Reviews for Simple Chess: New Algebraic Edition

The average rating for Simple Chess: New Algebraic Edition based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-03-01 00:00:00 Mark Kisselbach This is a remarkable book. It is easily accessible to any chess player who is past the phase where tactical methods are a mystery. At that stage of development, what is needed is a way to understand how to create positions from which tactics could spring (or where you can just win the endgame). I took a long time to read this book, building up a collection of 55 games in my database and entering every variation and comment along with my own notes. This is the approach I would take for a semester-long undergraduate course, and that is about how long it took me to finish. I enjoyed every minute and think it was totally worth it. I have never really studied a chess book, and I think you could do worse than to start here. First, it's only 160 pages long, and the explanations are gold. Second, GM Stean explains the strategic aspects of chess in a way that is easy to understand. The book is from the late 70's and almost all of the analysis holds up to computer checking. I didn't understand some assessments and after trying, with my limited skill, to get what was going on, I checked some lines with an engine. Again and again the explanations were spot on. In a few places, moves are suggested for one side or the other which are not as strong as engine moves, but this never changed the point of the lesson. This is a big deal to me in an age where people constantly claim to find "mistakes" and then dismiss older chess books. This type of engine checking misses the point and makes it seem like the lessons are not correct. This (and many other) books show that many times it doesn't matter what the engines say: if you can understand the ideas being taught, then the lesson is valuable. The topics of Simple Chess are those of a classic strategy book (Outposts, Weak Pawns, Open Files, Half-open Files, Color Complexes and Space), but Stean's point is that if you play with these ideas to build a better position, you won't have to solve super-hard problems and you won't have to find super-strong tactics, they will just come from the position: "Simple chess always requires flexibility of thought. The opponent can always avert one form of weakness or disadvantage by accepting another somewhere else." This quote has had a bigger impact on the way I think about chess than anything I've ever read (or may ever read). This book is a classic and should be studied, not just read.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-09-20 00:00:00 Derek Miura This is essentially an introduction to "positional chess" - how slow and steady improvements in your position can win you the game. Every game and chapter is full of wisdom, and it opened my eyes to how deep chess is basically about implementation of simple positional principles. I especially enjoyed the chapter on pawn weaknesses and outposts.