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How to Think in Chess Book & Scotch 4... Qh4 & In the Woprld of Tactics
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How to Think in Chess
What wins chess games? More than anything else, it is organized and efficient thinking. But chess thinking is specialized. Even Albert Einstein was a confessed chess duffer. It's not so much how smart you are as how smart your chess-thinking techniques are. The effects of memorizing moves, one of the most widespread attempts to improve, pale beside the results of learning how to think effectively in chess. How to Think in Chess is the rare book that explains in clear terms the techniques chess masters use to find their moves.
The authors, an international chess champion and a trained professional thinker, are uniquely qualified on the subject. They offer you both academic research and personal experience. How to Think in Chess teaches you practical ways of thinking to win a chess game. You'll see how to assess your thought processes during chess play and how to reorganize them in practice. You'll get exercises to increase your thinking skills. You'll see how to use elements of sports psychology in your preparation. How to Think in Chess gives you techniques to analyze and improve your own chess thinking; methods to foster creativity; over 200 specialized chess exercises to strengthen your game; advice on setting goals and coping with stress; and techniques to overcome mental blocks. "How to Think in Chess can reveal a great deal to a player who wants to improve, a chess teacher who wants somebody else to improve or even a psychologist who just wants to observe the thinking brain in actionåÓ -from the foreword by International Grandmaster and journalist Jon Levitt.
There is no "quick fix", a magic wand that will instantly and easily add 300 points to your rating. But if you are willing to apply yourself to the study regimen advocated by the authors, you will surely improve your game. When it was released in June 2001 it became an instant best seller. Here is a chance to pick up one of the fine one-volume training manuals of our time.
Author: IM Jan Przewoznik and Marek Soszynski
Title: How to Think in Chess
Published: 2001
Pages: 288
Annotation: FAN
Suitable for novice and higher players
Scotch 4...Qh4
The venerable Scotch Game has enjoyed a great revival in recent years, with many top Grandmasters adding it to their repertoires. World Champion Kasparov's adoption of the opening aroused much interest, and the Scotch Game is regularly seen by his opponents. But Kasparov has so far gotten a free ride after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4, because his opponents have failed to task him with the dangerous and uncompromising 4...Qh4!?, the Steinitz Variation!
The Steinitz Variation with 4...Qh4 is undoubtedly Black's most challenging counter to the Scotch Game. After only four moves White suddenly must fight on Black's prepared territory, and is virtually forced to sacrifice his e-pawn and burn his safe, "positional" bridges behind him. Black provokes an immediate crisis, and brazenly grabs an important center pawn while keeping a compact position without weaknesses. White then has no choice but to look for compensation in the ephemeral world of tempi and development, ever mindful that Black will win almost any endgame. Maximum tension prevails in the razor-sharp struggle that follows, as the two sides play out the age-old chess conflict between Time and Material. The Steinitz Variation is thus an ideal weapon for those who want to win with the Black pieces.
Further, the Steinitz Variation has been tested in the fire of top level international chess, and even World Championship match play. The move 4...Qh4 is sound, aggressive and suitable for players of any level, from Grandmaster to postal player to average club member. All will find a powerful weapon in this cold-blooded, anti-Scotch counterattack.
This volume is the first monograph devoted exclusively to the Steinitz Variation of the Scotch Game. Here will be found the latest professional analysis of 4...Qh4, along with commentary by Chigorin, Zukertort and Steinitz himself, gathered from the rich history of this dynamic variation. Senior Master John Hall guides the reader to a deep understanding of the Steinitz Variation, providing original insights and fresh evaluations all along the way. Scotch 4...Qh4, The Steinitz Variation will be of interest to a wide range of players - from the practical competitor preparing for either color, to the general student wishing to learn gambit play.
Author: John Hall
Title: National Master
Published: 1995
Pages: 103
Annotation: AN
In the World of Tactics
In the World of Tactics is the only collection of each year's finest chess combinations. See today's top-rated Grandmasters (including the World Champion!) conjure their tactical wizardry at "crunch time," in the toughest elite tournaments of 1997. Each diagram shows the decisive moment, when either careful precision is required, or else all the subtlety of a hammer-blow! Best of all, Grandmaster Anatoly Lein's renowned analytical spotlight illuminates the hidden variations, revealing why tempting alternatives were never played. The year's sharpest encounters, explained by a veteran professional Grandmaster.
In the World of Tactics is the perfect substitute for those endless magazine subscriptions, newspapers, bulletins and databases. Grandmaster Lein has selected the most instructive combinations of the year, gathering the very best of 1997 into one convenient and inexpensive volume. Want an overview of the year's top tournaments? Collecting tactical positions? Just looking to get better? Forget that dreary sifting and searching through reams of information, and let Grandmaster Lein cut through the clutter - you can't lose!
Author: Anatoly Lein
Title: Grandmaster
Published: 1998
Pages: 112
Annotation: FAN
