5 comments about Looking for Trouble: Recognizing and Meeting Threats in Chess.

1. I'll start off by stating that I am a novice-intermediate level player who has several chess books and a training CD to boot!. (Fred Reinfeld, Complete Chess player, Chess for Dummies, Burgess Mammoth book of chess). With the exception of Chess for Dummies, they all look nice on my shelf. Everytime I pick up Burgess or Reinfeld I lose interest quickly. This book by Heisman has me hooked ! To me, it's much more useful than "Find mate in 2 " problems. It teaches you to think about what your oppenent is up to (threat) and how to (and not to ) respond. In essence, play CHESS. My copy is already worn and battered up a bit..like all my other favorite paperbacks.



2. "Looking for Trouble" is a collection of 200+ chess positions that are mostly tactical in nature. What separates this book from other similar works are the extensive and helpful verbal annotations, and the fact that it's not "White to move and win", but instead: "Avoid the threat and find the best move". Working through this book feels more like playing a real game than playing through a normal collection of tactical problems, and is surprisingly fun.

   One of the main benefits of this book is that it helps you to establish a better thinking process. After you worked through all the puzzles, your first thought while playing a game will be "What is his threat?", which is exactly how it should be.

   The positions themselves are also very instructive: Taken from real games, sorted into openings, middle game and endgame sections and assigned an estimated difficulty (* to *****).

   My only criticism is that the author recommends this book to players rated as low as 1200. I'm rated 1700 and found most of these puzzles to be quite challenging. I think a 1200 player would be overwhelmed by the difficulty of most positions, though he will likely still benefit from learning how to think better.




3. I did not think I could ever find a book to learn what chess is about, well at least one of the most important things in the game. Yes, chess is about making threats and stop them, and this book teaches how to do that in a very instructive way. If we ever want to become strong chess players, it is of essential nature learning to see our opponent's threats and meet them appropriately.
   
   What you will find in this book is a very clear explanation about threats and how we can deal with them, and then a lot of excercises to train your mind and eye to find the threats on the chess board. This is the firs book I know that deviates from the traditional way of "White to play and win".
   
   Stop loosing games because you did not see your opponent's threat, get this book and become stronger. I really liked it.



4. Overall I liked this book but found it difficult at certain points. It is not a good book for a lower rated player like the advertizing makes it seem. Not all the patterns found in this book are logically placed. But there are some good positions for understanding.



5. I almost passed this one up but I'm sure glad I didn't. As a player rated in the 1600 - 1800 range, I'm often frustrated to see a "crushing" win swept away in one careless move. I get so wrapped up in my own plans that I often ignore those of my opponent. Ugh! Although it is easy to say "always try to understand what your opponent's move was threatening before making your move", I tend to play fast and impatiently (even when not in any time trouble). Heisman's book is great because it forces you to solve the problems in 2 stages - identify the threat, then figure out the remedy.
   
   By working on these, I found that I started to automatically look more carefully at my opponent's moves. Heisman's examples also include some very common themes so I suspect "imprinting" these "tactical images" into my brain will also do me good. Great stuff!
   
   By the way, as an earlier reviewer pointed out, I found that even some of the so-called easy challenges were sometimes difficult.

5 comments about Illustrated Guide to Wood Strip Canoe Building.

1. I have just completed Mac McCarthy's Wee Lassie using this book. The amount of detail in the book answered all my questions and some of the techniques (like reinforcing the deck with thin marine plywood) was better than using carlins and stripping the deck onto the carlins. I had no trouble building the boat. I built the boat with no staples or nails. Her stapleless building technique was straight forward and easy to do. The most difficult part was beveling the inside stems. I would not bevel the entire stem at once, but bevel as I stripped. The only part of McCarthy's book worth having are the mold patterns for the canoes. This book is the one you need to actually build the canoe.



2. I used this book extensively along with my regular plans book when building my Cosine Wherry. The well done illustrations and explanations helped answer many a question on "how" or "why" do do a particular building task. A highly recommended book.



