Weapons of chess an omnibus of chess strategy

   Weapons of Chess is a book of concepts and practical advice. It defines and explains the key motifs of strategic play. It is concerned more with thinking than with specific moves. It presents plans, elucidates their formulation and execution, and emphasizes pawn play over brilliant combinations. It helps a player answer the question: What do I do now?

   The book is divided into thirty-eight essays, arranged alphabetically by theme-title for ease of use. For example, if you are interested in learning about doubled pawns or have recently encountered them in a game, you can turn to the section entitled "Doubled Pawns" in this book, where you will find a brief definition and descriptions of doubled pawn types (double pawns are either connected or isolated), followed by a discussion of their ramifications. Many essays include illustrative diagrams focusing on the essay's important themes.

   The essay format permits several features to stand out almost at once. Since there are no variations of chess moves to wade through, you can actually read the text without a board and pieces. You may enjoy setting up the positions on a real chessboard for reinforcement, but this is not necessary. Weapons of Chess, presents abstract chess themes without relying on chess notation. A knowledge of the algebraic names of squares is helpful, but even this is not required. Every idea is explained in words.

   Another advantage of this book is its simple, yet thorough tapestry of concepts, plans, practical advice, and basic do's and don'ts. If the square occupied by White's King in the original position is el, and the original square for Black's King is e8. All squares in the algebraic grid are always named from White's standpoint.

   If at first you have trouble remembering where all the squares are, I suggest you make a photocopy of the diagram above and use it as a bookmark while reading Weapons of Chess. Thus it will always be handy when you need it, though after a while you probably won't need it at all. As a further reference point, note that in this book the numbers and letters of all the positions are conveniently arranged on the outside of each diagram.

Author: Bruce Pandolfini
Title: "Weapons of chess an omnibus of chess strategy"
Released: 1989
Format: djvu
Quality: good
Number of pages: 288
Size: 6 Mb