Book Review of Your Chess Battle Plan by Neil McDonald

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”

– Dwight D. Eisenhower.

As the title suggests, this is a book about planning in chess. Despite Eisenhower’s statement above, it’s clear that the author, GM Neil McDonald, wants us to make appropriate plans during play and not just make aimless moves and hope for the best. He summarises his approach as follows:

“Perhaps at the moment, you see chess in terms of developing moves, attacking moves, and defensive moves. The purpose of this book is to show you these things and a lot more. Imagine you have all your pieces in play in an equal position where there is nothing to attack and no threat to deal with. What should you do then? You should maneuver and probe, stop the opponent from carrying out the advances he wishes, fortify strong points, try to create or seize control of holes, and so on. Such play is a direct challenge to the opponent it isn’t neutral. It forces him to keep up, to tread a fine line between playing with too much energy or too little. If and when he slips up, you will get the advantage. Then you will have something to build upon.”

Of course, it would be impossible to cover all aspects of chess planning in a single book, and hence McDonald has sensibly focussed on some key aspects as shown in the table of contents above. The all-important issue of pawn moves is a recurring theme throughout the book. McDonald adopts a question-and-answer approach using 77 heavily annotated illustrated games, emphasizing that this is a teaching text and not just a dry theoretical tome. Each game includes several questions for the reader to solve, with the answers being given in the following text. The answers are usually very detailed, and they cover not only the planning aspects of the positions but also any important tactics that can override the long-term planning considerations.

Along the way, McDonald offers lots of sound advice, such as

• Every plan needs the use of pawns at some point.
• Find constructive waiting moves that give the opponent full rein to overreach himself or carry out an incorrect plan.
• Go into ‘full grovel mode’ to save difficult positions by devising a plan that offers maximum resistance.
• If you want to be a strong positional player, you still have to be able to calculate ahead and see tactical nuances.
• Avoid playing the ‘best’ but messy move in favour of a solid, but not so objectively advantageous alternative.

McDonald is an experienced author and FIDE trainer, and his training credentials clearly shine through in the book. The book is easy to read and contains many important concepts that readers can adopt in their games.

Two examples from the book are given below, with annotations: 

Your Chess Battle Plan: Example 1

Your Chess Battle Plan: Example 2

In summary, the book is an excellent treatise on chess planning. McDonald has chosen appropriate and instructive games to illustrate his themes and recommendations. The book’s strengths are the good questions, the clear and extensive annotations, and a relaxed writing style. The result is a fine textbook on an important chess skill. 

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

For a limited time, get Your Chess Battle Plan with a special 10% discount offer at forwardchess.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your chess career

I learned chess in my 20s! That’s really late if someone wants to become a strong chess player. Also, at that point, I had a very demanding university school and I had to work to make a living. So, naturally, it wasn’t possible for me to dedicate a lot of my time to chess.

In a way, I was back then what today is known as an “adult chess improver”. Today, there is an awesome internet community for these improvers, and a lot of resources to help them, but back in the start of the 00s, the possibilities were far more limited. 

Still, I was lucky to have met great people who became longtime friends and helped me improve by playing local friendly games and analyzing my tournament games. I soon reached 1900 FIDE. Something not incredible of course, but I still feel proud I was able to achieve it.

I soon discovered that what really fascinated me, was the interconnection between computer science (the topic I was studying on) and chess. So, I decided to spend more time understanding chess engines and even programming my own chess apps. 

Around 2011, I became a correspondence player. A natural evolution for people who are fascinated by computer chess. I managed to become an ICCF IM. I currently play at the finals of the European Championship and the semi-finals of the World Championship. 

With the rise of new chess engines, it has become nearly impossible to win correspondence games, but I’ll still ask you to cross your fingers for me to get one of these two titles.

A computer chess geek spends a lot of time analyzing chess openings. So, this became my area of expertise. I was soon approached by GMs and other ambitious players who realized that someone with my skill set could help them get an edge in their opening play.

And that’s where my chess career has been more successful. Helping GMs and other ambitious titled players win national championships, norms or play in important tournaments like Olympiads, top tournaments and World Championships.

What is your favorite chess game that you’ve played?

