Every chess player hopes to set off brilliant combinations and win games in a blaze of glory. Such combinations do not come into being by themselves, however; they appear only as the result of proper chess strategy.

It is therefore surprising that so few books deal with this highly important subject, and understandable that Pachmann's modern classic has been so enthusiastically received by chessplayers at all levels.

Ludêk Pachmann, a Czech grandmaster, has long had a international reputation as a chess theorist, but until now his work has not been available in English. This present volume, which condenses his great  Moderne Schachstrategie, presents his ideas and theories in a form that the English-speaking world can assimilate easily.

Beginning with the basic concepts and the rules of the minor and major pieces, it covers the use of the Queen, the active King exchanges, various kinds of Pawns, the center and its use, superiority on the wings, minority attack, strategical points and weak squares, methods of attack and defence and similar topics.

Pachmann elaborates the various kinds of strategy that can be employed, and shows how each leads to tactical opportunities. It has been said that this section on the Rook alone makes his book indispensable to the serious chess player, since the Rook is so important in both middle and endgames.

Pachmann presents his method in the form of a thorough systematic, analytical text, which draws upon scores of great games for exemplification. Analyses of 129 great games featuring: Capablanca, Alekhine, Dr. Lasker, Rubinstein, Nimzowich, Botvinnik, Reshevsky, Bronstein, Smyslov and Spassky.

Unabridged unaltered republication to he 1963 edition. Edited and translated by Alan S. Russell.
Descriptive (English) notation.