Fire On Board: Shirov's Best Games (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: slight plus, decisive mistake, clear plus, Buenos Aires, Erevan Olympiad, Manila Interzonal (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Alexei Shirov has dazzled and inspired a generation of chess fans with his unique brand of attacking chess. The Grandmaster, originally from Riga, Latvia, is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive and inventive chess players of the modern era, an argument backed up by his wealth of amazing games, rich in tactical fireworks and extraordinary moves. "Fire on Board" begins where the best-selling first edition left off in 1996. Shirov traces his progress at the top of the chess world since that year and presents a delightful collection of his favourite games, all explained in great detail to the reader. Shirov's best games, are unravelled and explained by the man himself. This is a compilation of violent, attacking and imaginative chess. It is written by one of the world's leading players.

About the Author

Since becoming a Grandmaster in 1990, Alexei Shirov has firmly established himself amongst the world's leading players and has a string of tournament victories to his name. Highlights of his career so far include a runners-up spot in the 2000 FIDE World Championship, plus an impressive match victory over the BGN World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. More recently, Shirov came outright first in the 2004 Sarajevo super-GM tournament, his winning margin over his nearest rival being an emphatic 1.5 points.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Publishers (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857441508
• ISBN-13: 978-1857441505
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #634,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic chess from today's conscience of chess, June 21, 1998

By	jazz spazz (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best chess books I've bought in a long time, and certainly one of the very best among the current batch of titles swarming the shelves. Shirov, with his highly original play and creative thinking, is, like Reti was in his day, the true conscience of chess today. Like Reti had had, Shirov has had uneven results in tournaments because of his uncompromising quest for originality in all his games. But like Reti, Shirov at his best is bewilderingly unstoppable. Shirov's book is full of analysis, so readers daunted by the prospects of 12-move variations and the like will have to skim over large chunks of the book. But that doesn't mean that's all the book covers. Shirov is very honest about his career, and his little revelations here and there (don't forget, this is a still-practicing professional and he can't afford to show everything) makes this a very personal, very personable book. You feel like you're getting a privileged peek into the personal notebook of a world-class grandmaster. And some of these games are so full of sacrifices and weird positional maneuvers that they're straight from Planet Shirov in the Hidden Dimension. I don't know if I'm making myself clear: this book is great. If you're a chess player (or just a "connoisseur", as Capablanca might have said), and you want something inspiring to make to think more deeply about the game, you seriously have to think about getting ahold of this book - a book to be ranked among such classics of the genre as Capablanca's "My Chess Career", Alekhine's "My Best Games of Chess", Botvinnik's "100 Games" and Tal's (let's not forget Shirov studied with Tal) "Life and Games of Mikhail Tal". Unrestrainedly recommended!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book. Not for beginners. Not for the timid., November 20, 1999

By	Noam ([e-mail]) (Israel) - See all my reviews

Certainly one of the best chess books of our time. With his imaginative style, shirov shows the reader how magic can be worked successfully on the chess board, in a way that even the world's top grandmasters can't always counter. Advanced players will enjoy this book as well as benefit from Shirov's detailed explanations. Aided by Shirov's apparent need to criticize even himself and write about the better ideas even he had missed. Beginners however, will not find much use for this book, as the basic positional ideas are taken for granted and not explained, in order to emphasize the greatness of Shirov's great ideas and tactical play.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but best for advanced players, July 1, 1999

By A Customer

Certainly one of the very best chess books of recent years. Still, if you aren't a relatively advanced player (2000 or higher rating), I fear that the book will be tough sledding. It assumes a high level of currency with opening theory, and the ability to evaluate complex positions. Not easy reading, but worth it.