I still remember this game that I played after about a year that I started playing chess. Unfortunately, I have lost the name of my opponent. I remember that it was a 1300 FIDE-rated young player. I was so enthusiastic about this game that what mattered to me was how I played in the following position:

That’s not my best game, or my best result, but I don’t think that any other game will beat this one in my mind. It is my favorite game!

What is your favorite chess opening?

The Spanish Opening (or the Ruy Lopez). It arises after  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5. It has a remarkable history. All the World Champions have played it for both colors and it is still an incredibly rich opening to study for both colors.

What inspired you to write chess books?

This happened due to tragic incident.

In 2009, my coach (who was also a best friend) and I, FM Nikos Karapanos were planning to create a chess school. I was responsible for the openings we would teach to the young students of the school.

FM Karapanos, had already many successful students in many cities in Greece. One of his biggest successes was coaching a school from a small Greek city (Amfissa, with a population of a bit more than 6,000) to end up 3rd in the team school championships. This was considered an impossible feat at that time. 

Unfortunately, my coach died during a chess game. And his death was also dramatic. He was playing this position against the now GM Dan Zoler from Israel:

Zoler’s last move was 36…Nc5. He was essentially waiting to resign, after the obvious 37.Rxf7+

Karapanos had played an incredible game, true to his attacking style, sacrificing a queen for the attack. He now had 2 minutes on the clock and was walking around the playing hall, feeling certain that he will soon finish the game. He saw his opponent’s move. He came on the board. He had two minutes on his clock. More than enough time of course, as he already knew what was his threat. 

But, this is when something weird happened. He wasn’t making a move. Half a minute passed. Then a minute… His opponent, a doctor, realized that something was wrong with his opponent. Karapanos soon fell from his chair, suffering a heart attack. He received immediate help from his opponent and was transferred to the hospital within minutes of the incident.

Alas, he didn’t make it… He was 42 years old.

This was a shock for me. I tried to keep his memory alive by attempting to publish the work we had done together on one of his favorite openings, the Tarrasch Defence. An opening that the great Efim Geller had taught to him when Karapanos was a junior, as Geller served for a brief period as the coach of the Greek national team.

There was one publication house that got excited to publish my work. Quality Chess, with Jacob Aagaard as a co-author. I am fortunate to have Jacob believe in me back then. This was the start of a life-long friendship with Jacob.

By the way, a bit before Karapanos left to play in the tournament where he played his last game, he told me that he was certain that one day I’d surpass his coaching achievements.

In 2017, I helped Sabina Foisor to win the US Women’s championship and I helped the school from the small city of Poligiros (population of 10,000) to win second place in the Greek school team championships.

It was only then, that I felt that I fulfilled Karapanos’ prophecy.

Rest in peace my friend. I owe you everything.

At Forward Chess, we have your books; Playing 1.d4 d5, A Classical Repertoire, Playing 1.e4 e5 – A Classical Repertoire, Playing the English, Playing the French, and The Tarrasch Defence. You have told us about Playing the English,  can you briefly tell us about the other books?

I already told you the origin story of my first book, on the Tarrasch Defence which was published in 2011.

Not long after that, I started working as a coach for the National team of Denmark. My work on the French and on 1.e4 e5, was based on the work that I did for a number of GMs. They are essentially my co-authors, as they were constantly testing my lines and offered me feedback.

My 1.d4 d5 book was meant to be a companion volume for the extremely successful 1.e4 e5 book. This was the first book where I started offering more strategic explanations in the chapters before the theory was presented. The readers loved the book and loved the introductory chapters. So, my publication house, Quality Chess, asked me to do the same for the book for White this time. You may have read the rest of the story here.

Since you have written so many successful opening books, what advice do you have with regard to learning a new opening?

Work on the lines on your own. Don’t trust the author. Build your own files, think critically, test and re-work your lines. An opening book is just a starting point for a journey of learning a new opening. 

Do you have a favorite chess book or do you have a must-read book list that you would recommend?

My favorite book is “Learn for the Legends” by Mihail Marin. I am always fascinated by books that cover the history of the game. The great players and what they tought to us. Books like Kasparov’s “My Great Predecessors” and  Karoliy’s books on Karpov, Tal and Fischer are my favorite types of books.

