Rating: 
Summary: Excelent Middle Game Book
Review: With this book, you don't need to spend several hours a day studing chess opennings! The skeleton pawns are divided by categories(Slav family, Sicilian family, Stone Wals, etc.) wich can be reached by several diferent ways. In each structure, A. Soltis, teaches how to proced with a plan (he demonstrates a lot playable plans in each structure), and teaches how to position the pieces on the board acording to type of structure. After reading this book, you be able to planning your game much better, independent if you know any specific openning or not. You will know exactly what to do in your middle game, no maters if it is opened game or closed etc. I'm a Brazilian chess player.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting approach, but just another tactical book
Review: You should note immediately that this book is about pawn STRUCTURE, NOT about pawn PLAY. The author classifies the different pawn skeletons typically encountered into similar types or families, and explores the most commonly encountered plans adopted by either side arising from those structures. A good point of the discussion is the lack of connection to specific piece placement. The examples are connected by structure, not by opening variation. Unfortunately the treatment is superficial with limited analysis and vague references to strategic themes that go largely unexplained. Treatment of the Benoni formation is particularly lacking.For insights into pawn PLAY, read the all-time classic, "Pawn Power in Chess", by Hans Kmoch.
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