The Chess Files
The answers are out there.
By Jim Eade
I’ve supplied partial answers to the question: “What do you
do after you’ve learned the basic?” in previous columns. A recommendation from the first half of the
20th century was Nimzowitsch’s “My System.” One from the middle part of the century was
Larry Evans’ “New Ideas in Chess.” It is
now time to turn the spotlight on a contemporary chess author.
Jeremy Silman is an International Chess Master, who has won
the American Open, the National Open and the US Open. He is a world renowned chess teacher, who has
served many times as a coach for the US delegation to World Junior
Championships.
Most importantly for our purposes, Silman has authored a
number of excellent instructional books on chess. It is very difficult to choose just one, but
I am comforted in the knowledge that I can’t go too far wrong. Silman is just that good.
My recommendation is his “The Complete Book of Chess
Strategy.” It is sub-titled
“Grandmaster Techniques From A to Z.”
He has sections on the three phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame,
and Endgame, but also includes a useful section on what he calls “Practical
Matters.” Each section concludes with a
set of Quizzes, which I think is a valuable methodology.
In a tip of the hat to the past, Silman gives an example of
prophylaxis in chess. This was a term
coined by Nimzowitsch, who taught that it was sometimes more important to
prevent your opponent from playing a good move than to make one yourself. The example Silman uses to illustrate this
concept is given below:
Silman writes that “White has a substantial advantage in
space and piece activity.” He continues,
“However, Black is about to play …c6-c5.
What should White do about this?
1.c5!
Silman concludes as follows: “By following up with Ne5,
White can build a kingside attack at his leisure, while Black can only stare
helplessly and wait for his doom to arrive.”
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.
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