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Logical Chess - Move By Move
"The novice who plays through Logical Chess can learn an ocean of basic chess wisdom."—Leonard Barden, English chess master and broadcaster
“Entertains . . . as it reinforces strategic lessons gleaned from chess titans. Illustrates effective middle-game plans.”� Library Journal
Having learned the basic moves, how exactly should a player improve? In this popular classic, the author explains 33 complete games, in detail, move by move, including the reason for each one. Playing through these games and explanations gives real insight into the power of the pieces and how to post them most effectively.
“Entertains . . . as it reinforces strategic lessons gleaned from chess titans. Illustrates effective middle-game plans.”� Library Journal
Having learned the basic moves, how exactly should a player improve? In this popular classic, the author explains 33 complete games, in detail, move by move, including the reason for each one. Playing through these games and explanations gives real insight into the power of the pieces and how to post them most effectively.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
January 14, 2011
If I could live my life over again (ah, if only) I would make one simple change. I would remove all the chess and add dancing in its place. In my experience chess is not a good way to meet girls.
October 27, 2013
This is not a chess book. It's an old friend. It was the first chess book I ever owned, back in the days before girls, when everything was in black and white and a computer was a panel of flashing lights playing on Spock's face. It was the book that got me hooked on the game ... a fascination with chess that has lasted a lifetime.
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.
Let's start with the good news. This is a fabulous book. A classic. If you have more than one chess book, then you have the beginnings of a collection. And no collection would be complete without a copy of "Logical chess". If you haven't got a chess book, then I can think of no better way to start a collection than this one. It's a must have.
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.
It's not perfect. Describing every move is a great idea in principle, but it does get a little wearisome having to read about 1.e4 for the umpteenth time. The games themselves are as old as the hills. That's not too much of a problem when it comes to the tactics, because tactics never go out of fashion. But you'll sniff at some of the openings which feel like wind-up gramophones in an I-pad age. It also has to be said that some of Chernev's advice is a tad suspect.
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.
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.
Or, put it this way, I am genuinely jealous of people who have not read this book for the first time, because if the pleasure that is waiting for them, as long as they can make a few small allowances for the age difference
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.
Let's start with the good news. This is a fabulous book. A classic. If you have more than one chess book, then you have the beginnings of a collection. And no collection would be complete without a copy of "Logical chess". If you haven't got a chess book, then I can think of no better way to start a collection than this one. It's a must have.
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.
It's not perfect. Describing every move is a great idea in principle, but it does get a little wearisome having to read about 1.e4 for the umpteenth time. The games themselves are as old as the hills. That's not too much of a problem when it comes to the tactics, because tactics never go out of fashion. But you'll sniff at some of the openings which feel like wind-up gramophones in an I-pad age. It also has to be said that some of Chernev's advice is a tad suspect.
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.
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.
Or, put it this way, I am genuinely jealous of people who have not read this book for the first time, because if the pleasure that is waiting for them, as long as they can make a few small allowances for the age difference
January 2, 2011
This is such a good book. Above all others I'd recommend this to people who have a bit of chess interest but think reading a book will be too hard. Having said that, you can be any standard and get something from it.
March 5, 2021
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."
Thanks dude.
OTOH he does hammer home some good points for beginners. Develop your pieces, don't let them sit on the back rank. Control the center, etc. etc.
It would be nice to have this as an e-book with annotated pgns, but apparently his widow has not been very receptive to publishing deals. Annotations are all under copyright. Chess books really need to get into the 21st century.
Here's all the PGNS sans annotations:
Thanks dude.
OTOH he does hammer home some good points for beginners. Develop your pieces, don't let them sit on the back rank. Control the center, etc. etc.
It would be nice to have this as an e-book with annotated pgns, but apparently his widow has not been very receptive to publishing deals. Annotations are all under copyright. Chess books really need to get into the 21st century.
Here's all the PGNS sans annotations:
November 22, 2020
I've been playing Chess casually for years online(not many people I know play it), and I realized that my rating hadn't gotten better in years. I had never done any serious study. I learned how to play from my mom as a kid, watched a few YouTube videos as an adult, and figured I could pick it up as I went along.
This did work for a time, but I eventually hit the plateau I've been in and decided I'd start studying the game a bit more seriously. I hit upon this book, and I decided to give it a go. Even before I finished it, I noticed an improvement in my games.
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.
I used to only pursue checkmate, when I had a distinct material advantage. Now I'm seeing checkmate possibilities earlier and earlier in the games. I'm making less mistakes, and I feel more confident as a player.
In the end, what more can one ask of an instructional book? Like I said, it gets repetitive, but I feel like that's on purpose. The things he repeats over and over are things he wants to drill into your head. I'm not sure what this book would be like for the absolute beginner or the intermediate player on up, but it definitely helped my game considerably.
This did work for a time, but I eventually hit the plateau I've been in and decided I'd start studying the game a bit more seriously. I hit upon this book, and I decided to give it a go. Even before I finished it, I noticed an improvement in my games.
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.
