 The Problem Book We All Didn't Know We Needed |
| Review Date: September 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mr. Fred, Honolulu, Hawaii |
If you're a class level player, and are only going to buy one more chess book for the rest of your life, it simply has to be this one. Buy this book in any event and treasure it. It's the problem book we didn't know we needed.
Now, if you've read my other chess and checker book reviews you'll know that I'm not prone to empty praise and the type of hyperbola espoused in the paragraph above. But plain and simple, this book is every bit as good as I imply.
What is it? It's 600 problems, six to a page, with solutions sketched (not detailed) on the facing page (which you need to keep covered with a sheet of note paper sized to fit the book). The problems are not the usual themed and rated tactics collection; they are a completely randomized assortment of REAL LIFE positions, many drawn from amateur games. They range from easy to hard, tactical to positional, opening to endgame, and attack to defense. But what is so great about the collection is that you are given not a single hint as to type, theme, or difficulty (until you look at the solution, wherein all is revealed). This simulates tournament play conditions exactly.
Yes, with this book you are completely on your own and as the introduction points out, you are going to have to think for yourself, just as you do in real play. The intro also recommends taking about 30 minutes per page of six problems, but I'll suggest another way of using, and reusing, this book.
I am going through the book in several passes. On my first pass, I take as long as I want on each problem (within reason). I'm not using a clock, but I'm coming up with a plan and then a set of moves in 15 minutes or less; some of the easy problems with a tactical solution require little time; some of the complex ones require much more time. If convenient, I set up the problem on a board, with the side to move facing me (better, I think, than solving 'upside down' from a diagram), though the book's portable size lends itself to solving at odd moments in odd places as well. After I work out my solution I compare it with the book's solution, being careful not to reveal any other solutions on the facing page; I reconcile my answer with the "right" answer, if they are different. Then, at that point or later, I use the computer (Hiarcs in this case) to explore other avenues, if the problem so warrants.
On your first pass I do advise you to do the same and not skip this latter computer step; it adds immensely to your learning and to the value of the problem, even if it does require additional effort.
On my second pass, which is still to come, I plan to limit my time strictly to five minutes per problem. Hopefully the themes will "ring a bell" at that point. I also intend a third pass where I am hoping for sight recognition and will allow just one minute per problem.
How much improvement can you--- or I--- expect from study of 600 varied and realistic positions? While I don't have numbers to back it up yet, I suspect it will be in the region of 200 rating points, maybe even more, as truly learning this many practical positions has got to be of great value.
What other book can offer this much? Opening books will teach you some things, analysis books will teach you more; but learning to play positions corresponds in a one to one manner with actual tournament play. This unique collection is doing a lot for me and I bet it will for you too. |
A Holistic Approach to Chess Training
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| Review Date: June 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: j clark, bethesda, md |
Refreshingly, here's a collection of chess puzzles that mixes tactical
problems with strategic ones, plus some on defense and prophylaxis.
The problems themselves are not necessarily harder than the ones you
see elsewhere, but the fact that all these themes are blended together
means that you have to go through your full mental checklist to
evaluate the position and select the appropriate course of action.
Some of the strategy problems, derived from the classics, are really
quite nice. If you've paid your dues in the tactics department and
want to continue your chess training on a broader and more holistic
basis, this book may be just what you need. I have been working
through these exercises myself, and I plan to give selected problems to
my students to analyze and study. There should be more chess training
books written with this philosophy. Dr. Nunn...Yaz...how about it?
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The best collection of real-life test positions!
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| Review Date: April 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Alexander Goncharov, |
| This book is an outstanding collection of tests on various themes in chess (not only tactics, but also attack, defense, threat identification, counterplay, openings, middlegame, endgame, the thought process, positional play and strategy). The examples are unique here, as John Watson puts it simply in the introduction: "Ray's understanding of the ways in which amateurs oversight that don't occur to the masters who usually write exercise books." This is the key advantage of the collection, which provides very instructive feedback on every test position (running from easy * to very difficult **** regardless of the theme, good for identifying one's weaknesses). The level is about 1600-2000. I hope this approach will become a new popular way to write chess training books for all levels! |
Great Teaching Book
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| Review Date: July 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Chess Epic, |
I teach chess to a high-school-age group and am starting to use this new book because it was recommended on the Internet Chess Club. I'm only about 40% through it, but so far it's absolutely fantastic! What I like about these exercises is that they are equivalent to a real-world chess experience: you don't know in advance what kind of position you've got. There could be a mate or some positional idea, and you don't know how difficult the problem is. Most books give you a problem and then tell you what to look for. It's challenging!
The exercises aren't for beginners, but not for grandmasters, either. A good book for the average player to advance with.
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Kindle Review
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| Review Date: December 1, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Woodpusher, N. Huntingdon, PA United States |
This book works out well on the Kindle. A Kindle page shows one puzzle, and the next Kindle page shows the solution. It does not show six puzzles on one page and six solutions on one page like the paper edition. The diagrams are clear and easy to read at the default font size. I am very pleased with the Kindle edition of this book.
I also like the randomness of the puzzle types and difficulty levels. This makes you analyze a real chess position and not just look for the combination you "know" is there. I am 1510 USCF and am happy with the difficulty of the material - so far nothing too easy or so complicated that I can't understand the answer. |
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