Book Description
First printed in 1954. A true story of international intrigue, corruption, graft, and political assassinations - both sensational and shocking.
Customer Reviews:
Greatest part of history explained........2007-07-10
You must be looking for the truth if you are reviewing items like this one. History is a vast subject and you can chose to read a whole library on it or read this book to waste less time. There are plenty of good writings in regards to this subject but not many are condensed and to the point as Carr's research. Read this book in conjunction with the bible and you will not regret it. In my opinion Carr is to history research what Shakespeare has been for the English readers, a written monument. Buy this book read the bible and enjoy truth to set you free.
Pawns in the Game.......2007-05-18
Written in the 1950s this book is an exposure of the new world order from a right wing Christian viewpoint. Yes Carr gets some of his facts and opinions wrong. He also throws around terms like "Illuminati" way too much for my tastes. Another fault is being a Christian he attributes most of the worlds problems to a certain naughty fellow named Satan and doesn't understand that Christianity is also a tool thats used by the new world order to control and brainwash the masses. However unlike most of the current writers and people who research and write about the new world order Carr is not plagued by political correctness. In other words he is not afraid to say the "J" word. He also understands that all roads lead to a handful of oligarchal banking and business families. Carr shows how these elites created communism, fomented wars, funding both sides of virtually every major conflict going back to the days of Napoleon, increasing their wealth and power in every instance. This book is not perfect but its still a classic in the field and a must read for doing research on the new world order.
Great Book, predicts the future.......2006-10-29
The book offers the illuminati game plan and the history of their getting involved in World Affairs. It also speaks about a Third Word War between Israel and the Arab world, in which the US would side with Israel. This was BEFORE the US became the top Israeli ally and before Neo-cons started talking about WWIII (between Hamas and "islamofacism" and the "forces of freedom"). It is the best book on the subject. The New York Public Library keeps its copy in the anti-Semitic books section and a reviewer of this book has made the same charge. What Carr says, however, is that the GREAT MAJORITY of the Jewish people, as opposed to a VERY small group of Jews and NON-JEWS ALIKE, are innocent. In fact, he says the Jewish people are the GREATEST VITIMS OF THE ILLUMINATI. Nor does he deny the holocaust. He claims that it was knowling brought on by the iLLUMINATI (a group of NON-Jews and Jews) along with WWII to further their plans. You do not have to believe this, and I do not buy all that is in the book, BUT LETS SAY WHAT IT IS IN TRUTH: NOT Anti-Semitic
Rothschilds have nothing to do with the Illuminati? LOL.......2005-11-08
Please somebody buy that reviewer some books and send him a few links so that he smartens up and may retract his utter nonsense.
The Rothschilds are one of the most powerful elite bloodlines in history. Just read Fritz Springmeier's book "Bloodlines of the Illuminati" which is free online if you use google correctly. There is no getting around that Adam Weishaupt set up the Bavarian Illuminati on May 1 1776. It's a fact. Jews have nothing to do with the Illuminati or Masonry? Again, someone send this negative reviewer some books and links. The Rothschild line is Jewish; so there you go. That's just one example. And see my review of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion for a short cast of Jewish characters doing the bidding of the Illuminati throughout history. Even if Mayer Amschel did not write out what would later become the protocols, I would not be surprised of Theordore Herzl actually wrote them as the Zionist Congress in Basle since Herzl was backed by the Rothschilds.
Not only that but the Rothschilds had been the forces behind Zionism long before Herzl came on the scene. To confirm this, one must read David Icke's books "ATTSSYF" and "TBS."
But if he does not wish to shell out the money yet, he can find for free on the internet David Icke's essay, "Was Hitler a Rothschild" and Arnold Leese's essay "Gentile Folly: The Rothschilds." David Icke's essay recommends and quotes the book "Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel" and I suggest that reviewer pick it up and learn something.
