These book reviews by Matthew Sadler were published in New In Chess magazine 2023#5
As a child fascinated by chess history, I was – somewhat fanatically it seems to me now – always on the side of the winner. Reading through the match records of past World Championship matches, it was clear that Tarrasch and Janowsky were ‘losers’ and thus unworthy of any attention. Euwe had been a winner once, it’s true, but he’d lost again straight away so he couldn’t be a great champion. To be fair, that was the narrative that dominated the books I read, and as a child in those information-starved days, you believed pretty much everything that you read in books. It was a great shame, as it blinded me for years to the games of some wonderful players from whom I could have learnt so much. For me, that gap is finally being filled in adulthood as we are treated to serious and balanced appraisals of the many wonderful players chess history has seen. There could be no better player than Jan Timman to perform175
New In Chess recently published a new book that in a very original way discusses an important skill in chess. Check out how David and Magnus promote the book.
David Howell: ‘The original idea behind Grind Like a Grandmaster was first sparked in 2021 when Magnus joked about my love of ‘old man chess’. At the Grand Swiss that year, I played a 142-move game against GM Arturs Neiksans. 8 hours of grim defending, three scoresheets, and almost a missed dinner, all for the sake of half a point. Yet I felt on top of the world.’
Full disclosure: this book is converted from the Chessable video course by Magnus Carlsen and David Howell. In the video, they talk chess and explain the endgame grind better than anyone else can. And yes, the video was based on the Chessable course that was created by David, but that course does include multiple games by David and Magnus – both extremely accomplished grinders!
This famous quote by Magnus Carlsen has been used a lot and often a bit out of context. Of course, fortresses exist but sometimes they can be broken down.
In his excellent book Chess Endgames for Club Players (New In Chess 2022), IM Herman Grooten talks about this subject as well. His explanations are easy to understand and very valuable for players of all levels. In a chapter on fortresses, he looks at the famous ending between Timman and Nunn where Black was able to break down the fortress (which it really was…) with a little help from his illustrious opponent.
Then Herman was made aware of a very similar ending which was not a fortress but could have become one if the young and talented White player had read Herman’s book. Instructive errors were made and highlighted by our author. Please check it out for yourself and make sure to apply it in your own game!
The comments and analysis below are from Herman Grooten himself.
How to Out-Prepare Your Opponent by Jeroen Bosch is on the shortlist for the English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2022.
The content below is from Chapter 7 of the book. It is interesting to see how Jeroen objectively shows the pros and cons of playing your own systems. Enjoy his insights and maybe you can even use his analysis of this interesting sideline of the Old Indian to out-prepare your opponent!
*****
I’ve been the author/editor of 14 volumes called Secrets of Opening Surprises (New In Chess, 2003-2012), and so it would seem strange not to add a chapter on surprise variations or lines that quickly leave the main theoretical path. However, this chapter and the next one (about main lines) are – to paraphrase William James – separate on the surface, but connected if you think about it more deeply. Avoiding the beaten track automatically means that you have some basic knowledge about where the main roads lie. Indeed, whether you opt for a main line or a sideline is ideally a conscious175
How to Out-Prepare Your Opponent by Jeroen Bosch is on the shortlist for the English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2022.
In this age of computer preparation, we are all trying to out-prepare our opponent. But is that really possible? International Master Jeroen Bosch sheds some light on this topic and presents some very useful insights that can help you to better understand this phase of the game.Â
In two blog posts, we will share some of the content of this nominated book. In the first one, you can find the foreword written by GM Anish Giri who himself is well-known for his deep opening preparation. In the second post, we will present you one of the chapters.
Foreword by Anish Giri
How to out-prepare your opponent is the question that is on the mind of every chess player. For me personally, opening preparation is the aspect of the game that stands central to how I perceive the entire struggle. Due to my obsessive passion for chess openings, I end up trying to rationally justify175
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