Discover your Chess Strength [Paperback]

Raymond Keene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

If you do not yet have a chess rating and are not particularly interested in competing in chess tournaments then this is the book for you! Keene has constructed a self testing rating system which enables the reader to gauge their rating strength. If you do not wish to take the tests simply play over and enjoy fine games.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Hardinge Simpole (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843820560
• ISBN-13: 978-1843820567
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,673,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This just doesn't work, August 7, 2002

By 

Cory N Moran (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover Your Chess Strength (Batsford Chess Library) (Paperback)

There are a lot of puzzle books out there. And there are better ones than this.

This book takes the reader through 20 annotated games. And at certain points, the author presents a diagram with the current position and asks the reader to find the best move. Points are then awarded for correct answers. And these points supposedly add up to an estimated rating that the reader can have claim to.

This idea, in itself, is not a bad one. But it is very difficult to pull off.

First of all, it is important for the perspective buyer to realize that not all of the puzzle positions contain tactical opportunities. We are not looking for "White to move and win!" answers. Often, the correct solution is a simple repositioning of a piece. Sometimes the answers are difficult to find; sometimes they are very elementary. So if you are looking for a challenging lesson on tactics, this book is probably not what you are looking for.

As we all know, there is often more than one good move on the board that can be played at a given time. But no alternative moves are mentioned during the quizes. The author gives one "right" answer and moves on. And this can be very frustrating for the reader.

The author does state at the beginning of the book that the reader can award himself up to "100 points" per quiz at his own discretion. But this makes things even more fuzzy and the rating that one earns becomes too subjective. Thus, by the end of the text, the reader will most likely feel that his effort to discover his chess rating through this book is futile.

Another problem that these type of books commonly have is the layout. To conserve space, the author will place the answer immediately below the question. This forces the reader to be constantly covering parts of the pages as he reads, so as to not see the answer before he is ready. This can be quite akward and very tedious.

To be fair, the 20 games included in this book are actually quite interesting. So the idea of buying this book as a small game collection is reasonable.

But in conclusion, this book does not achieve the goal it set out to accomplish. If you are looking for a chess puzzle book, or a way to estimate your chess rating, look elsewhere.

I would recommend three books to improve tactical strength. While they won't give you an artificial "rating", they will hone your combinational skills.

I would suggest Winning Chess Tactics by Seirawan. This book teaches what tactics are all about. And the puzzles inside range from beginner to professional strength that you simply won't be able to figure out. Thorough explinations are included for each one. Though introduced as a "beginner's book", experienced players can definately prosper by reading up on it.

Chess World Champions' Wonderful Ways to Win by Krizsany is also an interesting book because it provides real examples taken from games of the best players in history. Simply playing through the examples is entertaining and educational.

Finally, for those who want a real lesson on tactics, Chess Tactics for Advanced Players by Averbakh will take you to the very limits of tactical understanding.

5.0 out of 5 stars Synopsis, July 9, 2007

By 

Hugh Davies "Teenage Chess Prodigy" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover your Chess Strength (Paperback)

If you do not yet have a chess rating and are not particularly interested in competing in chess tournaments then this is the book for you! By dint of some carefully selected games by masters, grandmasters and the world's elite, Ray Keene has constructed a self testing rating system which enables the reader to gauge their rating strength. If you do not wish to take the tests simply play over and enjoy fine games by Boris Spassky, Bent Larsen, Mikhail Tal and Alexander Alekhine.
Raymond Keene is a British Chess Champion,and the first British Player to achieve a FIDE (World Chess Federation)Grandmaster norm. He was awarded the OBE for services to chess in 1985. He is Chess Correspondent of The Times,The Sunday Times,The Spectator,and The International Herald Tribune. He is a prolific author of chess books, several of which are classics of the genre. He has organised three World Chess Championships.<.i>

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book for checking your strength at chess, November 11, 2002

By 

Penny Smith "PS" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover your Chess Strength (Paperback)

lets get one thing straight-this is not a book about chess puzzles-it is an anthology of complete games by grandmasters and champions which have been carefully annotated by a grandmaster author who is chess correspondent for the london times and the international herald tribune. at virtually every stage the reader is invited to answer questions which can be move predictions . variations or strategic ideas and there are bonus points given simply for avoiding blunders. i know of no other book of this type that takes this useful facility into acount.of course you cannot get a published rating without playing in tournaments but this book will certainly give you an idea of what you can aspire to!