Practical Chess Exercises: 600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy [Paperback]

If you're a class level player, and are only going to buy one more chess book for the rest of your life, it simply has to be this one. Buy this book in any event and treasure it. It's the problem book we didn't know we needed.

Now, if you've read my other chess and checker book reviews you'll know that I'm not prone to empty praise and the type of hyperbola espoused in the paragraph above. But plain and simple, this book is every bit as good as I imply.

What is it? It's 600 problems, six to a page, with solutions sketched (not detailed) on the facing page (which you need to keep covered with a sheet of note paper sized to fit the book). The problems are not the usual themed and rated tactics collection; they are a completely randomized assortment of REAL LIFE positions, many drawn from amateur games. They range from easy to hard, tactical to positional, opening to endgame, and attack to defense. But what is so great about the collection is that you are given not a single hint as to type, theme, or difficulty (until you look at the solution, wherein all is revealed). This simulates tournament play conditions exactly.

Yes, with this book you are completely on your own and as the introduction points out, you are going to have to think for yourself, just as you do in real play. The intro also recommends taking about 30 minutes per page of six problems, but I'll suggest another way of using, and reusing, this book.

I am going through the book in several passes. On my first pass, I take as long as I want on each problem (within reason). I'm not using a clock, but I'm coming up with a plan and then a set of moves in 15 minutes or less; some of the easy problems with a tactical solution require little time; some of the complex ones require much more time. If convenient, I set up the problem on a board, with the side to move facing me (better, I think, than solving 'upside down' from a diagram), though the book's portable size lends itself to solving at odd moments in odd places as well. After I work out my solution I compare it with the book's solution, being careful not to reveal any other solutions on the facing page; I reconcile my answer with the "right" answer, if they are different. Then, at that point or later, I use the computer (Hiarcs in this case) to explore other avenues, if the problem so warrants.

On your first pass I do advise you to do the same and not skip this latter computer step; it adds immensely to your learning and to the value of the problem, even if it does require additional effort.

On my second pass, which is still to come, I plan to limit my time strictly to five minutes per problem. Hopefully the themes will "ring a bell" at that point. I also intend a third pass where I am hoping for sight recognition and will allow just one minute per problem.

How much improvement can you--- or I--- expect from study of 600 varied and realistic positions? While I don't have numbers to back it up yet, I suspect it will be in the region of 200 rating points, maybe even more, as truly learning this many practical positions has got to be of great value.

What other book can offer this much? Opening books will teach you some things, analysis books will teach you more; but learning to play positions corresponds in a one to one manner with actual tournament play. This unique collection is doing a lot for me and I bet it will for you too.

I have been away from chess for quite some time, in fact, I haven't played it seriously since the 5th and 6th grade. Now that I'm in graduate school, and I need something to "sharpen my mind" after lots of reading and writing, I have turned to chess to hopefully exercise the "other part" of my brain (whether the "chess" part of the brain is the same as the reading and writing part of it, I don't know, this is why I'm in history not science).

This is the first book that I have ever bought concerning chess puzzles, and I must say I am very impressed. Cheng mixes in puzzles of different difficulty levels and simply asks you to make the best move. He doesn't tell you if there is a two move checkmate, or if you are looking for a winning fork, you simply have to study the board and make the best choice. This choice can be anything from creating a space advantage, to an outpost for your Knight, to a fork, to a consolidation of your position, to preventing your opponent from mating you, etc. All you know is that you are either black or white and you must make the best move. I sincerely hope that Cheng comes out with another such book very soon. I am only 80 puzzles into it, and I would definitely consider buying another such book with this format. No hints, no themes, no # of moves to checkmate, simply make the best move. It's brilliant!

Refreshingly, here's a collection of chess puzzles that mixes tactical
problems with strategic ones, plus some on defense and prophylaxis.
The problems themselves are not necessarily harder than the ones you
see elsewhere, but the fact that all these themes are blended together
means that you have to go through your full mental checklist to
evaluate the position and select the appropriate course of action.
Some of the strategy problems, derived from the classics, are really
quite nice. If you've paid your dues in the tactics department and
want to continue your chess training on a broader and more holistic
basis, this book may be just what you need. I have been working
through these exercises myself, and I plan to give selected problems to
my students to analyze and study. There should be more chess training
books written with this philosophy. Dr. Nunn...Yaz...how about it?

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