Book Description
Combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the emphasis here is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. Tactics is a very important part of the game of chess and conscientious study and application of tactical principles is crucial to success. This book offers every type of tactical motif imaginable, from the more common back rank mates, pins, skewers, forks, up to and including some beautiful and rare combinations. This tactical book will prove exceptionally useful for a wide range of players, intermediate through master strength and beyond.
Customer Reviews:
What an irritating little book!.......2007-04-22
This book contains 565 chess puzzles. The first 233 are categorized by 20 tactical themes, and constitute the first chapter. Typically, each theme is defined and illustrated by a few examples, and then the associated puzzles follow. The next five chapters are, respectively, Easy Exercises (100 puzzles), Endgame Exercises (37), Opening Traps (13), Find the Defense (21), and The Five Most Beautiful Combinations (no puzzles). The book concludes with ten tests of 16 puzzles each. All of the solutions appear at the back of the book in standard ChessBase format, with those ubiquitous Informator symbols. There is also a section of hints for the test questions, physically separated from the tests themselves. The scoring system for the tests results in an approximate Elo rating; sensibly, using a hint costs a few points.
Except for the tests, all of the puzzle positions are accompanied by a descriptive caption. Sometimes the English fails to be idiomatic, e.g., "How to punish the white king's frivolity?", instead of "How do you...?" Other times the caption is oddly vague: "Black started a typical King's Indian attack. Can you do the same?" Do what?? - start a King's Indian Attack? - or find black's best move? Also, the author meant to say "black started a typical attack in the King's Indian Defense; the King's Indian Attack is something else. At worst, the caption might give away too much information, thus undermining the exercise: "Black's knight is hanging in the air. What to do about it?". So much for learning how to spot the key tactical feature, there.
Sorting the puzzles by tactical theme makes sense if they are intended as an introduction to that theme, and as a means to begin practicing that theme. (Otherwise, it's just another artificial hint!) Therefore it makes little sense that the introductory puzzle on "Saving the Draw" has a solution that runs an astounding 63 ply. It also makes little pedagogical sense that the introductory exercises (the moderately difficult ones sorted by theme) are followed by a section on Easy Exercises.
Due to misjudgments in the formatting and layout of the book, it is not very friendly to navigate. The main difficulties are that the running header does not tell you what section or subsection you are in, combined with the fact that section and subsection titles are in the exact same typeface as the puzzle headings - and they do not even get a page break! There is no way to find the start of Test 3, for instance, without reading headings page by page. The table of contents does not help.
The most annoying thing about this book is that several of the puzzles are logically unsound. Puzzle 240, for example, tells us "It is White to move and win." And yet, when we turn to the solution, we find that white won in the actual game only because black failed to find the best defense!! Authors are human, and so books inevitably contain errors, but this is something more pernicious. Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to be told there is a forced win, and rack your brains trying to find it, only to discover that it doesn't exist and ***the author already knows it doesn't exist?***
If you've worked through a pile of tactical puzzle books, and still feel the need to buy yet another one (hmmmm...that in itself is an issue worth exploring), then the present book could adequately fill that gap.
Tactical problems from real games, organized by motif.......2006-10-28
I have a large collection of books of tactics and tactical problems, but I had avoided this one because the title misled me (and at least one other person I talked to) into believing it consisted of artificial studies, whereas I prefer my problems to be from real games. When I finally saw this book at the local chess club, I was pleasantly surprised to find the positions are from real games, labeled with the player's, dates, etc.
There are 565 problems in all, organized by motif (pin, fork, etc.), with some problems further labeled with hints like "White's position looks shaky. How to make it crumble?". Most of the problems are recent, from games in the 21st century, though there are a scattering of classics all the way back to Morphy. Almost all are from GM games, which of course means the difficulty is fairly uniformly high.
