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Soviet Chess (Hardinge Simpole Chess Classics S.)

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there are two books in the hardinge simpole range on chess in the ussr-one is written by two russian experts -insiders in the communist state supported system-the other-this book-is written by international master bob wade. wade visited the ussr many times and he played against many of their leading masters grandmasters and champions such as smyslov, botvinnik petrosian and tal. he studied their methods deeply and he imported many ussr training techniques into british chess where he became the national coach.

the soviet school of chess written by kotov and yudovich is the companion volume and it is a eulogy of soviet methods. wades account is written as an outsider but with comprehensive inside knowledge of how hard work and training achieved the almost total mastery of world chess exerted by the soviets until bobby fischer came along. when fischer challenged spassky in 1972 wade assisted fischer and armed with inside knowledge fischer famously won.

athough this book is a great tour de force it only takes the reader up to the heyday of soviet chess-it does not cover the fall of the greatest chess machine ever created in history when the soviet state collapsed nor does it caltalogue the subsequent phoenix like careers of karpov kasparov and kramnik.the latter two arising from the rubble of the soviet regime. however as a document of the great era of ussr chess achievements -when botvinnik smyslov petrosian spassky and tal ruled the roost-it can hardly be bettered!

Bob Wade, twice British champion and for decades chief junior coach of the British Chess Federation, was one of the driving forces behind the explosion of chess in England which led to three team silver medals in the chess Olympiads of 1984, 1986 and 1988 and to a British player, Nigel Short, challenging for the world title in 1993. Wade won the International Master title in his own right, and would doubtless have obtained a Grandmaster title under modern title stipulations. He is also a noted chess author and has been awarded the OBE for services to chess. Soviet Chess is best read along with Kotov & Yudovitch: The Soviet School of Chess. It is an examination of the Soviet chess machine but seen from the point of view of an expert outsider, fascinated by the training methods which were capable of identifying and nurturing talent up to grandmaster and world champion level on a consistent basis.