Attention Guys!!
I read that entire thing once and it brought me up 400 points! Also, the best counterpart to it when you feel one, two, and three move mates are too easy is Reinfeld's "1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations." That book is much more advanced and goes into mates anywhere from three moves to 10!! It's the next level up if you're looking for a GREAT challenge. It is also broken up by chapters into every tactical theme possible. G R E A T B O O K
Kings, Commoners & Knaves, writen by Edward Winter is not going to improve you chess, but it is packed full of little gems from the chess trivia world. Mr Winter prides himself on accuracy and there is a whole chapter on reviews of other books pointing out some inconsistancies, GMs Keene and Schiller seemingly getting the worst.
The Polgar book is great but not for bedtime reading. It would take you a lifetime to go through all the stuff in that tome. I got in on the bargain table of Borders in U.S. Only ten bucks. I don't know what that would be in euros. Depends on how much further in debt Bush has driven the nation. (sorry, I couldn't help myself.)
Another good puzzle book (if you want alot of puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty) is The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book by John Emms. It's a little more pricey, but has a few benefits over 1001 combinations by Reinfeld (which I also own and like). First, it also has 1001 puzzles, but unlike the Reinfeld book, all the diagrams are clear and easy to see. Second, the notation is algebraic, my copy of Reinfelds book is in descriptive notation, which is a bit annoying (let me know if this has been updated anyone). Third, all of the solutions are (reportedly) checked by a program for tactical accuracy. Fourth, the puzzles are broken into levels of difficulty as opposed to tactical device. The point here is that Reinfeld separates his puzzles by what he considers the main tactic in the combination, but many of the more difficult ones use multiple themes. Reinfelds book is still cheaper though, and smaller so it's easier to take with you.
You know after reading this thread I realise that there is a similarity between Chess & Martial Arts...
Most Martial arts work with patterns (take Karate/Kung Fu) they use Kata's or Forms to repeat a set of moves over & over untill it becomes a pattern. Your body gets used to seeing an arm in a certain place (throwing a punch for example) & instinctively counters it...
***Note to self... Remember not to get my patterns confused I don't want to say check at Kung Fu or chop my chess opponent in two! ;-)
Thx for the tips I am off to my local book store in a min to see what they have in!
Originally posted by Jay PeateaI have Winter's A Chess Omnibus, the sequel to Kings, Commoners & Knaves. Excellent work, he does!
Kings, Commoners & Knaves, writen by Edward Winter is not going to improve you chess, but it is packed full of little gems from the chess trivia world. Mr Winter prides himself on accuracy and there is a whole chapter on reviews of other books pointing out some inconsistancies, GMs Keene and Schiller seemingly getting the worst.
Originally posted by FoolsM8Actually there is a book called Samurai Chess, the blending of MA's with chess, the only downside is that the chess side is written by GM Keene. When I read it some years ago it seemed ok, but that was before I'd read Kings, Commoners and Knaves. Thesedays I'm not completely confident that his books are as good as they could/should be.
You know after reading this thread I realise that there is a similarity between Chess & Martial Arts...
Most Martial arts work with patterns (take Karate/Kung Fu) they use Kata's or Forms to repeat a set of moves over & over untill it becomes a pattern. Your body gets used to seeing an arm in a certain place (throwing a punch for example) & instinctively ...[text shortened]... two! ;-)
Thx for the tips I am off to my local book store in a min to see what they have in!