Because of the high quality of the diagrams and solutions, this book has replaced Reinfeld at my bedside for motif-based practice. I also recommend "Sharpen Your Tactics" which presents 1125 problems organized by difficulty, rather than motif. I believe the approaches of these two books, both high quality, complement each other in fully rounded regime of tactical study.
Customer Reviews:
Rough beauty.......2007-04-28
I just finished the final test in this book this week after going thru it off and on for nearly ten years (??). When I began the book I was a rank beginner rated under 1000 USCF and when I finished I'm now a mid-1500 player. This book has some fantastic problems...I mean some of them are just art incarnate. That was probably the thing I enjoyed most about this book ; the fact that some of these moves were possible and actually won! My final score was woefully pathetic partly due to the fact that this was one of my first tactics books. And also because I used up enormous amounts of time trying to figure out every line I could with every problem. The time factor in this book will really help tournament players since it adds a pressure element that one would have in an actual game. But it also forces you to either abandon a problem you stubbornly want to solve or burn points using extra time and then possibly not solve it anyway. I would recommend this book to anyone who really wants to elevate his or her tactical ability but be sure to have a solid grounding in basic tactics first. A good workup to this book would be when you were very easily solving problems from a book like Chess Tactics for Students which I found very helpful recently.
A Fantastic Tactical Work.......2005-06-04
This is the first book in the "Test your Chess IQ" series. That in no way means that this book is easy. If you aren't at least about 1500 or so, this book will be way too much for you. Make sure that you read Seiriwan's Winning Chess Tactics and work through both of Reinfeld's 1001 books before tackling this one.
The book consists of dozens of 8-problem tests, spanned across two pages each with the solutions on the next page(to discourage cheating, which I like). The book covers a wide number of themes, and in many cases progresses in difficulty as you work through a motif. For example the first test in Double Attack will be fairly easy, but the next test will take considerably more work.
The author provides a table in the back for you to record your progress. I immediately copied this(so as to have a 'clean copy' incase I want to go through this again, and I'm sure I will). In the beginning of the book the author provides instructions on how to score your answers, and approximately what rating they correspond to.
The best way to go through these puzzles is to do one a week, making sure to use all or most of the time given to solve the puzzles(remember, you have to find all the reasonable defenses for the losing side, not just the first move or one particular winning line).
Don't be discouraged if you struggle with it in the very beginning. You'll be amazed by how quickly you begin to see things and your percentage scores will rise. A nice thing about this book is that most of the problems were taken from real games, proof that these sort of combinations DO happen and you need to be able to see them when they do.
The book is thin but large enough that it folds open easily and is written in descriptive notation. Almost all of the analysis I've done on problems has been accurate(only his move is best), except for one problem where my move was a little better according to Fritz.
All in all this is an outstanding and challenging introduction to advanced tactics. Go through the books I mentioned above first, but make sure that this book is in your hands afterwards.
Excellent training for improving chess players.......2005-01-18
Since this book is in the form of 56 tests, to be taken seriously, as if one were playing a tournament game, I have one obvious complaint. Namely, why tell the reader what the theme is?
Why say it is "double attack," or "discovered attack," or "discovered check," or "pin," or "diversion," or "decoy," or "interference," or "defence-elimination," or "square vacation," or "line-opening," or "utilization of open files," or "diagonal-opening," or "utilization of open diagonals," or "smothered mate," or "blocking," or "x-ray" or "overloading," or "back rank weakness," or "weakness of the second rank," or "zwischenzug," or "passed pawns," or "simplifying combinations," or "stalemating combinations," or "geometrical motifs," or "attack on the king side castled position," or "attack on the king caught in the center," or "destructive combinations?"
These are great themes to test us on, but in a real game, we don't know that there is a theme, let alone which theme!
How good should one be at chess to profit from this book? I think you need to be at least a C-player (1400 USCF) to get the full benefit. And I've seen Masters go through it too! It's good practice for a big range of chess players. It definitely helped me.
