Combinations: The Heart of Chess (Dover Chess) [Paperback]

Irving Chernev (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Chess | Publication Date: June 1, 1967

Explanations for the famous and less well-known combinations of Tarrasch, Botvinnik, Nimzovich, Steinitz, Rubinstein; the dazzling brilliancies of Morphy, Keres, and Alekhine; the deadly attacks of Marshall; the unfathomable plays of Lasker; and the matchless creations of Capablanca and many others. 356 diagrams.

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised edition (June 1, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486217442
• ISBN-13: 978-0486217444
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on tactics!, April 23, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Combinations: The Heart of Chess (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

Even for a kid this is an easy book to read and understand. I got with "Winning Chess Traps" that has a lot of tactics in the openings. So I am covered on all ends when it comes to tactics. Love thse two books and just felt like saying so without a long review.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Inexpensive, Effective History, Good Training., May 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Combinations: The Heart of Chess (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

Chernev's classic is not simply a collection of combinations for drilling yourself on pins, forks, smothered mates, and so on - although there are plenty of combinations (300+) for that - it shows how the great players used them in their games. You get a history lesson while learning how Tarrasch, Nimzovich, Capablanca, and many other world-class players, employed combinations in their games. I like how Chernev uses extended game fragments and his own enthusiastic commentary to explain the combinations. I have several tactics books and I enjoyed Chernev's less common approach to combinations: most books just give the position as though it just "appeared" out of the blue to settle the game. Somehow with Chernev, I get the idea that you have to work to get there. Descriptive notation.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of THE books on chess tactics, July 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Combinations: The Heart of Chess (Dover Chess) (Paperback)

Learn from the examples-- good and bad -- from the masters from Anderssen to Fischer, simple and complex, short and long, how to master piece co-ordination. A classic. Check out Chess Life and Review April 1975 p. 245 col 1 wrt #69. Working through this book can add hundreds of points to an average tournament players' rating, whet his appetite and keep him off the street for days... Not just for beginners, the 356 positions on 240 pages although not their primary source nor a dry categorical treatise, will challenge delight edify and entertain an interesting reader for years...