5 comments about Modern Chess Strategy (Chess).

1. Although an older book's claim to being "Modern" can be disputed, Modern Chess Strategy remains current because of its emphasis on ideas and principles. Using lucid prose and numerous diagrams, Lasker - a strong international master-level player in his day - teaches the newcomer the basic principles of opening development, combinations, and endgame principles. What I particularly like is the author's no nonsense approach: he doesn't dumb down nor does he attempt to overwhelm with variations. One shouldn't be put off by the book's age (I think it was written in the 1920s): You're getting first-rate, world-class instruction for a bargain-basement price.



2. I have started to learn chess recently.It is therefore,not my size, to comment on the technical aspects of this superb classical masterpiece.I, however wish, such books are available on CD's with which may include,but not limited to algebric notations, reader controlled analysis, side analysis (auto) as mentioned in the book, novice to expert level computer opponent, print facility.



3. First, to correct another review; this book was written in 1950, not the 1920s. Lasker's first strategy book, entitled "Chess Strategy" was written before World War I. The present book is an update of that timeless classic. If you have and love the first one, you still need this newer book. Lasker made corrections (rather, improvements) from the original, and he added new sections on more modern openings, such as the Indian Defenses, and there is a section on the Sicilian too, which was not in the original. Plus, there are 20 new annoated illustrative games, covering 60 pages. To this day, I have found no one who annotates a game for the intermediate player more beautifully than Edward Lasker. The only writer I can compare him too for instructional value is Jeremy Silman. Each has a unique and rare gift of being able to translate chess into ideas that are understandable to the average player. There are many chess players out there who do not know what a great and important chess writer Lasker was. His works are essential parts of my collection.



4. would be great book for anyone with yahoo 1400-1700.
   only drawback is the it is written in old notation.
   best parts are the annoted games and ideas explained behind
   major opening lines.



5. 
   Even if you don't know the first thing about chess, this book can help you learn the fundamentals behind chess strategy and become a good player within a short period of time. The book is profusely illustrated with hundreds of diagrams and annotated games.
   
   The author uses a clear and conversational style to clarify problems that may seem difficult or confusing for the beginner or casual player. This book is an update of a previous work by Lasker (Chess strategy) that was consider the "Chess Bible" when published many years ago.
   
   The book is organized in two parts and five chapters as follows:
   
   PART I - FUNDAMENTALS
   - The rules of the Game.
   - Elementary end-games.
   - Fundamental middle-game combinations.
   PART II - PRINCIPLES OF CHESS STRATEGY
   - The openings.
   - Middle-game and End-game.

5 comments about How to Think Ahead in Chess: The Methods and Techniques of Planning Your Entire Game (Fireside Chess Library).

1. 
   I enjoyed and played a lot chess in high school and in college and since I started working I have less and less time available for playing so my game suffered from it. Having said this currently I consider myself a novice again after about twelve years without being able to play a single game of chess. When I recently started playing again I found myself confused and kind of lost questioning if I should attack?, defend?, and if so when?, where?, how? I was looking for some books to start from scratch and try to reassess my game.
   
   I bought this book as part of a used chess book collection on an auction (the copy I got is a 1973 reprint), and I was not disappointed at all with this title. The book showed me again what kind of aspects I should take into account in order to establish a game plan after the opening stage has been passed. The authors take you step-by-step through actual games, describing and commenting every play, giving examples of the right questions to ask yourself in order to find the right plan and the right move.
   
   In the other hand one negative aspect is that the scope of the book is limited since it teaches how to think but it covers only three basic patterns from the opening phase: -With white pieces play one standard opening (the stonewall variation), - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-K4 (the dragon variation of the Sicilian defense), and - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-Q4 (the Lasker defense). So if you are already a strong player and master the openings you won't find anything new here. Nevertheless as a novice after you become thoroughly familiar with the patterns of play recommended in this book, you could then branch out into other openings with the help of an introductory opening book.
   