Great book on tactics, with accurate ratings predictions.......2003-07-14
Wow. I'm impressed. You can learn a lot of chess with this book, and if you honestly grade and time yourself, you'll get a realistic picture of where you stand.
These puzzles are not easy. They take about 5 minutes each, and you'll have to put in that much time if you want your rating to be indicated accurately. This is NOT for tactics training, even though you will learn from it. You need to be VERY GOOD at tactics before you attempt these; otherwise, you'll get NOTHING correct. You'd be wise to go through Lev Alburt's Chess Training Pocket Book at least once before tackling these.
If you're 1500, you could start this book, but don't rush through it. Do one 8-problem test per week and monitor your progress through the year. (There are 56 tests.)
Each test is prefaced with the sort of tactics you will be looking for, and some of the puzzles are very similar within a test. This is intentional. The authors want you to LEARN, but without making things too obvious.
I have noticed minor typos in the answers, but no actual errors, which is quite rare for a puzzle book. The font, diagram size, printing, and layout are all excellent. The original games are named in the answers, rather than in the problems, to avoid distraction. Remember: These tests are timed!
Highly recommended. But if you're below 1500 USCF, caveat emptor! You don't want to ruin the future value of this book by cheating and looking at all the answers now!
Important tactics book!.......2000-12-12
This book is a must for those who wish to improve their ability to calculate. These are just a collection of tests and will only help you if you follow the instructions carefully! Do not casually read through the examples like you would with "1001 Brilliant Chess Sac..." by Reinfeld, but do the tests as if you are playing a tournament. Here are some helpful hints from the book.
1. Set up the pieces on a board, this simulates actual play. 2. Do the tests regularly, but not too often. 3. Be honest in grading yourself. 4. Follow the directions on timing yourself.
In summary, a great book if used properly! You should be at least 1400 rated for this to help.
Book Description
Players can see how good they really are, with this instructive and entertaining guide, based on Grandmaster Daniel King's Chess Monthly column. He invites you to sit alongside chess's best and predict their moves, winning (or losing) points along the way. Not only will these fun quizzes enable you to gauge your skill, at the same time you'll be learning strategies from the world's champions.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, but one issue.......2006-02-18
I think the other reviewer mostly said it all, but I have one point to add.
The Buckley book is much more instructive, because you get consistent and thorough feedback on four candidate moves, every move- the good AND the bad moves.
The King book, by contrast, is basically an annotated game collection, although an unusually well-written and instructive one.
The Buckley book also very nicely protects you against inadvertantly looking at the answers, since the questions are surrounded by a box.
The King book makes no effort to do this, which is very annoying.
The Best Kind of Game Collection for Improvement.......2006-02-07
This book is a collection of 20 games from (mostly) supergrandmaster play. Each game is preceded by a biographical blurb on the game's eventual winner. Then the first dozen or two moves are supplied, taking the reader to the first critical position. From that point forward, the reader is supposed to guess (or rather, work out) the next move by the featured player. After each guess, points are awarded or deducted depending on the quality of the move, the opponent's reply is given, and the process repeats. Throughout the game, there is analysis and commentary to explain the moves and point values. At the end of the game, the reader's total score can be measured against a chart of relative ELO performances.
The biographical sketches are interesting; far from being dry data dumps, they are seasoned by the author's wit and his possibly provocative or controversial views (his angle on Kasparov may raise a few brows). The analysis and commentary are among the best I have come across - comparable to Nunn and Watson in their capacity to illuminate and inspire. I myself learned more from this book than any other 20 games. The games themselves are very well chosen, containing a nice mix of openings, strategic ideas, and combinatorial fireworks. In some intangible way, they are well suited to this guess-the-move treatment. There are even a couple of truly fascinating games by "unknown" players.