As for the pyramid and the all seeing eye, these are in fact Illuminati symbols. The pyramid symbolizes the structure of who rules the world and the all seeing eye is that of the Egyptian god Horus; or the eye of Lucifer. Icke's research into Africa and Credo Mutwa reveal the all seeing eye is in Africa too and it represents that of an alien race called the watchers. This was put on the back of the American dollar bill in 1933 by a Freemason President, FDR and there are 33 degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; yet more symbolism.
For a final installment on symbolism, consider the name Rothschild itself. Mayer in his Frankfurt banking house hung a red shield over his door with an occult Hexagram on it. As Fritz Springmeier explains, "Mayer Amschel Bauer was a well-off coin trader in Frankfort. In front of his house hung a sign with the family's symbol, which was a red hexagram. The hexagram (also known as the Seal of Solomon, the Magden David, or the Star of David) is very occultic. It is used today as the symbol of Israel, but It is not ,,Jewish." In his excellent book THE SIX-POINTED STAR, O.J. Graham explains that the hexagram was used in the ancient mystery religions...Through the promotion of the Cabalists and the Zionists it has become the symbol of Jewish identity, although the occult circles know better. The Bauer's use of a hexagram as their family sign points to their involvement in Jewish Cabalism. In fact, the six-pointed star was so significant to them that Mayer Amschel Bauer decided to adopt it as his new name - Mayer Amschel Rothschild (Rot-schildt = Red Shield). I believe this was done to identify his family with occultism."
David Icke also explains this briefly in is Was Hitler was a Rothschild essay. I caution this negative reviwer to do some research before he further insults my intelligence and that of others.
Historization of hidden history ..........2005-08-22
A good description of this book might be (Mentioning what history do not mention). For it deals with biggest events of the world since the late of the seventeenth century until the second half of the twentieth century.
The author, as shown in the ninth chapter, was a commander in the MI5 before 1916 and then transferred to the naval force, then to the Zionist office after a recommendation from (Weisman) the former president of Israel.
This book didn't get a wide acceptance among the public, because Zionist facilities waged a war on it and categorized it under the anti-Semitic category of books. This is clearly understood since the author reveals a lot of hidden facts that - and read very carefully now - that (SOME) of Jewish profiteers were controlling almost every important change in the course of history.
We do not accuse the Jewish people ,Jews were - and always continued to be - a vital and donating factor to humanity , just remember that Elie Metchnikoff,Albert Einstein ,Glenn Gould , Leonard Bernstein , Isaac Perlman , and the list can go on forever , these noble guys were Jews and were -at the same time - a pride for the human race .
This very fact can really purge some sick twisted (claiming-to-be) Jewish warlords that considered themselves(humans) and looked at other people as (Goyim) (a Yiddish word that means non-Jewish and is very offensive since it consider the goyim to be at the same level of an animal).
So is this an anti-Semitic book?!
it is actually if you are the type of people who judge on a nation by the acts of the few ... and Zionists or illuminaties call them whatever u want ( different facades of the same coin ) by no means are Jews ...they are a ( dogma ) of their own ...
Conspiracy theories are very popular these days . you can get the tag of a ( paranoid ) easily by adopting one of them .
I believe that reading history well and contemplating into it would really enlighten the true nature of politics ... they say ( cherchez la femme ) , I say ( look for the profiteer ) ... of all changes and major conflicts during contemporary history who reaped all the benefits ?
The answer - if not known to you yet - is clear in this text.
Want to know your enemy?
If yes, read this book
Book Description
Chess owes its extraordinary strategic depth to pawns. These humble pieces can take on many roles in the chess struggle. They can be blockers, battering rams, self-sacrificing heroes, and can even be promoted to the ranks of royalty. On the other hand, if mishandled, they can be weak and provide targets for enemy attack. In this book, experienced grandmaster and trainer Drazen Marovic elucidates the pawn's multi-faceted nature. By investigating high-quality games from grandmaster practice, he provides the reader with an armoury of pawn-play concepts that will help him or her to make the right judgments at the board. Chapters include: Isolated Pawns, Hanging Pawns, Passed Pawns, Doubled Pawns, Backward Pawns, Pawn-Chains, and Pawn-Islands.
