Customer Reviews

Excelling at Chess Calculation: Capitalizing on Tactical Chances

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Here we have it! One of several new books on chess tactical calculation (or planning? - kinda some of the same stuff, though not always). I will say for sure, this guy knows is stuff! With books on general tactics/pattern recognition puzzles, chess traps, and much more on the rise, you kinda need to look for thinks a little different to "get the edge". I will not say this book is better than the recent other tactics calculation book I got or chess traps books (actually opening tactics - found it very useful), but I will say it is up there!
Some totally different ideas were given in this book, that I didn't find in others, some useful, some less than useful (that is why when you read any chess book, do not ever think that the written word is always right!). But I did learn from it, and I liked it. Just one comment. I think that either the author didn't write English as his first language or it was translated - because there were obviously some grammer mistakes that sometimes effected what I think the author was trying to get across - my only complaint. Otherwise, a good book!!

There are not many hints about training in calculation, just a final chapter which gives obvious advice like "solve combinations", "analyze games", "purchase these other books", and 100 exercises.
The rest of the book are just commented games where calculation is important.

This book sucks and is the first chess book I'd really like to just return. The author's ideas are good, but his writing is completely unclear and strays off topic all the time. There is a lot of stream of consciousness crap in here. For example p. 40 after move 11. "I don't much like this move but that is a subject for opening theory and not a subject for this book." ?? Then why freakin' mention?! Stupid/sloppy writing practice.

p. 38 "If you can calculate well, you should use this to your advantage; if not, don't feel pressure to play as if you can, but use intuition and other facets of your chess ability blah blah..."

Are you kidding me!??! This is a book about improving one's calculation and the author is telling people if they're not good at it to just rely on other facets and intuition????? WHAT?! Maybe the author forgot people buying this book are trying to improve their calculation because they're not good at it. sheesh! Stupid rambling again.

Those are two specific examples. I'm only on the third chapter "When to calculate?" thinking he will give advice on how to determine when a position is critical, but no. He just gives a bunch of examples with annotations and comments completely irrelevant to the supposed main point of helping the reader determine when to calculate.

Bottom line: Don't buy this book. Get Dan Heisman's "The Improving Chess Thinker" instead.