MODERN CHESS PLANNING (Efstratios Grivas)
144 pages (248
mm by 172 mm).
£9.50/$14.95/€12,85
Good planning is central to good chess. A plan gives meaning
to manoeuvres and tactical devices, forming a coherent whole that brings us
closer to our goals. The modern understanding of chess planning has evolved
considerably since the days of the "grand plan", whereby a player might even
try to map out the whole course of the game. Nowadays, top-class players
appreciate that the opponent's ideas also deserve respect, and our own plans
must take them into account too. Modern grandmasters plan with great purpose
but also flexibly, ready to adjust or even change direction completely when the
situation demands it.
Grivas provides 75 superb practical examples where it is
important to make the right plan. Once the critical position is reached, he
guides you through the options and challenges you to find the right path.
Detailed solutions are provided, with a full discussion of the pros and cons of
the various options.
Grandmaster Efstratios Grivas lives in Athens and is
also an International Arbiter and Organizer. He has represented his country on
a great many occasions, winning an individual gold medal at the 1989 European
Team Championship and an individual silver medal at the 1998 Olympiad. He is a
FIDE Senior Trainer and an experienced writer. This is his sixth book for
Gambit.
Download a pdf file with a
sample from the book.
Gambit books by Grivas: A Complete
Guide to the Grivas Sicilian, Beating
the Fianchetto Defences, Chess College 1:
Strategy, Chess College 2: Pawn Play,
Chess College 3: Technique, Modern Chess Planning.
"An excellent training source for players in the 1500-2200
range. ... I find it very useful for getting younger players to consider the
position as a whole before rushing to judgement about particular details" -
GM Jonathan Rowson, New-in-Chess
"A very good idea. I suspect you WILL discover the kinds of
mistakes you are making in your planning as well as how to make better plans...
at least the solutions seem to indicate this." - Bob Long,
www.chessco.com
"It is well known, that one of the most practiced training
methods, is that of analysing common and crucial positions and finding ways
forward. With this book, you will discover where you stand with regard to this
very important part of chess, in addition to gaining some valuable insights
from an experienced player, and trainer. ... A nice job indeed!" - John Lee
Shaw, www.chessgateway.com
"An excellent training course in planning. Highly
recommended." - Paul Dunn, Australian Chess magazine
"A variation of Euwe's Judgement and Planning in
Chess... here the reader is asked to discover the best plan, in return for
which points are awarded. An exceptional book for junior organisers and chess
coaches." - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad
"Some books just work; they do exactly what they set out to
do. Efstratios Grivas's Modern Chess Planning is one of them. While
there are many competent instructional books on the market, few are so good
they make you say 'wow' or earn an unqualified endorsement. But I must admit I
am quite enthusiastic about Modern Chess Planning ... This book is not
only 'a practical training course in logical chess,' it's a training course in
confident chess. Anyone in the intended audience (1500-2200) has experienced
the frustration of looking at a position and not knowing what to do. Obviously,
one can look for tactics, but what limits one's understanding, if not success,
is not seeing what plans are available - or, if they're seen, knowing which one
to choose. The more one gets it right, though, the more confident one becomes.
The best tests not only test what you know, they challenge you to prove you
know more than you thought you did. Modern Chess Planning does that.
It's not an easy book; I doubt many players can skim the choices and do well.
But if you put in the time, it will deepen your understanding of the planning
process, and strengthen your ability to make plans yourself. ... This is a book
I intend to recommend highly, to use with my students and to refer to again.
For anyone serious about recognizing and developing good plans, Modern Chess
Planning ought to be on their 'must buy' list." - David Kaufman,
www.chesscafe.com
"Grandmaster Efstratios Grivas provides the reader in his
latest Gambit book with a exciting collection of 75 practical examples where
the reader is invited to find the correct plan of play. Grivas does not leave
you alone with a complicated position but he guides the reader with a clear
explained selection of possibilities. After the test the reader must take a
good look at the solutions: it is all very well explained by the great chess
teacher Efstratios Grivas! Conclusion: A fine test book on logical planning!" -
John Elburg, chessbooks.nl
"The experience gained from working on the wide range of
positions included will be sure to develop a more professional approach towards
planning in chess as well as significantly help the reader find the best plans
faster in his or her own games. Highly recommended." - Andy May,
nsgchess.com
"The reader is presented with a short verbal summary of the
main characteristics of the given position, and is asked to choose the best
plan from three suggestions, all of which are at first sight plausible
continuations. In order to find the best plan the reader must first delve more
deeply into the position. Solutions are given at the back of the book, with
points awarded for the different possibilities. There is also a chart at the
end of the book on which you can record your points for each position, and
convince yourself that you really are GM material! ... Have a go yourself. I
think that you will find it a worthwhile experience." - Alan Sutton, En
Passant
" The Greek GM, who has become a regular for the Gambit
team, presents 75 tests, 50 of them derived from his own games. Each test has
one page and a key position with a diagram. A prose overview is given and then
three choices are offered. ... The back of the book offers not only detailed
solutions but also what was wrong with the alternatives. Modern Chess
Planning offers the aspiring student an excellent opportunity to improve
their planing ability through active study." - IM John Donaldson,
www.jeremysilman.com |