   Since the Table of Contents is not included in the book information presented above by the seller, I am including how the book is organized, so everybody can visualize what topics are covered in this book:
   
   Part One - Playing with the white pieces: Stonewall Pattern.
   - What opening shall I play.
   - Stonewall attack I. Demolition sacrifice at KR7.
   - Stonewall attack II. Normal position for white.
   - Stonewall attack III. Swooping down on the open king bishop file.
   - Queen's gambit declined. Black evades the stonewall attack.
   Part Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-K4.
   - What defense shall I pay against 1 P-K4.
   - Dragon variation I. White can not afford indifferent play.
   - Dragon variation II. Normal position for black.
   - Dragon variation III. Black concludes with a stunning queen sacrifice.
   - Dragon variation IV. Vigorous counterattack.
   - Dragon variation V. White's queen-side castling proves a fiasco.
   - Dragon variation VI. Relentless positional pressure by black.
   Part Three - Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-Q4
   - What defense shall I pay against 1 P-Q4.
   - Lasker's defense I. Simplification leads to freedom.
   - Lasker's defense II. Normal position for black.
   - Lasker's defense III. A fatal dilemma for white.
   - Lasker's defense IV. Battleground of conflicting theories.
   - Lasker's defense V. White's last attempt at refutation.
   Part Four - How to exploit inferior play by your opponent.
   - What if my opponent doesn't follow the book.
   - The importance of controlling the center.
   - How superior mobility leads to a stormy breakthrough
   - How line-opening leads to attacking possibilities.
   - How superior mobility leads to line-opening.



2. 
   I enjoyed and played a lot chess in high school and in college and since I started working I have less and less time available for playing so my game suffered from it. Having said this currently I consider myself a novice again after about twelve years without being able to play a single game of chess. When I recently started playing again I found myself confused and kind of lost questioning if I should attack?, defend?, and if so when?, where?, how? I was looking for some books to start from scratch and try to reassess my game.
   
   I bought this book as part of a used chess book collection on an auction (the copy I got is a 1973 reprint), and I was not disappointed at all with this title. The book showed me again what kind of aspects I should take into account in order to establish a game plan after the opening stage has been passed. The authors take you step-by-step through actual games, describing and commenting every play, giving examples of the right questions to ask yourself in order to find the right plan and the right move.
   
   In the other hand one negative aspect is that the scope of the book is limited since it teaches how to think but it covers only three basic patterns from the opening phase: -With white pieces play one standard opening (the stonewall variation), - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-K4 (the dragon variation of the Sicilian defense), and - with black pieces play one standard defense against 1 P-Q4 (the Lasker defense). So if you are already a strong player and master the openings you won't find anything new here. Nevertheless as a novice after you become thoroughly familiar with the patterns of play recommended in this book, you could then branch out into other openings with the help of an introductory opening book.
   
   Since the Table of Contents is not included in the book information presented above by the seller, I am including how the book is organized, so everybody can visualize what topics are covered in this book:
   
   Part One - Playing with the white pieces: Stonewall Pattern.
   - What opening shall I play.
   - Stonewall attack I. Demolition sacrifice at KR7.
   - Stonewall attack II. Normal position for white.
   - Stonewall attack III. Swooping down on the open king bishop file.
   - Queen's gambit declined. Black evades the stonewall attack.
   Part Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-K4.
   - What defense shall I pay against 1 P-K4.
   - Dragon variation I. White can not afford indifferent play.
   - Dragon variation II. Normal position for black.
   - Dragon variation III. Black concludes with a stunning queen sacrifice.
   - Dragon variation IV. Vigorous counterattack.
   - Dragon variation V. White's queen-side castling proves a fiasco.
   - Dragon variation VI. Relentless positional pressure by black.
   Part Three - Two - Playing with the black pieces against 1 P-Q4
   - What defense shall I pay against 1 P-Q4.
   - Lasker's defense I. Simplification leads to freedom.
   - Lasker's defense II. Normal position for black.
   - Lasker's defense III. A fatal dilemma for white.
   - Lasker's defense IV. Battleground of conflicting theories.
   - Lasker's defense V. White's last attempt at refutation.
   Part Four - How to exploit inferior play by your opponent.
   - What if my opponent doesn't follow the book.
   - The importance of controlling the center.
   - How superior mobility leads to a stormy breakthrough
   - How line-opening leads to attacking possibilities.
   - How superior mobility leads to line-opening.



3. This was the first book my older brother bought on chess when I was a kid and we both benefited from it. It gives a sure fire set of openings for a foundational repertoire. You have to take this book for what it is. If you are already a Class C USCF rated player then this book is not for you. But if you have not played tournaments or are rated D class or below their is some good meat here for you. A word about Horowitz and Reinfeld books. They are put down in the modern day because they are not geared for the aspiring master. Let's face it, most of us will not nor are we inclined to become chess masters. Enjoy!



