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Author's
note
Chess
players should definitely use their heads rather than hands… It is more
useful to develop deeper understanding of the good and the bad sides of
each piece than to learn by heart all the games of the great champions…
One can hardly expect to successfully protect the king without proper
knowledge of the roles of cavalry, artillery or infantry in various situations
that may arise in the opening, middlegame or endgame. That is exactly
the reason why this handbook, maybe not better than any other, but certainly
different, brings Pinocchio - the chunk of wood - to life: whimsical at
first sight, he would gradually mature before our eyes lesson after lesson…
…And that's also a
shortcut to a better comprehension of chess theory; it is not just about
"I play this, then you play that, and then again - it's my turn and
I move here, you move there, and so on", or how you treat Caro-Kann
or any other opening for that matter, or how to mate one's bare king with
minor pieces only - there's more to the picture than meets the eye… Thorough
understanding of the fact that a knight in the centre of the board is
four times stronger than its unfortunate peer in the corner, that the
value of any piece is directly proportional to its impact, or that one
should try to control the centre straight from the opening should be equivalent
to the magic words: "Open, Sesame!"
Great players who
have mastered all the subtleties of chess from a1 to h8, as well as the
other intellectual giants who shared the same passion for the royal game
agree on one thing: the principles of chess represent the key towards
greater understanding of the game; their thoughts, experience, pieces
of advice and pearls of wisdom are also included in this book.
This challenging game
full of life has managed to survive hundreds of years: not at a tender
age anymore, it has nonetheless preserved its youthfulness and charm.
The answer to that paradox can be found in the section where "golden
games", problems and studies often defy the common logic; accompanied
by the great pieces of art they produce that captivating effect that signs,
seals and delivers the message to the true aficionados. Let's just join
them in the celebration of the game of chess!
GM
Aleksandar Matanovic |