3. This book will give you the confidence to tackle your first stripwood boat project, guaranteed. Susan takes you methodically through each and every step of the process of building a stripwood canoe. She presents alternate methodologies of construction and woodworking that are tempered by knowledge and experience. I have two references at my side while building my Whitehall Pulling Boat - this book and Susan's latest work on building stripwood row boats. Other than the plans for my boat and the occasional advice of experts at The Newfound Woodworks where I got my plans, these books are all you need.



4. This text was easy to read and understand, partly due to the excellent photographs of work in progress. I would highly recommend it for anyone considering the building of a strip canoe.



5. This book as a lot of good information and illustrations. It would be nice if the illustrations were all in color and more detailed, though. Some good information about material sources is included.

1 comments about New York Times Large-Print Crosswords for Brain Workout: 75 Mind-Building Crosswords from the Pages of The New York Times.

1. large print works great for my elderly mother and she has always loved her new york times crosswords.

5 comments about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas(tm) Official Strategy Guide (XBOX and PC) (Signature).

1. I actually just found out that Bradygames released 2 books, (PS2, and XBOX + PC) for this game. This XBOX + PC Book is almost completely accurate in terms of where it says items or locations should be. Well, I should say that the maps in the "Odd Jobs" chapter are 100% accurate. The maps in the beginnings of the other chapters are -slightly- off (no idea why though), but if you like to explore in the GTA games, a rough location plus a description is all you need!
   
   Lots of maps, Racing maps, weapon locations, actual mission descriptions + storyline, a huge "Odd Jobs" chapter explaining every THING you can do if you're not on a mission, sprays, camera shots, horseshoes, bike jumps (unique stunt bonuses), and oysters will keep you busy for a long time if you're after the 100% completion mark. In addition, the last 5 things I mentioned above have in-game pictures in case you just can't find it.
   
   
   I recommend it. It makes a good addition to the game itself.



2. The book was excellent but for those who have a PC would prefer the
   X BOX hints also have hints for PC. The light was shining on those who had X BOX not a PC. It does not suggest any of the schools which makes it difficult for those who have trouble, lets say in driving school.



3. This guide is very well laid out. It will help you if you get stuck. It helps you find some of the bonuses in the game. I only use it when I get frustrated



4. This guide is in NO WAY easy to use. No index or table of content, and being as big as it is it's not easy to search through without them. However the content is very good, but you can save yourself some money and just Google 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas online strategy guide' and you'll find one with the same info,help,tips,secrets,etc you need to complete the game with 100% progress for free.



5. I have owned both versions of this guide, and I ended up giving away the PS2 Version. It was very inaccurate in some of the locations of items. For a specifice example, the locations of the Photo ops in San Fierro. The locations were not accurate, and not even matched up correctly by number. Even some of the horseshoe locations were completely inaccurate that they were not even the correct location, which annoyed me because I spent a large amount of time searching for something that was not there. I own a PS2, but I use the XBOX & PC version because of its accuracy. There is no real difference, as the guide does not tell you which button needs to be pressed, so the XBOX version still fits.
   
   Also, for those who I know are curious, the XBOX version gives more insight on the dating and "coffee" aspects, unlike the PS2, which skips over it.

3 comments about Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments.

1. In this review of the top 100 moments of Thoroughbred racing you will find all of the captivating moments you would expect. However, you also get a glimpse into some other, less publicized events and how they have affected the game. The inaugural Breeder's Cup, for example, was much more important that I had imagined. The chapters are well written by educated and experienced individuals who make strong points for their 'moments.' This book can be at home on a coffee table, or in my bookshelf with 50 other horse books.



2. Compiled by the staff of Blood-Horse Publications, Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments is a nostalgic compilation of great instances in the history of the sport of kings. Each two-page spread of this trade paperback is devoted to memorable occasions ranging from Cigar's historic victory of the first Dubai World Cup, to the very first race call as conceived by George Schilling in the mid-20's, to the broadcast of Man o' War's funeral, each great moment is described in clear prose and illustrated with vintage black-and-white and color photographs. An enjoyable treasury and giftbook especially for horse racing enthusiasts.