4. I once thought this was a wonderful chess book even though the title has nothing to do with the contents. But that was 30 years ago. The book hasn't stood the test of time. It hasn't even stood the test of practical play.
   
   It's an opening repertoire book, simply written and easy to understand. There's the problem: it's vastly over-simplified and biased. Let's have a look.
   
   For White you are recommended to play the Stonewall Attack. Despite what some others think I don't have a problem with that, though a related and in my mind more effective choice is the Colle system. The book shows some spectacular wins against rather poor play, and also shows a response to one anti-Stonewall line. All in all, rather well presented even if the Stonewall doesn't enjoy a popular reputation (but see later comments).
   
   For Black, against 1. d4 (er ... 1. P-Q4 as the book is in descriptive notation) Lasker's Defense is recommended. Again, not bad, and the coverage is reasonable. Of course all the big wins for Black are again due to poor opposition play. Still, for a beginner facing 1. d4 Lasker's is a good way to stay out of trouble (but again see later comments).
   
   Unfortunately, the recommendation against 1. e4, the Sicilian Dragon, is covered quite poorly and is in no way a suitable choice for a beginner. It is full of theory and sharp lines and requires deep study and a lot of skill to handle well. Unfortunately and a bit foolishly I tried to be a Dragon player for quite some time, based on this book, and did badly overall. The book doesn't talk a bit about anti-Sicilians such as 2. c3 or 2. Nc3. It doesn't cover the Yugoslav attack, which has been the death of many a Dragon player. It just shows all these slashing wins by Black against inept White opponents.
   
   I asked a local coach (a highly rated player) about these lines, stating (as above) that the Stonewall and the Lasker seemed like good safe lines. He advised me to not spend my time studying openings that I will have to throw away later (his word was 'junk' but I thought that a bit strong). He said that the Stonewall and Lasker's were OK to get by with, but once I improved and started to play better competition, I would need to switch to openings that had better winning chances. "You don't win by playing for a draw" was the way he put it. And he agreed that the Dragon was simply not suitable for non-expert players.
   
   Read this book for entertainment (maybe) but not to find the magic repertoire. It isn't here.



5. This is a great chess book for strong novice players. I was a strong novice before I studied the book. I could usually beat the typical computer chess program (with 10 levels of difficulty) at level 1 and sometimes on level 2, but struggled beyond that. After reading this book and practicing its suggestions, I can now beat the same chess programs at level 4 and sometimes at level 5. This book helped me develop from a strong novice to a low to mid-level intermediate player. Because the book worked for me, I give it 5 stars.
   
   However, it is important to keep in mind the target audience for this book. If you are an intermediate player already, the book will not be quite as helpful (and you'll probably give it fewer stars). As other reviews point out, this book advocates learning just 3 openings very well: Stonewall, Sicilian/Dragon variation, and Lasker's Defense. If you play in a chess club or against the same opponents frequently, they'll probably realize that you are pretty much just a 3-trick pony and they'll find ways to respond to your openings. However, if you just want to hold your own on various impromptu games, then learning the variations of 3 openings very well will set you up for a strong middle and end game.
   
   This is book alone will not take you all the way to mid-level or high-end intermediate level play. It does teach you other ways to think through the play of the game and to plan high-level strategy. But it really doesn't teach you tactics and probably won't strengthen your end game very much. Keep this in mind when you decide whether this book is right for you.

2 comments about The Petroff (Gambit Chess).

1. Unless you're a high Class A player, you'd do well to avoid this one. It's practically an encyclopedia of the Petroff Defense, comprehensive in its presentation of variations and sub-variations--just the kind of opening guide that average players DON'T need.

   This book bucks a trend in opening works published in recent years in that it's very high on notation, quite low on words that explain the ideas behind the opening. To paraphrase Lev Alburt, former U.S. chess champion and respected teacher and author, opening theory changes with the times, but ideas remain constant.

   Sadly, to my knowledge, I can't think of a reasonable alternative to this guide for those interested in the Petroff. Titles by Dvoretsky and Karpov follow along similar lines. My guess is that this opening hasn't yet gained enough respect and/or credibility ("playability," for want of a better word) to inspire a book that explains the "whys" behind this ambitious defense.

   (...)




