Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge [Paperback]

Yuri Averbakh (Author), Ken Neat (Translator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cadogan Chess (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857441257
• ISBN-13: 978-1857441253
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,270,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Renowned Russian Author Gives Concise Middlegame Survey, June 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge (Paperback)

In this slender volume, Averbakh, a renowned Russian GM (?) and famed coach, surveys middlegame knowledge from a tactical perspective. The chapters cover such things as pins, forks, double attacks, etc. and provide definitions as well as examples. Averbakh does not discuss strategy except in the sense of aiming for pins, forks and double attacks and positional topics like weak squares, outposts and pawn structures are not on the menu. Although I've seen middlegame discussions limited to tactical themes before, I am puzzled that planning and positional chess were not included in a middle essentials but...anyway, you've been advised.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Compact Book..., January 12, 2002

By 

Blaze Jericho "Beretorn" (Blashyrkh, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge (Paperback)

This is a great compact book, covering important middlegame concepts. Mostly of the tactical nature, such things as double blow, double attack etc. The book is broken into lots of small chapters so looking things up is pretty easy. What is important is that you learn basic concepts that you can expand on. He shows examples from games and other sources, teaching the idea as well as showing. This is almost a crib notes book to help you in the middlegame. If your over 2000 this book might not really be much use to you. I figure anyone U1800 can least learn something from this book. Just about anyone should be able to follow along and understand it. The book might only be 100 pages about, yet the content is better than most books that size. The Endgame Book in this series is also worth picking up. I think everyone should own a copy of this book. The price isnt really that bad for what you get in return. Not sure there is a better general idea middlegame book on market. If there is one, I really can't think of it. I have Art of Middlegame as well, which is a bit more advanced. This book is one of best gifts that I ever got to be honest.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Consider to buy other book - this one is extremally poor (for this price 15$), June 21, 2005

By 

Nokia20 (Europe, Poland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Middlegames: Essential Knowledge (Paperback)

In this book the author tells us so there are only 2 effective attacking procedures, which leading to success - the combined attack and double blow. This is very important and not quite understood, but if you mastery these techniques you might not be so dangerous, but much more carefully player.
If you want to make this book useful to you, you have to study it very carefully and minimum twice (it is thin - only 110 pages). All subjects are devoted to tactics, but there is one chapter devoted to strategy of attack. If you are "tactics scientific" you are in good place. In this book there are few useful mating attack mechanisms, it has showed coordination of the pieces and combinations - how it has born and how arises. I like to recover it because from time to time (once a 2-3 months), because each time I read it, I discover new things - particuraly how important is coordination of the pieces, how hidden treats are dangerous and complex to recognize (and to build) - sometimes they are very deep underground, but if you know how they build [what elements] and how to recognize them early, then you should not be afraid of them. I should note: sometimes complexity of chess combinations are sometimes very frustrating too see, but in closer look (and with much practice!) you can see and understand that they are "connected [composed] simple blocks".
This book contains 19 (short) chapters and has no any tasks to solve. Level of this book is not so high [it is not difficult; maybe a bit - especially for quite begginers].
Advice for begginers: when you study it carefully you might see that it is quite fine and nice. To the end of my opinion I can only say that this author is respected Soviet author... (he wrote great endings in 5 volumes 20 years ago).
I think this book is too expensive if you compare price to what it contains. If you want any good book about tactics and combinations you should to consider (best im my opinion): "Art of Attack in Chess" by Vladimir Vukovic or "One Thousand and One Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations".
IMPORTANT: Review of Paul Imseih (Sydney) [Complete waste of money, January 30, 2005] is right :-(. This book is really poor. If you have bag of money to waste you might buy it, but I think there are many books much better than this one (see a bit sooner). If you have to buy book of this author you might buy "Chess Tactics for Advanced Players" - this is really good book which is worth its money. But this "Chess middlegames - essential knowledge" with 100% certanity is not!
I gave it note 2 stars, because material might be interested (but not for 15$ - maximum 3 to 5$).