I used to only pursue checkmate, when I had a distinct material advantage. Now I'm seeing checkmate possibilities earlier and earlier in the games. I'm making less mistakes, and I feel more confident as a player.
In the end, what more can one ask of an instructional book? Like I said, it gets repetitive, but I feel like that's on purpose. The things he repeats over and over are things he wants to drill into your head. I'm not sure what this book would be like for the absolute beginner or the intermediate player on up, but it definitely helped my game considerably.
March 23, 2016
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.
I could not have been more stupid in ignoring this book so long, not to mention being wrong about all of the above.
There are some brilliant ideas expressed in this book. A very modern table containing a comparison of the mobility of pieces in terms squares they could move to - which I had seen in one of Dan Heisman's books and thought it was a great invention. It has the the thoughts of a human master-level player, which are, mistakes and all, better than the all computer analysis lines that anyone can generate. My goal in reading books like this is to incorporate into my subconscious as many master game patterns as possible: moves humans make, explanations humans give. In that respect, again flaws and all, showing the moves and some of the simple ideas behind the moves, even the repetition of some bits of advice, was perfect for me.
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.
Since the book was written decades before I was born, I wish I had seen it when I was 10. At least then I would not have had such an ego problem and there were no chess engines to argue with. I would have also had time to play over the games again and again.
I know all the chess players here have already written love letters to this book, but I could not let that stop me from writing mine.
I could not have been more stupid in ignoring this book so long, not to mention being wrong about all of the above.
There are some brilliant ideas expressed in this book. A very modern table containing a comparison of the mobility of pieces in terms squares they could move to - which I had seen in one of Dan Heisman's books and thought it was a great invention. It has the the thoughts of a human master-level player, which are, mistakes and all, better than the all computer analysis lines that anyone can generate. My goal in reading books like this is to incorporate into my subconscious as many master game patterns as possible: moves humans make, explanations humans give. In that respect, again flaws and all, showing the moves and some of the simple ideas behind the moves, even the repetition of some bits of advice, was perfect for me.
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.
Since the book was written decades before I was born, I wish I had seen it when I was 10. At least then I would not have had such an ego problem and there were no chess engines to argue with. I would have also had time to play over the games again and again.
I know all the chess players here have already written love letters to this book, but I could not let that stop me from writing mine.
February 26, 2018
i like that he spent the first half saying 1.e4 was the strongest move only to change his mind to 1.d4
July 1, 2015
The first book on chess I've read that wouldn't strictly be for beginners. Nevertheless, I've found my rating rise from somewhere around 1200 to just over 1500 in the reading of these pages. Perfect if you're the type of player who struggles to decide on a move after the first handful, and the usefulness of the main openings(e4,d4) gets consistently drilled into the reader every time a new game arises. Highly recommended to any enthusiast who wants to build a platform to be more than just a hobby player.
February 10, 2013
This is the first book that a chess player should read after learning the basics - that is, how the pieces move, basic checkmating patterns, and the tactical building blocks such as forks, pins, and skewers. I would say it's for anyone with a rating of up to 1300 or so. At this point, players may find that they can get a win here and there, but they usually fall victim to other players' plans. It is most likely that they can't form plans of attack yet! Chernev's book presents a number of games in a fantastic format - each move is explained, even if it's the 20th time you've seen 1.e4. There is also a sufficient number of diagrams so that you won't get too lost as the game progresses. (I'd recommend reading when you have a chess board in front of you to follow along. Don't settle for a computer unless you never play over the board in the first place.)
As you follow each game, you will start to see where potential attacks come from, and you will find yourself looking for winning combinations in your own games. Granted, the book was originally written in the 1950s, so we don't have the pleasure of seeing Chernev's reaction to games by the likes of Fischer, Tal, and their contemporaries.
Chernev is also an engaging writer, writing with passion whenever a good move is played. He also throws in humor every so often to keep the interest of the reader, because chess can quickly turn into a boring game if treated dryly.
The only downside to this book is that nearly every game ends in a tactical checkmate with many pieces still on the board. As good players know, one of the primary aspects to study is the endgame, and you'll have to find another book if you want to learn to win when most of the material is gone. Otherwise, this book imparts a fantastic vision such that novices should see their strategic vision begin to develop upon reading it.
As you follow each game, you will start to see where potential attacks come from, and you will find yourself looking for winning combinations in your own games. Granted, the book was originally written in the 1950s, so we don't have the pleasure of seeing Chernev's reaction to games by the likes of Fischer, Tal, and their contemporaries.
Chernev is also an engaging writer, writing with passion whenever a good move is played. He also throws in humor every so often to keep the interest of the reader, because chess can quickly turn into a boring game if treated dryly.
The only downside to this book is that nearly every game ends in a tactical checkmate with many pieces still on the board. As good players know, one of the primary aspects to study is the endgame, and you'll have to find another book if you want to learn to win when most of the material is gone. Otherwise, this book imparts a fantastic vision such that novices should see their strategic vision begin to develop upon reading it.
