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Rating: 
Summary: The best book on chess strategy
Review: At first this book looks like a primer of chess. But it is one of the best book ever written about chess strategy. GM Bronstein invented modern chess ( with a few others) so what he thinks is fundamental in chess strategy is very, very, very interesting.
I'm fide master and it is yet one of my favorite books.
Rating:
Summary: Original, Memorable, and Useful
Review: Bronstein is one of the best chess writers/instructors ever, and this is one of the best chess books! I find the reviewers who thought the games didn't illustrate his points, that it is difficult to read, and the book as a whole is not instuctive--incomprehensible.The text is a joy to read (by chess book standards), the games illustrate key points in memorable, often startling ways, and his explanation of conducting a game in stages marching foward rank by rank and invadind with pieces through pawn structure quite unique, logical, and simple. This book, along with a book on tactics and endings, would get a player far indeed if s/he puts in the hard work chess demands.
Rating:
Summary: Original, Memorable, and Useful
Review: Bronstein is one of the best chess writers/instructors ever, and this is one of the best chess books! I find the reviewers who thought the games didn't illustrate his points, that it is difficult to read, and the book as a whole is not instuctive--incomprehensible. The text is a joy to read (by chess book standards), the games illustrate key points in memorable, often startling ways, and his explanation of conducting a game in stages marching foward rank by rank and invadind with pieces through pawn structure quite unique, logical, and simple. This book, along with a book on tactics and endings, would get a player far indeed if s/he puts in the hard work chess demands.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun writing; not much tutoring
Review: Bronstein's words are pure joy to read. If that's what you're looking for, then this book may be for you, especially as most of the older books in this style are out of print. However, I am not sure that anyone can learn much about chess from this book. He takes a paragraph, or even a page, to say what could be said in five words. The games do not really illustrate his points. More often, they are simply sources of amusement, as when Petrosian blundered away his queen in a winning position while Bronstein had only 30 seconds left for 10 moves! Petrosian had plenty of time, but until he left his queen hanging he could find nothing better than to shuffle his rooks aimlessly while Bronstein let his knight bounce back and forth safely. Fortunately for us, translator Ken Neat added the actual moves; otherwise, we would have only Bronstein's description to go by. Of course, not all the games contain such amusing mistakes. More often, Bronstein shows us positions which are interesting for a startling, somewhat tactical move overlooked by the opponent. So the games themselves are quite interesting. And the prose is undeniably compelling: "... every player believes that with the help of imagination and knowledge, tenacity and steadfastness, boldness and caution, sooner or later he will enter the headquarters of the opposing king and will be fortunate enough to utter the sacred words 'check and mate'." But the words are not actually instructive. Sure, Bronstein has a way of bringing attention to an easily overlooked strategic element of a position. He also provides much advice, as in his section on the opening. (He advocates the Evans Gambit for amateurs.) But more often he simply gives a voice to the chess pieces, as if they could think. Bronstein reminds me of Feynman writing on physics. You love to listen to him. You think you've been bequeathed a rich trove of wisdom. But when you sit down at your desk, you realize that you cannot actually apply any of what you thought you'd understood. You may very well enjoy reading this book. Just do not expect to learn from it. For real chess instruction, try his Zurich annotations.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book
Review: The book has many well annoted games to illustrate the different learn items. Most of them Bronstein's own games.
A very good book for intermediate playes (>1600).
My rating is abt 1300 and the text was to difficult for me.
Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: The book has many well annoted games to illustrate the different learn items. Most of them Bronstein's own games.
A very good book for intermediate playes (>1600).
My rating is abt 1300 and the text was to difficult for me.
Rating:
Summary: A teacher who understands humans
Review: This is one of my favorite chess books (and I have 150). I have read only a couple books ("How Not to Play Chess" by Znosko-Borovsky, "Pawn Power in Chess," by Kmoch, "The Search for Chess Perfection" by Purdy, and "The Logical Approach to Chess" by Euwe, et al. come to mind) where I really felt a connection between me and the author--that he was effetively reaching down from his Olympian heights and making chess a real game to be grasped. Bronstein adds a delightfully simple vocabulary, calling the four ranks, "piece rank", "pawn rank", "fortified zone", and "zone of important squares," and calls the center line the equator, and uses this terminology effectively, so that it brings to life chess ideas. He constantly uses military analogies to hammer his points home. This book rekindled my love of chess, which normally is kindled, but every once in a while a book like this reaches out and grabs me, and says, "hey, you can understand this game. Think of it like this..." This book is precious and special. I had stayed away from it because of the price ($17.95) and now, nearly through with it (the first time), I would pay $100 for it. A treasure. It makes me want to take personal lessons from the man. Thank you, Bronstein. --Johnny B
Rating:
Summary: A teacher who understands humans
Review: This is one of my favorite chess books (and I have 150). I have read only a couple books ("How Not to Play Chess" by Znosko-Borovsky, "Pawn Power in Chess," by Kmoch, "The Search for Chess Perfection" by Purdy, and "The Logical Approach to Chess" by Euwe, et al. come to mind) where I really felt a connection between me and the author--that he was effetively reaching down from his Olympian heights and making chess a real game to be grasped. Bronstein adds a delightfully simple vocabulary, calling the four ranks, "piece rank", "pawn rank", "fortified zone", and "zone of important squares," and calls the center line the equator, and uses this terminology effectively, so that it brings to life chess ideas. He constantly uses military analogies to hammer his points home. This book rekindled my love of chess, which normally is kindled, but every once in a while a book like this reaches out and grabs me, and says, "hey, you can understand this game. Think of it like this..." This book is precious and special. I had stayed away from it because of the price ($17.95) and now, nearly through with it (the first time), I would pay $100 for it. A treasure. It makes me want to take personal lessons from the man. Thank you, Bronstein. --Johnny B
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