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Rating: 
Summary: Emms ... on great chess moves.
Review: Before you read my review, you should know that I am a Life-Master of Chess.And lately, it seems I have been bashing books - my reviews have generated a lot of e-mail - some has been rather negative. But I am always honest, and I always try to point out any flaws or mistakes that I find. As the man says: "I call 'em the way I see 'em." So it is with a great deal of pure joy that I tell you ... I LOVED THIS BOOK!!
(In fact, I have created several new web pages ... just with the material that this book contains. With a search engine, you should find it easily.) This book is NOT perfect; I have found quite a few errors. For example: on page # 168, (second column); the note after move after move 35.Ne6, the author gives: "Also losing is 35.Rdb1, Nh3+; 36.Ke1," etc. BUT 35...Nh3 is NOT the best move. (35...Ne4 is MUCH better.) In fact, ...Nh3 is NOT even check!! And I do not entirely approve of the author's "Top Ten." #1 is from a game where the loser said it was, "one of the worst games he ever played." (But all losers might say this!) His number five is almost an exact copy, (in type, AND theme); to his number one. And on it goes. Games from lesser-known players, games of questionable content, moves that are NOT even real double-exclams. (Real mistakes are the lack of some simple, thorough player and position indexes.) BUT!!!! All these are minor quibbles, really. (The author covers this ground in his intro.) Consider all the really FANTASTIC THINGS that this book offers:
# 1.) 200 of the BEST - and most astounding - chess moves ever played;
# 2.) EVERY phase of the game is covered. (Opening, middle-game, end-game.);
# 3.) Some really GREAT analysis, I estimate the author worked at least a year on this book. The analysis of some of the moves (alone) ... is worth the price of the book! The author holds NOTHING back!! In one of the examples, the author points out things like themes, recurring tactics, and opening traps!! Chess IS tactics. And this book is really all about tactics. And there are no easy ones in here. I had my daughter pick about 30 problems at random. Half of these I knew, they are from fairly well-known chess games. But of the ones I did not already know the answer to, I correctly solved only three problems!! (I don't count problems where I guessed the solutions.) If a Master needs to work on this area, how about you? At last - a FUN book, that if used intelligently - will help you get better at chess. And once you have spent some time with this book, you will have a smile almost as big as mine! Outstanding!!
Rating: 
Summary: great puzzles, why cripple them?
Review: Mr. John Emms, why diminish the value of your exceptional research by classifying the positions into categories? This effectively makes the puzzles easier to solve, not to mention that many of the captions accompanying the puzzle diagrams divulge key ideas in the position... Enjoyment is reduced (the job is made easier) when you know the position leads to mate, or not ( material gain ), or that a long term sacrifice must happen. On a more positive note, the analysis in the solutions is great and the fact that you include the _entire_ game leading up to the diagram position is fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: great puzzles, why cripple them?
Review: Mr. John Emms, why diminish the value of your exceptional research by classifying the positions into categories? This effectively makes the puzzles easier to solve, not to mention that many of the captions accompanying the puzzle diagrams divulge key ideas in the position... Enjoyment is reduced (the job is made easier) when you know the position leads to mate, or not ( material gain ), or that a long term sacrifice must happen. On a more positive note, the analysis in the solutions is great and the fact that you include the _entire_ game leading up to the diagram position is fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Very good puzzle book
Review: This book contains 200 puzzles organized in 10 chapters by various broad themes (such as endgame positions, mating positions, material gain). There are two puzzle diagrams per page with hints, and detailed solutions at the end of each chapter, as well as the score of the complete game for reference. Though the book contains several well-known previously published positions, most should be new to the reader and all have been checked by computer analysis, unlike older puzzle books with multiple solutions. This book is almost as good as John Nunn's Puzzle Book (which contains 250 puzzles) and is both enjoyable and instructive. The puzzles are all chosen from master games played over the past one hundred years which makes this book a quick-fix puzzle book of 20th century chess.
Rating:
Summary: Very good puzzle book
Review: This book contains 200 puzzles organized in 10 chapters by various broad themes (such as endgame positions, mating positions, material gain). There are two puzzle diagrams per page with hints, and detailed solutions at the end of each chapter, as well as the score of the complete game for reference. Though the book contains several well-known previously published positions, most should be new to the reader and all have been checked by computer analysis, unlike older puzzle books with multiple solutions. This book is almost as good as John Nunn's Puzzle Book (which contains 250 puzzles) and is both enjoyable and instructive. The puzzles are all chosen from master games played over the past one hundred years which makes this book a quick-fix puzzle book of 20th century chess.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Book
Review: This is a book to be read for fun, though stronger players might like to test their analytical and tactical mettle on the problem positions given. A set of problems, drawn from real play, is given in each of ten chapters. Each set is followed by detailed solutions and annotations. The problems require ingenuity coupled with disciplined analysis. The solutions to many are enough to elicit a startled gasp. While the book should appeal to all players above 1600, it seems best suited as training material for ambitious 2100 players trying to break through to 2200 or 2300 strength.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Book
Review: This is a book to be read for fun, though stronger players might like to test their analytical and tactical mettle on the problem positions given. A set of problems, drawn from real play, is given in each of ten chapters. Each set is followed by detailed solutions and annotations. The problems require ingenuity coupled with disciplined analysis. The solutions to many are enough to elicit a startled gasp. While the book should appeal to all players above 1600, it seems best suited as training material for ambitious 2100 players trying to break through to 2200 or 2300 strength.
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