June 25, 2020
A great book for chess aficionados. The stated function of the book is to improve your chess skills if you are a beginner. However, it does more than that. It educates, as well as entertains, making you feel as if you are watching a nail-biting game live.
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).
Second, making a sense of this is hard: 53 rookxe4 bishopxd3 54 a4 knight8h3 55 queenxc4! Kingb3 56 0-0-0 bishopxd7. Even if you know what the symbols mean and even if you are actively following every move on a material chessboard, reading and comprehending statements like 'If (a long line of symbols), then (again a litany of symbols)' can get real frustrating real quick.
Chess is an acquired taste. It is a de-facto difficult game to master. For someone who wants to peel at the hidden complexities of the game, the symbolic representation can work as a deterrent force. I wish there were some other simple way to decode this awesome game in words, but there isn't. And maybe this is for the best, for chess deserves to be mysterious and playful. I like it the way it is.
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).
Second, making a sense of this is hard: 53 rookxe4 bishopxd3 54 a4 knight8h3 55 queenxc4! Kingb3 56 0-0-0 bishopxd7. Even if you know what the symbols mean and even if you are actively following every move on a material chessboard, reading and comprehending statements like 'If (a long line of symbols), then (again a litany of symbols)' can get real frustrating real quick.
Chess is an acquired taste. It is a de-facto difficult game to master. For someone who wants to peel at the hidden complexities of the game, the symbolic representation can work as a deterrent force. I wish there were some other simple way to decode this awesome game in words, but there isn't. And maybe this is for the best, for chess deserves to be mysterious and playful. I like it the way it is.
March 10, 2011
Outstanding book for the beginning chess player. Chernev explains every move of every game.
September 2, 2015
A classic and playing through this games are a good way to improve. Written precomputer analysis so some argue that parts are shakey.
July 20, 2024
I read this before my first chess tournament fourteen years ago. I definitely liked it and learned a lot from it.
September 2, 2023
I've heard over and over that reading books is the best way to get better at chess. I've been trying to do so but the problem I face is that I'm too slow at reading chess notation. So if an author says "and White cannot recapture with 11. dxc4 because after 11...Bxg4 12. hxg4 Bf6 Black wins the exchange", it takes me a full two minutes to understand what happened. I understand that these things get better with time, but I've been struggling to find my first book.
This is that book. As the subtitle says, the explanation really is move by move, meaning each move is followed by a solid paragraph of explanation and thought. Chernev writes with wit and clarity and I feel like I benefitted in all the right ways.
The book is just a collection of random games, the broad themes being 1) NEVER weaken your kingside pawn line, 2) d4 openings are cool for quick attacks, and 3) look how cool Capablanca was.
I really hope I can find more books written exactly like this.
This is that book. As the subtitle says, the explanation really is move by move, meaning each move is followed by a solid paragraph of explanation and thought. Chernev writes with wit and clarity and I feel like I benefitted in all the right ways.
The book is just a collection of random games, the broad themes being 1) NEVER weaken your kingside pawn line, 2) d4 openings are cool for quick attacks, and 3) look how cool Capablanca was.
I really hope I can find more books written exactly like this.
January 27, 2023
This explores 33 chess games, giving some form of commentary on every move in every game. I really liked this style, as often when a chess book gives a series of several moves without commentary, I might not understand why those moves happened. Even if the moves are in the opening, I don't know anything about most openings and would appreciate hearing the basics. Even when a series of moves consists of direct threats and responses, sometimes I miss one of the threats and then don't understand what follows. So this book had the perfect level of commentary for me. (For reference, I'm rated about 1400 lichess rapid.)
Of course, sometimes there's really not much to say about a move. I don't need to hear in every single game why e4 and d4 are both good opening moves. Almost every game had two points where the author explained that castling gets the king to safer position while freeing a rook for action. But that's okay with me. Those parts are quick enough to skim past.
There are a few key themes that I feel I understand better after reading this book:
* How pushing the h-pawn can weaken the kingside. I already had an intuition about pushing the f-pawn (exposes the king to checks along that diagonal) and the g-pawn (lots of weaknesses on the light squares), but pushing the h-pawn felt a lot safer to me. This book includes several games where pushing the h-pawn leads to a kingside mating attack, often with a bishop sacrificing for the h-pawn.
* How fianchettoing kingside actually makes the king safer, despite requiring the g-pawn to be pushed. This actually wasn't a major theme of the book, but the author mentioned off-hand at one point that the foanchettoed bishop helps protect the king. After that, I started noticing how many standard mating patterns don't work with the bishop there.
* A recipe for a quick mating attack on the kingside - bishop on d3, queen on c2, and incapacitate the knight on f6, probably by pinning or trading for it with the other bishop. Aready black will be feeling some pressure, and you can try bringing a knight and/or rook into the attack from there. I'm sure it's more complicated in practice, but I didn't realize before reading this what a powerful defender the knight is on f6, and how quickly things can get scary without it.
