Irving Chernev

Here are 62 masterly demonstrations of the basic strategies of winning at chess, compiled and annotated by one of the game's most admired and respected writers. Each game offers a classic example of a fundamental problem and its best resolution, described and diagrammed in the clearest possible manner for players of every level of skill.As Irving Chernev observes in the Introduction, "Who will doubt the tremendous power exerted by a Rook posted on the seventh rank after seeing Capablanca's delightfully clear-cut demonstration in Game No. 1 against Tartakower? And who will not learn a great deal about the art of handling Rook and Pawn endings (the most important endings in chess) after playing through Tarrasch's game against Thorold?"Chernev's lively and illuminating notes on each game reveal precisely how Capablanca, Tarrasch, and other masters — Fischer, Alekhine, Lasker, and Petrosian among them — turn theory into practice as they attack and maneuver to control the board. Readers will find their techniques improving with each lesson as Irving Chernev dissects winning strategies, comments on alternate tactics, and marvels at the finesse of winning play, noting at the end of his "I might just as well have called this collection The Most Beautiful Games of Chess Ever Played ."

For beginners and professionals alike, this guide provides easy-to-understand endgame strategies that will help lead you to success in your next game of chess.In this unique approach to sharing the wisdom of the game, Irving Chernev gives readers 300 practical endgame situations to help claim the winning title in a match of chess.Ranging from very simple to masterpieces by Capablanca, Reti, Terrasch, and Lasker, Practical Chess Endings is full of comprehensive and well-explained endgame tactics, including discussions on each position and how it can lead to a win.

"The novice who plays through Logical Chess can learn an ocean of basic chess wisdom."—Leonard Barden, English chess master and broadcaster “Entertains . . . as it reinforces strategic lessons gleaned from chess titans. Illustrates effective middle-game plans.”— Library Journal Having learned the basic moves, how exactly should a player improve? In this popular classic, the author explains 33 complete games, in detail, move by move, including the reason for each one. Playing through these games and explanations gives real insight into the power of the pieces and how to post them most effectively.

Illustrated examples progress in difficulty to help individuals develop the ability to recognize potential opportunities and apply effective offensive, middle-game maneuvers

Chess endings have an immediacy lacking in chess endgame or chess endings are not theoretical or composed, but actual board positions, the point in every game when the superfluous falls away, leaving only the essential. José Raúl Capablanca (1888–1942) had no need for isolated artistic theory or compositions — he composed and created chess art as he played. All of his genius — intuitive, tactical, strategic, logical — all of his art shines clearest in his endings, as he himself was proud to declare, advising others to study them carefully. "In order to improve your game," he said, "you must study the endgame before anything else; for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."The best way to follow Capablanca's advice is through this — the only book devoted to his great endings, 60 complete games emphasizing the grand finale but annotated throughout.Irving Chernev communicates in his notes the mystery and wonder as well as the delight in discovering again and again the original, fertile mind of chess's greatest born player. "Virtuoso," "exquisite," "profound," "inspired," "elegant," and "fiendish ingenuity" describe match and tournament games and endings against Alekhine, Steiner, Marshall, Nimzowitsch, Lasker, Réti, and others, the best in the contemporary chess world. Capablanca's eleventh game in the 1901 Cuban championship (which he won, aged 12) "surpasses any accomplishment by such other prodigies as Morphy, Reshevsky, and Fischer." From age 12 through the last game in the book (nearly four decades later against Reshevsky at Nottingham, 1936), Capablanca fashions endgames in tense tournament atmosphere that seem like delicate, precise instruments dreamt at leisure.Here then is the essence of Capablanca, analyzed for the instruction of players and the pleasure of chess connoisseurs. Included are indexes of openings, themes in the endings, and opponents, as well as a bibliography and record of tournament and match play. for players, the epitome of the endgame; for readers, a classic chess study.

