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Originally posted by MahoutIt looks like Schach Niggemann has it:
Damn...just had a call from chess direct saying they sold the last copy (of knight moves) the day before and it's out of print...looks like I was beaten to it...anyone know where I can buy or borrow a copy?
https://www.niggemann.com/startneue.htm
Just use their search feature to search for "knight moves"
BCM Chess Shop also seems to have it:
http://www.bcmchess.co.uk/chessbooks/bookschessenterprises.html
So does amazon.co.uk (though some of the prices here are pretty steep):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0945470762/ref=dp_olp_2/026-3935852-4572450
amazon.com still has one copy too:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0945470762/ref=dp_olp_2/102-4078767-3975356
The Antiquarian bookshop Kimmo Välkesalmi, in Finland, has it:
http://www.shakki.net/kimmoval/chessb10.htm
Originally posted by synesisWell from reading this and using the rule that the max moves is 6 from corner to corner the trick would be to just look at the start and stop color. If it's the same color it must be an even number. A quick look would show that it isn't 2 moves so it must be 4. I didn't do a white to dark square trial but it has to have a similar rule of thumb
Quick! What's the minimum number of moves a knight on g6 needs to get to e4 ?
To answer this question, most chess players will simply start to mentally move their knight around, counting the moves, until it lands on the desired square. Let's say you counted 4 moves: e5-g4-f6-e4 That's one way to get there, and so is: f8-e6-g5-e4. But is there a shor ...[text shortened]... hour or so). After that, you'll be counting knight moves like a pro! 🙂
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Originally posted by hamltnblueVery good. It's just that kind of deductive reasoning that the author of Knight Moves seems to have used to come up with his method.
Well from reading this and using the rule that the max moves is 6 from corner to corner the trick would be to just look at the start and stop color. If it's the same color it must be an even number. A quick look would show that it isn't 2 moves so it must be 4. I didn't do a white to dark square trial but it has to have a similar rule of thumb
The techniques in the book are similar, and also allow you to quickly figure out the minimum number of moves not just to one single square, but to certain groups of squares (like all the squares which are a minimum of 4 moves away).
Another thing that Alexander's Technique makes possible is recognizing that a certain square is a minimum X moves away without doing any move counting (sort of like the 6-moves-away square trick). There are certain other squares which are like that. Using the method I can instantly tell the minimum number moves it would take to get to these squares.
Actually, the book only mentions some of these squares, but you can deduce others from looking at the patterns the knight makes when moving across the board. And you can see these patterns by looking at the 64 diagrams in the book which show the minimum number of moves it will take for a knight to move from any square to any other square.
Speaking of diagrams, I should probably mention that the book is chock-full of them. Combined with the clear explanations, examples, and exercizes, it makes learning the method really easy.
The production quality of this book is very high, especially considering that it's a niche, small press chess book. You're not going to get a cheap pamphlet stapled together, printed on smudgy newsprint, with a few hard to read diagrams and mistakes everywhere. The binding, paper, and typesetting are all of high quality. And, having read the entire thing, I don't think I spotted even a single mistake.
My only gripe, and it's a very minor one, is that the art and design on the cover of the book are pretty uninspired. The cover just looks too generic, like the designer simply cut and pasted in a bit of clipart of a knight on a white background, with a tacky color choice. Still, I'm pretty happy when the only thing I have to complain about a book is the choice of cover art. 🙂
Originally posted by synesisIt wouldn't surprise me if you're right about this. I actually did some Googling the other day in an attempt to find similar information on the web. No such luck. Lots of info on knight tours (not useful for this topic). The closest I found was this Diagram 3 on Wikipedia, which only shows an example of a knight on the f5 square:
However, as for finding the same information as what's in this book for free, good luck. I've never seen any other source (free or not) even try to address the knight-move counting issue, much less propose any kind of method for making the counting easier, faster, or more reliable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_%28chess%29#Movement
I also hope that the author of the book reaped some rewards from his hard work. Unfortunately, since the book is now OOP, I seriously doubt if he's making one thin dime off of it at this point.
Originally posted by hamltnblueGood thinking! Yeah, I agree that it shouldn't be too hard to decide between a 2-mover and a 4-mover. However, I'd think that discerning between a 3-mover and a 5-mover would be a little more difficult.
