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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
The judges had no difficulty in selecting the Book of the Year this time, despite the considerable merits of the other books on the short list.
There is a long history of outstanding best game collections written by world class players which, besides demonstrating the chess creativity and artistry of the writer, have influenced how the game is played. The collections of Tarrasch, Alekhine, Botwinnik and Fischer spring to mind.
Victor Korchnoi's My Best Games Vol 1: Games with White immediately joins the select band of influential game collections and wins the Book of the Year Award. The book is beautifully presented and published by Olms at £19.99.
Korchnoi is interested in games which enable him to say something about the practical art of chess playing and the nature of the game. After 40 years of playing successfully at the highest levels and with an unsurpassed reputation for fighting chess no-one is better qualified to do so than the veteran campaigner. Most of the games selected are well contested battles. One feels that, to use a boxing analogy, Korchnoi is less interested in one-round knockouts than a twelve-round hard fought points win. This approach gives him ample opportunity to comment perceptively on various aspects of chess, but above all it illustrates superbly how he uniquely maintains the tension in a game and exploits it to his advantage.
A worthy Book of the Year winner which can be enjoyed by players of all standards. There is not a dull game in the book. The sequel, Vol 2: Games with Black is eagerly awaited!
The four books selected for the short list have all avoided that curse of modern chess book publishing, namely regurgitated data bases with little added value by the author. This is emphatically not the case with the books selected.
My Best Games Vol 1: Games with White
Victor Korchnoi
Olms £19.99
In a remarkable career Korchnoi has been playing at the highest level for over 40 years. Renowned for his fighting spirit, this first volume of his best games also illustrates the originality and creativity that formed the foundation of his many successes. The annotations enable Korchnoi to comment on the environments in which he played, the opponents he met and many practical issues arising during play. Outstanding.
The Seven Deadly Chess Sins
Jonathan
Rowson
Gambit £16.99
An arresting title for an original work. Rowson endeavours to identify why players make mistakes for reasons other pure chess understanding. He has identified seven categories, but it is not necessary to agree with them all to get a great deal out of the book. Rowson ranges over a wide variety of subjects not all directly related to chess; but the content is at all times interesting and stimulating.
Russian Silhouettes
Genna Sosonko
New in Chess £13.99
The Dutch Grandmaster, who spent his early years in Russia has written a series of vivid essays on some of the players and characters who made up the Russian chess community. His choice ranges from world champions to others who, for a variety of political and personal reasons, were much less successful. In doing so, Sosonko creates a portrait of the remarkable society that gave rise to more great chess players than any other. An enthralling read.
Understanding Chess Move by Move
John Nunn
Gambit £14.99
John Nunn has brought his considerable analytical and didactic skills to bear on 30 carefully chosen contemporary master games with the aim of illustrating modern chess principles.He has taken great care to use words wherever possible to draw out the underlying chess lessons. Anyone reading this book will undoubtedly improve his or her play.
R B Edwards, M Fox, J Toothill