* The importance of pushing the c-pawn in queen's pawn openings. I knew this heuristic, but after seeing it in action several times I feel I understand a little better. At least one of c5 and e5 is usually necessary for the c8 bishop to do anything. There was one game where black tried to fianchetto the queen's bishop leaving the pawn on c7, which seemed to develop the bishop all right, but then white partially opened the c-file and the pawn on c7 was quite weak.
Of course, sometimes there's really not much to say about a move. I don't need to hear in every single game why e4 and d4 are both good opening moves. Almost every game had two points where the author explained that castling gets the king to safer position while freeing a rook for action. But that's okay with me. Those parts are quick enough to skim past.
There are a few key themes that I feel I understand better after reading this book:
* How pushing the h-pawn can weaken the kingside. I already had an intuition about pushing the f-pawn (exposes the king to checks along that diagonal) and the g-pawn (lots of weaknesses on the light squares), but pushing the h-pawn felt a lot safer to me. This book includes several games where pushing the h-pawn leads to a kingside mating attack, often with a bishop sacrificing for the h-pawn.
* How fianchettoing kingside actually makes the king safer, despite requiring the g-pawn to be pushed. This actually wasn't a major theme of the book, but the author mentioned off-hand at one point that the foanchettoed bishop helps protect the king. After that, I started noticing how many standard mating patterns don't work with the bishop there.
* A recipe for a quick mating attack on the kingside - bishop on d3, queen on c2, and incapacitate the knight on f6, probably by pinning or trading for it with the other bishop. Aready black will be feeling some pressure, and you can try bringing a knight and/or rook into the attack from there. I'm sure it's more complicated in practice, but I didn't realize before reading this what a powerful defender the knight is on f6, and how quickly things can get scary without it.
* The importance of pushing the c-pawn in queen's pawn openings. I knew this heuristic, but after seeing it in action several times I feel I understand a little better. At least one of c5 and e5 is usually necessary for the c8 bishop to do anything. There was one game where black tried to fianchetto the queen's bishop leaving the pawn on c7, which seemed to develop the bishop all right, but then white partially opened the c-file and the pawn on c7 was quite weak.
May 30, 2021
MY FIRST CHESS BOOK!
I have to reveal a secret tonight. As a kid, I loved pretending to be the general of the army of toys I used to lay on my bed. In my mind, I would simulate a war, making toy pieces fight with each other. My army would always win the war. Growing up I realized (especially after learning how to play chess) that in real life it's not possible to win every battle, but we must be prepared. This book is the first step towards your preparation. When I used to follow the games from this book, I used to feel the same adrenaline rush that I would feel like a kid general with his toy army.
I found this book to be really helpful in understanding chess openings and middlegames. This book tries to instill the thought process behind making each move in this game intuitively. It helped me study queen's pawn openings that I feared playing as black like Queen's Gambit and Colle System.
If you decide to read this book, then I recommend that you follow the games on a chessboard or use an application like Stockfish. I preferred to follow the games on Stockfish, it makes it way easier to navigate and refer to the games in the future. You can even test all the variations that the author suggests on Stockfish. I have saved the PGN files of all the games in the book. I'll be sharing it here soon to make your lives easy. Good luck reading the book like a novel.
Update: here's the for PGN files of all games in the book
I have to reveal a secret tonight. As a kid, I loved pretending to be the general of the army of toys I used to lay on my bed. In my mind, I would simulate a war, making toy pieces fight with each other. My army would always win the war. Growing up I realized (especially after learning how to play chess) that in real life it's not possible to win every battle, but we must be prepared. This book is the first step towards your preparation. When I used to follow the games from this book, I used to feel the same adrenaline rush that I would feel like a kid general with his toy army.
I found this book to be really helpful in understanding chess openings and middlegames. This book tries to instill the thought process behind making each move in this game intuitively. It helped me study queen's pawn openings that I feared playing as black like Queen's Gambit and Colle System.
If you decide to read this book, then I recommend that you follow the games on a chessboard or use an application like Stockfish. I preferred to follow the games on Stockfish, it makes it way easier to navigate and refer to the games in the future. You can even test all the variations that the author suggests on Stockfish. I have saved the PGN files of all the games in the book. I'll be sharing it here soon to make your lives easy. Good luck reading the book like a novel.
Update: here's the for PGN files of all games in the book
November 8, 2021
This is a great primer for beginners about thinking positionally in chess. Chernev has a way with words and always finds something interesting to say about the first move, even though through the course of the 33 games he mostly has words to say about the King's Pawn (1.e4), Queen's Pawn (1.d4), and English Opening (1.c4). Chernev does not repeat himself, but drums up new insight and wit every time the first move is repeated. Beside that, he offers a lot of good advice for beginners (rated below 1000 on chess.com / 1300 lichess.org probably) and even intermediate players (rated 1000-1700 chess.com / 1300-2000 lichess.org).
The book is cut roughly into three sections: the kingside attack, the Queen's Pawn Opening, and "The Chess Master Explains His Ideas" (most nebulously titled, but it's about the "slow" wins, where the material on the board is usually equal but strategically won for one side, and the stronger player nurses his advantage into a full point). You see how a lead in development leads to an attack, how the battle for space affects the entire course of the game, and numerous endgames by World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca where simple and elegant play rule the day.