I believe that (and I am not the only one who shares this opinion) the best chess books of all time, are Aaggard’s series on “Grandmaster Preparation” (Calculation, Positional Play, Strategic Play, Attack and Defence and Thinking Inside the Box). Jacob managed to beat the legendary series of Dvoretsky’s books on the most important and essential books a serious chess player needs to work on. I hope Jacob will surpass these books with his new series, which I think is called “A Matter of Technique” or something like that. 

Jacob is my good friend and I am biased, but I also think that I am fair. If you are serious about your game, go get these books and start working on them. It is what modern chess is about. 

What do you think about Forward Chess?

I am happy to have known Forward Chess since its first beginning! I actually worked on a few of the books that they published. So, I love Forward Chess and I am also biased. I can only say good things about this company.

I think that you are playing an important role in making chess accessible to more people worldwide. And I love that you now enrich your content with diverse topics, videos, articles, reviews etc.

I would love to see Quality Chess and Forward Chess dominate the chess world. As I said, I am biased, but you asked my opinion. So, here you go!

For a limited time, get Nikos’s books with a special 10% discount on www.forwardchess.com.

Nikolaos (aka “Nikos”) Ntirlis is a chess coach and an award-winning author. He has been working with top-level players since 2004 and has written five books and many articles on chess openings. He is an International Master in correspondence chess and is currently playing in the European and World Championships finals. He is active on Twitter, where he posts instructive and fresh chess ideas. Nikos is also a Revenue Operations Manager at Databox, a business analytics app. His motto: “Inform all your decisions based on data” reflects his approach to both his work in business and his chess. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn more about his chess and business insights.

Review of A Modern Guide to Checkmating Patterns

“Since all the pieces differ among themselves according to their range and rules of movement, each of them has its favorite ‘profession’”

– Viktor Lvovich, as quoted in this book.

This book is a sequel to 1000 Checkmate Combinations by Viktor Lvovich. The author of the current book, IM Vladimir Barsky, was the special editor of the re-issued version of that book. In the new book, Barksy has used the same basic structure as the original book together with examples of games played in the 21^st century.

The checkmates in this book are arranged in an unusual, but logical, format. As the quote above suggests, Barsky has presented the checkmating patterns using the roles of the pieces as the underlying unifying principles in checkmate patterns. Hence, we see the roles of individual pieces, such as the queen or rook, as well as combinations of pieces, such as the queen and bishop. This contrasts to other classifications that are used in similar books, such as sacrificing material, a weak king position or a king stuck in the centre.

Each chapter starts with a discussion of the relevant checkmating pieces and shows the typical checkmating patterns that arise with these pieces using a series of mini boards. Readers can quickly look at these mini boards and memorise the patterns without having to deal with the clutter of a full board with extraneous pieces. This is an interesting and effective learning approach, because the pieces and the patterns are the basic ingredients of all checkmates. Here, the author agrees with Mikhail Tal, who wrote “Of course, chess creativity is not limited to what is set out here. Each player creates further, according to his talent and imagination. But as for that which can be known, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.” 

The patterns are followed by some instructive examples to illustrate the typical checkmates that arise from the pieces under discussion, and then a set of exercises for the reader to solve. The solutions to the exercises are clear and detailed, and they enhance the learning experience. There are 851 exercises in the book, which will keep readers busy for quite some time. While not all positions end in checkmate, checkmate is the dominant theme in all of them.

Three examples from the book are given below, with annotations from the book. 

In summary, this is an excellent textbook on checkmates. Barsky’s enthusiasm for the material is clear, and the book is easy to read while being highly instructive. The result is a great book on an important subject.

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

This is Davorin Kuljasevic, a Croatian Grandmaster, chess author, and coach. My first two books ‘Beyond Material’ and ‘How to Study Chess on Your Own’ have already been featured on this blog, and today, I’d like to give a preview of my newest book, ‘The How to Study Chess on Your Own Workbook, Volume 2.’

This workbook is the second of the three-volume series that allows players of various levels to test their skills in three major areas of the game: tactics, middlegame, and endgame. I designed this volume specifically for players in the 1500-1800 Elo range, although a broader 1200-2000 Elo reader base could have a go at it. In other words, it is a training book for club players.