Customer Reviews:
Heir to Soltis.......2007-09-12
Having read the classic manual Pawn Structure Chess by Soltis, I was very interested to see how this book would stack up. I learned a lot from Soltis, and I hoped to expand my understanding about how pawn structures affect plans and strategy. I was not disappointed. Marovic uses many, many complete game examples, but his annotations are so succinct and clear as to make the large number of games effortless to get through. One thing he does well which is VERY hard for most chess authors is present the model games in a sequence in which their respective lessons build upon one another to deeply reinforce the concepts he's trying (and succeeding) to instruct. The one caveat, if you want to call it that, is that I think this book will be most helpful for people with an intermediate knowledge of openings, as the pawn positions discussed tend to reoccur in specific openings with specific piece placements. However, this shouldn't be a problem as I believe the intended audience is above 1600 USCF anyway, and should thus know the difference between a QGA and a QGD.
Great book for the advanced amateur.......2006-11-23
This book uses complete games to examine pawn structures--their strengths and weaknesses. Marovic uses a conversational tone to explain important points and keeps analysis to the minimum needed to illustrate the explanation. In separate chapters he examines isolated pawns, passed pawns, doubled pawns, backward pawns and pawn-chains.
Marovic uses games from throughout the history of chess to illustrate his material and does a great job. I would recommend this book for players rated (USCF) from Class B and up, although rapidly advancing lower rated players would also benefit from reading the book as well.
The only thing that could make it better would be a few more diagrams.
Pawn Structure/Planning your Backbone of the game.......2006-10-08
Often overlooked is the importance of preparing long term planning for not just the endgame, but the use of pawn chains, and even what is considered a weakness, doubled pawns being used as a "battering ram!" and opening a file. These are very important aspects of chess and what has been called the "backbone" of chess is often forgotten in light of only tactics. True, tactics books, trap books and opening books have a very important place and all should be studied. But the "use of pawns" should not just be a chapter in a book, it should be a couple volumes of books! If you are a beginner, even an lower end intermediate player you will get more results in studying tactic and chess traps. But Once you reach a solid intermediate level then you should start thinking more about the finer points of play. Now, I like the overall approach of "Understanding Pawn Play in Chess" but I think a few words (to say the least) were lost in the translation (it seems clear to me that the author's first language was not english), which is why, though I feel this is a good book, some of the important ideas were lost the the translation, and can be a little confusing. Solitis's "Pawn Structure Chess" is a good alternative. I also like going over complete game books such as, "Understanding Chess" and "Unbeatable Chess Lessons and More Unbeaable Chess Lessons" as ways to gain an understanding of all aspects of the game, including the critical use of pawns.
A classic - Every serious chess player should buy this book.......2006-08-01
Traditionally chess books are often grouped in the categories: opening, middle game and ending. Marovic's book "Understanding pawn play in chess" covers a very important topic in chess, which includes all the three phases of a game. It will help you little if you know the moves in the French opening, but you don't know how to handle the pawn chain from a French opening. Means how to attack the wedge and the base of the pawn chain. "Understanding pawn play in chess" will help you to do understand what to do with pawn chain. So if you want to extend your knowledge about pawn structures this is the book for you. The topics covered in this book are: isolated pawns, isolated pawn couples, hanging pawns, passed, doubled, backward, pawn chains and pawn islands.
One Minus with this book, is that the author and Gambitbooks could have used more diagrams for each game. You must always use the board when going through this book. With more diagrams describing the most interesting position for the pawn subject, the book would become more readable.
Great book from the great author.......2004-11-02
I personnaly own half a dosen books wrote in croatian from Drazen Marović, and they are excellent. Unfortunately, he doesnt publish in Croatia any more, so this is the only way to read his fresh stuff. Games of high quality in this book are anotated in a way which can help to improve your understanding, not just about pawn play, but about overall strategic issues in midgame, and correspondance between pawns and pieces. Recomended.
Average customer rating:
- A Great Read
- To bad it is all finished and in the past
- Belgariad & Malloreon. My Favorite.
