Book Reviews

Anything but Average, Chess Classics and Off-beat Problems, Werner Keym, Nightrider Unlimited, ISBN 9783935586160, 202pp., Limited Edition Hardcover of 100 copies, €25.00 Werner Keym is a German expert in chess problems showing castling, en passant capture, and pawn promotion. For years problem-lovers have enjoyed his computer-defying puzzles, his funny chess jokes and his stories in the tradition of Sam Loyd. Here is how Anything but Average is described on the publishers website: “The total of 400 games, endgame studies and problems should address the entire spectrum of chess aficionados – OTB players of all shades and problem enthusiasts alike. There are altogether 630 diagrams, … [Read more...]

How to Swindle in Chess, Andrew Soltis, B.T. Batsford, Ltd., Paperback, ISBN 9781849945639, 240pp., $24.95 Popular chess writer International Grandmaster Andrew Soltis is chess correspondent for the New York Post and the author of many books, including What It Takes to Become a Chess Master, Pawn Structure Chess, and 365 Chess Master Lessons. Here is how How to Swindle in Chess is described on the back cover: “In chess, a swindle is a ruse by which a player in a losing position sets traps to exploit an opponent’s overconfidence, and thereby achieves a win or draw instead of the expected loss. Written by the hugely popular chess writer Andrew Soltis, How to Swindle in Chess tells … [Read more...]

Bobby Fischer: The Final Years, Gardar Sverrisson, Ugla Publishing, ISBN 9789935211811, 224pp., Hardback €22.95 Gardar Sverrisson holds degrees in political science and economics from the University of Iceland and an MFA in creative writing and literature from the University of Arizona. His writings include several short stories, a novel, and two biographies. His biography of Leifur Muller was translated into German and adapted for the stage in two countries. Sverrisson was a board member of the Icelandic Human Rights Centre and president of the National Coalition of People with Disabilities in Iceland. In 2004 he was part of the group that pressed for Bobby Fischer to be released from … [Read more...]

Chess Problems Out of the Box, Werner Keym, Nightrider Unlimited, ISBN 9783935586146, 184pp., Limited Edition Paperback of 250 copies $12.00; Hardback €28.00 Werner Keym is a German expert in chess problems showing castling, en passant capture, and pawn promotion. For years problem-lovers have enjoyed his computer-defying puzzles, his funny chess jokes, and his stories in the tradition of Sam Loyd. Here is how Chess Problems Out of the Box is described on the back cover of the paperback edition: “Here is a stupendous anthology of 500 extraordinary chess problems to broaden your chess horizons and exhaust your grey matter. Some problems appear ordinary, but most are tricky and … [Read more...]

Square Off Chess Set, Infivention, squareoffnow.com, $389.00/$449.00 “Imagine a chessboard that can think, make its own moves, and play against you. It’s also App connected, which means, you can challenge anyone around the world. Their moves, right on your board.” The Square Off chess set is billed as the first telerobotic chessboard. It is the innovation of a company called Infivention who say they want to “add a little magic to the everyday lives of people, through our creations. We are bringing together Telerobotics and AI to build machines that feel more human than mechanical...” Their motto is “we create robots that move you.” The concept for the Square Off board began in 2013 … [Read more...]

Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi, Andrew Soltis, McFarland & Company, ISBN 9781476671468, 388pp., Hardback $65.00 Grandmaster Andrew Soltis is the author of many chess books, an editor for the New York Post, a columnist for Chess Life magazine, and an eight time champion of the Marshall Chess Club. He lives in New York City. This is his eighth book for McFarland. Here is how Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi is described on the publishers website: “This book describes the intense rivalry—and collaboration—of the four players who created the golden era when USSR chess players dominated the world. More than 200 annotated games are included, along with personal … [Read more...]

Coach Yourself, Neil McDonald, Everyman Chess, ISBN 9781781945124, 304pp., Paperback $28.95; Ebook $21.95 Neil McDonald became a grandmaster in 1996 and a FIDE trainer in 2017. He is a regular coach of the England Junior team at international events. McDonald has written numerous books on openings, endgames, tactics and strategy as well as biographies of famous players. This is at least his twenty-fourth book for Everyman Chess. He lives in Gravesend in Kent, England. Here is how Coach Yourself is described on the publishers website: “Many players are serious about their chess but become stuck at a certain playing strength. It’s rarely a lack of talent or practice or opening knowledge … [Read more...]

The Chigorin Defence: Move by Move, by Jimmy Liew, Everyman Press, ISBN 9781781944257, 336pp, Paperback $29.95, eBook $19.95 The Chigorin Defence is an often underestimated and interesting opening choice for Black versus d4. Although Black blocks the c-pawn, classically a positional mistake in Queen Pawn openings, he aims for a different pawn break and a different, more dynamic type of game. In fact, this opening mirrors the Veresov for White; books for these two openings have both been written by author Jimmy Liew. Mr. Liew is an International Master from Malaysia. The back cover describes the book, capturing the spirit of the opening well: “The Chigorin Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6) is … [Read more...]

The Sicilian Najdorf, John Doknjas & Joshua Doknjas, Everyman Press, ISBN 9781781944837, 352pg, $29.95, eBook $21.95 The Sicilian Najdorf is a chess opening with an awesome and terrifying reputation. To create a book that covers the theory-heavy favorite choice of aggressive and sharp players like Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov is no trivial task. As someone that does not regularly play the Sicilian, even approaching this book for a review seemed daunting. However, the Doknjas brothers were up to the task and delivered a very readable and useful book that does the Najdorf justice. Indeed, I have started playing the opening myself and have not only enjoyed decent results, but had … [Read more...]

Practical Chess Endings, Paul Keres, Batsford, Paperback, ISBN 9781849944953, 338pp., $21.95 Estonian grandmaster Paul Keres (1916-1975) is widely considered to be one of the strongest players to never win the world championship. He was among the world’s top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s and runner-up in the Candidates’ Tournament on four consecutive occasions. Here is how Practical Chess Endings is described on the publishers website: “It is difficult to overestimate the importance of good endgame play—and rather than trying to cover every theoretical possibility, grand master Paul Keres looks in close detail at fewer, but carefully chosen, examples. He explains the … [Read more...]