Brilliancies (Winning Chess) [Paperback]

Yasser Seirawan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Winning Chess | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

We've updated the cover of "Winning Chess Brilliancies" so that the Microsoft Press "RM" Winning Chess series has a more cohesive and dynamic look. This book by International Grand Master Yasser Seirawan provides a move-by-move account of the best chess games of the last 25 years by the world's most formidable chess players. Seirawan serves as host on a fascinating excursion through these historical chess games, providing insights into and explanations of the significant moves, or "brilliancies" as the chess-literate say. Readers will get a taste of the most dazzling chess combinations, devious strategies, and downright cruel blows as world champions throw caution to the wind and risk it all! Readers will delight as the author takes these awe-inspiring and controversial games and makes them enjoyable and easy to understand.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Seirawan does more than present 12 of the most brilliant grandmaster games of the past 25 years. His lively move-by-move analysis delves into the minds of many of chess's greatest players, explaining the reasoning (or errors) behind each. Readers with a grasp of chess basics, tactics, and strategies (covered in the first three books of Seirawan's four-book series) will come away with an appreciation of the subtleties of grandmaster play and the inspiration to stretch their skills and understanding to higher levels. Have another chess player nearby when you read it--you'll want to play afterwards. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

This book by International Grand Master Yasser Seirawan provides a move-by-move account of the best chess games of the last 25 years, played by the world's foremost chess competitors. With an authoritative voice that is by turns poetic and analytical, Seirawan serves as host of a fascinating excursion of the most brilliant chess games, providing insights into and explanations of each and every move.
Seirawan begins each game with a description of the historical atmosphere of the chess world - and sometimes the world at large - at the time the game was played. When he delves into the game itself, he starts with the reasoning behind the opening moves. From there he provides both a play-by-play description of the game and an analytical commentary, all the while examining the moves in terms of piece development and possible tactical and strategic opportunities. Along the way, a handful of the players are profiled in biographies.
In Winning Chess Brilliancies you'll get a taste of the most dazzling chess combinations devious strategies, and downright cruel blows as world champions risk it all! This book is truly a celebration of the sport of chess.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735606064
• ISBN-13: 978-0735606067
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

165 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book by Yasser Seirawan, July 15, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Winning Chess Brilliancies (Winning Chess - Everyman Chess) (Paperback)

When it comes to books that cover BRILLIANT GAMES(usually short games), OPENING TRAPS and sacrifices, then I can spend all day going over them!!! Not all the games in "Winning Chess Brilliancies" are short, or involve opening traps. They often are deeper ideas where some deep idea that is well thought out is used. I like the selection of games here!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a wide range of readers, October 1, 2003

By 

C. Dunn "independent thinker" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winning Chess Brilliancies (Winning Chess - Everyman Chess) (Paperback)

In this enthralling book, Seirwan describes 12 recent games, all between GrandMasters. Normally, I would not recommend a modern master's game collection to beginners. The moves are just too counter-intuitive to be instructive. However, Seirawan does an incredibly brilliant job of explaining, in words, the ideas behind the openings, the strategies in the middlegames, and the traps and tactics throughout.

The biggest oversight of this book is the absence of a listing of the games. (The table of contents is useless, although the extensive index may have some value.) So here are the games. You could print this out and paste it over the table of contents:

Game 1 (Making History) *
Fischer v. Spassky
1972 World Championship (6) - Reykjavik
Queen's Gambit Declined
1-0

Game 2 (Slaying the Dragon) *
Karpov v. Korchnoi
1974 FIDE Candidates Final (2)
Sicilian Dragon
1-0

Game 3 (Sparkling Originality) *
Ljubojevic v. Andersson
1976 Hoovgoven Tournament - Wijk ann Zee
Sicilian Defense, Scheveningen Variation
1-0

Game 4 (Time-Trouble Misery)
Korchnoi v. Karpov
1976 FIDE Championship (17) - Baguio City
Nimzo-Indian Defense
0-1

Game 5 (A Sunny Moment)
Seirawan v. Karpov
1982 Phillips and Drew (game 11)
Queen Gambit Declined, Tartakower-Makogonov-Bondarevsky Var.
1-0

Game 6 (Olympian Effort)
Korchnoi v. Kasparov
1982 Lucerne Chess Olympiad
Modern Benoni A64
0-1

Game 7 (Experienced Hands)
Smyslov v. Ribli
1983 London (match 5)
QGD Tarrasch Defense D42
1-0

Game 8 (Supreme Effort) *
Beliavsky v. Nunn
1985 Hoovgoven - Wijk aan Zee
King's Indian Defense, Saemisch Var. E81
0-1

Game 9 (Moscow Miracle) *
Karpov v. Kasparov
1985 (game 16) - Moscow
Sicilian Defense B44
0-1

Game 10 ('A la Morphy)
Seirawan v. Timman
1990 KRO, Hilversum (game 5)
1-0

Game 11 (Lightning and Thunder)
Kasparov v. Karpov
1990 FIDE Championship (20) - Lyon
Ruy Lopez Zaitsev C92
1-0

Game 12 (A Rapid Coup)*
Ivanchuk v. Yusupov
1991 FIDE Sime-Finals Match (9) - Brussels
King's Indian Defense, Fianchetto Var. E67
0-1

(* Indicates a game which also appears in The Mammoth Book of the World's (100) Greatest Chess Games, just to show what other GMs think of these "brilliancies". That book is for more advanced players, over 1600 USCF I think. Of course, Game 11 is deeply annotated in Seirawan's Five Crowns match book.)

In the postscript, Seirawan mentions that he'd actually annotated 6 more games but had no room for them. That's very disappointing, as this style of explanation mixed with annotation is rare and valuable. The move-by-move analysis is at a level about mid-way (maybe 1350 USCF) between Chernev's Logical Chess and Nunn's Understanding Chess. But if you have already passed the 1400 USCF level (and do not own the Mammoth games collection) add this to your library. The sometimes deep variations, including analysis from named grandmasters, would satisfy a much stronger player. And a weaker player, down to about 1200, would enjoy reading the text of this book if he ignored all the variations.

All in all, easily one of the top 10 chess books in print. Thank goodness it's back in print!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JUST THE RIGHT "SIZE" FOR ANALYSIS, June 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Winning Chess Brilliancies (Paperback)

Seirawan's Winning Chess Brilliancies is a MUST READ for any serious chess aficcionado. Being a rated strong C player I find most annotated games to be boring and confusing because of the excessive number of side lines. Seirawan found just the right size for the analysis to be included in this book and that provides a delightful reading. He also shows a few "obvious" traps (which for C players and under are not always as obvious) and does an excellent job explaining the subleties of opening play, especially transpositional possibilities. Seirawan starts every game with a small account of the environment in which the games were played. That puts the reader in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate the game and its implications. By the time you finish Fisher vs. Spassky (1972) and Karpov vs. Korchnoi (1974) you will be hooked and wanting to devour the rest of the book. But that's not all. He includes 2 of his own brilliancies which are, of course, wonderfully annotated. I bet you will feel smarter after reading his book! He explains wild tactical shots and complex strategical manouevers with such simplicity, conciseness and clarity that you will actually be able to understand some of those "misterious" grandmaster moves! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.