The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy [Paperback]

Irving Chernev (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 1992

62 masterly demonstrations of the basic strategies of winning, featuring games by the greatest chess masters — Capablanca, Tarrasch, Fischer, Alekhine, Lasker, others. Each game offers a classic example of a fundamental problem and its best resolution, described and diagramed in the clearest possible manner for players of every level of skill. 146 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 6, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486273024
• ISBN-13: 978-0486273020
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Chess

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 130 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but onesided view, July 30, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy (Paperback)

This is a book that contains a variety of different games that are supossed to be instructive. Some of the games are interesting and some are rather boring. The author takes on the side of the winner, showing with exclamation points the brilliant moves, but not the weaker moves when they are made, except by the losing side. Often a good defense or better move was available that is not pointed out. Personally I like this author's other book "Logical Chess Move by Move" and "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors" much better that show the ideas behind every move and doesn't seem to take sides.
This is still a good book, but very biased toward the winner of each game that effects the quality of the analysis.

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Lover's Only, February 14, 2000

By 

A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G." (Pensacola, FL (U.S.A.)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy (Paperback)

Easily one of the best books ever written. This is one of the first books I purchased over 30 years ago. I am sure it helped start me on the road to Chess Mastery.

Chernev, like Reinfeld, did NOT write chess books to impress other Chess Masters. He wrote books simply and with great care. He also put his tremendous love of the game into this book.

I simply cannot convey what a wonderful book this is. This book will especially appeal to the average player, especially someone who wants to improve his game.

I usually don't rave about books. This is an exception.

Here is what I say about this book on my web site:
<< The next book is by Irving Chernev. I met this man several times, and he had a real love for the game that few players today demonstrate. He would look at games by the hour with anyone. I personally believe Chernev was at least IM strength. (I believe he played in several U.S. Championships.) The book is:
"The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played."
[62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy.]
It contains 62 true masterpieces of chess by various different players. (Masters such as Fischer, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tal, etc. Plus many more of the all-time greats!!) Each game is carefully and lovingly annotated. This book had a tremendous impact on me and the way that I viewed and looked at chess.
{I studied it many, many, many times.}

Chernev provides games with an almost blow-by-blow commentary. His ideas are simple, fresh, insightful, and expressed with great clarity. He explains all the basic ideas of the game in a manner that ANY chess-player can follow. The variations are perfect. Not too much to overload the senses. I have had players who were almost beginners to players who were accomplished tournament players ... tell me that they profited from a careful study of this book. I think one should study this book, as I did. Every time your rating goes up 100 points, you should work your way through this book from cover to cover! You won't regret it and you definitely will improve!

Another unique thing is he finds one idea or theme in each game,
and just hammers away at it. It is a VERY good study method.

It also contains some of the classics of Chess, and Chernev brings you a fresh insight and analysis to each game. (Indeed - his comments and analysis may differ greatly from the ones that may have been published in the {chess} press when the game was first played.) Chernev was one of the greatest all-time teachers and writers in the chess field. This book is a true pearl!!! I think it belongs in the library of every real chess aficionado. >>

I also rate this in, "The Ten Best Chess Books Ever Written." Need I say more?

132 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No masterpiece, March 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy (Paperback)

After reading through most of these reviews that are for the most part extremely favorable I feel it's necessary to add this slightly less favorable review to complete the picture.

The book is a collection of annotated games, and the author wrote it for instruction. So far so good. There are several problems with this book, however:

- The analysis is sometimes misleading, or outright wrong. Chernev tries to explain everything with general principles, but often the chosen move just had to be played for tactical reasons. This gives the reader the wrong impression that just about any position can be played according to generalities, which is wrong.
- Many of the selected games are fairly dull games where both sides just trade down material and then one side wins in the endgame after a mistake by the other player. This is not a fault per se, but the potential buyer should be aware of this. You won't find many interesting attacking games in this book.
-Chernev provides very one-sided annotations. Often average moves by the player who eventually wins are marked with exclamation marks, while excellent moves by the loser get no mention.
-Chernev typically doesn't explain the plans for the side who eventually loses.
-Bad moves by the winner are typically not marked as such.
-The annotations are often irrelevant. Often Chernev gives long, non-forcing side variations that have absolutely nothing to do with the game played. Reading through these variations doesn't help you to understand the underlying game in the least.

In conclusion, I would say it's a decent book, but nowhere near the quality of Chernev's "Logical Chess", or other collections of annotated games by authors such as Euwe or Nunn. It is certainly not a "must-have".