournament. The content of this book is a training program for players who plan to play an over-the-board tournament a few weeks from the time they start training with this book. This book, unlike other similar books in the field of improvement, does not have a central theme. In other words, we are not focused solely on openings, middlegames or endgames. Moreover, the book does not only concentrate on specific themes (calculation, positional decisions, or other strategic aspects), though many of these concepts are addressed throughout the book. Instead, this book offers a holistic view on how to approach every single position in it, regardless of the phase of the game or the nature of the position. We try to teach players how to identify types of decisions in various positions, while pointing at the trade-off between a hardcore calculation and a heuristics judgment.
Trade ReviewIf, however, you’re really serious about improving your chess and you’re prepared to follow the instructions, working hard on each position, then this could be just the book for you. The positions are well chosen to cover a wide range of themes, and the solutions are fully explained. You might think some of the explanations might have been clearer, and the English, although it doesn’t really matter, might have been more idiomatic. You might also notice that, in positions where margins are very thin, different engines will choose different moves and give different assessments. You might wish for some recognition of human factors such as ‘playability’ rather than just computer analysis. But strong and ambitious players who have the time and motivation to put in the required effort will undoubtedly benefit a lot. Where I’d disagree with Moradiabadi and Foisor is that I’d consider it most suitable for players of at least 2000 strength. I think the 1700-1999 folk would probably learn more from either simpler or more specifically targeted positions. As a final word, I should add that, as always with Thinkers Publishing, the production values are excellent. Richard James, British Chess News, 21st January 2021.
Put, simplistically, this is a puzzle book but when reading it you soon realize it is much more than that. Each part starts with a detective story presented in the words of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson which, though offbeat for a chess book, does make for entertaining and instructive reading. Moreover, these intros are quite mind boggling and require serious imagination if our two heroes are to unravel the unfolding mysteries. In total there are 312 of these puzzles which are carefully and thoroughly annotated with lots of analysis, explanatory prose, and diagrams to make the reading more digestible. I too have written several puzzles book, but I still found myself admiring the complexity of the examples chosen here and thinking about the effort that has gone into dissecting them. An excellent book for ambitious players and their coaches. FM Carsten Hansen, American Chess Magazine 20/2021
