Customer Reviews

Bobby Fischer: His Approach to Chess (Cadogan Chess Books)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book will change the way you approach chess regardless of your playing level. As noted by previous readers, Elie Agur has done a nice job of systematically analyzing Fischer's approach to chess into clear parts (e.g., pawn structures, traps, typical manuevores) clearly for the reader to grasp. The usefulness of this catagorization goes beyond having to fill up a content page. What has not been said is that reading this book actually helps you to integrate almost all the chess concepts you learnt (e.g., tactics, positional chess, etc.) but never know how to go about applying them.

For the more advanced player, I would recommend you taking a look at how Agur, given a chess position with a variety of candidate moves, manage to compare and contrast Fischer's style with other schools of playing chess (e.g., Karpov and Capablanca). This is interesting in itself as this is one clear evidence of chess style at work, and that no particular style is necessarily the best (although Fischer's style has been known to be the most accurate and straightforward in selection of candidate moves).

While not a grandmaster himself, Elie Agur has obviously made a deep study of Bobby Fischer's games. In this fascinating and highly instructive book, he analyzes the elements of Fischer's style with reference to specific games. As Agur says, "Besides being a study on Fischer, it is a treatise on the middlegame at large". Over 300 diagram positions are taken apart, with a page or more sometimes devoted to a single move, its implications and alternatives.

Topics include pawn structure, piece placement, material, timing, strategy (e.g. plans, seizing the initiative, liquidation, and playing for space), clarity, straightforwardness, alertness, reducing the opponent's options, playing to win, practical chances, tactics, technical aspects and overall vision. Fischer's weaknesses are not allowed to pass unmentioned, either. Agur devotes whole chapters to superficiality, misplaying won positions, and typical blunders and oversights.

You can learn all sorts of fascinating details about the great man and his opponents. For instance, Fischer's decision to play Alekhine's Defence against Ciocaltea in the 1965 Capablance Memorial tournament amazed fans. Agur explains what really happened. Fischer was participating by cable, as the State Department denied him a visa to go to Fidel Castro's Cuba in the aftermath of the 1962 missile crisis. Ciocaltea's first move was received as 1. d4 and so played on the board, and Fischer replied 1...Nf6 as usual. Only when the second move, 2. e5 came through was the mistake discovered. Characteristically, Fischer refused to change his first move and achieved a hard-fought draw after a long struggle against an opponent he would often have expected to beat.

For my money, this is a superb book. If I had to choose between it and any other book on Fischer - even his own "60 Memorable Games" - I think I would have to pick this one. It strikes a perfect balance between quantity and quality. Reading it carefully should increase anyone's playing strength, and is sure to afford hours of pleasure. Just one warning - chess theory has made huge strides since Fischer was playing, so don't take any of the opening analysis on trust without checking in a modern reference book.

This work is absolutely brilliant. Elie Agur observes much that had previously gone unnoticed in the play of this great genius. However, you will learn much more than simply how Fischer played. From the study of Fischer's "Approach to Chess," you will learn much about the nature of the middle game. This book contains many deep observations about the game of chess: If this same book had been written by a more famous player, it would already be a classic. Buy this book! I would also recommend Raymond Keene's Nimzowitch: A Reappraisal---the second, updated edition of Nimzowitch: Master of Planning.

You will not regret buying this book. It is the best middle game text published in the last ten years with the obvious exception of Watson's "Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy." This book attempts to use Fischer's games as a means of discovering not only how Fischer played the middle game but also how one ought to play it. It is a truly inspired work. I think it one of the best chess books published within the last couple of years. The only better ones published recently are the game collections of people like Shirov, Anand, and Karpov (I have already mentioned Watson's book). Buy this book, esp if you are under 2200! Look for Silman's review at New In Chess, by the way.

This book delivers as the title says. Discussed are Fischer's decisions across various motifs (pawn structure, piece placement, strategy,...) from a diagrammed position. Much of the book can be read without a board depending on your strength. I think this book is more for advanced players, you just need to know things to get the most out of this book. Really the book is about style -- the style of a genius, so no chess player should be without it.

First, why you this book might be for you.

The strengths of this book is the approach to studying the play of Fischer. The technique employed in the development of this book is uncommon and very effective to really analyze the characteristics of a personal playing style. The analysis and discussion is ideal for a developing (but not necessarily already strong player) in most cases. The considerations in analyzing Fischer's style could be applied to any chess master that one might study.

Why did the book drop to three stars?