If you choose to buy this book for its instructive potential, I strongly urge making the most of this opportunity - by setting aside a decent amount of time; having handy a scratchpad for tallying your score (and maybe a few notes); setting up a board and pieces, but not touching them while you're analyzing; and giving each move a good hard think before commiting to a guess. Your diligence will be rewarded - this is like having 20 extended lessons with three GM-level coaches (the author and the two players). The book will appeal to readers from a broad range in playing strength, perhaps Class C and above.
Highly recommended, especially if you're looking to get beyond endless tactical drills.
For comparison:
GM Graeme Buckley wrote two similar books, titled "Multiple Choice Chess" and "Multiple Choice Chess II." The main difference is that the reader is given specific choices from which to guess the next move. I recommend these books as well, If you like this approach. Pandolfini's "Solitaire Chess" also comes to mind. It's good, too, but I have a few mild reservations: there is considerably less attention to positional thinking; there's a sameness to the games (nearly all one-sided attacks); some of the earlier games were evidently not computer-checked, and I have some quarrel with the point counts.
Book Description
This book offers a variety of entertaining and thought-provoking exercises in fundamental chess skills. It will help players of all standards to identify strengths and pinpoint areas of their play that need their attention. The first half of the book tests the player's ability in each part of the game. Opening Exercises test the player's ability to develop harmoniously and to find creative solutions in the first part of the game. The middlegame section assesses the player's proficiency at making decisions relating to attack and defense, prophylactic thinking and finding the correct plan. The endgame challenges focus on the basic essential knowledge that often decides real-life games. The second half of the book is comprised of "How Good Is Your Chess" exercises, where the reader is asked to follow one side through a complete game, trying to guess each move as if playing a real game. Points are awarded according to accuracy of the reader's decisions. Full, detailed solutions are given to all exercises.
Customer Reviews:
Great for Advanced Training, but Limited as a Diagnostic Test.......2006-08-05
This book consists of two parts. The first part comprises brief tests on the Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame. These tests are puzzles positions, usually with some accompanying text to set up a more specific question. The reader is expected not merely to find the best move, but also find the applicable lines of analysis that support the move selection. Credit is also sometimes given for identifying critical features of a more descriptive nature. Detailed and thorough solutions are provided at the end of each test. The second part of the book is a collection of 16 complete games, to be treated in the guess-the-move manner. Points are given for the quality and depth of the solutions, including important sub-variations. At the end of each test and game there is a table for assessing the score.
As a training resource, this book incorporates two proven approaches - deep analysis of critical positions, and interactive study of master games. Readers at the appropriate level (see below) wishing to get both things in a single volume need not hesitate. The problems are interesting and challenging, as are the games. I found the solutions to be thorough, detailed, and illuminating.
Although the score assessments speak to players from casual level all the way to Grandmaster, I believe that this test is best suited for very strong players, perhaps USCF expert and above. I say this because even a player rated 2000 is not expected to score better than 50% of the possible points. If you cannot reasonably get at least half of the credit, then perhaps the test material is too advanced - isn't this more or less true of any subject?
The test are rather brief, especially the ones on the Opening and Middlegame. This limits the value of the scores, which are based on too small a sample. A bigger concern is that the choice of topics is unbalanced and limited. For example, 5 out of the 11 exercises in the Openings section deal with "advantage in development." It would have been preferable to see 11 or more problems each devoted to a different sub-topic. Therefore it is not likely that the tests will help you determine what areas of chess require your further attention.
A much better resource from the diagnostic point of view is Igor Khmelnitsky's Chess Exam and Training Guide. In CETG there are 100 problems spanning a fairly complete range of chess issues, and there is a range of difficulty level to make the test experience meaningful to average players and above. Even more important, the test scores broken into in various categories (tactics, endings, calculation, strategy, etc.) are rigorously correlated against Elo ratings, based a large sample of previously submitted scores. Readers especially interested in the diagnostic aspect of a chess test should turn to that book instead.
Difficult Book: Are You Prepared? Motivated?.......2001-02-27
This book is divided into two parts: the first contains problems covering the opening (11 positions), middlegame (12 positions), and endgame (18 positions) and the second consists of 16 self-test games (similar to ýHow Good is Your Chessý or ýSolitaire Chessý from Chess Life).