In short, it's a good read, with 33 games from Chernev's time or before (remember this book was written in the 50s). You're not here for cutting edge theory, so some of the analysis won't hold up under scrutiny, but there's still a lot of chess wisdom here waiting to be tapped for the chess player who wants to learn.
The book is cut roughly into three sections: the kingside attack, the Queen's Pawn Opening, and "The Chess Master Explains His Ideas" (most nebulously titled, but it's about the "slow" wins, where the material on the board is usually equal but strategically won for one side, and the stronger player nurses his advantage into a full point). You see how a lead in development leads to an attack, how the battle for space affects the entire course of the game, and numerous endgames by World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca where simple and elegant play rule the day.
In short, it's a good read, with 33 games from Chernev's time or before (remember this book was written in the 50s). You're not here for cutting edge theory, so some of the analysis won't hold up under scrutiny, but there's still a lot of chess wisdom here waiting to be tapped for the chess player who wants to learn.
January 3, 2021
I'm not sure why I read this book, but I bought it a few years ago for some reason (probably mentioned by some Youtuber) and so I finally finished reading it. Took a long time. Primarily because I have to play it out on an actual board (even though every couple of moves or so, Chernev includes a diagram), so there was decently high activation energy to read it.
Let's talk about chess.
So I think a lot of the main concepts were really hammered in - especially in the beginning section on king side attacks - stuff like "don't move your king pawns" etc. I would've liked a summary of all the italicized quotes, because I feel like those are the main key take aways.
Maybe it's too early in my chess career, but it's not like I remember any of the chess games that were reviewed.
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.
The last few games were pretty long too, which I did enjoy.
This all being said, I wouldn't recommend this book to beginners really - I think it could be nice for people trying to learn more games and learn about the masters though.
Let's talk about chess.
So I think a lot of the main concepts were really hammered in - especially in the beginning section on king side attacks - stuff like "don't move your king pawns" etc. I would've liked a summary of all the italicized quotes, because I feel like those are the main key take aways.
Maybe it's too early in my chess career, but it's not like I remember any of the chess games that were reviewed.
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.
The last few games were pretty long too, which I did enjoy.
This all being said, I wouldn't recommend this book to beginners really - I think it could be nice for people trying to learn more games and learn about the masters though.
July 13, 2022
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.
****
A student in the chess club I started at school this year managed to win the right to represent our province at his grade level in next month's Canadian national chess tournament, so time to get some new training materials.
****
A student in the chess club I started at school this year managed to win the right to represent our province at his grade level in next month's Canadian national chess tournament, so time to get some new training materials.
February 13, 2022
Quite an overrated book. Three stars, and that's probably generous.
Many of the games are very low quality. For example, five of the first eleven games end in 17 moves. Surely, that indicates that the loser made a terrible blunder. It would be quite instructive to the novice player if Chernev pointed out these blunders, but he doesn't. Instead he spends half a page telling us how wonderful 1.e4 and 1....e5 are, for the 11th time. Useless.
The last 10 games, where he is borrowing the annotations of other players and writers, are probably the only games worth going through in this book.
Many of the games are very low quality. For example, five of the first eleven games end in 17 moves. Surely, that indicates that the loser made a terrible blunder. It would be quite instructive to the novice player if Chernev pointed out these blunders, but he doesn't. Instead he spends half a page telling us how wonderful 1.e4 and 1....e5 are, for the 11th time. Useless.
The last 10 games, where he is borrowing the annotations of other players and writers, are probably the only games worth going through in this book.
January 7, 2021
I'm only ~1/3 through this book but confident enough to give it 5 stars.
This is a great book for a beginning player to start to build intuition for how to develop pieces and look for weaknesses, simply by talking through a bunch of games. The author has a delightful writing style, and the book really built my ability and appreciation for chess.
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.
Some of the lines he explores definitely were over my head (wouldn't have seen that 5-move trap) but that's OK. Having an analysis engine such as on lichess.com vs. a physical board is useful.
This is a great book for a beginning player to start to build intuition for how to develop pieces and look for weaknesses, simply by talking through a bunch of games. The author has a delightful writing style, and the book really built my ability and appreciation for chess.
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.
Some of the lines he explores definitely were over my head (wouldn't have seen that 5-move trap) but that's OK. Having an analysis engine such as on lichess.com vs. a physical board is useful.
January 23, 2025
Este libro es un duro maestro para aprender a jugar al ajedrez. El autor te enseña los conceptos esenciales comentando las mejores partidas de los grandes maestros, analizando todas las jugadas y sus 500 posibles permutaciones. Me lo regaló mi padre hace años y aunque no ha sido una lectura fácil, ha sido una lectura agradable y enriquecedora.