- Great Entry-to-Mid-level Fare
- Praise-worthy
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The Belgariad Set, Books 1-5: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, & Enchanter's End Game
David Eddings
Manufacturer: Del Rey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Eddings, David
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| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Magic & Wizards
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Belgariad
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| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 0345340442 |
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2005-10-14
Eddings' series The Belgariad is one of my all-time favorite reads. It's the classic fantasy good-vs.-evil, coming-of-age, lost-kings-returning, quest-with-companions epic. These are common themes in fantasy, but Eddings' writing is so witty, and his characters so intriguing, that it never gets old. He seems very aware he is using some well established cliches, but puts new twists on them and even makes fun of them as the story goes on. I especially love Eddings' twist on the concept of prophesy: In this story, the prophesy is actually sentient, and does not hesitate to tell our hero, Garion, when he is being an idiot.
This series is funny, entertaining, engrossing, and complex. It was my introduction to the sword and sorcery genre of fantasy, and I absolutely love it.
To bad it is all finished and in the past.......2004-04-17
I recomend all of david eddings books to any reader of any age.
David eddings is my idle in a short way of putting it... he has brought a new light to me and my writing since i was a child... His books have a certian amount of amusement in them. Yet the characters are all lovable. This is a book that i promise all will remember and read again... I love all of his books. his philosiphy is simple to understand, yet the writing syle is one that i still have not seen in any other books. He allows a certian amount of ammusement into them, yet keeping them serious. His books are like a good movie that you dont want to end. After reading one of them you want more and more. until you have devoured the very sould of his writing.
To put it short i dont know why i like them there just fun loving and honest to god books.
Belgariad & Malloreon. My Favorite........2004-04-02
I have never came across a set of books that is so moving,very few authors have made me as emitional as this athor has with this set.I hope their will be a follow up,it would be nice to see how everything whent after all was said and done,peace doesn't last for ever. Highly recomened,own the full set,have read them so much I can almost tell the story myself.
Great Entry-to-Mid-level Fare.......2001-10-16
This is, I believe, Eddings' first real foray into the realm of true Fantasy, and it doesn't disappoint. Eddings does well to develop characters over time and doesn't sacrifice depth for brevity. I've always enjoyed the sense of humor he brings to his works and the repartee that develops between the characters.
If you are looking for a great starter series in the fantasy genre or a more developed work, look no further. Those looking for the complexity and seriousness of high-fantasy should stick with Tolkien and Donaldson.
This was one of my favorite starting fantasy series, and continues to entertain after all these years.
Praise-worthy.......2001-06-23
David Eddings' Belgariad series is one of the masterpieces of modern fantasy literature. I fell in love with his books many years ago, and re-read them to this day. His characters are lifelike and amusing, and written in a very human manner. Every time I read, I feel like I am visiting with old friends. Although Eddings writes conflicts into his story, he writes with an assurance that success will come which parallels the great epics of history. His novels, though not thrilling, are relaxing and enthralling in a more stoic fashion-- you will care about the characters and want to see them succeed.
I would recommend this book to the starting fantasy reader, or the reader of modern fiction who hasn't yet delved into the genre. Eddings' personal style and lovable characters have turned me into a dedicated fantasy reader, and I have not yet found his equal among the other authors I've read.
Book Description
Some 250 years ago, the great Philidor wrote, "The pawns are the soul of chess." Although that statement is perhaps the most common cliche in the literature of the game, it is too often misunderstood.
Pawns are usually considered weak because of their limited range of movement. But the pawns' restricted mobility is precisely what makes them so important strategically: they form a semi-permanent structure -- often called a "pawn skeleton" -- that establishes the territorial lines of the coming battle and thus the nature of the battle itself. Understanding how pawns affect strategy is the subject of this important book. In it you will learn:
-- how to handle the characteristic pawn structure of each opening "family" and each major variation
-- how to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of pawn chains
-- when to exchange pawns in the center -- and when not to
-- how to cramp your opponent's position and what to do if your opponent cramps yours
-- how to create and exploit pawn "holes"...and much, much more, all copiously illustrated by complete games from actual play.