The problems are very difficult, maybe too difficult for most players. For comparison, I have an over-the-board USCF rating thatýs varied between 1750-1850 (which is at least 80th percentile) and I found most of the problems frustrating. However, Pedersenýs solutions and annotations are convincing: his effort shows and I did feel I learned something.
The ýHow Good Is Your Chess?ý section with its sixteen games is slightly easier going but not to be rushed through. If youýve sped through Chess Lifeýs ýSolitaire Chessý with good results, youýll be surprised at how difficult these games are. The games deserve close to tournament length amounts of time to solve, so much so that I almost felt that I had been the player.
If youýre sure youýre a strong player or highly motivated, than this book might be for you. If youýre relatively lower-rated, or looking for more casual combination books, I think youýd be disappointed here.
Average customer rating:
- Good for improving chess vision of piece movement
- Wonderfully instructive test games and commentary.
|
Test Your Chess Piece Power
J. N. Walker
Manufacturer: Everyman Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Chess
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ASIN: 1857441850 |
Customer Reviews:
Good for improving chess vision of piece movement.......2003-04-14
16 test sections, each followed by a test-game.
In both the game and test sections, whenever he asks you a question, the answer follows immediately. You don't have to flip to the back, but you do have to avert your eyes. At least the answers are not in bold-faced.
Then he gives you different numbers of points for correct answers to different questions. In theory, you could add up all your points. I find it simpler just to notice how often I correctly answer questions of varying degrees of difficulty.
The tests, each consisting of several separate diagrammed puzzles, concentrate on the movements of a particular piece, rather than a particular tactic. This makes the tests particularly easy, since you already know which piece is going to move. That's not a good way to get a realistic assessment of your abilities, but it's fine for drilling tactics, particularly knight moves, which are particularly difficult for beginners to see.
The test games are full of tactical opportunities, and Walker pauses with a diagram at each one. When the tactics get a bit deep (more than 2 moves, since this is a beginner book) he breaks up his annotations into "if A, B, C," etc. That is helpful.
In short: A good book for drilling tactics. A fair book for learning the tactics. A poor book for self-assessment, so the title is a misnomer.
Excellent format. Easy to read. You can do a couple of problems in your spare time quickly. You can go through a full game without a board. Good beginner book, for about 1250 USCF rating. But only 4 stars because of the price.
Wonderfully instructive test games and commentary........1999-08-26
J.N. Walker has produced a brilliant learning tool for players of all strengths. The interactive format engages you and the test games cover everything from time management to the seventh rank.
Customer Reviews:
Test Your Chess IQ: Master Challenge by August Livshitz.......2005-06-25
I reckon this book is very convenient and entertaining. One specific thing I like about it is that the answer is on the very next page instead of having to go to the back and trying to find the puzzle number, etc. I am very impressed with this book and haven't found a single mistake regarding the solutions yet.
This is a great book!
Book Description
Designed to improve a player's middlegame performance by analyzing the strategic and tactical elements of a position, these tests also explain how to form a plan and to check that is it sound. Over 100 positions test the reader's ability to formulate the correct plan using a multiple choice format. This thought-provoking work provides a unique method of improving strategic understanding through self-evaluation.
Beginner
Customer Reviews:
More, please!.......2007-04-17
In my humble experience as a chess hobbyist I have found that three things have been the most effective for improvement. (1) Playing serious competitive games and analyzing them thoroughly with a strong player. (2) Studying master game collections using the guess-the-next-move approach. Some game collections are even designed to be used this way, e.g., those by Bosch, King, Pandolfini and Buckley. (3) Studying rich middlegame positions in depth and writing out the associated analysis without moving the pieces (NM Heisman calls this a "Stoyko" exercise), then comparing one's results with published annotations.
