Chess Master...at Any Age

by Rolf Wetzell (Author)

12 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0938650584

ISBN-10: 0938650580

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How one man, tired of languishing in the ditch of chess, rose above it and became a master, after 50! -3rd printing. Reaching a plateau of chess strength after many years of playing, Rolf Wetzell devised new and unusual methods of study. These methods propelled him through several USCF rating classes to achieve his life-long ambition of becoming a chess master.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rolf Wetzell was born in China to German parents and immigrated to the U.S. in his early teens. With degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeast University, he worked in the defense industry for 36 years.

Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Thinkers Pr Inc / Chessco (June 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0938650580
ISBN-13: 978-0938650584
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 12 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1410 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Chess
- #193600 in Books > Textbooks

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Edward J. Hoskins

Four Stars

April 13, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book and content - very readable.

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A Kindred Spirit Wrote An Expectedly Complex Book

April 15, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This was a book I simply had to have, as the author and I have rather similar backgrounds, both of us being MIT electrical engineers, and both of us wanting to greatly improve our chess play beyond age 50. It is obvious that he and I have had similar professional training, for he has written a book that is complex and highly analytical, in true MIT fashion, and something I would likely have done myself.

The author provides a very detailed, well-thought out, and documented model of chess proficiency, and in the same analytical manner, presents methods for improvement. Even if you too are an MIT engineer, this makes the book hard to follow and masks the essential *methods* of the improvement program --- methods which in fact are quite appealing, if a bit dated in their manual rather than computerized approach (the book isn't all that new any longer and dates back to a somewhat earlier age of computer use). A reader interested only in the "how to" might perhaps successfully skip the whole first half of the book!

The book rates four stars because the methods are good and will surely result in progress, and because the program is thorough and holistic. I take off one star because it's a difficult read and there is a temptation to chuck it after about 100 pages or so. The book has also become a bit of a collector's item and therefore not inexpensive.

10 people found this helpful

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Jonathan

A couple interesting ideas, but...

April 11, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is a little wacky. The author is clearly maniacal about his chess and a little quirky. With this kind of devotion I don't think one needs any special direction or ideas on how to improve. However, I do like the flashcard idea which has been slammed a bit in some other reviews. The reason I like it is this: this book is not about how to become a master, it is about how to become a master late in life. If you have a job, family, etc. you can't just sit down in front of a computer for 3 hours a day to do your training. If you have a handful of cards in your pocket you can keep ideas fresh when you have the five to ten minute intervals in an otherwise busy day (waiting for the train, in the elevator, at the airport, in between meetings, in a taxi, etc.). You can't just carry around a laptop for these fleeting moments.
.

8 people found this helpful

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Michael Mills

Inspirational but dated.

April 3, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book has some good tips but i think it may need an update as we have some modern tools that improve on the methods.

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May 3, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an AWESOME book after reading some pages it taught me to realized lacking in me and I've learned that Rolf Wetzell was right in his writings. He has different outlook of being a chess master. I believed with his idea of Components of Chess Capability (Images, APROP, MM, Attitude and Genetic Factors).
I haven't finished this book yet, I might update my review someday as I am hoping to learn more.

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David Dathe

A wonderful book on chess thinking and improvement!!

June 4, 1998

Format: Paperback

A sad, and true, fact is that most chess players show little improvement in their game after several years of study and play. Why? Because it's difficult to change our thinking about how we each play chess. Old, bad and erroneous thinking habits prevent us from becoming stronger. Wetzell's book does a tremendous service to the chess player by showing how to identify bad and sloppy thinking habits, and then, how to eradicate them from one's play. Chapter 1 explains the five components of chess strength: images, ability to project positions (see future positions in your mind), move selection method, attitude, and genetic factors. Individual chapters then concentrate on each component. Wetzell explains how to analyze your own game with respect to each component, then offers specific and detailed methods of improving each factor. The final chapter concludes with a long range plan for improvement. I read a tag line for this book which went: "Wetzell didn't study harder, he studied smarter!". I agree. If you are serious about improving your chess, then Wetzell's book will show you how. Learn to think differently about yourself as a player and about chess as a game. Improvement is sure to follow.

17 people found this helpful

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Actuarysmith

Good Self-Help Book for players stuck at a rating plateau

July 24, 2000

Format: Paperback

This book is very interesting to read. The first portion of the book could be skipped if you are willing to take his ideas on faith alone - I skimmed the first section and concluded that the ideas were reasonably sound.
The second part of the book consists of the actual improvement methods. The main lessons from the book are that
1) most people get stuck at a certain level after a number of years of playing chess, 2) unless you study smarter (not harder) or do something drastically different in your routine, nothing will change, 3) you need to allocate some of your study time to re-inforce what you already know, 4) you MUST study your own games - especially losses very critically and honestly.
In my opinion, some of the earlier reviews were unduly harsh regarding the use of computer technology or flashcards and gave the book an artificially low review. It is the method and the ideas that are important. It really doesen't matter so much whether you use hard-copy, computers, flash cards, etc. Just do what works best for you, BUT DO IT!

16 people found this helpful

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Ben Wilke

Good ideas, but not perfect

June 28, 2000

Format: Paperback

In this book Rolf Wetzell basically tells the reader all the factors that he thinks make up chess "strength" (how strong of a player one is), then tells you ways that you can improve on these aspects. I thought that most of his ideas were very logical, and correct. I especially like Wetzell's thoughts on light/quality/durable images, and how they can help your chessplay.
I found the book helpful, but I was a little disappointed with it in some ways. One thing I noticed is that Wetzell often repeats himself. This got annoying, and also decreased my confidence in his book and ideas. Another thing I didn't like was that I felt like Wetzell wanted me to do things exactly like he did. I would have liked it better if he had just thrown out the ideas, and let you do with them what you want.
This is also a very short book, and I don't think the quality of the text is worth the [price]. I would recommend spending the money on books that are more well known that you know will be good investments.

11 people found this helpful

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