Customer Reviews:
What this book is about, and what it is not about.......2007-07-08
This book is not about openings! Although some discussion about openings and their relationship to "pawn structure" is necessary, the pawn structure is the subject. The moves Nf3, d4, c4, and many others can lead to the same structure. You can buy hundreds of books about openings. This book is different. In my opinion, studying opinings without understanding the concepts in this book is a waste of time.
One think I like is that Soltis does not claim that either black or white has a win from any basic structure. For each structure, he shows tactics/maneuvers for both sides. If you want to buy a book that shows that you always win if you play a certain opening, this book is not for you.
The blurb on the cover, "How to handle all characteristic pawn structures," is false. I don't think there is more than one example of Benoni formations in the book. However, the author did not write the blurb. What Soltis said was, "This book explores several of the more important pawn structures." Not all possible pawn structures. I do not think a book truly covering "all possible pawn structures" will ever exist. Soltis could have written a book four times longer, but it would cost 4 times as much, and few would buy it. I wish Soltis would write a second volume for "Pawn Structure Chess."
However, I think most chess players could study this book for years and gain very useful knowledge.
Let's go back to the coverage of Benoni formations. Suppose you like to play the Benoni, but your opponent plays Nf3 before d4. Instead of pushing his d-pawn to d5, he allows you to capture c5xd4. You are now playing the black side of the Maroczy Bind (see the sub-chapter "Maroczy Unbound" in "The open Sicilian-English" in this book). A player who understands structure, rather than one who only memorizes opening moves, has an advantage, although even an excellent positional player can fall into a tactical trap occasionallly.
This book is not specifically about isolated pawns, doubled pawns, etc., although sometimes those are covered in the context of pawn structures. You can get many books on those subjects.
If you read this book, you will inevitably find some positions that you find unclear. The first one I remember is p. 41-42, Maroczy-Chigorin 1899. The last paragraph says, "But now in the diagram White cannot play 15.nxe5 nxe5 16. without risking disaster after 16. Bb3 nf3! 17. Rad1 Bh3!
I still find this line unconvincing. I think 17 ...Bg4 is better.
Still, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Also good are Marovic's "Understanding Pawn Play in Chess" and "Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess," which go beyond Soltis on certain subjects, but have less coverage than Soltis, for example, on the closed Sicilian. Marovic's organization is logical (open center, closed center, dynamic center) but I find Soltis's organization more useful (Caro, Slav, Open Sicilian-English, etc.) more useful, from my subjective point of view. Still, the Marovic books are wonderful too.
Disappointing so far.......2007-06-11
I have just started reading the book but I am getting to more and more be surprised by the overly positive reviews. Will the book improve in future chapters? I don't know. I hate too say that I don't like Soltis as an author yet I keep buying his books for the great promises in the title. I came to realize that his books are very short on instruction and in depth analysis but very rich on positions and games. The author speaks for two lines and then shows a complete game or a long battle no matter how ill connected to what he was saying before. This is what I have seen from this book as well. As other reviewes mentioned, the author doesn't help you to get the insight. He states something and then shows an example. I guess it's up to us to do the linking. That's why so far Soltis books have been the harder and longer for me to study. To begin with I ran one of the games through Fritz (Kasparov game in the introduction), and despite the number of sheer errors the author claims and how all these errors are linked to pawn structure, the only actual error was a straight blunder that led to losing a queen and all the way along White had the advantage and good chances for counter play. I think I'll leave the book until I can have more insight by myself without the help of the author. In such a case, a game book maybe as good as that book. Let's see. I am rated around 1500 USCF.
The book is for advanced students.......2007-03-20
The book looks good but it is for advanced students
Pawn structure and long term planning!.......2006-09-19
I did hear that saying that, "pawns are the sole of chess", and "chess structure is the backbone of your position". Mr. Soltis shows you the importance of planning ahead and having the right pawn structure, or making your opponent have the wrong one - especially looking toward an endgame. Now this not a book for a beginner, who should be learning basic tactics, traps, ideas behind opening moves and basic endgames. This is a book for someone past that stage that needs to learn the more advanced idea of recognizing how to use pawns and the importance of planning ahead keeping the the pawns (the little people!!) in mind! Don't forget the "little people" would be a funny but true statement.