As its name suggests, the workbook material follows training methods previously introduced in my book ‘How to Study Chess on Your Own.’ That means I provided a more varied study schedule instead of giving generic puzzles for solving. The exercises will often require deeper reflection and a more analytical approach than you might be used to. These include blindfold chess exercises to improve your visualization, ‘Find a hidden tactic’ exercises to sharpen your tactical awareness, ‘Find the Best Move’ middlegame and endgame exercises, and more.

The introductory chapter, ‘Typical Mistakes of Club Players,’ is the book’s backbone. There, you will find examples of the most common calculation/tactical, positional, and endgame errors players at this level make. Let me show you a few typical cases:

Tactics Example

Middlegame Examples

Endgame Example

The training exercises I designed for this Workbook aim to address these and other typical shortcomings of club players, as shown in the table below.

This workbook volume emphasizes visualization training more than the previous one. That is because many club players cannot always see chess positions in their minds accurately, particularly in longer or more complex lines. Therefore, I added 20 ‘Dynamic visualization’ exercises, such as the following one, into the mix.

Dynamic Visualization Example

A notable feature of the Workbook is that virtually all material comes from club players’ games. This way, I wanted to avoid a somewhat absurd yet fairly common situation in chess books where a club player has to calculate a line or find an idea a grandmaster missed in their game. Instead, if you are not a chess professional, in this Workbook, you will solve exercises appropriate for your current level.

I’ve aimed for this training material to be instructive just as much as to serve the readers’ practical needs. Therefore, I provide insights that could help you solve the tasks and learn in the process. In the Visualization chapter, I introduce the essential concepts of status change and moving parts. In the Tactics Training chapter, you will discover the importance of tactical triggers and a proper analytical technique to become a sharper tactician and calculator. Finally, I explain particular positional, strategic, or technical decisions in the Middlegame and Endgame Training chapters and sum up salient points as Middlegame and Endgame lessons. Here are a couple of examples:

Piece Trade Decision Example

Endgame Analysis Example

As in Volume 1, you can evaluate your work with the help of the scoring system at the end of each exercise, training set, and chapter. The grading scale at the end of the respective chapters indicates how well you did according to an approximate Elo rating range. For example, a 50-69% score corresponds to 1500-1700 Elo, 70-84% to 1700-1900 Elo, while the excellent 85%+ score means you are probably ready to tackle the 1800-2100 Volume 1 of the Workbook or even the upcoming Volume 3 aimed at 2100+ Elo players!

In my work with club players, I have noticed that they sometimes underestimate the utility of working with skill-building chess exercises. Instead, many prefer to structure their chess training around relatively more passive ways of learning, such as reading chess books, studying opening courses, or doing tactics puzzles on autopilot. ‘The How to Study Chess on Your Own Workbook’ asks you to leave your comfort zone and attempt training methods you may not have tried before. If you would like to work on a broad range of chess skills and reduce mistakes in the key areas of your game, then this is just the book for you!

Read more about Davorin and his books on his Author Spotlight blog feature.

Davorin Kuljasevic is a Croatian Grandmaster, FIDE trainer, and author.

He has trained many talented youths worldwide and has an extensive record of instructive chess content publications. Some of his top achievements include 4th place in World Youth U16 in 2002, and gold in many international tournaments including; SPICE Spring 2011, Zupanja 2011, Mediteran 2011, Split 2013, and Castelfranco 2014. Besides chess, he also graduated with a Masters’s degree in Finance from Texas Tech University in 2011.

Book Review of Small Steps 2 Success

“The passed pawn is a criminal, which belongs under lock and key.”

– Aron Nimzowitsch in “My System” (Quality Chess edition, 2007)

It’s hard to argue against success. GM Sam Shankland’s first book “Small Steps to Giant Improvement” was a best seller. Moreover, as Shankland writes in the preface of this new book:

“The year-and-a-half between finishing Small Steps to Giant Improvement and writing Small Steps 2 Success was the most eventful of my career. I won the US Championship, the Capablanca Memorial, and the American Continental back to back, and finally smashed through the 2700 barrier after having been stuck in the mid-to-high 2600s for a few years.”