From Simon & Schuster, An Invitation to Chess is Irving Chernev and Kenneth Harkness guide to beginners chess and the strategies required to progress to intermediate levels and beyond.An Invitation to Chess is perhaps the most successful chess book ever written, with sales of over 100,000. It is a basic beginners book, starting with the moves of the pieces and rapidly advancing to more complex problems and examples.

Here, each introduced with a brief, pungent or witty commentary, are 1,000 of the sweetest sugar-coated pills in all chess literature presented in author Irving Chernev's 1,000 Best Short Games of Chess .Author Irving Chernev's 1,000 Best Short Games of Chess offers descriptions of the winning moves are elaborated by commentary and anecdotes.

Irving Chernev's outstanding chess books earn him a high rank among the world's top chess authors. In this well-annotated text, Mr. Chernev guides his readers to an understanding of the subtleties of combinative play.Step-by-step from the simplest combinations to the most complex, the book explains the intricacies of pins and counter-pins, Knight forks, smothered mates, and other elements of combination play. There is a discussion in chapter five of combinations lurking in roads not taken — alternate lines of play show up in Chernev's notes to the game, while the sixth chapter, "Convincing the Kibitzers," shows the second-guessers what would have happened had the masters done the obvious. (Some disastrous combinations show up here.) A host of boomerangs follow — cases where the player didn't look far enough ahead and his combination, instead of bringing about the opponent's ruin, paved the way to his defeat. Chapters 8–21 take up combinations used by such great players as Tarrasch, Botvinnik, Nimzovich, Steinitz, Rubinstein, and Pillsbury; the sacrificial combinations of Anderssen and Spielmann; the dazzling brilliancies of Morphy, Keres, and Alekhine; the deadly attacks of Marshall; the almost unfathomable ideas of Lasker; and the matchless creations of Capablanca. Mr. Chernev's thoughtful annotations unravel the secrets of each of these plans. A diagram accompanies each combination; an index, by player, leads the reader to the combination he is looking for.

Respected and well-known chess writer Irving Chernev shares stories of the game of chess and its greatest players, complete with games, problems, epigrams, and advice.One of America’s best-known authors of chess instruction books has culled his favorite and funniest anecdotes concerning the game.The Chess Companion shares stories and profiles of players that will interest chess players of all ages and levels. With tips, advice, and diagrams filing the second half of the book, Chernev has put together a piece of chess literature touching on every part of the game.

Noted authority selects 12 greatest players—Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasker, Fischer, Botvinnik, Petrosian, Tal, Smyslov, Spassky, Bronstein, Rubinstein and Nimzowitsch—and presents 115 memorable games that show these masters at their most brilliant. Games include author’s choice of the greatest game ever played. 12 photos. Indexes. Bibliography.

All classes of players, weak or strong, need the vital information in this book to avoid pitfalls or to catch the unwary napping. Each of the 300 traps discussed in this collection -- introductory explanation, opening moves, diagram of position when trap is sprung, concluding moves to checkmate or win material -- is complete in itself. Winning Chess Traps is a thorough and practical book, a classic that belongs in any basic chess library.The book does not have page numbers. Each of the 306 traps discussed is on a separate page.

Both an instruction book and an engaging meditation on the joys of chess, this is the final work by one of the most successful chess writers of all time. Irving Chernev blends anecdotes with his observations on inspiring moves and combinations by well- and lesser-known players, including Troitzky, Réti, Kasparyan, Benko, Kubbel, Rinck, Grigoriev, and many others.Each example is introduced with a cue ("White to play and win") and includes the composer's name, the date of its original publication if available, a clear diagram with an algebraic grid, and the winning variation presented in algebraic notion. Chernev's sparkling text is complemented by introductions by national Master Bruce Pandolfini and Adam Hart-Davis, an editor who worked with Chernev and who helped assemble this posthumous publication.Appropriate for players at every level, 200 Brilliant Endgames promises to assist chess enthusiasts in sharpening their endgame skills and to enhance their pleasure and satisfaction in the game.