Well from reading this and using the rule that the max moves is 6 from corner to corner the trick would be to just look at the start and stop color. If it's the same color it must be an even number. A quick look would show that it isn't 2 moves so it must be 4. I didn't do a white to dark square trial but it has to have a similar rule of thumb
Originally posted by synesisMy experience with other Chess Enterprises books is similar to yours. I have several endgame books by Edmar Mednis. The cover art does tend to be plain - Not much money wasted on that aspect of publishing! But the binding and paper do seem to be of a good quality, with clear diagrams.
The production quality of this book is very high, especially considering that it's a niche, small press chess book. You're not going to get a cheap pamphlet stapled together, printed on smudgy newsprint, with a few hard to read diagrams and mistakes everywhere. The binding, paper, and typesetting are all of high quality. And, having read the entire thing, ...[text shortened]... y happy when the only thing I have to complain about a book is the choice of cover art. 🙂
But, oddly, I noticed that none of the diagrams in any of the books have the coordinates with them. Luckily, I think I'm beyond needing the coordinates with the diagrams. But it would be nice if there were coordinates for the Knight Moves diagrams. Can you mention if the diagrams in that book have coordinates? (The answer won't affect my actions - I've already ordered my copy.) 🙂
Originally posted by hamltnblueIf those are the kind of ideas expressed in the book, then I'll be delighted.
Well from reading this and using the rule that the max moves is 6 from corner to corner the trick would be to just look at the start and stop color. If it's the same color it must be an even number. A quick look would show that it isn't 2 moves so it must be 4. I didn't do a white to dark square trial but it has to have a similar rule of thumb
I never really thought of it like that before.
D
Originally posted by Mad RookDo you happen to have Mednis' "Pracitcal Knight Endings" ? If so, do you know if it covers any of the same material as "Knight Moves" ?
My experience with other Chess Enterprises books is similar to yours. I have several endgame books by Edmar Mednis. The cover art does tend to be plain - Not much money wasted on that aspect of publishing! But the binding and paper do seem to be of a good quality, with clear diagrams.
But, oddly, I noticed that none of the diagrams in any of the books have the coordinates with them. Luckily, I think I'm beyond needing the coordinates with the diagrams. But it would be nice if there were coordinates for the Knight Moves diagrams. Can you mention if the diagrams in that book have coordinates? (The answer won't affect my actions - I've already ordered my copy.) 🙂
Most of the diagrams in the book do have coordinates, but some don't. When I read through the book I never founding myself wanting coordinates in the diagrams that didn't have them, or even noticing their lack.
Originally posted by synesisI do have Mednis' "Practical Knight Endings", and that was the first place I checked. No, Mednis doesn't have any of Alexander's method in his book. In fact, nowhere in Mednis' book does he discuss the minimum number of moves from one square to another. (All the more reason for placing my order for the Knight Moves book.)
Do you happen to have Mednis' "Pracitcal Knight Endings" ? If so, do you know if it covers any of the same material as "Knight Moves" ?
Originally posted by Mad RookHow is that book, by the way? I was very impressed with Mednis' "Strategic Chess: Mastering the Closed Game", and recently got his "Practical Middlegame Tips", which also looks good. But, one can never have too many chess books... especially by great authors like Mednis.
I do have Mednis' "Practical Knight Endings", and that was the first place I checked. No, Mednis doesn't have any of Alexander's method in his book. In fact, nowhere in Mednis' book does he discuss the minimum number of moves from one square to another. (All the more reason for placing my order for the Knight Moves book.)
Originally posted by synesisSorry, I can't really help you on that question. It's one of those books that I got dirt cheap not long ago when the distributor was dumping his last, huge supply of the OOP book on the market. The price was so cheap, I just couldn't resist. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. (There's always some other book that seems to be more interesting.) But I do know that Mednis was considered to be a very good endgame player, and I haven't heard anything bad about his endgame books.
How is that book, by the way? I was very impressed with Mednis' "Strategic Chess: Mastering the Closed Game", and recently got his "Practical Middlegame Tips", which also looks good. But, one can never have too many chess books... especially by great authors like Mednis.
So I received the book. Sinesis' review was pretty spot on, regarding both pros and cons. The book boils down to about 4 pages of "rules" to help you figure out the min number of knight moves a square is away. The rest shows you why these rules work, which are not necessary reading, but will help you in learning the rules.
I found it very easy to follow. Whether the acquired knowledge is going to be useful in practice is another thing, considering that there are generally other pieces on the board, and knight endgames may only be encountered so rarely that the rules may have been forgotten.
D