Customer Reviews

Fire On Board: Shirov's Best Games

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best chess books I've bought in a long time, and certainly one of the very best among the current batch of titles swarming the shelves. Shirov, with his highly original play and creative thinking, is, like Reti was in his day, the true conscience of chess today. Like Reti had had, Shirov has had uneven results in tournaments because of his uncompromising quest for originality in all his games. But like Reti, Shirov at his best is bewilderingly unstoppable. Shirov's book is full of analysis, so readers daunted by the prospects of 12-move variations and the like will have to skim over large chunks of the book. But that doesn't mean that's all the book covers. Shirov is very honest about his career, and his little revelations here and there (don't forget, this is a still-practicing professional and he can't afford to show everything) makes this a very personal, very personable book. You feel like you're getting a privileged peek into the personal notebook of a world-class grandmaster. And some of these games are so full of sacrifices and weird positional maneuvers that they're straight from Planet Shirov in the Hidden Dimension. I don't know if I'm making myself clear: this book is great. If you're a chess player (or just a "connoisseur", as Capablanca might have said), and you want something inspiring to make to think more deeply about the game, you seriously have to think about getting ahold of this book - a book to be ranked among such classics of the genre as Capablanca's "My Chess Career", Alekhine's "My Best Games of Chess", Botvinnik's "100 Games" and Tal's (let's not forget Shirov studied with Tal) "Life and Games of Mikhail Tal". Unrestrainedly recommended!

Certainly one of the best chess books of our time. With his imaginative style, shirov shows the reader how magic can be worked successfully on the chess board, in a way that even the world's top grandmasters can't always counter. Advanced players will enjoy this book as well as benefit from Shirov's detailed explanations. Aided by Shirov's apparent need to criticize even himself and write about the better ideas even he had missed. Beginners however, will not find much use for this book, as the basic positional ideas are taken for granted and not explained, in order to emphasize the greatness of Shirov's great ideas and tactical play.

Certainly one of the very best chess books of recent years. Still, if you aren't a relatively advanced player (2000 or higher rating), I fear that the book will be tough sledding. It assumes a high level of currency with opening theory, and the ability to evaluate complex positions. Not easy reading, but worth it.

If you like to attack when playing chess, you will find some awesome ideas. There are games with unbelievable sacrifices, and the calculation done by Shirov is well explained and easy to follow. A true masterpiece!

Please read the other reviews carefully. Like the man said, this book is NOT for beginners. Its NOT an instructional book. (Maybe an advanced manual for GM Tactics?) It is a book for the very discriminating connoisseur of the Royal Game. And you should be a fairly good chess-player with an above average grasp of chess tactics to "really get" whats in this book!

I found a few errors in this book. I also found one instance of the same line being analyzed twice with a different conclusion in each case! (Transposition.)

But for the most part this is an incredible chess book, crafted with great loving care by the authors. While it is probably over the head of the average chess player, the earnest student of the game will find much pure Gold here to mine!! Another warning: if you are the lazy type of chess player, you probably won't get much out of this book. Buy it ONLY if you are looking for a real challenge!!!(Understand: I am a Master, and many times the variations left me just scratching my head!!) This is the one chess book that, "Is looking for a few Good..." (To borrow a phrase.)

Insightful book full of spectacular positions and frank confessions. Editors should probably have done more work on the verbal, but the chess content is absolutely head-spinning! If you are a boring positional player, you'll have trouble folowing Shirov's recommendations though--his highly tactical games are exceptionally hard to understand but easy to enjoy!!

Well, this is a great book, a peace of work, i don't know a player over 2700's, who can write better than shirov style, other GM, give many dizzy and infinite lines, and this is borned.

The people who believe meet Shirov, knows that he is a great tactical player, secrifices materia for dinamic game, always to pursuit a dramatic ending, and are games accourding this style, but Also is a graet ending player.

In this book, Shirov share, personal tips, that helps to improved chess result in tournaments, also gave its own opening lab, in this case he approach Botvinik opening.

The games were selected from 1979 to 1996, its showed the flesh style of Shirov, with a great tactical instint and his sacrifices, blaze the board, he always pursuit the path to performed a artistic manuoevre.

Shirov's approach are nice, he explained with detailed, easy to understand.

For any person who is coaching a child(parents, coach)this book help for the goal and is a nice gift, better if your child loves tactic.

For beginer player, this book contains top player games, but Shirov's approach is very easy, so don be afraid that you could not taste this book.

For Intermediate player, Shirov, gave nice tips about self preparation, and lab opening, you could find interesting. Too bad that this book has not pic's.

I hope my review could help you

Shirov's wild, daring, complicated, super sharp games are absolutely a joy to replay.
These games really put the fun back into chess.

Fantastic games and a good chess writer. I learned (and am learning) a lot about sacrifices and tactics from this book.

Shirov is one of the strongest grandmasters in the world today, and this is his magnum opus. It's right up there with the collections of Tal, Fischer, Keres, and Larsen. Don't even think about passing it up!