3. My husband is an avid horse race lover and this book provided him with alot of enjoyment and facts. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

1 comments about Toys for Boys.

1. For all those boys out there who have those spare $$$$ and want to a wishlist that will express their style and class.... this is the book for you chaps. Or for those who need inspiration to go out and earn the $$$ to buy some insane toys this is the most comprehensive, well catalogued and documented.... must have. One for the trophy room itself!!!
   
   As the book says the difference between men and boys is the price (& class & quality) of their toys....
   
   Guys this is an absolute must have.

5 comments about Tal-Botvinnik, 1960.

1. This has to be the most approachable WC book i've ever read. The annotations are very approachable, even for a weaker player such as myself. Variations are kept within reason. The real nice thing about the book is it gives you this feeling of being there, with Tal setting the scene both in words and with some very nice photographs throughout the book. Highly recommended.



2. Indeed this is a great book and Tal's comments allows a reader to get the feel for what was going on during 1960 Championship Match. You'll get 21 thoroughly annotated games.
   
   I want to warn potential buyers who plan to get a new book directly from Amazon. The new 2003 edition does NOT have the last section "Additional Games" and contains only 212 pages. If you preview Amazon pages, the Table of Contents refers to the 2000 edition and contains that last section. So, buyers beware. I tried Amazon customer service but they have no control over what edition gets picked. In fact, it seems that 2000 edition is no longer available from Amazon.



3. Though the annotations and variations are detailed and full of chess insights, in the end it is the chatty tone and charming frankness of Mikhail Tal that sets this book apart. Yes, you can read it and learn chess, or you can just enjoy the story.
   Some of the games are themselves spectacular and suggest fun opening lines that are not always seen. For example, game 1 in the "solid" French features Black sacrificing his kingside pawns to a rampaging queen in return for an opposite side attack. These Qg4 lines you will at least commonly see in books on the French, but Tal's ideas against the equally solid Caro (Ne2, Nf4 and sacrifice on e6) are not as well remembered and lead to some wild, wide-open play that is easily emulated by amateurs.



4. This English version of Tal's book "Tal-Botvinnik 1960" receives a huge amount of praise, but I seriously wonder how many of those praising it have really read it in detail, cover to cover, and tried to make sense of it, as I have. I am a huge fan of the late Mikhail Tal but, in my opinion, in its present form this book does not do him justice, since the translation by H.Russell is so poor. I have recently studied the so-called "revised and expanded" 5th edition, "edited" by Taylor Kingston.
   
   Compared with the fourth edition, some errors have finally been corrected, such as incorrectly spelt names (e.g. Liliental-Lilienthal, Flor-Flohr, Porreka-Porreca, Lipitsky-Lipnitsky, Fogelman-Foguelman), but not all (e.g. Gligorich, which is phonetically accurate but correctly spelt without the h).
   
   There are still some small "technical" errors, which one would have expected to have been weeded out by the 5th edition, e.g. page 61, note to Black's 9th move, 9...Qb6: "Black immediately begins to take action against the d5 square." Of course, this should be d4, not d5.
   
   There are also still some obscure or meaningless sentences, e.g. page 18: "Capablanca's 'lighter' system and other orthodox defenses seem to have been forgotten in the archives of history." Did you understand that? After much thought, my guess is that the reference is to Capablanca's once famous "simplifying manoeuvre" (...dxc4, ...Nd5) in the orthodox Queen's Gambit.
   
   I checked the relevant pages against a list of errors pointed out in New in Chess magazine 1997/7 and found that most of these have still not been corrected.
   
   I should be less concerned if all the errors in the book were trivial and did not spoil the sense. But how about these:
   
   On page 19 there is a serious error: referring to the Modern Benoni, Russell's version reads:
   
   "Aron Nimzowitsch was the first to use it in a game with Frank Marshall in the New York International Tournament of 1927. Marshall immediately transferred his knight to c4, and the instant Black hesitated (...) he was smothered in a few moves." In fact, in the game referred to here, Nimzowitsch was White and Marshall Black! This is a very famous game, and reversing the names of the players is arguably evidence of a deficiency in chess culture, as well as in Russian grammar.
   
