Rating: 
Summary: A note on content.
Review: This is a breif review of what this book contains and how usefull it will be to various players. It is writen in descriptive notation (i.e. P-K4), which is difficult to muddle through in our modern, algebraic world, but wonderful fruits will flow from its examination.Part one is relatively simple, concerning itself with basic planning and the attack on the king in various positions. (Another excellent book on this is 'Art of Attack in Chess' by Vladmir Vukovic in algebraic notation, which is considerably larger.) Part two is more complex, discussing how to defend difficult positions and pawn configurations in the center. Keres' section on defence is, relatively speaking, a masterpiece and contains many ideas that are virtually indispensible. The section on pawns is also very informative though not exhaustive on the role of pawns. (Hans Kmooch's book 'Pawn Power in Chess' is certainly more in-depth concerning pawn positions that cover the entire board, but it has the special detraction of being almost incomprehensible due to its excessive complexity and needless terminology.) Finally, part three is generally for the more advanced player. Called 'The Art of Analysis', it concerns mental computation in conjunction with written variations (particularly concerning the endgame). Not for the weak of heart, this section would probably intimidate most novices because the numerous variations often stretch to 20 moves or more. That is not to say that it isn't valuable - on the contrary, this section provides valuable study by any player of any strength, but only relatively strong players will reap the fullest benifits of its study.
Rating:
Summary: a word of caution about this book
Review: this is a fine book but might be a little advanced for some guys
its not because that this has material that is more advanced or something the only thing is that u might get an idea of what he is talking about but not what he is doing for there is no explanation where most of us want it is not because that
he fails to give us explanation but because they might be little ununderstandable for us because they are tactically based for those of us who are weak in tactics they might not absorb its content quite well so this is my word of caution
Rating: 
Summary: Good Affordable Classic Book...
Review: This is a Good Affordable Classic Book to say the very least... Yeah its in the old notation that nobody wants to deal with, but its not even 10 bucks to buy... People can try to say this book is outdated or this or that... Still do you really understand something without the history?? Keres and Kotov are two players worth spending some time reading... I do find the Index of Middle-Game themes pretty interesting... Basically chapter 1 is done by Golembek about what he calls Planning in the Middle Game... This is his try to ease the reader into the more advanced stuff of Keres and Kotov... Kotov has Chapter 2 with Strategy and Tactics of Attack on the King... He also does Chapter 4 "Various Pawn Positions in the Centre"... So the even chapters goto him basically... They are worth looking and reading over... You might not agree with all he says, still its always good to be exposed to other ideas... Keres who many say is odd, ends up with the odd chapters... Chapter 3 he talks about How to Defend Difficult Positions... That is something I think we can all relate to :)... I think it was pretty interesting chapter least how he views things... He also does Chapter 5 The Art of Analysis... This seems to deal a bit more with Adjourned games but can still be useful... The book only has 5 chapters but is 238 pages so not a bad buy... The index of players has some interesting names on it to say the very least... I think the Index of Middle-Game Themes was really a nice touch... I would say pick this book as a throw in next time you order... Figure if you already gonna pay shipping might as well pick up a cheap book as a throw in...
Rating:
Summary: Good Affordable Classic Book...
Review: This is a Good Affordable Classic Book to say the very least... Yeah its in the old notation that nobody wants to deal with, but its not even 10 bucks to buy... People can try to say this book is outdated or this or that... Still do you really understand something without the history?? Keres and Kotov are two players worth spending some time reading... I do find the Index of Middle-Game themes pretty interesting... Basically chapter 1 is done by Golembek about what he calls Planning in the Middle Game... This is his try to ease the reader into the more advanced stuff of Keres and Kotov... Kotov has Chapter 2 with Strategy and Tactics of Attack on the King... He also does Chapter 4 "Various Pawn Positions in the Centre"... So the even chapters goto him basically... They are worth looking and reading over... You might not agree with all he says, still its always good to be exposed to other ideas... Keres who many say is odd, ends up with the odd chapters... Chapter 3 he talks about How to Defend Difficult Positions... That is something I think we can all relate to :)... I think it was pretty interesting chapter least how he views things... He also does Chapter 5 The Art of Analysis... This seems to deal a bit more with Adjourned games but can still be useful... The book only has 5 chapters but is 238 pages so not a bad buy... The index of players has some interesting names on it to say the very least... I think the Index of Middle-Game Themes was really a nice touch... I would say pick this book as a throw in next time you order... Figure if you already gonna pay shipping might as well pick up a cheap book as a throw in...
Rating:
Summary: Good guideline
Review: This is a good book. I think each chapter deserves a praise, especially Keres' two chapters about Defense and Analysis. Comparatively, Keres' chapters are better than Kotov's. The latter's chapters are just like a textbook, not as vivid as Keres'. Also, Keres' analysis is far better than Kotov's. Anyway, if you have played more than 100 games and are eager to improve, read this book. By the way, if you read this book, find other cheap and good books published by Dover at Amazon. I really appreciate Dover's contribution to chess fans.
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