Customer Reviews

Pawn Power in Chess (Dover Chess)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The standard line that you hear about this book is that it is excellent despite it's odd jargon. This book is aimed at a player who is already familiar with more basic ideas in chess such as tactics. I have talked with one person who was rated 1800 and his rating jumped to over 2000 almost overnight after reading this book.

Here's the truth about this book. This book will give you a firm grasp of how to play the pawns in chess, and it will give you ideas about what your plan should be based on the pawn structure. The bad reviews that other people have given this book is because they weren't serious about digging into this book and finding the treasures that are in this book. Having said that, that is the main drawback of this book. It is a little bit advanced. If you are a beginner you would be MUCH better off buying a book about tactics and doing tactical problems.

The other knock on this book is that Kmoch invents some of his own names for variuos themes (such as calling doubled pawns 'twins') which was a little bit annoying to me, but it isn't too bad once you get used to it.

Overall this is a very good book. It's not an easy read, but if you are past the basics in chess, but not yet a master, and you seriously want to improve your chess, then get this book, sit down, dig through the material, and STUDY this book. If you study this book and really understand what it's saying about pawn play, it will improve your game dramatically. I know exactly how some of the other posters here feel, because I felt that way the first time I read this book. I felt that this book was a waste of my time, but then I asked another strong chess player what he thought about it, and he said this book helped his chess game more than any other, so I sat down and made myself read it and understand it, and sure enough, he was right.

So bottom line, this is a good book, but it's not really fun to read. If you want to read a chess book for enjoyment, read Searching for Bobby Fischer. If you are serious about improving your game and you are willing to do a little hard work, then this book is for you.

Also, Soltis's book, Pawn Structure Chess, covers much of the same material, but it classifies typical plans based on pawn structures, and you will get a lot more out of that book if you read this one first.

Very clear presentation of the elements of pawn play in all aspects of the game. Excellent, clear examples from real games with insightful analysis but without the dozens of variations that make for dense print, heavy reading and constant resetting of the pieces. Individual chapters on pawns and knights, pawns and bishops, pawns and rooks, as well as treatment of good and bad bishops, knights vs bishops, etc. Great illustrative game excerpts with just the subject pieces and also in combination with other pieces.

Explores how the pawn structure provides the basis for the standard themes in each type of position and how it should influence planning and strategy in the handling of the middlegame resulting from various openings. Gems of wisdom regarding when the pawn structure is favorable to each piece, how the pieces relate to the structure, and initiating changes in the pawn structure are scattered throughout the text.

This is a great reference for any player, but probably of most value to those with a fair or better command of piece play and tactics and an established repertoire of openings who want to raise their games a notch, or more - club and tournament players who are moving up past 1500 and beyond.

This is an older book presented in descriptive rather than algebraic notation and Kmoch uses a unique terminology, but neither fact should be an issue for anyone with the brain power to perform chess analysis.

First, I have to get something off my chest: why do people have trouble with descriptive notation? It takes like what, 45 seconds to learn? Chess players are normally pretty smart people, and they have trouble learning descriptive notation? Perhaps chess isn't for you if you have trouble with that. Maybe take up basket weaving, which is very challenging in its own right, but does not use language. This book is one of a treasured few that makes my "desert island" list. I often felt before reading this book that chess was like a foreign language to me. I heard with envy that Reti said about Capablanca that "chess was his mother tongue." I wanted that so badly, but I still felt, no matter how much I studied, that I was missing something essential about chess. This book, Pawn Power in Chess, changed that for me. The more I study this book (which has been off and on for about 5 years), the more I learn about chess, and the more I "feel" chess on an intuitive level. Kmoch uses the device of creating his own vocabulary to bring concepts to life for you, and I always found this useful, though some readers do not like it. The examples are brilliantly annotated and selected. My only complaint about this book is that I wish it were ten times longer. I wish Kmoch had written about all of the openings, explaining them in light of the principles he sets out in this book. A major part of this book is the incredible conviction that he brings to his work. He brings enthusiasm, which is key, but many writers (Motwani, Silman, Seirawan, Alburt, Watson, Yermolinsky) bring enthusiasm. That in itself is not enough. Great conviction is also required. This is what impressed Petrosian so much about Nimzowitsch: the almost religious conviction with which Nimzo presented his ideas, his system. Kmoch is, to me, on a similar level. In fact, I think this book makes a perfect companion to My System. On top of that, work through Kmoch's earlier works, Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces and World Championship in Battle Royale (about the 1948 championship tournament), for lots of great games to flesh things out. He annotates those works more conventionally, but those works become more interesting after reading Pawn Power. I cannot say enough good about this book. It can be obtained cheaply, and it should be treasured.

This is an excellent book for players of the game at all levels. The first 2 chapters alone are worth the price of the book. These concentrate on the basis of all pawn operations from not only a practical but also a tactical standpoint. From there you learn the effects that the pawn structure can have on your minor pieces and rooks in detail with wonderful examples from masters games such as Alekhine and Capablanca. Then comes the unexpected when you learn how to use such tactics as "sweeping and sealing" & "the center fork trick". This book leaves no stone unturned and can only have a positive effects on the games of players at all levels.