   On page 58; "There is a curious story behind the King's Indian Defence. It got recognition 20 years ago. Before that it was rarely, or as they say, spontaneously employed. In particular, Chigorin would never have selected such a system." The last sentence should read something like: "In particular, such a set-up was chosen long ago by Chigorin."
   
   On page 59: (Discussing the history of the g3 system against the King's Indian): "Black's difficulties in this variation arose when he started searching for more active continuations..." This should read rather: "Black's difficulties in this variation prompted him to start searching for more active continuations..."
   
   On page 59: Discussing the Petrosian system against the King's Indian (usually reached by 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5 7 d5) "The talented Ukrainian master Leonid Stein has had the last word for Black in this variation in which he played h6 in answer to Bg5 and nipped White's idea in the bud, of course at the cost of a tempo." It should have been obvious to the translator and especially the editor that "In answer to Bg5" is an incorrect translation; it ought to say "before Bg5" or "to prevent Bg5". (Remember, these are just a few examples among many, and this is supposed to be the 5th revised edition!)
   
   There is no doubt that, even with the errors and ambiguities, there is much to enjoy and learn from this book, but it could have been so, so, much better. Unless and until there has been a FULLY revised edition, potential readers should be at least somewhat wary of this book.



5. What most people don't realize is that not only was Tal a remarkable combinative genius with superb positional understanding, he was also an exciting and insightful chess journalist, as his personal account of the 1960 FIDE World Chess Championship Match with Botvinnik attests.
   
   Sure there are other chess books/authors which/who give detailed and complementary analyses (Kasparov) and by contrast few but critical threads/insights into games and players (Bronstein), but here Tal takes the reader game-by-game through his struggle in overcoming a formidable strategic genius. Each game is poignantly prefaced with some background about the state of the match. But moreover Tal gives an intimate perspective on his personal struggles and factors leading to the selection of game making/breaking plans of action. In this regard his strategic sense for this match was no less refined that Botvinnik's, who, it must be admitted, had not yet figured out how to contain this chess dynamo. Leave that for the Champion's obligatory return match one year later.
   
   What one notices missing in this book are tables showing the game-by-game progress of the match. Nor is the outcome of each game succinctly stated as 1-0 or 0-1 or .5-.5. (I had to create my own table and summary--Tal triumphs 12.5-8.5 in 21 games.) Instead, the struggle is supreme and the closing paragraph of each game must be experienced to reveal all mysteries! The absence of such tables and the demanding writing style are intentional and successfully serve to create in the reader an enhanced appreciation of the struggle. When Tal nearly succeeds with the piece sac at e6 in the hotly contested variation of Caro Kan, the indelible impression is that method meets magic!
   
   A note on production quality: Text appears in two running columns. Diagrams are clear, regular and sufficient. The well-formed algebraic (showing both start and ending square) has the elapsed timed following. Although the score is not strictly columnar, it is bold and easy to follow. Approximately a dozen or so photos scattered throughout. An excellent production.

2 comments about New York Post Extra Hot Su Doku: The Official Utterly Addictive Number-Placing Puzzle.

1. Once again another winner by Mr. Gould... Same paper and format as the other New York Post books. These puzzles are at the hard end of the scale... not quite as fiendish as those in the Fiendish Book... but they could make you sweat.



2. What a pleasure! Wayne Gould has put together an immensely satisfying collection of puzzles that range from difficult to fiendish using all of the available tricks - naked and hidden doubles, triples and quadruples, x-wings, swordfish, sometimes required singly and sometimes in combination to crack a single code!
   
   When I reviewed his previous best seller "Extreme Su Doku 1", I criticized the book physically because the paper quality was only a small leap up from coarse newsprint and simply didn't tolerate erasure. Et voilà, "Su Doku Extra Hot" is on good quality low gloss paper that will tolerate multiple erasurers just fine, thank you very much (Yes ... sadly, I still have to rub out my work from time to time)!
   