A clear pattern has evolved in the world of chess—the overall superiority and depth of the Russian chessmasters. This book was prepared by Irving Chernev, one of our country's leading experts, in an effort to point out the causes and factors contributing to this decisive supremacy of the Soviet aces over American and other players. Chernev has put together a remarkable anthology of games—chosen from among thousands of top-flight matches involving Russian masters. Fully annotated and diagrammed, they provide a unique, analytical view of the emergence of Soviet dominance, while illustrating the winning styles of about 40 prominent players. There are over 50 instructive games by such greats as Botvinnik, Keres, Boleslavsky, Kotov, Flohr, Ragozin, Tolush, and many others. For this new edition, Chernev has included an additional section containing analyses of six games played in recent years by Smyslov, Petrosian, Tal, and Bronstein. Here are examples of the artistic endgame, the brilliant Queen sacrifice, the extended combination (one splendid combination by Botvinnik is carried out successfully for over twenty moves!), the imaginative attack, the beautiful trap, etc. in games which help to make clear why the Russians have attained the top rank in international play. These games offer a treasure-trove of ideas in chess strategy; a study of them will be of inestimable value to chess players of every level.

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INSPIRED by the slogan "Nothing but fun," this is a gay, light – hearted book. There is many a chuckle in the epigrams by, and anecdotes about, great masters. The "bright games" are quick and clever - sharp duels of nimble minds, with annotations that highlight the fine points. The magical problems, endings and "flights of fancy" are all special favorites with Chernev - the kind he treasures in his famous little black book. Most attractive of Chernev's candidates for the 15 most beautiful games of all time.

A superb collection of fifty of the greatest master games ever played. Its painstaking research, analytical clarity and graceful exposition are not only much admired by average players but by famous ones as well. Typical of its distinguished acclaim are the statements of world-master Sammy Reshevsky who called it 'one of the finest books on chess ever written, as readable as it is useful,' and of grandmaster Reuben Fine who said, 'I recommend Chess Strategies and Tactics to every player who is earnestly desirous of improving his game.'"

The Chess Companion.

Curious Chess Facts is Irving Chernev's first book. Published in 1937, it is his famous collection of chess anecdotes. The facts in this book are so famous that they have become part of chess lore, repeated thousands of times, published in countless books and magazine articles by many different authors, such that it is almost forgotten that this book is the original published source. Here are some At a dinner somebody gave a toast to the World Chess Champion. Both Steinitz and Zukertort stood up. (They played a match to determine the real world champion. Steinitz won the match but Zukertort had finished three points ahead of him in London 1883.) This is Curious Chess Fact Number 197 in this book. One that I use that often helps me remember chess history is that Steinitz was World Champion for 28 years. His record was not quite equaled by Lasker who was world champion for 27 years. This is Curious Chess Fact Number 21. Since I remember that Lasker lost the world title to Capablanca in a match in 1921, I can calculate back to determine the year in which Lasker won the world championship by defeating Steinitz in a match. Then, going back another 28 years I can calculate the year that Steinitz defeated Adolf Anderssen who some consider to have been the first world chess champion. Another example is that Marshall won a famous game by a queen sacrifice that was so brilliant that the spectators showered the board with gold pieces. This is Curious Chess Fact Number 9. The moves of the game itself with the spectacular queen sacrifice are to be found in almost every anthology of famous chess games. The story that the spectators showered the board with gold pieces is always included with the moves. The list goes on and on. There are so many of them that you just have to read this book to see and recall them.

Chernev has put together a remarkable anthology of games--chosen form among thousands of top-flight matches involving russian masters. Fully annotated and diagrammed, they provide a unique, analytical view of the emergence of Soviet dominance, while illustrating the winning styles of about 40 prominent players. there are over 50 modern, instructive games by such greats as Botvinnik, Keres, Boleslavsky, Kotov, flohr, Ragozin, Tolush, and many others. Enlarged version of the work first published in 1947; 6 additional games. New preface for this edition by the author. Total of 637 diagrams.