I sought out the present book in the hope of finding suitable chess positions for activity (3), and my expectations were more than adequately met. The book comes in two parts. The first part consists of brief chapters, formalizing the process of choosing a plan in a chess game. It does not constitute a comprehensive treatise on chess strategy, however, but rather illustrates the planning process via several of the authors' games. I didn't derive much value from this portion of the book, having had a grounding in similar ideas from other sources.
The remainder of the book presents 30 "tests" and their solutions. Each test is a critical position (usually early middlegame) from an actual master game, for which the reader must select the appropriate plan. Three plausible plans, including descriptive words and detailed variations, are supplied for the reader's consideration. Each test takes up about two pages. After the selection is made, the reader turns to the solution, which also takes up about two pages (to give you an idea of their depth). The solution will explain the correct plan, and supply the remaining moves of the game. The incorrect plans are also deconstructed, with possible bonus points awarded if the reader spotted any tactical refutation. There is generally partial credit for these suboptimal plans. At the conclusion of the book there is a conversion table from raw scores to Elo ratings (and BCF grades). The tests gradually get harder as you go along.
I found this to be a wonderful program to work through. I took the approach (recommended by the authors, actually) of trying to determine the solution first without looking at the three plans supplied by the book. Then after exhausting my capabilities I looked at the three suggested plans and tried again. I wrote out all my thoughts, and sometimes spent 2 or 3 hours on one position. The tests, taken together, span a wide range of important and typical structures, with most of the popular openings touched on (though only two tests on the Sicilian). The tests range from moderately challenging to impossible. The solutions contain just the right amount of detail, again mixing instructive prose with hard analysis. I learned a great deal from this experience, and strengthened my ability to analyze a position deeply.
It must be said that there a few analytical errors: this book was written long before computer chess engines were available to check for blunders. In the solution for Test 13, for instance, the sub-sub-variation that calls for the "Greek Gift" sacrifice is actually unsound - Black can hold on to the extra piece after a tricky queen move. But that does not invalidate the solution as a whole.
I write this review -- even though the book has been out of print for decades! -- in the hope that the authors might write a sequel, or that other chess writers might come out with something similar. I would buy such books in a snap. In the mean time, the only other books that come close to this type of thing are Chris Ward's lovely trilogy titled "It's Your Move" and Jacob Aagaard's "Excelling at Positional Chess."
A Very Good Book.......2004-09-27
This book is a series of positional chess exercises. I find that puzzle books are the most effective, practical way to improve playing strength.
The author has picked good problems, that will help you to improve your over the board play.
Better than Silman's HTRYC Workbook.......2004-02-18
This is a very good book. It is an alternative to Silman's Reassess Your Chess Workbook. Many people love the Silman books. Personally, I think they make you feel as if you can play much better than you really can.
This book, through its ratings (and according to the authors you must complete all exercises before you get an accurate rating) can give you a realistic idea of your strategic skills. But the authors note that a good plan may be subverted by tactics.
In the preface the authors reveal their aim of writing a book which is both enjoyable AND instructive. They do this by keeping the reader involved, as if interacting with a chess coach. I think they do a fair job at both tasks, and that is high praise for a chess book.
I think that in the first few chapters they do a better job than Silman -- or nearly anyone else -- of explaining the elements of strategy. The main problem is that they bounce around amongst seven different games to show their points. You need a computer (or 7 chess boards) to follow along closely.
Anyway, the tests are the meat of the book. As I have not gotten far, I'll withhold my opinion and promise to finish this review later. For now, I suggest reading Silman's other book, The Amateur's Mind, then turning to this book to see what you've learned. Then I would skip How To Reassess Your Chess Workbook, though the HTRYC textbook might still be interesting eventually.
A Must Have Book.......2000-10-22
Don't leave home (for the tournament) without this book! I am a sub 1200 player and this book is the first (for me personally) to describe the "mechanics" of positional play and game strategy. By working through the exercises one gains a true appreciation of how to analyze a position from a strategic/positional perspective. The thinking process that one learns using this book carries over into actual play--where it counts the most obviously!
