Originally posted by Romanticusyes i am reading, Andrew Soltis - pawn structure chess, Andrew Soltis - Bobby Fischer rediscovered, Simple chess - Michael Stein (an excellent book), i gave up Purdy , the search for chess perfection half way through, and not yet begun, Capablanca - Chess fundamentals, George Orwell, The road to Wigan pier was a non chess book, as was Tortilla flat, by Steinbeck. probably the most enjoyable book of late, was the Reti book, Modern Ideas in chess, excellently written, very easy to follow and full of useful ideas. but yes guilty as charged, more books than time!
Did you forget about him then? 😉
Btw,think you're developing a bad habit: buying faster than you can read.
i did but also, Gerald Abrahams - the chess mind, but is way above me, and also, winning at correspondence chess - Tim Harding, but found it a little dry.
Originally posted by RomanticusYou might be right in general, but in this case you're clearly wrong. Robbie is a Fischer nut...He'll read the book on the bus...He'll read it while eating at the table (poor Mrs. Robbie)...He'll read it at work when the boss isn't looking...He'll read it every free waking second of his days until he's read the whole darn thing. 🙂
Btw,think you're developing a bad habit: buying faster than you can read.
Originally posted by Mad RookI prepare myself thoroughly Rook dude, first by ceremoniously washing, secondly a half hour of meditation, then i offer up incense, then i put on my white gloves, and only do I carefully open the pages. 🙂
You might be right in general, but in this case you're clearly wrong. Robbie is a Fischer nut...He'll read the book on the bus...He'll read it while eating at the table (poor Mrs. Robbie)...He'll read it at work when the boss isn't looking...He'll read it every free waking second of his days until he's read the whole darn thing. 🙂
Originally posted by Mad RookI didn't mean he'll not read the Fischer book but that he'll not find the time or motivation to read all the books he's buying.
You might be right in general, but in this case you're clearly wrong. Robbie is a Fischer nut...He'll read the book on the bus...He'll read it while eating at the table (poor Mrs. Robbie)...He'll read it at work when the boss isn't looking...He'll read it every free waking second of his days until he's read the whole darn thing. 🙂
This is certainly not unusual.I myself have plenty of chessbooks,finished only 1 and read parts of +-10 other.
It's also not necessarily a bad thing.I lend my books to friends who don't have the money to buy many books.And a bookshelf stacked with chessbooks looks nice 🙂
It was not meant as criticism,just passing on my own experience in case Robbie buys these books with the intent to actually read them.
it really depends on the writers style, this i have come to appreciate, for there is undoubtedly a great variety of style, some are quite cut and dry, these, one wades through as one would a swamp, others are light and airy, one skips through these, but the ones that really grab you like a Dan Brown Novel, are the ones that are not only entertaining, and instructive, but focus on the wider issues.
For example Reti describes Lasker as a philosopher who played chess, one who sought to establish his philosophic principles through chess, wow, we are immediately drawn to this idea, what could this Philosophy be, how will it be played out on the chess board, will it succeed, or will some other guiding philosophy uproot it, and like lies and hypocrisy, it will be vanquished from the chess board forever. Then there are anecdotal utterances, How Capablanca refused even to look at a move Reti had suggested, a simple development move of which Morphy would have approved of, but because it did not fit in with the idea that development should not be for its own sake, but as a part of an over all plan, it was rejected outright, and thus we are given an insight into a little bit of history, and we are glad because of it. Or we get a little insight into the characters, how Sherwin pushed the pawn with his little pinky, like a cunning old fox, but was yet undone by the young Fischer, such details are priceless and add to the enjoyment of the publication, but are sadly lacking in many instances.
thus chess books should be entertaining and thought provoking, but deal with other far reaching issues as well, i think.