2. For better or worse, this is still the best book available on the Russian (Petroff) Defence. To address a prior review, one reason why a book on this defence does not provide lugubrious explanation is because the Russian defence is one of the most straightforward and simple to play, if you already have a good grounding in opening theory with regard to Open Games comijng from symettrical pawn structures. The primary idea behind this openining from move two is one of the more straightfoward and (possibly the most) simplistic: negate white's first move advantage by attacking the hanging e-pawn, thus producing instant counterplay for black.
   
   The Gambit publishing method for openings is far superior to the complete games format used by other publishers (despite their popularity). When it comes to finding variations, learning new variations, and using the book as an aftergame reference for post-mortems and analysis, the complete game format is lacking as it often keeps the best lines deeply buried in side variations of the presented games.
   
   Not so with this book. The lines are clear, as are the author's recommendations and evaluations.
   
   It is not a book for beginners, but neither is the Petroff an opening for beginners. Also, it is not a repertoire book, but a reference book of current Petroff theory, and it covers all the bases, from obscure side-lines to both main lines (3. d4 and 3.Nxe5 variations).

5 comments about Endgame Challenge.

1. Most of the Chess world considers the endgame boring. And most of the Chess world never studies it. This book Endgame Challenge can make you an endgame master. Not only with the basic principles, but calculation and visualization too. Endgame problems do just as much as middle game problems do if not more. This fun book will make you work for the answers, but when you find them you'll be pround of yourself and the work you put into them. Find the beauty in the endgame and make the small investment. You'll be happy that you did.



2. The endamge is the least studied (and least exciting) parts of the chess game. While the opening and middlegame depend upon a player's style and tactical/strategic considerations, the endgame is usually a matter of technique. It is difficult to read a weighty tome (such as Fine's Basic Endings, or the Encyclopedia of the Endgame) and feel that you are consulting a reference work, not a how-to manual. This guide changes that. Endgame Challange! is excellent for those who learn by doing as opposed to mere study. Hour for hour, using this book is the best investment that you can make in your endgame technique. The problems start out simple, and get very complex. Readers of this work will be greatly rewarded!



3. This book contains 451 endgame puzzles, grouped together by endgame themes. These themes cover the almost all major subheadings of endgame theory: king and pawn endings, knight and pawn endings, bishop and pawn endings, rook and pawn endings, bishop vs knight endings, rook and minor piece endings, and queen endings. Each section contains about 60 endings, arranged three to a page. Each puzzle is accompanied by a verbal hint and a rating of the complexity of the puzzle - one of easy, moderate, or difficult. Comprehensive solutions to each puzzle are presented at the end of each section.
   
   Through its puzzles, the book is able to convey much of the basic theory of endgame study. Many of the "standard" endgame positions can be found within such as the Philidor position in rook and pawn endings and "Reti's Idea" in king and pawn endings.
   
   Endgame puzzles are a great way to increase ones calculation ability, and this book isn't short on puzzles which require 7 or 8 moves of accurate calculation to reach a favorable outcome.
   
   Studied alone, this book is sure to increase ones endgame understanding. However, I prefer to use it as a supplement book. I'll follow each chapter of endgame theory from a more comprehensive book with a series of puzzles from the equivalent section of this book. In this way, the lessons from the theory book are reinforced through exercises.



4. One of the basic advices is that you should study tactical puzzles repeatedly to improve in chess. I wonder way this advice is not given for other parts in chess, for instance endgame. Hall's "Endgame Challenge!" consists of 451 endgame puzzles. My belief is that by going through these puzzles over and over again, will dramatically improve your endgame understanding. You can buy yourselves an endgame reference book, like Muller and Lambrecht's "Fundamental Chess Endings", but in addition buy Halls puzzle book. When you have reached a rating over 1800, you can start to study "Fundamental Chess Endings more deeply. Until then, use it only as a reference in addition to Hall's "Endgame Challenge!".



5. This is a book that I would recommend to those who want to improve their endgame skills, by learning through a "do it yourself" method.
   Not recommended for beginners: to find many of the solutions the reader must deal with some subtleties that require some experience on the game.

3 comments about Why You Lose at Chess.

1. I very much enjoyed this book. As always, Tim Harding has a very entertaining writing style, making his books very enjoyable reads. He is an international master in correpondence chess, having won many top level titles, and has a very clear way of presenting his ideas on how to analyze games.

