Forming a plan is the most important goal of logical chess thought. Without a good plan, we are reduced to tactical opportunism, rather than harnessing the power of our pieces to achieve specific tasks and make methodical progress towards victory.
However, few chess-players – even those fortunate enough to have a trainer – develop a disciplined approach to planning. In this book, one of the world’s leading chess teachers provides step-by-step guidelines for identifying the features of a position onto which our strategy should be latched. He adopts a thoroughly modern approach, recognizing that the opponent will have his own plans and be attempting to disrupt ours. The effectiveness of Kosikov’s methods – in particular the STEPS algorithm – is shown by his pupils’ over-the-board proficiency.
Having presented the basics of orderly strategic thinking, Kosikov shows them at work in a variety of middlegame and endgame situations, especially the strategic minefield of minor-piece play. Examples are taken from both classic games and modern grandmaster play, together with instructive moments from games by the author’s pupils.
About the Author
Alexei Kosikov is a chess master from Ukraine who has enjoyed an illustrious career as a chess trainer. He has nurtured a vast array of chess talents, including nine who have achieved grandmaster titles, perhaps most notably Vladimir Baklan and Dmitry Komarov. He has written extensively about chess – and combinations in particular – and was a frequent lecturer at the Yusupov/Dvoretsky elite chess school, to whose training manuals he also contributed.
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Reviews
“Alexei Kosikov, renowned chess trainer, has recorded his knowledge of chess strategy in a book for Gambit. By means of a series of small goals, the reader is assisted to find the big plan … important, also, are the so-called STEPS, teaching the self-discipline needed before making a move” — Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad
“…how do you come up with a good plan? This is one of the most difficult aspects of the game for ordinary club players, something which this book sets out to address…But this is not just an instructional primer. In order that the reader may reap the maximum benefit from the author’s input there is a liberal sprinkling of exercises throughout the book…” — Alan Sutton, En Passant
“A wealth of sample games dissected move by move help to illustrate key principles in this excellent self-study guide for intermediate to advanced chess players striving to improve their game.” — James A Cox, Midwest Book Review