|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Chessville
Advertise to Single insert:
|
"I love all positions. Give me a
difficult positional game, I will play it.
While I confess to having bought chess books in the past and then not really going through them, Chess Exam and Training Guide was not one of them. I have used it many times for teaching because of its fresh examples and Igor’s detailed solutions. And while Chess Exam and Training Guide: TACTICS is 110 pages shorter than Khmelnitsky’s first book, it is easily just as good (not to mention 5 bucks cheaper!). The thing that makes his books so good, as I mentioned above, is his eye for great material. All of the positions he selects are interesting and usually the obvious try is not the best. Also, he mixes up his problems so that each turn of the page brings a new adventure, i.e. they are not in any type of “thematic order” like most puzzle books. Furthermore, he asks you several questions that force you to really think about the position rather than just come up with moves. For example, here is the very first exercise in the book, Question # 1:
And here Igor gives you two sets of questions to answer:
*Igor’s full solution can be found at the end of my review (By the way, I found this problem so instructive that I created a video of it on YouTube.) After the 60 problems, the last quarter of the book contains various charts, tables, and training tips. While I myself just enjoy diving in and doing the puzzles whenever I get a few minutes study time, there is no doubt that the best way to gain maximum benefit from the book is to actually take the exam as laid out by Igor and keep careful score of your results. The Bottom Line Once again IM Khmelnitsky has succeeded in creating another great chess book. Like his previous book, the quality of the puzzles and his in depth solutions in Chess Exam and Training Guide: TACTICS are second to none. While his first book was a bit more positional in theme, this one is more geared toward tactics. (Although the first book did contain some tactics, as eventually a positional advantage must be cashed in and this is often done with tactics.) Obviously the improving player will want to get this book, however so will chess teachers. I often bring his first book to my lessons and now have started bringing this one. While the material is too advanced for beginners, those rated over 1300 should have no problem following the twists and turns in each problem. (And even those rated up to 2200 should find a good bit of the material to be of interest.)
On a scale of 1-10, Chess Exam and Training Guide: TACTICS
by Igor Khmelnitsky gets a 9.5 *Here is Igor’s detailed solution to Question # 1:
|
Advertisement
The Chessville
The
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
In 2004 I attended the National Open in Las Vegas which is always a good
time. At the USCF Book store that year I made only one purchase—which
is pretty amazing in itself, as for years chess books were to me what heroin
is to an addict and so I usually bought in bulk! Anyway, in 2004 I
ended up buying only one book during my entire stay at the Riviera Hotel.
The book? An autographed copy of Chess Exam and Training Guide
by Igor Khmelnitsky.
