THE ULTIMATE CHESS STRATEGY BOOK, volume 1 (Alfonso Romero
& Amador Gonzalez de la Nava)
208 pages (248 mm by 172
mm).
£15.99/$29.95/€24,95
The opening is reaching its end, and we must make a pivotal
decision: what shall our middlegame strategy be? Do we seek an active plan to
profit from our strengths and highlight the opponent's weaknesses? Or do we
adopt prophylaxis, attending to our own position's shortcomings and hindering
the opponent's plans? Alternatively, are there any ready-made plans that we
know from other games that can be tailored to fit our position?
The authors present 90 'multi-choice' tests where the reader
faces this task. In detailed solutions, they explain the best solution, and why
other possibilities are less convincing. We develop a feel for how the decision
is made, while painlessly building our 'repertoire' of plans in typical
positions.
All the examples in this book arise from Queen's Pawn or
Flank Openings, and are arranged by opening and level of difficulty. Many are
drawn from games by virtuoso strategists such as Karpov and Petrosian. In all
cases, the game is annotated in full, so we see the consequences of the
critical decision, while also appreciating the finer points of some of the most
instructive games in chess history.
Grandmaster Alfonso Romero comes from Spain and was
runner-up in the 1984/5 European Junior Championship. He has represented his
country in several Olympiads, winning an individual bronze medal at the 2002
event. He wrote Creative Chess Strategy
for Gambit.
Amador Gonzalez de la Nava is a FIDE Master. He is
also from Spain, and is a chess teacher and writer.
Download a pdf file with a
sample from the book.
"After studying this book you will not become a Grandmaster,
but you will surely gain a lot of playing strength. An ideal training book for
the ambitious player who wants to increase his knowledge of strategy!" -
Martin Rieger, www.freechess.de
"One of those books that truly improves your strategy
skills!" - John Elburg, chessbooks.nl
"For players of lower and medium ability, at whom the book
is primarily aimed, one of the most difficult aspects of the game is the
transition from opening to middlegame, when a plan has to be drawn up that
meets the needs of the position. The majority of the 90 test positions
presented here fall into that category and are thus helpful for developing the
planning side of one's game." - Alan Sutton, En Passant
"The tests themselves take up the first 67 pages and the
in-depth solutions cover the next 138. The players' names and game openings are
well indexed at the end. There are typically three tests over each two-page
spread. The opening notes are very light but the fun starts once the initial
phase has reached its end. Each critical position is accompanied by three very
tempting choices and the reader is invited to carefully select the best way
forward. ... The reader will see that trying to discover the secrets of a quiet
looking, generically positional game can just as tricky as attempting to
navigate a sea of tactical possibilities. The subtle plans and manoeuvres of a
Petrosian can be as instructive as Tal attack." - Sean Marsh,
marshtowers.blogspot.com
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