   The primary focus of this book is to identify where and how blunders as well as less innocuous mistakes are commonly made, and how to avoid making them. As he states on the back cover, "Before you can play well, you must stop playing badly". The book is divided into many sections, each looking into the types of problems which commonly present themselves in various facets of the game. There are chapters on material loss (avoiding tactical blunders), looking for warning signals in both the opening and the endgame phases of a game, and several chapters on the middle game. The latter is divided up into sections on avoiding losses both in good positions and in difficult positions. The author finishes with chapters on how to avoid losing on time, in correspondence chess, and while playing against computers.

   I gave the book 4 stars simply because it was not quite to the level of some of his other works, such as "Better Chess for Average Players" or "Winning at Correspondence Chess". It is, however, very instructive, and is filled with numerous game examples to illustrate his points.




2. I bought this book with the intention of improving my chess game, but it ended up improving my life. After taking a hard look at what would be required for me to become a Class A or Expert player, I realized that I'd end up cheating myself and others of a lot of good things in life just to satisfy my ego.

   As a result, I now play chess only casually, without particularly caring whether I win or lose, and devote much more of my time to prayer, visiting hospitals and prisons, and cultivating my friendships.

   A grateful Christian




3. I bought this book on a whim: I've always wanted to have my picture taken with a quizzical look while holding this book. Interesting to be sure, and maybe a little silly but what I found was a deeply instructive book and to the caliber of writing one has come to expect from Tim Harding. A very good book for beginners and intermediate players and one I highly recommend.

4 comments about Starting Out: the English (Starting Out - Everyman Chess).

1. This is an excellent book.

   A local student just purchased this book, we spent almost the entire afternoon (Saturday) studying together.

   My student is only nine, he obviously does not know much about chess - he only has been playing for about six months in total.

   He finds this book to be fantastic. He loves it and cannot put it down. I agree, it is carefully and concisely written ... made to order for the average beginner or intermediate player.

   If you have been playing chess for only a short while and are looking for a very solid and basic "HOW TO" type of book, then I can highly recommend this book to you! (You will eventually graduate from this book, better have Nunn's Chess Openings or MCO-14 sitting on the shelf.)




2. I bought this book facing the fact there really wasn't a general book telling me about the english opening. This book gives fairly balanced guidelines for both white and black about different english systems, many other books on market concentrate on specific lines. Although I'm still reading it and playing games with board, I guarantee you won't waste your money if you get a copy. I'm a 1500 player so I can't really say about the lines and if they are a little bit out-dated (as some reviews tell you), but I think for me this is just a good book. I like the idea that you can learn a solid opening and yet the opponent is not always so happy to face 1.c4. The layout of the book is not the most pleasant to my eyes (single column), but as a bonus you got plenty of space to write your own thoughts. There are a lot of guidelines along the journey, telling sometimes very general and useful things. I like the annotations of the selected games, and it's nice to study those playing the moves with board. This book is somewhat bigger than in other Starting Out -series, so you'll find here a lot to study.
   Nice book indeed.



3. If you are looking for a new opening (as white), and are thinking about the English, then this is the perfect book for you. It covers the fundamentals of almost all main variations in a clear and concise way. Instead of a lot of lines, you will find strategic ideas and motives founded on the current position. This helps a lot, because even if you actually don't get the book's lines on the board, you can find what to do.
   
   Moreover, the majority of the illustrative examples (illustrative indeed) are Grand Master's games (Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, etc.) with no stupid dumb blunders (but instructive positional ones). You can easily spend a lot of time reading this book.
   
   Now, maybe this is a bad book if you are already familiar with the English opening and want to improve your game. In that case, you need an English Opening Repertoire Book (with specific variations, and a lot of lines and analysis!). This book only covers the `sharpest' lines in each variation.



4. This is a fine introductory chess book about the English opening, with excellent explanations of what each side is trying to accomplish in a variety of positions. And yes, one could even use it as a repertoire book for White, I suppose. But I would use more than just this book for that, and I'll explain why.
   
   After you open 1 c4 let's say Black replies e6. The best reply for White is probably 2 Nc3, so you try it. But Black plays 2...d5. Now what? Well, I think you'd be best off with 3 d4, settling for the White side of a Queen's Gambit Declined. Depending on what Black does, you may get to a Tartakower (after 3...Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7), or a Tarrasch (3...c5 4 cxd5 exd5), or a Semi-Tarrasch (3...Nf6 4 Nf3 c5), or a von Hennig-Schara Gambit (3...c5 4 cxd5 cxd4 [I call this the "Trash Gambit" for short]), or a Ragozin (3...Nf6 4 Nf3 Bb4), or a Semi-Slav (3...Nf6 4 Nf3 4...c6). None of these are in this book.
   