Interesting but definitely not for beginners.......2006-09-13
He makes some interesting points about the pawn structures resulting from various typical opening systems. However, since you probably only play one or a few of these a lot of the book may not interest you that much, also it is quite advanced and I simply couldnt make sense out of much of it. However, this book is reccomended by many people, including Jeremy Silman in his book Reasess Your Chess. Perhaps if I go over it later I can understand more--definitely not for beginners.
Book Description
Profoundly original discussion of pawn play isolates its elements and elaborates on various aspects. Basic relationships of one or two pawns constitute winning strategy. Multitude of examples demonstrate paramount significance of elements of pawn manipulation. 182 diagrams. Index of games.
Customer Reviews:
A serious book........2006-03-07
This book treats chess as treating science, just as Nimzowitch's "My System". It is definitely a monograph. Some definitions are given first, then some theorems (or general idea) are proved through examples and some exceptions are also shown. I don't deny it is an instructive and helpful book, but reading over 300 pages of dry words is a tantamount job to most readers. However, after reading the excellent review by other people here, I decide to give another try. The point is: study hard and dig deep!!
Worthwhile chess content, creepy jargon.......2005-07-16
As you may be aware from the other reviews, this book suffers from a peculiar tic that is practically unique in the literature: the author indulgently and compulsively concocts new terminology page after tiresome page. There are at least eighty new terms, most coming in the first two chapters. Apart from one or two terms, they have never penetrated the mainstream of usage; in fact, the author himself doesn't even use most of them but a few times. Some are never used! Thus the mental energy you invest in memorization is utterly wasted. If you are the sort of person who gets annoyed by these abuses, then you should skip this book, or skip the jargon and work directly from the diagrams and moves. Honestly, I have to tell you that this was the single most maddening chess book I have ever worked through. By the middle of Chapter 3, I wanted to shave my scalp with a cheese grater, dunk my head in battery acid, then toss my body into a live volcano. Oh - you kids should also be aware that the book is in descriptive notation.
On the positive side, the chess content itself is worthwhile. In short, it is a complete and rigorous treatment of the pawn in chess: its peculiar features as a maneuvering unit, how it interacts with other pieces, how groups of them are utilized in the context of a game. All of the essential ideas, I am sure, are available elsewhere in bits and pieces - a game collection here, a middlegame tome there. But it helps to have it all in front of you, systematically and thoroughly presented.
OK in its time however better books are out there now.......2004-03-25
OK In life its necessary to be honest even if it's not popular. So here goes my 5 cents. In its time this was one of the few if not the only book on pawn structures. A lot of veteran masters used this book so it's well known. However it's still using an obsolete notation (You are going to go crazy! its like reading old time English). Kmoch also uses phrases and names pawns using proprietary words/names that no one else uses. Many of the openings reviewed are not popular or obsolete so much of the material is of little practical use over 60 pages are devoted to Benoni formations, have you ever played that opening? The dynamic isolated pawn structure, defensive value of the doubled pawn, rigid pawn structure versus piece mobility, white and black square control, compensation and how to meet the minority attack. All these concepts came out after this book was written. In a simplistic and historical way this is a classic book. It's just not correct to think that a 1940s book is going to give you modern practical knowledge. Its tough to read, tough to understand and takes a long time to go through. Use one of the modern books, Soltis's Pawn structure chess or one of the other modern books on pawn power will get you there faster and better. However if you have a lot of time and want to experience an historically important book that most players of the 40s, 50s and 60s would have read on their way to the master level then this book is fine. You will still have to read one of the modern pawn structure books to understand how modern masters view pawn structures. A little about me, I am close to IM level so know a thing or two about chess books.I enjoy playing on ICC and my computer. May start to take part in tourneys again. I have limited time so take a practical approach to maximising the use of my study time. Have over 200 books not 1000 lol.
