49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reading this book made me a fan!, July 16, 2009
This review is from: My 60 Memorable Games (Paperback)
First I would like to state this is not the infamous 1995 Batsford release that infuriated Bobby Fischer. This 2009 copy puts all that scandal in the past and lets a new generation enjoy this great book in the language spoken by most players algerbraic notation. The previous alterations in the 1995 edition have been omitted making this a faithful reproduction of a great work. Mostly grammatical errors and misspellings have been corrected. I happen to own this book and compared it to with the alterations stated by Mr. Winter in his article Fischer's Fury and this new issue holds true. Only one alteration was made that is the game Fischer - Tal Candidates Tournament 1959. Fischer in his original book gives (50.....Ba1 when Bobby could have won with 51. Rc8+) instead the correct move made actually in the game 50....Kc7. Fischer in a interview for a chess magazine states at the last minute before the book hit the printing press he caught the error, he attached a note but fell off. Making this an updated copy.
Before reading this book I disdained studying any Fischer games because I believed he couldn't have been a good player for dropping out of competitive chess. Reading this book completely changed my opinion now I consider him my favorite chess player of all time. What makes this game collection so good it was written by Fischer himself. No chess writer can give you a better insight than the man who actually played the games. Fischer's commentary to his games is refreshing bringing his games to life with humor, brutal honesty and humbleness often stating where he made mistakes and could have played better. It shows Bobby's genius to remember the emotional and phycological ups and downs to his games played years before henceforth the title. You also cant beat the annotations they come strait from the mind of one of history's greatest chess artist. You wont be bored here Fisher gives a healthy amount of notes usually at key moments in the games as opposed to other chess writers who leave the reader confused with an extreme amount of notes with no value. Fischer's games are absolutley beautiful I doubt there are many readers who will disagree. This is a must have for any chess reader with any amount of good taste.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Book and I, January 8, 2010
This review is from: My 60 Memorable Games (Paperback)
Hm...
When I first decided on aquiring this literary masterpiece, I was quite under the impression that there would be a higher annotation:move ratio. I was wrong, but perhaps that is a good thing.
There is a plethora of chess enlightenment within the pages. Knowledge isn't spoon-fed to you, as in many lower-level books, but there are excellent annotations which let us peek into the mind of a chess legend. A chess legend whom, if you are reading this page, you probably adore.
The games are ones which Bobby Fischer considers memorable, so therefore they must be pretty great, right? They are!
Still, as I mentioned, the annotations aren't spoon-fed to you, so you won't be getting anything out of simply playing over the moves really quickly and glancing at the annotations. You actually have to sit in front of Fischer's opponent and contemplate the moves through Fischer's eyes.
C.S.Purdy once said,"If the student forces himself to examine all moves that smite, however absurd they may look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics."
I quote him, because, a lot of Fischer's moves come out of nowhere. When going over Bobby's games in endeavor to guess which move comes next, calculating the bizarre moves is beneficial.
It's an excellent book if you are a dedicated chess player. Casual chess players won't get nearly as much out of it. In other words, if chess is your hobby, you won't get as much out of it. If chess is your life, then stop reading customer reviews, and just go ahead and purchase the book!
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23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been waiting many years for this book!, May 16, 2009
This review is from: My 60 Memorable Games (Paperback)
This book was previously out of print and very difficult to find for many years. The annotations are by Fischer himself and are deeply instructive and entertaining. I play through the games, covering the moves with a card, and try to guess Fischer's next move. If you do this, all phases of your game will improve - the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. This book is easily one of the best chess books ever printed. If you are serious about chess, you simply must own this classic.
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