Chess Tactics for Advanced Players (Averbakh)

This book has long been on my list of chess books to read, however it's been out of print for ages and costs a fortune second hand:
http://tinyurl.com/6la4bv

Edward Labate has now had the book reprinted:
http://www.labatechess.com/cart/

This is obviously a bit more affordable than £110, but before I splash out on it I was wondering if anyone here has a copy of "Chess Tactics for Advanced Players", and if so whether it deserves its good reputation?

I don't have it, but what are you hoping to find in it that you cannot get from CT-ART?

Originally posted by zebano
I don't have it, but what are you hoping to find in it that you cannot get from CT-ART?

Software has its place, but generally I prefer books. The interface to CT-ART looks a bit ugly and this review pointed out several deficiencies: http://www.chesscircle.net/forums/computer-chess/28122-what-do-you-think-about-ctart-30.html

CT ART is ugly and runs slowly on my PC, but not having to set up positions manually is a huge blessing.

Originally posted by zebano
CT ART is ugly and runs slowly on my PC, but not having to set up positions manually is a huge blessing.

When I'm reading a chess book I've found that I can often find the games in question on chessgames.com, though I much prefer to have two real boards in front of me!

Originally posted by Fat Lady
When I'm reading a chess book I've found that I can often find the games in question on chessgames.com, though I much prefer to have two real boards in front of me!

I have the chess digest edition. It is rather small but 326 pages thick.
Mr.Labate says that he made the text larger.
It is a pretty advanced text.
There are pages and pages of complicated to move diagrams. In addition, there is text explaining the themes/what is going on.
Naturally, many of the positions are taken from actual games.

He starts with basic elements, and then the positions tend to get more and more complicated.

Here is a random example

The main theme is the Double Attack.

The secondary theme is The Exchange (Using the exchange to force a double attack).

Here is a position (on Page 69 from the 1992 Chess Digest Edition)

Kan - Lowenfisch Tbilisi 1937

White To Play

"The uncovered Black bishops prompted White to work up a double attack on them by means of an exchange."

1.Nxd4! Rxd4 2.Be2! Rxd1 3.Qxd1 ...

"These forced exchanges enabled White's queen to move to line d, from where it can penetrate to d7 and attack the two bishops."

3. ... Qg5

"Black wants to protect one of the bishops with the queen. Bad was 3. ... Qxe4 because of the "fork" 4.Bf3."

4.h4! Qf6 5.e5!

"Forces the queen to abandon the bishop"

5. ...Qg6 6.Qd7 Bxg2 7.Kxg2 Bxh4 8.Qd3 ! Qxd3 9.Bxd3

"and White wins."

"We have now seen how the double attack was forced through sacrifices (he may mean exchanges). The next chapter is devoted to the sacrifice as a means of forcing the double attack."

That's just a random position from the book. There are many many more.

I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

Thanks for going to the trouble of entering the position and text.

Here is the game from chessgames.com (position is after Black's 18th move): http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1090687

So in this case, the idea is White is supposed to see that a rook or queen on c7 or d7 would attack both of Black's undefended bishops, and having seen that he has to work out how to get a rook or queen to one of those squares? Does the text in the book talk you through it? [edit: nevermind, you added another post whilst I was writing mine]

Absolutely beautiful technique shown by Kan in this game once he was a piece for two pawns up!

Originally posted by Fat Lady
This book has long been on my list of chess books to read, however it's been out of print for ages and costs a fortune second hand:
http://tinyurl.com/6la4bv

Edward Labate has now had the book reprinted:
http://www.labatechess.com/cart/

This is obviously a bit more affordable than £110, but before I splash out on it I was wondering if anyone here ha ...[text shortened]... y of "Chess Tactics for Advanced Players", and if so whether it deserves its good reputation?

I have it - I have two copies. (both bought less than 50p - I tell you,
go round the junk shops you will amazed what chess stuff is there)

I'll swap you - for it.

What you offering?

Originally posted by greenpawn34
I have it - I have two copies. (both bought less than 50p - I tell you,
go round the junk shops you will amazed what chess stuff is there)

I'll swap you - for it.

What you offering?

How about a drawing of a spider?
http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html

Even though this book was printed a few states over, in Texas (home of Ken Smith of Chess Digest), I think I got my copy from Germany. 🙂

Originally posted by Fat Lady
How about a drawing of a spider?
http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html

Tempting, but no.

A Chess book.

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Software has its place, but generally I prefer books. The interface to CT-ART looks a bit ugly and this review pointed out several deficiencies: http://www.chesscircle.net/forums/computer-chess/28122-what-do-you-think-about-ctart-30.html

I have CT Art and find it hard to figure out the way it tries to give you hints or help. I just can't figure out all those little green squares or red ones, and then when I mess up a little small game appears for me to solve. It is supposed to relate to the problem I had in the full screen CT Art. But it just not help me at this point.

I just don't get it. Can anyone point me to a manual or explanation of the way this works?

grit

Originally posted by grit
I have CT Art and find it hard to figure out the way it tries to give you hints or help. I just can't figure out all those little green squares or red ones, and then when I mess up a little small game appears for me to solve. It is supposed to relate to the problem I had in the full screen CT Art. But it just not help me at this point.

I just don't get it. Can anyone point me to a manual or explanation of the way this works?

grit

you are supposed to catch the theme or the motive of the puzzle with those helping features. usually the key diagonals, files and squares are highlighted the first time you make a mistake. and those little "boxes" that appear the second time you input a wrong move actually do relate to the original problem. Try to create (or threaten) something similar in the original puzzle. I think it's nice.

But I've quit studying with CT-Art now, after I have discovered chesstempo.com. There, you pretty much have a similar standard of problem collection, and I think it's even better in terms of variety. CT-Art has way too much sacrifices -mainly of the queen- or captures. I have discovered I have developed after working more than a year with CT- Art a blindness to simple attacking moves without checks or captures, or quiet moves threatening something etc.

The complexity of the puzzles in chesstempo's problem set also seem more realistic to me, there are more open and complicated positions that you have to find your way through a lot of different options like in a real game, where in CT-Art, you usually find yourself just finding out the first move "it has to be a knight sac on h3", and try to make it work from there. I'm not saying it's easier or harder in either, but the puzzles definately feel "wider" in chesstempo.

and above all, I find the interactivity of studying on a community site with interactive ratings, rankings and comments on problems, and trying to set your self rating goals etc much more enjoyable.

by the way, I'm referring to "standard" training type in Chesstempo, where you don't have any time constraints and gain/lose rating points only according to your accuracy.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Tempting, but no.

A Chess book.

OK. I have got one or two rare ones - "Nigel Short - World Chess Champion". A couple of dozen copies were printed in anticipation of Nigel's victory over Kasparov (!!!! - what were they smoking!) and I helped myself to one whilst I was working at the book stall at The Savoy. I don't think we actually sold any so goodness knows where the rest are! Anyway, you can have that one.