March 1, 2024
Nice games, but they feel pretty one sided. Would like to see more analysis from both sides, rather than just the side that wins. Good intro chess book
Want to read
February 5, 2021Dev's been beating me non stop, need to up my game 😂
April 29, 2022
Brilliantly written. Perfect for intermediates. Really fun to see what the experts were doing, and nice short tips to improve. Must re-read.
April 27, 2024
Made me realize how trash I am at chess
January 20, 2023
Unexpectedly, inexplicably emotional, but maybe Mass in B Minor will do that to anything.
Notes
How much scarier is AI if it thinks strategically about controlling areas and subtly pulling apart target pieces rather than a brute force Laplace Demon. At least in the latter noone is screwed until everyone is screwed at the same time.
Kingside Attack: attack a defensive king protected by a box of armor, having castled, and surrounded by pawns, by pulling an errant pawn out of formation, weakening the sheath.
Giuco Piano (Italian Opening - e4,e5; Nf4,Nf5; Bc4,Bc5) develop quickly down center
Develop center with pawns - control 4 central squares quickly with just 2 pawns
Develop pieces to be influencing the game - knight quickly off the marks and the towards the center
Knights developed early because takes longer to skip over to where the action’s at
If protecting a piece, try and multi-task to develop another piece properly in the process
Don’t block the line of attack of other pieces
King’s bishop best attacking piece, opens way for castling
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
Move a piece only once to open it, without shuffling steps
Weak players instinctively try and free up pawns, anxious against a pin, but it is better to leave the kingside pawns protective and close than get exposed after castling.
Opening up lines (clearing pawns) is advantageous to he with superior development
3 unmoved pawns and knight at f3 a strong bulwark, but the knight gets too easily pulled away because of its degrees of freedom
Bishop pins a pawn far far away, stunning it into not being able to move because that would expose the king, he takes a pawn out of the game from a distance, protected
Bishop greatest effect is controlling important diagonals and pinning (rendering motionless) pieces
Pawns are only moved in order to facilitation movement of pieces
Colle System
Dubious to release one bishop while shutting in the other (pawn that moved single step to E3) - but building up dynamic energy to explode onto E4 strongly: viz, develop pieces to all target single cell E4 (Bd3 then Nd2), stack up pieces behind tip of the spear
Bishop leaving back-rank also does the job of getting king ready for castling
When kingside attack down the middle is resisted down the middle, pieces retreat but keeping target still on same cell E4 where the break will come (Iwo Jima)
Developing pieces towards a square in front of the pawn, concentrating forces till it’s time for pawn to launch the attack
If two knights are in touch (1 move away), then one being pulled off while defending a spot can be quickly replaced
Developing knights because you know where they belong (C3,F3) compared to Bishops, certainty is your friend.
Bishop b7 the Fianchetto - commanding long diagonal while still maintaining pressure on strategic E4.
King’s Gambit Declined
After customary e4/e5, f4 offers a pawn sacrifice to e5 pawn in exchange for central position. Additionally, since f7 is a tender spot, opening file f for attack is useful. But f4 means any castling is weak.
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
Play the moves necessary (out-of-strategy) to secure maximum mobility, space, while weakening the enemy, cramping his movements
Moving a pawn in defence is inferior to moving in attack/freeing up pieces: better not to disturb the pawn formation
Analyze moves as much by where the pawn has moved as by what space it has left empty: pawn moving out-of-step leave a diagonal for B to infiltrate, and has left its post of defending the knight.
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.
French Defence
Instead of letting White dictate opening by responding E5, respond E6, inviting pressure with compact defense as long as you build up dynamism behind this compaction
Aim for small advantages and accumulate them, only later search for ways to combine them because these must exist, however deeply hidden
Combinations involving play with knights have a ballet-like quality (can attack any piece other than knight without being under attack in return)
English Opening: C4, original move, leaving Black to amass at the center, opening up fianchetto, striking at center from a distance to undermine it.
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.
Zwischenzug, in-between-move, where a ranging-piece is able to move fully across the board but stops somewhere in between.
The knight’s excursion has cost valuable time, having moved 4 times to capture a bishop that only moved once.
Eschewing development to attack, when Black’s indiscretion of moving Knight so many times can be punished by constantly giving him problems to solve, rather than regroup.
Defense + Relieving the pin (get between piece and king) preferable to simple defense (get ahead of the piece).
Queenside castling much more energetic, king more exposed but rook instantly into action.
Queen’s Gambit C4 (offering to D5) can tempt lack of response at C5 (or acceptance of gambit), leaving C-file dominant and weakening black queenside - backing up c-pawn with pieces and building to the point it is captured.
In Queens Pawn openings, the job of the Kings Knight is to control and sometimes occupy E5. Entrenching the knight at F3, and supporting with d and f pawns became known as Pillsbury Attack.
The device of doubling rooks on an open file more than doubles their power
The rook at D1 acts as a deterrent against the carnage of central pawns, because any clearance of the open file makes the rook that much more dangerous
A tiny move, Pawn E3 builds tempo by revealing attack of bishop on queen, always costing a move because how often can queens be sacrificed or forced into attack prematurely.
