PLASKETT - Starting out Attacking play

The vast majority of chess games witness familiar strategies and well known tactical motifs. These are the games that you will find in the anthologies and opening repertoires. Sometimes however, games appear that seem to have been played on a different planet. 

Conventional strategies go out of the window. Familiar tactical themes are nowhere to be seen. Chaos has broken out. The pieces appear to be in open rebellion and are steadfastly refusing to do the natural jobs that they were designed for. 

Having to navigate a path in such a game can be a nightmare. Do you rely purely on calculation? Is it better to trust your instincts? Can you assess the position using “normal” criteria?

In order to answer these questions, prolific chess author and coach Cyrus Lakdawala has assembled a collection of brilliantly unconventional and irrational games. The positions in these games appear almost random. Kings have gone walkabout, pieces are on bizarre squares, huge pawn rollers are sweeping all before them. 

Irrational chess is like nothing you’ve seen before. As well as being highly instructive this is a hugely entertaining book. 

Do not adjust your set. It’s chess, Jim, but not as we know it.

Beim devrait peut-être suivre la méthode Suba : ses livres me donnent toujours une impression de brouillon Ce nouvel opus est composé de deux sections distinctes qui joignent assez mal - d'abord un voyage à travers des parties connues de grands champions du passé, puis un cours sur l'analyse de la position et la détection des coups-candidats. Des éléments intéressants, mais à l'arrivée, on ne peut pas vraiment dire que l'énigme soit résolue

Twenty years ago, New In Chess magazine started its own Proust Questionnaire, entitled Just Checking. In this back page column, chess players and personalities named their favourites, preferences, moods, life mottos and whatnot. One of the questions has always been: What was the most exciting chess game you ever saw?

Chess greats such as Anand, Shirov and Ivanchuk (and probably any other top player you can think of), authors and commentators such as Jeremy Silman, Jennifer Shahade, and Tania Sachdev nominated memorable games. This anthology presents the 45 most exciting of these most exciting games.

Besides inevitable ‘usual suspects’ like Kasparov-Topalov (Wijk aan Zee 1999) or the ‘Immortal’ Anderssen-Kieseritzky (London 1851), you’ll be treated to a wide variety of lesser-known gems. You’ll see Ding Liren revelling in an all-out attack, Ivan Saric juggling a knight and five pawns versus two rooks, and Sergei Radchenko chasing the white king all over the board.

Every game is a showcase of the richness and resourcefulness of chess.

Steve Giddins edited this selection, a job he immensely enjoyed: ‘I hope that every reader will find games here which bring a smile to their face and a lift to their heart’. 

 

Everyman s'était déjà intéressé au sujet il y a quelques années avec l'excellent Gambit Play de Dunnington, mais son importance justifiait bien ce revenez-y. L'auteur a choisi une approche thématique assez proche de celle de son prédécesseur, mais il a innové en prenant l'essentiel de ses exemples dans la pratique de trois grands spécialistes de la question : Tal, Petrosian et Stein. Keep the best, leave the rest, comme dit le proverbe...

In this book, Jacob Aagaard digs deep into the most complex area of chess thinking. The games and exercises in this book transcend regular chess skills, such as pattern recognition, calculation and positional analysis. Building on the two previous books in the Grandmaster Preparation series, this book challenges the reader to explore the complexities of chess, offering clarity and understanding through Aagaard’s straightforward approach.

Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard won the British Championship at his first and only attempt. He is the only chess author to have received the Boleslavsky Medal as well as the Guardian, ECF and ChessCafe Book of the Year awards. He is a FIDE Senior Trainer, and on his retirement from professional chess he has taken up the post of trainer for the Danish elite. His training material is used by amateurs, grandmasters and World Champions alike.

The Grandmaster Preparation series is aimed at ambitious players.

Z'auraient quand même pu actualiser le titre... Questions of Ancient Modern Chess Theory, ç'aurait été fun, non ? Parce que mine de rien, cette nouveauté toute chaude date de ... 1956. On compensera cette (légère...) réserve en remarquant que le livre était remarquablement 'moderne' pour l'époque, mais on n'osera tout de même pas affirmer qu'il y ait encore beaucoup de neuf à grapiller dedans - d'autant que le livre, resté inconnu en occident faute de traduction, a été très tôt considéré comme un classique par les soviétiques, ce qui implique que ses leçons ont été depuis longtemps intégrée dans la littérature venue de l'est. Un certain doute, donc, quant à l'utilité de cette parution pour la plupart des amateurs - sauf bien sûr pour tous les curieux de l'histoire des échecs qui se précipiteront pour découvrir (enfin) un ouvrage devenu quelque peu mythique.