World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book

by Dan Heisman

Overview

Who says that you can’t learn from the games of amateurs? Renowned chess instructor and writer Dan Heisman presents thirty games by intermediate-level players, each one offering a rich variety of lessons in practical competitive play for all chess enthusiasts.

The catalog of errors runs the gamut from taking too much (or too little!) time to think, to shoddy calculation, cutting off analysis too soon, and ignoring the principles of sound strategy. Using gentle humor, Coach Heisman gives a blow-by-blow account and patiently dissects the players’ thinking process, offering tips for improving clock management and making better decisions at the board.

Because the advantage can swing wildly back and forth, amateur games can be entertaining as well as instructive. Heisman gives a choice selection of cases of chess suicide, for the purpose of suggesting what the victim could have done to prevent disaster. Learn from this – better them than you!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936277520
Publisher:	Mongoose Press
Publication date:	05/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

The author of ten previous books, National Master Dan Heisman has been a full-time chess instructor since 1996. His “Novice Nook” column at Chess Café has received numerous annual awards for Best Instruction from the Chess Journalists of America, and in 2010 he was voted the CJA’s Chess Journalist of the Year.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

Chapter 1 Too Fast 16

1 French Defense, Tarrasch Variation 17

2 Sicilian Defense, Closed Variation 28

3 Colle System 39

4 Sicilian Defense, High School Variation 55

5 King's Indian Defense, Sämisch Variation 67

6 French Defense, King's Indian Attack 75

Chapter 2 Too Slow 83

7 English Opening 84

8 English Opening 93

9 Slav (Grünfeld transposition) 101

10 Queen's Pawn Game 111

11 Queen's Pawn Game 120

Chapter 3 Endgame Mishaps 133

12 King's Indian Defense 134

13 Pirc Defense 147

14 King's Indian Defense 157

15 French Defense, Winawer Variation 171

16 Pirc Defense, Classical Variation 181

Chapter 4 A Variety of Instructive Play 192

17 Queen's Gambit Declined 193

18 English Opening 200

19 Queen's Pawn Game 205

20 French Defense, Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit 220

21 Queen's Pawn Game 230

22 Sicilian Defense, Chekhover Variation 237

23 Tarrasch Defense 248

Chapter 5 Disaster Strikes 258

24 English Opening 259

25 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack 265

26 King's Indian Defense, Samisch Variation 274

27 Sicilian Defense, Grand Prix Attack 281

28 French Defense, Winawer Variation 290

29 Alekhine's Defense 297

30 Sicilian Defense, Wing Gambit 306

Bibliography 317

Glossary 319