Addictive book!.......2000-04-11
This book is quite exceptional. It is not soporific like many other chess books and will have you not wanting to put it down. Will surely help your positional play and method of thinking. I had to copy the book though. Hard to find.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, but not for everyone.......2005-10-10
I feel compelled to write a review on this book because the other reviews do not provide much information. This is a book of tough chess combination puzzles. Yes, many of the puzzles will challenge a grandmaster. If you are below 1900 ELO in strength you might want to think about getting the other two books in this series. If you are a good chess tactician and love a challenge, then this book has it for you. Not for the faint hearted and not for the casual player. For the average club player, I can heartily recommend the Encyclopaedia of Chess Combinations (not available from Amazon, but I think it is available from USCF) which will provide a very good tactical training program.
Learn the deep mysteries of chess........1999-02-19
There is no better book for the expert chess player. Learn the secrets of the world's greatest chess players by figuring them out for yourself. This book is a test. The hardest one you will ever take. See how you measure up against the best of the best. Let this unforgiving venue expose your many weaknesses, only then will you become strong.
If you are truely serious about chess, this book is a bargain at any price.
Average customer rating:
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Test & Improve Your Chess
Lev Alburt
Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Chess
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General
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ASIN: 1857440617 |
Book Description
How should a chessplayer think in an endgame? How is the game affected once there are just a few pieces left on the board? Grandmaster Glenn Flear provides the answers and guides the reader along the path to enlightenment. Using a series of examples and exercises, Flear steers the reader through all the different types of endgame positions and themes. Included in these are subjects such as checkmating patterns, space advantages, and promotion ideas. Quiz questions will be of differing difficulty and will appeal to all standards of player.
*All the major endgame topics are covered
*Written by a renowned endgame expert
*Ideal for club and tournament players alike
Customer Reviews:
Good layout, shallow comments, no scoring and grading scales.......2002-12-11
Content - Another one of many books attempting to cover "endless" ways of chess endgames. 160 pages of chess endgames including mini-lessons, exercises, and answers.
Positive: Nice attractive layout with large diagrams. Good number of interesting positions - ranging from famous classics to some of the recent classics to be. Separate chapters on Strategic thinking and Planning. Exercises are split in three separate chapters by level difficulty. Chapters with solutions have diagrams, so one can follow without the chessboard.
Negative: If this meant to be a test book, then where is the scoring system? How is the one can judge what his level is without been able to compare his answers/scores to some scale? Solutions/explanations are very shallow. In many cases obvious ideas are not covered and few times, the whole evaluation can quickly change. I will have examples of major omissions on my WEB site. Some diagrams have typos or incorrect piece placement.
Reading Audience: I believe that chess coaches and higher rated players (2300+) will benefit from this book as it offers them additional materials that they may not be familiar with. Others will find this book incomplete.
Overall: Good attempt that comes short, due to been shallow for teaching and missing scoring and grading scale for testing. Nice read on the go for higher rated player (2300+) who already studied other endgame books. To everyone else I would recommend my standard Endgame package. Alburt - "Just the Facts", Muller "Fundamental Chess Endgames", Hays "Endgame Challenge"
Questions, comments welcomed.
Copyrighted by me.
Books:
- The Coast of Utopia (Box Set)
- The Collectors
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ballroom Dancing, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
- The Dark Side Sourcebook (Star Wars Roleplaying Game)
- The Evolution of Cooperation
- The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners
- The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) A Novel
- The Harlequin (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 15)
- The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever
- The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
Books Index
Books Home
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Sharpen Your Tactics
Chess Tactics for Champions: A step-by-step guide to using tactics and combinations the Polgar way (Chess)
A World Champion's Guide to Chess: Step-by-step instructions for winning chess the Polgar way (Chess)
Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games
Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master