The King’s power increases with every reduction of force.
So poignant game 22, a stonewall defense of playing pawns on first 4 of 5 moves to move the army, leads to a bloodbath of pieces in the center, all protecting pawns that never come into play, then another bloodbath involving the final remaining pieces, after which the side with the passed pawn on the open file simply marches forward to win, leaving a battlefield of only pawns.
Look at squares to protect rather than pieces, then whenever you need to move a piece into strategic squares there’s already defense laid long ago.
Passed pawn needs to be surveilled by a piece, taking it out of the game.
Sicilian defense (answering E4 with C5 offers counterattacking play especially on opponent too hellbent on kingside attack). Also escapes gaze of the usual knight development
Amazing image after move 11 of game 26 - Doña Quixote, and then the sad scene at 16.
Blockade with pawns, then start getting king towards center for its unexcelled power among pawns as board empties in the endgame.
Why endgames are so poignant - When material advantage, force a mutual destruction of pieces, endings with only pawns are easiest to win.
Game 27: After 25: Count up moves that white can make (by each piece) and find it is 42 to B’s 17, 250% more efficient, a critical advantage of mobility despite no advantage in material.
33 - fantastic scene of torch bearing sacrifice orc-pawn marching up the field as the heroes are lock-horned.
34+ - carnage at Iwo C6.
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.
Game 28 - leave the pawns and knights at home. Let’s do this in the old manner, your best fighter against mine, and again.
Board after 17!
Notes
How much scarier is AI if it thinks strategically about controlling areas and subtly pulling apart target pieces rather than a brute force Laplace Demon. At least in the latter noone is screwed until everyone is screwed at the same time.
Kingside Attack: attack a defensive king protected by a box of armor, having castled, and surrounded by pawns, by pulling an errant pawn out of formation, weakening the sheath.
Giuco Piano (Italian Opening - e4,e5; Nf4,Nf5; Bc4,Bc5) develop quickly down center
Develop center with pawns - control 4 central squares quickly with just 2 pawns
Develop pieces to be influencing the game - knight quickly off the marks and the towards the center
Knights developed early because takes longer to skip over to where the action’s at
If protecting a piece, try and multi-task to develop another piece properly in the process
Don’t block the line of attack of other pieces
King’s bishop best attacking piece, opens way for castling
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
Move a piece only once to open it, without shuffling steps
Weak players instinctively try and free up pawns, anxious against a pin, but it is better to leave the kingside pawns protective and close than get exposed after castling.
Opening up lines (clearing pawns) is advantageous to he with superior development
3 unmoved pawns and knight at f3 a strong bulwark, but the knight gets too easily pulled away because of its degrees of freedom
Bishop pins a pawn far far away, stunning it into not being able to move because that would expose the king, he takes a pawn out of the game from a distance, protected
Bishop greatest effect is controlling important diagonals and pinning (rendering motionless) pieces
Pawns are only moved in order to facilitation movement of pieces
Colle System
Dubious to release one bishop while shutting in the other (pawn that moved single step to E3) - but building up dynamic energy to explode onto E4 strongly: viz, develop pieces to all target single cell E4 (Bd3 then Nd2), stack up pieces behind tip of the spear
Bishop leaving back-rank also does the job of getting king ready for castling
When kingside attack down the middle is resisted down the middle, pieces retreat but keeping target still on same cell E4 where the break will come (Iwo Jima)
Developing pieces towards a square in front of the pawn, concentrating forces till it’s time for pawn to launch the attack
If two knights are in touch (1 move away), then one being pulled off while defending a spot can be quickly replaced
Developing knights because you know where they belong (C3,F3) compared to Bishops, certainty is your friend.
Bishop b7 the Fianchetto - commanding long diagonal while still maintaining pressure on strategic E4.
King’s Gambit Declined
After customary e4/e5, f4 offers a pawn sacrifice to e5 pawn in exchange for central position. Additionally, since f7 is a tender spot, opening file f for attack is useful. But f4 means any castling is weak.
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
Play the moves necessary (out-of-strategy) to secure maximum mobility, space, while weakening the enemy, cramping his movements
Moving a pawn in defence is inferior to moving in attack/freeing up pieces: better not to disturb the pawn formation
Analyze moves as much by where the pawn has moved as by what space it has left empty: pawn moving out-of-step leave a diagonal for B to infiltrate, and has left its post of defending the knight.
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.
French Defence
Instead of letting White dictate opening by responding E5, respond E6, inviting pressure with compact defense as long as you build up dynamism behind this compaction
Aim for small advantages and accumulate them, only later search for ways to combine them because these must exist, however deeply hidden
Combinations involving play with knights have a ballet-like quality (can attack any piece other than knight without being under attack in return)
English Opening: C4, original move, leaving Black to amass at the center, opening up fianchetto, striking at center from a distance to undermine it.
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.
Zwischenzug, in-between-move, where a ranging-piece is able to move fully across the board but stops somewhere in between.
The knight’s excursion has cost valuable time, having moved 4 times to capture a bishop that only moved once.
