To help Roger's excellent chess site I thought readers would be interested in a short review of Garry Kasparov's latest book. I bought it at Newcastle airport on my way to Dresden to watch the European chess championships.
The book is original, describing the qualities required to be successful playing the world's most beautiful boardgame. Whereas most chess books give loads of advice about tactics or strategies or individual openings, Garry concentrates on the thinking skills and how to approach the game and when you read the words of the world champion you feel reassured that, now retired, he tells us the secrets of playing great chess. Of course many of the things he says have been said before but I've never seen so many in the same place before. He writes with energy and purpose, trying to combine chess insights with tips for success in the world beyond chess, this makes the book also like a life improvement book. Although I am less sure of Garry's credentials in this area I felt this made the book less intense, it wasn't just chess as good thinking can make you a success everywhere. He also expressed opinions about politics and the difficulties he feels Russia currently faces.
Garry's brave and daring, he pushes back the boundaries. He tells us how he loved the hard work to make him the best. 'Everything we have considered has pointed towards the making of better decisions' page154. The decisions yours but I will definitely lending this one to my best friends.
post by Martin Seeber
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Chess Tales by Roger Coathup: A collection of online articles about chess and chess players.
1 comment:
At first, I was disappointed that Kasparov retired from chess. Now that he is taking on the cause of democracy against the might of Putin, I am confident he has made the right decision. Russia needs him.
http://libertas01.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/putin-worried-by-kasparovs-moves/
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