Shankland also considered some of the issues raised about the first book when writing the new book:

“Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, I took some constructive criticism to heart and made some minor changes in the second volume. There is a little less text and significantly more (and sometimes harder) exercises. The chapters are a little longer and more detailed, but there are only fourteen of them instead of sixteen. I have largely refrained from reciprocal guidelines when dealing with the same topic from the other side of the board. The book reads a little less like a manual – but overall, the structure remains the same.”

The new book deals with the topic of passed pawns, as can be seen from the table of contents, and it studies their role in the middlegame and endgame. The witty chapter titles allude to the topics covered. For example, “Single and Happy” discusses positions with just one passed pawn. The topics are treated from the point of view of both the attacking and defending sides.  For example, “Single and Happy” deals with exploiting the passed pawn, while the next chapter, “Single on Valentine’s Day”, deals with defending against the passed pawn. Each chapter also includes exercises for the reader to solve, and these are accompanied by detailed solutions.

Shankland writes in an engaging style that clearly helps learning. The examples are well-chosen, and the annotations provide plenty of verbal commentary to complement the variations. He doesn’t go overboard on the analytical variations, and this makes the book accessible for lower-rated players, as well as for stronger players. Each chapter provides guidelines that summarise the key aspects to consider for the given topic. For example, the first guideline in “Single and Happy” is:

“If you want to queen a lone passed pawn, your pieces need to be ready to fight for every square that your opponent can potentially blockade.”

These guidelines are an excellent way to remember the key aspects, and they will help the reader to make correct decisions in their own games when dealing with similar positions.

Two examples from the book are given below, with annotations from the book. 

In summary, “Small Steps 2 Success” is a worthy sequel to Shankland’s first book, and it deserves to achieve the same success as the first book.

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

For a limited time, get Small Steps 2 Success with a special 10% discount offer at forwardchess.com.

“When I was eleven, I just got good.” – Bobby Fischer.

The year 2022 was the 50^th anniversary of the Fischer-Spassky World Championship match, a match that created enormous media interest in chess, with the match being front-page news in many major newspapers around the world. The huge media interest was due to the amazing run of successes by Bobby Fischer prior to the match, and the geo-political background of the Cold War between the USA and USSR. Fischer became the most famous chess player ever after the 1972 match.

The author of the two books, IM Tibor Karolyi, quotes an amusing incident that illustrates Fischer’s fame:

‘In the late nineties Hungarian IM Janos Rigo drove Fischer to Germany via Austria and at the border control the official asked for their passports. Rigo asked the controller whether he knew who was in the back seat of the car, and after a quick glance the man replied: “The world chess champion.”’

Fischer’s convincing win in the 1972 match seemingly heralded a long reign for him as champion, but it was not to be. Fischer turned his back on chess and did not play another tournament game until his 1992 rematch with Spassky. He then stopped playing again, and sadly did not play professionally again for the rest of his life. So, all we have left after 50 years is his legacy of dominant performances leading up to and including the 1972 match, and the somewhat anticlimactic rematch, where it was clear that Fischer, although still very strong, was past his peak. Unfortunately, time doesn’t stand still for anyone, as all the world champions have inevitably discovered.

The two books cover Fischer’s entire career. The Road to Reykjavik covers Fischer’s career up to the 1972 match, while Fischer – Spassky 1972 covers the 1972 and 1992 matches. The latter book includes a discussion of the extensive preparations made by many of the Soviet chess elite to help Spassky in the 1972 match.

The author acknowledges and references the previous vast literature on Fischer, notably Kasparov’s and Hübner’s analyses. However, he has made extensive use of the latest super-strong chess engines and endgame tablebases, and this has enabled him to go beyond, and often correct, previous analysis. Indeed, both books include a lot of new discoveries in many of Fischer’s most famous games. While the ‘ultimate truth’ of Fischer’s games may still not be possible, the author’s analysis is closer to this goal than the previous analysis.

The search for the truth means that the analysis is very detailed in parts. Thankfully, the author has provided enough lighter analysis and verbal commentary to balance the detailed computer-generated lines. In addition, it is possible to skip some of the heavier analysis and simply enjoy Fischer’s genius. Both books also include a lot of background material on the games and the two matches against Spassky, and reminiscences of many players who interacted with Fischer during his career. Fischer’s phenomenal memory is a constant theme. The author quotes Forintos:

“I was slightly worried that he would behave awkwardly, but it was nice to analyse with him. Interestingly, in the nineties, I went to the Komjady swimming pool in Budapest and to my surprise I met him. He remembered everything about our game [in Monaco, 1967], clearly more than I did.”