   Given that we ought to know how to play some 1 d4 openings for White to do justice to 1 c4, let's see what other transpositions we might come up with:
   
   1 c4 Nc6 2 d4. Let Black play that Chigorin Defence, which is not in this book.
   
   1 d4 d6 2 Nc3. Sure, Black may play 2...e5, which is even discussed in this book, but we're probably headed for the White side of a King's Indian, which is not.
   
   1 c4 b6 2 d4. As McDonald says, this is a good line, but further discussion of it is outside the scope of this book.
   
   1 c4 f5 2 d4. Let Black play the Dutch, which is, of course, not in this book.
   
   1 c4 c6. Here, I advise 2 e4 d5 3 exd5 Nf6! 4 d4. The idea is to try to get the White side of an isolated queen pawn attack (also reachable from the Nimzo-Indian, the Semi-Tarrasch, or the Queen's Gambit Accepted), via the Panov against the Caro-Kann. Black typically plays 3...cxd5, allowing White to postpone playing d4, and giving Black fewer options in the Panov. If Black does play 3...Nf6, White ought not take the pawn but continue with the Panov. White also needs to be prepared for 2...e5, which often transposes into an Old Indian. Of course, none of this is in the book.
   
   1 c4 g6 2 e4 is the Averbach against the Modern, or maybe the White side of a King's Indian, neither of which are in this book.
   
   1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 g6 3 e4 will get us into a King's Indian as well. McDonald recommends this move order for those of us who want to do that.
   
   Well, what is in the book? Mostly lines involving 1 c4 c5 and 1 c4 e5.
   
   1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 is our bread and butter, and it is a big focus of the book. I learned quite a bit about this line in the book (in particular, I've learned why the move I've been playing here, 4 d3, is probably not as good as I thought). But even here, Black can play 3...d6, after which we'll be in a King's Indian or Old Indian, neither of which are in the book. Worse, Black can play 3...e4 4 Ng5 b5, the infamous Bellon Gambit. That really ought to be in this book, but it isn't. White's best move is 5 d3 here.
   
   1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 e6 6 g3 is in the book; it's a good line for White. But in this line, if Black plays 5...g6, that leads to a Maroczy Bind, and that's considered a Sicilian Defence, so it is not in this book.
   
   1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 c5 3 g3 e6 4 Nf3! b6 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 d4 cxd4 7 Qxd4 Be7 8 0-0 d6 transposes us into another main focus of the book, the Hedgehog. It's a good defence for Black, but I do not like it because Black always seems to be just one minor error away from getting mated on the Kingside. McDonald gives us a good example where this indeed happens, as well as some other examples where Black does much better.
   
   1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 cxd5 Nxd5 (inviting a Grunfeld) 4 g3 g6 is in this book (generally, it leads to a Dragon Reversed). But 4...e6 leads back to a Tarrasch defence, which isn't in the book.
   
   1 c4 e6 2 Nc3 Nf6 (or 1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 e6) is indeed in the book, and it is another important line. I used to play 3 Nf3 here, but this book has convinced me that 3 e4 (the Mikenas) is a better idea.
   
   In any case, there's plenty of good material in this book, and I highly recommend it.

No comments about A. Alekhine: Agony of a Chess Genius.

1 comments about Manual of Chess Combinations, Volume 3 (Chess School).

1. With such low price and more than one thousand high quality exercises on combination and tactics, do I need to say more????

3 comments about Rate Your Endgame.

1. For most chessplayers, even very strong ones, studying the endgame is painfully boring. This book is one of the few genuinely entertaining and instructive books available on this subject. The book concentrates on practical endgame situations, rather than bore the reader with such stuff as mate with B and N, which one may be required to perform once every five thousand games or so.



2. This book is a must-read for anyone who knows the basic mates and understands the opposition who doesn't know what to study next in this all-important phase of the game. The exercises are enjoyable, tough, thought-provoking, and instructive, and working through them is almost like having a master-level teacher at your side.



3. Unlike many endgame books, which provide information about standard positions, this Crouch + Mednis book teaches HOW TO THINK about real games moving to or in the endgame. It is very clear, well-written, and has great practical application.

No comments about How Life Imitates Chess.