Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters: Fundamentals of the Game, Volume 1 [Hardcover]

Lev Alburt (Author), Larry Parr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997 | Series: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters (Book 1)

Russia's dominance in modern chess was founded on a successful programme of instruction. This volume and its companion is based on that instruction programme, which should help readers develop from beginner to expert. It incorporates easy-to-follow strategic concepts to build the player's skills to the tournament level. Through instructional chapters and practice sections featuring exercise and game situations, the book shows how to advance in the game using the techniques that produced champions.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Great is the disappointment to the library patron who browses for a chess instructional and finds only picked-over bones from the pre-Fischer, pre-Kasparov eras. These books by a U.S. champion and a chess magazine editor offer something more. A range of abilities, from novice to entrants in a local tournament, can learn tactics and strategies that improve their play. The authors drop the obsession with "book knowledge" about elaborate openings. More than 98 percent of games, they say, turn on tactical dangers and opportunities about two moves into the future, and for that distance of foresight, the Russian secrets the authors share consist of a series of questions players must ask themselves after each move. "Chessercizes," with hundreds of diagrams, provide practice for analyzing attacking combinations and defenses against them, from opening through endgame, making this a great contemporary resource. Including tips about computer programs. Gilbert Taylor

Review

"Quite simply, the quickest way to learn chess the right way."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393041158
• ISBN-13: 978-0393041156
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great start for visual learners, December 6, 2001

By 

Tax Lawyer (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters: Fundamentals of the Game, Volume 1 (Hardcover)

I am a very visual learner. Apparently, so are Russian children. This book is written in the manner that Russian children are taught: a chessboard is laid down, pieces placed, and a question posed, say, checkmate in two. Your job is to figure out how to get there. In the book, the first half is composed of pages of such diagrams, each geared towards either explaining visually how a piece moves, its value in trade, its best positions, etc. It is a great way to learn the game.
The book starts off slowly, explaining how the game works. You then work through various parts of the game: openings, middle moves, and closings. This game really helped me to develop a solid opening.
I have always had trouble with the middle game; this book gives the basics for that. The second volume gives a much more in-depth treatment of the game; openings, closings, and middle game strategy. But this is the book to get for a new player, or for one who always seems to get beaten. I started out losing to the computer on its easiest level, now I still lose, but at least I understand why, heh heh. Seriously, it is written in an understandable manner, and if you're a visual learner, the problem sets are really worthwhile.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, Excellent., March 29, 2005

By 

E. J Zapata (Los Angeles, Calif.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters: Fundamentals of the Game, Volume 1 (Paperback)

This is one excellent Beginner book; it is unique and very informative. The first 102 pages have a lot of basic fundamental information ALL beginners should learn. Pages 103 to 264 of the book are devoted to Tactics & Strategy theory of The Opening, Middlegame and Endgame-this is the meat of the book. Lev mixes games, theory and teaching diagrams artfully. The diagrams are clear; most ask you a question or two with the answers right there, no flipping pages to the back of the book to hunt for answers. Many answers are very detailed. This is a great study book for beginners. Reading it once is not enough. Good Luck.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars long-chaptered but excellent, March 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters: Fundamentals of the Game, Volume 1 (Hardcover)

This book uses a combination of lecture and problem-solving to train and ingrain the information. It covers the basics of openings, middlegame analysis, tactics and endgames. A delightful feature is the regular "chess movies" which introduce instructive games with useful commentary and multiple diagrams. The book also trains your skills with descriptive notation. My main criticism lies in the length of some of the chapters. It might have been better to break them into several smaller chapters with problems and drills in between to further consolidate learning. Worth getting if you're fairly new, or have been out of the game for long enough to feel you need to brush up.