Two examples from the books are given below, with annotations from the books. 

In summary, these two books are quite simply superb. The print editions of the books total around 950 pages, which is a clear indication of their scope and depth. The author has done an amazing amount of research and provides a detailed study of Fischer’s games. The result is a fitting tribute and memorial to the American chess genius.

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

“I have never in my life played the French Defense, which is the dullest of all openings.”

– Wilhelm Steinitz.

While former World Champion Steinitz obviously had a very poor opinion of the French Defense, one of his successors, Mikhail Botvinnik, played it successfully for much of his career. Many other elite players have also championed the Defense, and it continues to be played at the top level.

The author of this book, GM Viktor Moskalenko, writes:

“With 1…e7-e6, Black builds a fortress with a closed center, so the main roads to success are those leading to a game where White’s extra tempo is not so important. This defense is also full of strategic as well as tactical resources, and according to many masters, its lines are among the most complicated in chess. There are also several forgotten systems that are still full of possibilities, sharp and exotic lines, original ideas, and much more.”

Moskalenko’s view is more in line with the current reputation of the French. Of course, it is possible for White to counter the French in an insipid way with the Exchange Variation, but even in this variation, Black can avoid playing for a draw by unbalancing the position. Moreover, the French is not the only opening where White can play for a draw, and so this problem is not unique to the French.

This is the author’s fourth book on the French, and it can be considered an updated edition of his book The Even More Flexible French. The format of the current book follows that of the previous book. Regarding the relation of the current book to his previous ones, the author writes:

“This new book, The Fully Fledged French, continues to mix various aspects as did my earlier works The Flexible French and The Even More Flexible French: my broad experience in this opening (this book also contains many of my own games), my vision of its concepts and analysis of creative new ideas that keep coming up. The purpose of these books has always been to offer a combative repertoire to black players. This is the case, especially in this new book, in which I have concentrated more on Black and removed a number of less relevant lines.”

The book covers all the main tries for White, and the author has chosen the more complex variations for Black. These include 3…Nf6 and 3…Be7 against the Tarrasch (3.Nd2) and the Winawer (3…Bb4) against 3.Nc3. Moskalenko also offers some good options to break the symmetry in the Exchange Variation, and sound options against White’s less-common systems, such as the King’s Indian Attack.

Throughout the book, the author provides the main ideas, plans, traps, weapons and relevant statistics for the variations considered. Each chapter includes a summary to remind the reader of the main ideas. The theoretical details are complemented by 72 well-annotated games, including 18 games by the author. There are 56 more annotated games in the book compared to the previous book, a substantial increase. These games enable the reader to get a clear picture of the various plans and ideas once the opening phase is over. It’s also very pleasing when the author plays the opening himself and can provide extra insight into the opening.

In conclusion, Moskalenko has written an entertaining and useful book on the French Defense. He has provided many interesting ideas for Black in the main variations and shown how Black can use the opening as a fighting defense against 1.e4.

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

“Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position.”

– Former World Champion, Anatoly Karpov.

In his book, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy (1998), IM John Watson wrote:

“The theory of pawn structures … has probably advanced more than any other area of the game over the last sixty years.”

Pawn structures are usually discussed to varying degrees in books on chess strategy. In addition, some previous books have also been written solely on this topic. Of these books, Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch (1959) is one of the earliest and perhaps most influential. Of course, the book was written around 60 years ago, and it’s not surprising that it’s out of date in some areas. In addition, it’s also hampered by some obscure terminology. Hence, a modern book on pawn structures would be welcomed by chess players, and that is the book that GM Flores Rios has attempted to write.

The author describes his aims for the book as follows.

“Chess Structures – A Grandmaster Guide emphasizes clarity, precision, and completeness over generality. I do not intend to teach rules applicable to every position. Such rules typically do not exist… My aim is to provide an easy-to-understand strategic guide to the most frequently occurring classes of positions in chess. I hope readers will find this helpful, as it greatly reduces ambiguity; it is clear when rules will be valid and when they will not.”