   The binding is also strong enough to allow the book to be held wide open to allow easy access to the puzzle on the left hand side of the page.
   
   Two thumbs up and highly recommended for all you Sudoku addicts like me.
   
   Paul Weiss

5 comments about Backgammon for Serious Players.

1. I didn't know anything about backgammon: notation, strategy, etc. I read this book and found it was easy to follow the games and his annotations. Then I started beating people who previously would easily beat me. 'Nuff said.



2. Dr. Robertie presents over 100 backgammon situations in this book. All of them have serious analysis. Not for the novice, but if you're a backgammon hound, it's worth the read. His analysis of the end game is especially good.



3. I had been stuck below 1500 on FIBS internet backgammon server for over a year. After studying this book for about a month, my rating increased by 100 points. I have since read Bill Robertie's other books, and I am now at 1650 on FIBS. The basic tips highlighted in this book are worth the cost of this book alone. To get the most out of this book, you need to use a backgammon board and play along with the diagrams, and compare what you would usually do compared to what an expert would do in the same situation. Great for beginners and intermediates!



4. i'm a backgammon player for more than 20 years and this book has given me many solid and useful insights in statistics, common situations during the game, strategies etc. I loved it! Not to mention that the writer has a great gift of putting his ideas clearly and objectively.



5. Great book. Really improved my game with one read. Easy to understand and brought together the loose pieces of what I know into a solid understanding. Very beneficial. Easy read.

5 comments about Oriental Adventures (Dungeons & Dragons Supplement).

1. Awww yeah, now that's what I'm talking bout. Oriental Adventures rules... one of the better books ever made. Now you can be a ninja and/or a Samurai, and when you're being one of these classes as a player character, you can say things like "You dishonor me...!" before you roll your D20 sided dice for your attack.
   But, perhaps if AD&D wanted to be more politically correct, they might consider changing the name of the book from the slightly insulting 'Oriental Adventures' to the much more PC 'Asian Adventures'. LOL. Buy this one.



2. The long-awaited revision of the classic "Oriental Adventures" book (I once had the original copy, then foolishly sold it), the latest Oriental Adventures version is a definite thumbs-up.
   
   Players are given new races, character and prestige classes, skills, feats and spells. For those wanting a preprepared campaign, a map of the Japanese-oriented land of Rokugan is included.
   
   If you liked the first Oriental Adventures, you will definitely like the second.
   
   As for the price - who cares? It's only money, and you only live once!!!



3. I once had a copy of the AD&D 1st Edition Oriental Adventures, which I later sold. Later I wanted the information again, and I purchased this.
   
   Much like the 3.X core books, Oriental Adventures is too intertwined with a particular setting, when it should be a rules variant. That is not to say that I don't like some of the information from Lot5R/Rokugan, only that there is too much of it.
   
   Given that, it was able to give a Japanese flavor with some of the races, and the majority of the classes. I like the takes on old races I liked, and even the Nezumi and Vanara are interesting. Despite the connection with the Lot5R/Rokugan setting, I like the idea of the Shadowlands Taint.
   
   In all, I'm pretty satisfied.



4. Konichiwa.
   
   I've been playing DnD for about three years now and most of the time I played the regular simple setting. My friends and I played also Forgotten Realms and then I bought Oriental Adventures 3rd edition.
   
   Personally, I enjoy watching old kung fu and samurai movies so that was another reason to buy this book.
   
   At this time, I am Dm-ing a story set in Rokugan and to anyone that will try that out I recommend watching James Clavell's Shogun, The Seven Samurai, Rashomon and reading Usagi Yojimbo,a comic book that will warm you up for this excellent setting.
   
   Anyhow, I recommend this rulebook, but if you're sceptical, check out the PDF version. Then you'll know what I'm talking about.



5. Of course, it would help if you were knowledgeable about the L5R thing. I am not so some of this detial is allot to remember! But it is worthwhile. Next time your regualr group is getting defeated by the bad guys, don't kill or capture...Do what I did, send them to Rokugan! Great fun was had by all as the group struggled to find their way home.