UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHESS (James Rizzitano)
192 pages
(248 mm by 172 mm).
£15.99/$24.95/€21,60
Rizzitano presents lessons from his own experiences that
will be most relevant to club and tournament players. He shows how by analyzing
their own games, players can gain a greater understanding of their strengths
and weaknesses, and he explains they can shape their approach to chess to make
the most of their abilities. Major topics include: Developing a reliable and
coherent opening repertoire; The importance of understanding opening theory
rather than simply memorizing it; Theoretical novelties: finding your own, and
facing the opponent's; Opening selection depending upon the nature of the game
and event; Risk management and 'playing for a win'; Competing successfully
against higher-rated opposition; Accumulating small advantages: a safe method
when the opponent plays for a draw; The power of the initiative: lighting a
fire and keeping it burning.
James Rizzitano is a strong international master who
dominated chess in the New England region during a 14-year period from 1976 to
1989 - he won 157 out of 336 events in which he competed. His career highlights
include victories over Alburt, Benjamin, Benko, Christiansen, Dlugy,
I.Gurevich, and Wolff, and exciting draws with de Firmian, Larsen, Speelman,
and the legendary former world champion Tal.
Gambit books by Rizzitano: Understanding Your Chess, How to Beat 1 d4, Chess Explained: the Taimanov Sicilian, Chess Explained: the Queen's Gambit Declined, Play the Najdorf Sicilian.
Download a pdf file with a
sample from the book.
"Vigorito-Williams, BBC Ch 2007...I won easily because of my
familiarity with the analysis in Rizzitano's Understanding Your Chess" -
IM David Vigorito, Chess Horizons
"...a lot of inspiration for chessplayers" - Harald
Fietz, Schach Magazin 64
"In conclusion, this book is far more instructive than most
of the games collections by grandmasters. The balance of material reflects what
a student needs to know in the important aspects of the game. I wholeheartedly
recommend Understanding Your Chess to all players of average strength
and above. In particular this is an excellent book for players who are either
stuck at one level or improving too slowly and want ideas about how to better
their play." - John Watson, TWIC
"This neatly and intelligently written book supplies ample
and often unique advice for the tournament player." - Harold Dondis and
Patrick Wolff, Globe Correspondents
"Overall, I found this book to fill a nice spot in chess
literature. There are very few US players who have written a biography and
given insight into what it takes to succeed in our tournaments. The games
reinforce the instructional themes and vice versa. There is a lot of
interesting material here and the reader will benefit from having an inside
look. I recommend this book to tournament players seeking to improve." - Lou
Mercuri, Chess Horizons
"I wish to applaud Gambit for introducing many authors who
are not 'big names' but whose final product is of the highest quality. I think
this fresh approach greatly enhances chess publishing." - Andy Ansel, Chess
Today
"For the club player who can play only as a hobby, it is
necessary to examine your own games - especially losses. To assist with this,
International Master James Rizzitano has written this book, utilising a lot of
his own work. There is a lot of attention given to your opening repertoire, not
just learning by rote, but to comprehending the ideas: also understanding when
you have the initiative and what you can risk with that, how to play against a
stronger opponent, and so forth. This is a very good book for the club player
who genuinely wishes to improve through self-study. Clearly written for its
target audience, it is both instructive and entertaining" - Bab Wilders,
Nederlands Dagblad
"At first I wondered whether I loved the book because I know
many of the players and I understood the tensions of New England chess. But far
more than just the games (and their high quality) are the lessons that
Rizzitano imparts. Never go to bed until you understand why you lost is perhaps
the single best advice anyone could offer. Here you will find an insatiable
desire to win, a thirst for the initiative, but throughout, a subjective
commitment to careful chess." - Jon Edwards, ChessCafe.com
"...if it is entertaining chess, some instruction, and a
flash from the past that you enjoy, this is book worth looking into." - Alex
Dunne, ICCF Amici (www.amici.iccf)
"IM Rizzitano's Understanding Your Chess succeeds
both as an instructional work and as a game collection. I particularly enjoyed
the vignette about his battles with National Master John Curdo, the measuring
stick for New England players for several decades. Highly Recommended." -
John Donaldson |