The book discusses 28 of the most common pawn structures using 140 games or game fragments.  As the author notes, his choices of structures don’t include all the possible pawn structures, but his choices are based on three overarching principles:

• Strategic structures rather than tactical structures
• Frequently occurring structures
• Fixed pawn structures rather than flexible structures

In particular, the book mostly emphasizes strategy over tactics, although of course, tactical issues are often in the background in the included games.

The pawn structures are discussed in 22 chapters and are grouped into five families of similar structures. This grouping allows readers to focus on pawn structures that arise in their preferred openings as a starting point. Flores Rios writes:

“I understand many readers have limited time and do not wish to read an entire book if they are only likely to encounter a few of the pawn structures I discuss. For this reason, chapters are largely self-contained, while similar chapters will be found close to one another and arranged in a logical sequence. 

I took great care in ordering chapters so that all required knowledge would be available when needed. Many pawn structures can transpose to another. If structure B is likely to transpose to structure A, then I mention structure A at an earlier stage in the book. When the reader studies structure B, he will be able to understand whether transposing to structure A is favorable or not. This makes the learning process run smoothly and comprehensively.”

The book also includes two final chapters with 50 exercises and their detailed solutions.

Each chapter on a particular pawn structure starts with a summary of its features and the typical plans available for White and Black, and how effective they are likely to be. These plans are linked to the games in the chapter.  Each game starts with a set of learning objectives and concludes with some final remarks to summarise the key moments in the game. This approach makes it much easier for the reader to absorb the material. The annotations to the games include plenty of prose to balance the detailed variations. 

Two examples from the book are given below, with annotations from the book. 

In conclusion, this is an exceptional book on a fundamental topic in chess. As Karpov notes in the quote above, mastering the theory of pawn structures is an essential skill for chess improvement at all levels of chess. Flores Rios has written a lucid book that help readers to acquire this skill, and without doubt it will remain one of the standard texts in this area.

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

“Boris Spassky was my first chess idol.”

– Former World Champion, Garry Kasparov.

Former World Champion Boris Spassky is arguably now best known for losing the 1972 World Championship match against Bobby Fischer. If that’s the case, it’s a disservice to Spassky, who was an extremely strong player in his prime. He managed to win two successive Candidates Series in 1965 and 1968, and wrested the World Championship from Tigran Petrosian in 1969, after losing to him in the 1966 World Championship match.  He is also considered to be the first world champion with a universal style.

The contrast between Fischer and Spassky is stark. Fischer lived and breathed chess, whereas Spassky, by his own admission, was somewhat lazy:

“My natural flaw is laziness. I have had to fight laziness quite often, and usually, she defeats me. It is difficult to fight idleness, it is difficult to resist the word ‘maybe’.”

He accurately assessed his strengths and was very realistic about his career. He was quoted in a 1966 interview as follows.

“I hope I shall be stronger in three- or four-years’ time than now, but after that, I shall decline, and another strong player will take my place.”

This is a remarkable self-assessment that proved eerily accurate! 

According to former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik in the Forward to this book, Spassky is “a man of a broad soul, absolutely not petty”. Commenting on the 1972 match, when Spassky could have claimed victory after Fischer forfeited the second game, Kramnik wrote:

“I guess he admired Fischer’s genius and that must have prevented him from winning the match. He understood that Fischer was unique. And not to let him play a match (or you can read it like this: not to let him become a world champion) would have been a crime against chess. Boris is one of those people for whom these things are not empty words. I’m sure he wouldn’t have forgiven himself if he hadn’t given Fischer a chance.”

Spassky himself wrote:

“According to the rules, I could demand to be declared the winner. However, if I won without a game, I would forever lose respect for myself and constantly feel like I was not a true World Champion, and precisely because I did not play Fischer.”

Unfortunately, apart from books on the two matches against Fischer in 1972 and 1992, comparatively little has been written about Spassky’s career compared to some of the other world champions, although he is profiled in Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors series. In addition, it’s regrettable that Spassky has not written a book about his career, and it’s probably unlikely that he ever will, given that he is now 86 years old (as of September 2023). Hence, Spassky’s Best Games by GM Alexey Bezgodov and Dmitry Aleynikov is a welcome addition to the literature on Spassky.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a biography, and this part also includes some relevant games that show Spassky’s development as a player. This part discusses the highs and lows of his chess career, especially in his early years when he struggled to make it to the Candidates Tournament, and it seemed that his enormous talent would not be sufficient to take him to the top in chess. His struggles with his chess coaches and the difficulties in his personal life also were factors in this difficult period. The authors also provide good background to the second major period of his struggles after losing to Fischer in 1972, and his eventual move to France in 1976, and finally the unclear circumstances behind his return to Russia in 2012. Some historical photos also complement this part. 