The analysis is general too superficial to provide any real deep insight into the positions. This most likely due to the strength of the author (FIDE approx. 2250). He certainly does a better job at explaining positions than certain GMs that are just "mailing" in their analysis, but doesn't come anywhere near close to the top chess writers such as Beim, Marin and Soltis (and certain others). There are many occurences where games end with the comment "and then it is Fischer's technique". The book is about technique but the author never really "gets" that Fischer's technique and defensive abilities allowed Fischer to make aggressive decisions. Sure, he alluded to this in many sections, but no synthesis was provided to really provide a picture of why Fischer's ability was so dominate in his run against the Soviets. This kind of discussion would have improved the book considerably. Instead, the book is collection of attributes characterizing a playing style with typically four or five examples. My main problem is that most examples and characteristics could be found for most top GMs. The author did very little to contrast the effectiveness Fischer's style against the players of his time or even the players up to the publication date.

In conclusion ...

If you're an aspiring improving player, this book is an interesting and instructive read but do your own homework! Go through a book like Soltis' Fischer Rediscovered and certainly read Bobby Fischer's My Sixty Most Memorable Games. Just ignore the fact that the attributes are highly related and often an item like "timing" cannot be disconnected from all the other characteristics and probably shouldn't be discussed at its own topic.

If you read and enjoyed "How Karpov Wins" by Mednis, you will fall madly in love with this book. Agur has written an incredibly fascinating book about the chess world's most enigmatic personality. What makes the book so outstanding is the breadth and depth to which Agur has analyzed Fischer's playing style. You can learn things here which you would not understand clearly even after reading Fischer's "Memorable Games". He breaks down Fischer's games according to topics like: Style, Defense, Technique, Clarity, etc. I know of no other book like this at this level of detail and depth. I'm not so sure it will improve your playing strength, but it will give you a perfect scheme for playing 'a la Fischer'
A must for any serious chess lover.

While reading Endgame (a recent book on the life of Bobby Fischer), I wanted to learn more about the genius of Fischer. I was not particularly interested about going through his every games as I am not one of those people that can follow 10-move variations in your head. I basically wanted to swoop into the middle of some game at the critical juncture and understand the spark of creativity that led Fischer to embark upon a line of play. Till I actually stumbled upon this book yesterday at the bookstore, I didn't think I could find anything. This book is perfect. Not only does it show you Fischer's line of thinking. It also compares the thoughts of other grandmasters. And, this is where you the reader is able to see the true genius of Fischer. Time and again, the author shows how grandmasters would play, and then contrast that of Fischer's. There are many positions where Fischer plays differently and the author explains why.

The author doesn't belabor the entire game, just enough to show you the critical thought process. The book is organized as sets of positions organized under several themes. This makes it easy for you to simply open the book at random and read about any position for a page or two. You don't have to sit on a chessboard for hours at an end playing through an entire game when only a few positions are really of interest. So, you can enjoy the material in bite sized chunks, or longer if you have more time. But, whatever time you read it for, that time would be well worth it.

As I mentioned earlier, I picked up the book yesterday, and I have been so impressed with it, that I was motivated to write this review even though I have not completed the book. In fact, I am in the middle of Endgame, but I find myself reading this one more.

This book is a "must buy" for any advanced player. Written by a strong amateur player, it is much more instructive and inspiring than most books written by chess professionals.

Rather than producing a detailed analysis of the great games Fischer played (which has been done very ably elsewhere and by the Master himself) Agur focuses on Fischer's style, his tastes, his preferences for certain types of positions.

After reading it, one finds that one has absorbed a certain way of thinking about structures, potentials on the board, an instinct for certain types of positions: this is teaching of a very high order and the book deserves the highest recommendation.

If only Agur would write a book on other great players like Alekhine or Kasparov!

Does it even make sense to study Fischer that way?? I mean when even he played a Pawn structure, he thought about it for that typical game, its not he had a general concept as a whole but looked for the resulting middle and Endgame(he planned often the entire game... i dont think that such approach can be quite successfull for a player like Bobby Fischer. Not to mention that the author is only 2200 strong, if you look logically at it, even internation masters have weaknesses in understanding. When Spassky(i think it was Spassky, wanted a trainer who was international master, all laughed at him, how can an im help you... and remember an im is way stronger than 2200, and i mean really way stronger... also in the book russians versus Fischer, wich was also a good book, the russian grandmaster were asked for the weaknesses and strongpoints of fischers character of play and even they couldnt give a coherent answer. And those russian gms definetly spent more time in studying fischer, than this author did. if you really want to understand fischer, there is no way around it, then reading what he himself wrote in 60 memorable games. There is a reason why its still such a bestseller. Dont get me wrong the book still make be usefull for weaker player, but a 2200 player is far away from deep understanding of chess and has many flaws in his game. I just write this because Bobby Fischer is my favorite player, and i want to help all who also like him.