OK In life its necessary to be honest even if it's not popular. So here goes my 5 cents. In its time this was one of the few if not the only book on pawn structures. A lot of veteran masters used this book so it's well known. However it's still using an obsolete notation (You are going to go crazy! its like reading old time English). Kmoch also uses phrases and names pawns using proprietary words/names that no one else uses. Many of the openings reviewed are not popular or obsolete so much of the material is of little practical use over 60 pages are devoted to Benoni formations, have you ever played that opening? The dynamic isolated pawn structure, defensive value of the doubled pawn, rigid pawn structure versus piece mobility, white and black square control, compensation and how to meet the minority attack. All these concepts came out after this book was written. In a simplistic and historical way this is a classic book. It's just not correct to think that a 1940s book is going to give you modern practical knowledge. Its tough to read, tough to understand and takes a long time to go through. Use one of the modern books, Soltis's Pawn structure chess or one of the other modern books on pawn power will get you there faster and better. However if you have a lot of time and want to experience an historically important book that most players of the 40s, 50s and 60s would have read on their way to the master level then this book is fine. You will still have to read one of the modern pawn structure books to understand how modern masters view pawn structures. A little about me, I am close to IM level so know a thing or two about chess books.I enjoy playing on ICC and my computer. May start to take part in tourneys again. I have limited time so take a practical approach to maximising the use of my study time. Have over 200 books not 1000 lol.

"The pawn is the soul of chess." - Philidor, over 200 years ago. One learns about duos, the ram, chains, levers, fork tricks, pawn structure and more. The structure of pawns actually dictate the placement of all other pieces. Quite a lot of power for the little foot soldier, as pawns are often called. Master players win many games because of weak pawn play by the opponent. This would be on my list of the first 5 books one should study

First a word of warning: I only own the (original) german version of this book, there may be some differences to the English edition. This book is an outstanding description on how to use your pawns in a chess game. Intermediate chessplayers will improve considerably by working through it. However, it has one big drawback: Kmoch uses his very own, pretty weired names for some pawn constellations. Getting used to this names is necessary for working through this book, but hardly of any use for your further career as a chess player. All in all a great book with a disturbing flaw. I suggest first to work through Soltis "Pawn structure chess" and then through this book.

I should not have bought Soltis' book on Pawn Structures . Reason being this book is so very good -- buying any other would be waste of money . If you don't believe me , compare the pages of this book (review the pages u can)with the one from Soltis . You will see the difference right away . This book will help u in opening , middle game and end game . Soltis just helps u in opening and that too if u open with specific ones . This book covers general concepts that u can apply anywhere . In chess concepts are way more important than memorization . U cannot learn everything in chess --- u can only get basic concepts and play according to them . 6 stars . U r missing out on something special in chess -- better than Nimzowich's My System!!

Yes, the language is outdated. The notation is outdated.
But this book is still easily worth your time and money.
Why? Because it works.

I've studied chess for over 15 years and it was obvious to me, by page 30 or so, that this book was the best I'd ever seen on pawn play. It was a real revelation. I would agree that its slow going since it took me a long time to work past the first two chapters. It does take effort, but I'd compare it to learning a new language. It isn't much fun at first but once you start to "get it" a whole new world opens up; then it becomes more fun. This book immediately paid dividends for me once I started playing again. Simply put: Its a classic because it still works.

That said, I would NOT recommend this book to absolute beginners or to children because it IS a bit advanced, a bit dry and therefore it's not much fun. It will seem too much like schoolwork for younger students. Instead, I would focus on Jeremy Silman's "The Amateur's Mind" or something by Bruce Pandolfini since they're more accessible and use a modern vernacular (and algebraic notation).

You won't get much better unless you challenge yourself.
If you want to "take it easy" and play simply for fun, then look elsewhere. But if you're willing to do some work in order to make real improvement then at least spend a couple of hours on the initial chapters. Also, you can pick this book up for just a few bucks at almost any decent used book store.

In conclusion, if you absolutely can NOT stomach the antiquated language or descriptive notation, then I'd recommend you check out "Understanding Pawn Play" by Marovic or the wonderful DVD "Power Play: vol 5" by Danny King. Both are good alternatives; I can especially recommend the DVD. But this book is cheap, easy to find, and can help you understand a critical part of chess. Its not perfect, but it is still a must-buy for those with tournament experience and a willingness to work. Good Luck!

I have read many chess books. As my rating is only in the 1700's I am by no means an expert. I am however a person who enjoys chess, studies chess, and wants to know more. I am also a person that is not so committed that I want to drag out a chess board and study every possible variation of a position. When I look for chess books I look for ones that are easy to read focusing on concepts more than variations. For this reason I really enjoyed Silman's Endgame Course. Probably the most impact for the buck on your game. However I've learned that the player who understands Pawn Structure is better prepared. It guides you, shows you a plan of action, sets you up for success, etc. Understanding End Games and Pawns are the keys to winning!

So: This book is good. It provides the concepts of Pawn Play. It is easy to understand without too many variations to dig through. The only negative is that he first creats his own vocabulary for you to follow. At first it is daunting to learn so many new terms, but there is a method to his madness. once you understand the language he is using the concepts and ideas become very clear and more importantly...useful!
enjoy