Overall, this part presents a very humane portrait of Spassky that goes well beyond a pure listing of his chess achievements. 

The second part is a selection of 61 annotated games that are organized in chronological order. The annotations are very clear and appropriate for a wide range of players. While the book includes corrections of previous analyses based on the results from strong chess engines, the annotations are primarily used to understand the key features and critical moments of the games. More emphasis is placed on the analysis of the middlegame and endgame rather than the opening theory. This is a sensible method of analysis, and it is also consistent with Spassky’s approach to chess. Each game ends with a lesson section to summarise what can be learned from the game. This makes the book a good teaching text as well as a fascinating biography.

Two examples from the book are given below, with annotations from the book. 

Spassky’s Best Games: Example 1

Spassky’s Best Games: Example 2

In conclusion, this is a great addition to the literature on Boris Spassky. The book can be read as a pure biography and as a teaching text based on Spassky’s games. The result is an accessible book that can be recommended to all players, and it is a fine tribute to the 10^th World Champion.

Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

GM Jacob Aagard gives us a look into how the book came about and what the reader can expect:

What we have done is a slightly different thing from previous books on the topic. The idea from the book came from a solving group of four people I ran some years back. We were two guys and two girls, trying to solve studies from perhaps the most famous modern book on studies. I finally had it with these way too long solutions, when there was a 30+ move pawn ending. I know that top players find their most significant details on the first three moves in calculation in the middlegame (direction of travel, let’s call it). Sometimes we go deeper in the endgame, and of course, we see further ahead. But 30 moves? Not me.

I asked Steffen for studies and they were far more solvable, and I actually liked them better than these supposed “best studies of all time”. The idea of creating a book with this sort of material came quickly (of course). I had not imagined just how much work it would be. Although we are two authors of this 424 page book, it took me far more effort than the “less than 900” page A Matter of Endgame Technique that I published in 2022. I think I spent 1000+ hours on this book. It does not try to be a “best studies of all times” book – rather it is a book for strong players wanting to improve their game through solving endgame studies. They are selected for solving. They are cut for solving. They have a point system, designed to keep you honest in your solving.

Jacob Aagaard

Take your solving for a test drive with some of these examples from the book:

Endgame Labyrinths: Exercise 531

White to play and draw

View Solution

Endgame Labyrinths: Exercise 539

White to play and win

View Solution

Check out the book’s free sample to see these positions and a few more!

About the Authors:

Jacob Aagaard

Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard is a renowned Danish-Scottish chess player, author, and trainer. He has written multiple influential chess books on a range of topics, helping players of all levels improve their understanding of chess. Aagaard has won several awards for his chess books. Some of the most prestigious are from the English Chess Federation (ECF) and the Association of Chess Professionals. Notably, his book “Excelling at Chess” won the ChessCafe.com Book of the Year award. He has also had a lot of success as a coach where his students have beaten all the greatest players of the last few decades!

Aagard is the co-owner of Quality Chess, and you can find many of his books on Forward Chess:

Steffen Nielsen

Steffen Nielsen is one of the greatest minds in chess studies and currently holds the title of World Champion in endgame composition! His compositions are innovative, aesthetically pleasing, and tactical in nature which has earned him many awards including the aforementioned World Championship title. As a player, he is a strong 2100+ which gives him “a good understanding of the difficulties practical players face over the board”.

Jacob Aagard writes about his co-author:

It was a great pleasure to work with Steffen on this book. He is the current World Champion in Study composition, which is a title handed out every three years, based on a points system, rather than individual competitions. Steffen and I are contemporaries and Steffen said that we made two draws about 30 years ago – which I have entirely forgotten. He said it was a bigger result for him, but then I was not aware he would be World Champion!

Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments!

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Study Solutions

Exercise 531

Exercise 539