Logical Chess : Move By Move: Every Move Explained

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It's nice to have a book that explains games move by move. But Chernev's "principles" are arbitrary, to say the least. In some situations a pawn in front of castled king gets moved and he's like "what a terrible move, don't violate the king's safety!" and other times he's like "obviously, moving the pawn in front of castled king is right thing to do, always create opportunities" blah blah. Basically his advice boils down to: "make the right move at the right time."

It may not be everything you need - another book or two to cover tactics and endgames would also be helpful for a new player. This text focuses purely on strategy. Maybe it's too early in my chess career, but it's not like I remember any of the chess games that were reviewed.Understanding chess move by move : [a top-class grandmaster explains step-by-step how chess games are won] I had truly written this book off as: a) old with old fashioned explanations; b) written by someone who just "popularized" chess, and not a real player; and c) rumored to be full of errors. The reason the master didn’t see the path to shorter # is he’s playing out a sequence he’s already seen many moves before, to its inevitable conclusion, that it takes a few moves more is so meaningless. F2/7 pawn particularly vulnerable because protected only by king, compare to d2/7 and e2/7 each defended by 3 pieces. A,B,C,G,H are also protected by 1 each, but they’re not Kings so more likely to defend and be exposed

All in all, "Logical chess" is like Star Wars, episode 4, A New Hope. You have to make some allowances for its age. It doesn't have the whizzy graphics for the 3D touch screen high definition generation. But it's still a fabulous classic and you can't imagine a world in which it doesn't exist. I started doing the things he said, particularly the things he said over and over, and I started winning games. My rating started climbing up, and it feels like a whole new world of Chess has opened up for me. Games feel more competitive, and I feel less like I just happen to win when I win. It has its own share of problems though. First, you can only truly understand what's written if you are actually recreating every move on a chessboard in front of your eyes. (If you are a superhuman by any chance who has a super eidetic memory and can follow every move in your mind's eye, this comment is not for you). The problem with giving up the center and castling, a diagonal iron curtain is formed by whoever is strong in the center, behind which pieces can be manoevered towards the vulnerable g,h pawns. The rare game collection that also succeeds as a textbook. The games are extremely well chosen, and if the repetitive first move analysis becomes tiresome the rest if perfectly on target. Wish I had a hard copy. As its reputation suggests, a fine book with which to start a collection.Aim for small advantages and accumulate them, only later search for ways to combine them because these must exist, however deeply hidden Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening): follow up e4/e5 f3/c6 normalcy with searing Bb5 that pressures the Knight, and opens line to pinning king’s pawn. Play the moves necessary (out-of-strategy) to secure maximum mobility, space, while weakening the enemy, cramping his movements Decline the gambit and develop bishop, cutting across center diagonal, preventing further pawn development down the center, but most importantly casting a gaze on the castling weakness

Why? Because there are few books aimed at beginners, but which will still entertain you as you get stronger. Not only that, but Chernev is a witty writer. Okay, maybe not laugh out loud, belly laugh type material. But you will love the way he describes the games. Mentioned: Dan Heisman, IM Eric Rosen, Jose Rauol Capablanca, Harry Pillsbury, GM Sam Shankland, Siegbert Tarrasch Why endgames are so poignant - When material advantage, force a mutual destruction of pieces, endings with only pawns are easiest to win. Mentioned: Facebook Chess Books Collectors Group, GM Max Illingworth, GM Andy Soltis, Brian Karen, World Chess Hall of Fame, Chernev tribute:So I have to admit that I am more than a little biased. Reviewing this book is a bit like reviewing your Grandmother. You love her to bits, and because of that you don't really want to mention the ... ahem ... beard.

I do like the format though, the way he goes through every single move. Sometimes, I wish he spoke a little more about alternatives - because in my mind, I could see alternative moves that I thought would work really well but it wasn't explained why they weren't played. I had heard of games leaving impressions on people before, but after playing chess more than 40 years, it had never happened to me. Now, I get to say that Rubinstein-Salwe, Lodz, 1908 (game #20) left a deep impression on me. I found it in least a half a dozen other books, annotated by everyone including Kasparov. It was called a perfect model game - and here it was, in this book that I first saw it, despite having known about Rubinstein for a long time.unmoved pawns and knight at f3 a strong bulwark, but the knight gets too easily pulled away because of its degrees of freedom Welcome to another bonus book recap podcast, also known as Chess Books Recaptured! This month’s book of choice is one of the most popular beginner-oriented chess books of all time, Irving Chernev’s Logical Chess Move by Move. My guest co-host this month is Barry Katz. Barry is a Brooklyn based father of 4, and college writing instructor who discovered chess in recent years through the interest of his son. It's of its time, and that is both a strength and a weakness. Luxuriate in its timeless wonderfulness and you'll have a grand time. Get sniffy about the old codger wearing unfashionable clothes and it might not quite work for you.