Eschewing development to attack, when Black’s indiscretion of moving Knight so many times can be punished by constantly giving him problems to solve, rather than regroup.
Defense + Relieving the pin (get between piece and king) preferable to simple defense (get ahead of the piece).
Queenside castling much more energetic, king more exposed but rook instantly into action.
Queen’s Gambit C4 (offering to D5) can tempt lack of response at C5 (or acceptance of gambit), leaving C-file dominant and weakening black queenside - backing up c-pawn with pieces and building to the point it is captured.
In Queens Pawn openings, the job of the Kings Knight is to control and sometimes occupy E5. Entrenching the knight at F3, and supporting with d and f pawns became known as Pillsbury Attack.
The device of doubling rooks on an open file more than doubles their power
The rook at D1 acts as a deterrent against the carnage of central pawns, because any clearance of the open file makes the rook that much more dangerous
A tiny move, Pawn E3 builds tempo by revealing attack of bishop on queen, always costing a move because how often can queens be sacrificed or forced into attack prematurely.
The King’s power increases with every reduction of force.
So poignant game 22, a stonewall defense of playing pawns on first 4 of 5 moves to move the army, leads to a bloodbath of pieces in the center, all protecting pawns that never come into play, then another bloodbath involving the final remaining pieces, after which the side with the passed pawn on the open file simply marches forward to win, leaving a battlefield of only pawns.
Look at squares to protect rather than pieces, then whenever you need to move a piece into strategic squares there’s already defense laid long ago.
Passed pawn needs to be surveilled by a piece, taking it out of the game.
Sicilian defense (answering E4 with C5 offers counterattacking play especially on opponent too hellbent on kingside attack). Also escapes gaze of the usual knight development
Amazing image after move 11 of game 26 - Doña Quixote, and then the sad scene at 16.
Blockade with pawns, then start getting king towards center for its unexcelled power among pawns as board empties in the endgame.
Why endgames are so poignant - When material advantage, force a mutual destruction of pieces, endings with only pawns are easiest to win.
Game 27: After 25: Count up moves that white can make (by each piece) and find it is 42 to B’s 17, 250% more efficient, a critical advantage of mobility despite no advantage in material.
33 - fantastic scene of torch bearing sacrifice orc-pawn marching up the field as the heroes are lock-horned.
34+ - carnage at Iwo C6.
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.
Game 28 - leave the pawns and knights at home. Let’s do this in the old manner, your best fighter against mine, and again.
Board after 17!
September 16, 2008
This is a classic chess book explaining every move in easy to understand words. Just by repeating the basic principles one already memorizes and adapts them easily and I caught myself looking at a position on the chess board in a different way. The book is clearly for Beginners and suffers a little bit from using old example games (and I really mean old!) and allowing no exceptions to the rules. Modern chess is a little bit different and to understand why GMs break the rules could be interesting.
I have 2 complaints. First, the analyses are sometimes not complete or contain slight errors. Already in the first game we are left with a position that is "winning for white". However, to find the winning way is far from trivial. I have started a computer chess engine tournament to fight it out and the surprising result was that won every game with black or white. This points to the fact that good positional knowledge is required to make use of the advantage. Considering that the books is written for Beginners it would have been helpful to at least outline the path or to choose a completely different game.
My other complaint is variety. The open games in the first half are very entertaining, but the second half contains too many Queen Gambits. Maybe it's repetition by intention, but at the end it bored me down a little bit.
Anyway, I found the teaching style very appealing and have learnt a lot.
I have 2 complaints. First, the analyses are sometimes not complete or contain slight errors. Already in the first game we are left with a position that is "winning for white". However, to find the winning way is far from trivial. I have started a computer chess engine tournament to fight it out and the surprising result was that won every game with black or white. This points to the fact that good positional knowledge is required to make use of the advantage. Considering that the books is written for Beginners it would have been helpful to at least outline the path or to choose a completely different game.
My other complaint is variety. The open games in the first half are very entertaining, but the second half contains too many Queen Gambits. Maybe it's repetition by intention, but at the end it bored me down a little bit.
Anyway, I found the teaching style very appealing and have learnt a lot.
October 25, 2016
Very good book. Perfect for my current level.
When describing a move similar to one previously described, most books do not repeat the analysis previously given. This book purposely repeats the analysis and rationale over and over (phrased slightly differently each time) to drill the concept into the reader’s mind. I found this helpful.
Makes ample use of quotations from other chess legends to corroborate the points that he is making.
Does a good job of explaining the ideas behind moves (especially opening moves) in easy to understand language.
When describing a move similar to one previously described, most books do not repeat the analysis previously given. This book purposely repeats the analysis and rationale over and over (phrased slightly differently each time) to drill the concept into the reader’s mind. I found this helpful.
Makes ample use of quotations from other chess legends to corroborate the points that he is making.
Does a good job of explaining the ideas behind moves (especially opening moves) in easy to understand language.
July 16, 2013
An absolutely brilliant book. Every move is explained in details along with positional analysis.
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