Customer Reviews

Creative Chess (Pergamon chess series)

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Most chess books aim to guide and instruct by offering principles, rules, schemes and theories. "Creative Chess", on the other hand, has a quite different and original approach. It firmly maintains that every chessplayer, whether amateur or master, is capable of creating something new in chess. After a discussion of the characteristics and processes of creativity, 10 central concepts, such as unusual positioning and functioning of pieces, alertness to subtle differences, absurd moves, flexibility, etc., are presented with a wealth of truly amazing examples to encourage the reader to broaden the horizons of his chess thinking. Whether or not the author's approach will improve your chess (I think it will), it is definitely a change of pace from your standard middlegame or opening text.

I have owned this book for several years now, and it never gets old. When I find my chess skills lapsing into doldrums, I open this book and learn anew. This book is not meant for readers who are looking to an 'instruction manual' for creative chess, which is itself an oxymoron. But by showing the reader examples of chess creativity which are truly unforgettable (how many games of grandmasters' can one spend analysing, which merely rely on brute-force calculation?), Avni allows the reader to look at chess positions with new eyes. I highly recommend this book for any chess enthusiast either with an avid interest in the sheer beauty of the game or someone who is getting bored with his own playing style.

What I like about this book is the unusual examples put together by the author. Because that' s what this book is about: examples. And also a few creative games and exercices at the end. But mostly examples, and very interesting ones. Have you ever ran across a truly original combination in a chess book ? This book is only that. Combinations and ideas that will amaze you: an example puts a piece on a square where it can be taken by 4 enemy pieces, another sacrifices a rook which is captured with check, etc. Are you looking for an endgame book ? An opening one ? This book is none of the above (or a little of each), but get it !

Very good book for people with good knowledges, but with problems to aply in practice. Unortodox kind of thinking!

A book like this should teach creative chess, not just show examples of it. Too many chess books are like the juggler teaching juggling by saying, "watch this!" Then, he juggles and you say, "wow, that's amazing!" We don't really need a book to show us creative chess when we could look at any collection of games of top GMs and find more than enough creativity for a lifetime. The examples are entertaining, but I was disappointed because I expected more of an instructive manual.