Essential.......2002-12-15
This book is essential for serious understanding of chess, of the 16 pieces in your army 8 are pawns. Knowing how to use them and how they can help you achieve victory is useful for any serious chess player. Get this book and improve your game. Recommended for 1600+ rated players.
Classic is too mild a word.......2002-04-30
First, I have to get something off my chest: why do people have trouble with descriptive notation? It takes like what, 45 seconds to learn? Chess players are normally pretty smart people, and they have trouble learning descriptive notation? Perhaps chess isn't for you if you have trouble with that. Maybe take up basket weaving, which is very challenging in its own right, but does not use language. This book is one of a treasured few that makes my "desert island" list. I often felt before reading this book that chess was like a foreign language to me. I heard with envy that Reti said about Capablanca that "chess was his mother tongue." I wanted that so badly, but I still felt, no matter how much I studied, that I was missing something essential about chess. This book, Pawn Power in Chess, changed that for me. The more I study this book (which has been off and on for about 5 years), the more I learn about chess, and the more I "feel" chess on an intuitive level. Kmoch uses the device of creating his own vocabulary to bring concepts to life for you, and I always found this useful, though some readers do not like it. The examples are brilliantly annotated and selected. My only complaint about this book is that I wish it were ten times longer. I wish Kmoch had written about all of the openings, explaining them in light of the principles he sets out in this book. A major part of this book is the incredible conviction that he brings to his work. He brings enthusiasm, which is key, but many writers (Motwani, Silman, Seirawan, Alburt, Watson, Yermolinsky) bring enthusiasm. That in itself is not enough. Great conviction is also required. This is what impressed Petrosian so much about Nimzowitsch: the almost religious conviction with which Nimzo presented his ideas, his system. Kmoch is, to me, on a similar level. In fact, I think this book makes a perfect companion to My System. On top of that, work through Kmoch's earlier works, Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces and World Championship in Battle Royale (about the 1948 championship tournament), for lots of great games to flesh things out. He annotates those works more conventionally, but those works become more interesting after reading Pawn Power. I cannot say enough good about this book. It can be obtained cheaply, and it should be treasured.
Book Description
In this innovative book, Grandmaster and renowned endgame expert Glenn Flear concentrates on the very basics of pawn endings. He outlines the key principles and rules, and demonstrates how these work in practical examples.
Customer Reviews:
A good book with some flaws........2005-08-08
As the title suggests, this is meant to be a book for players wishing to gut a solid understanding for the fundamental themes underlying strong K+P endgame play. All very well, but this book has some notable faults. Firstly and foremost is that the book is quite theoretical. It gives a lot of variations and positions which you are meant to remember. Because of this, working through this book can seem like a chore. Another point is one which is not really the authors fault so much, but some writers, notably seirawan have an individual touch through which they can communicate to amateurs and make reading there books enjoyable. Starting Out: Pawn Endgames doesn't have that touch. Nevertheless, it does contain useful information and upon going through this book once I have gathered useful points to improve my play.
An intermediate-level chess instructional.......2004-11-08
Starting Out: Pawn Endgames is an intermediate-level chess instructional and self-improvement guide, that focuses on teaching the reader about endgame situations when it's down to just kings and pawns. English chess grandmaster Glenn Fear shares his years of experience, tips, and warnings, in clear prose with numerous sample games and diagrams. From dealing with a race, to maneuvering the king, to common mistakes and practical exercises, Starting Out: Pawn Endgames is an excellent resource to hone one's skill and learn more about the game itself.
Book Description
Endgames with just kings and pawns are the most basic type of ending. Without an understanding of them it is impossible to master more complicated endings. This book provides a thorough course in pawn endings, from the simple to the highly complex. Many interesting and beautiful positions are included, and there are test positions for the reader to solve. The authors follow the rigorously logical conventions introduced by John Nunn in his famous series of endgame manuals. This has necessitated a phenomenal amount of new analysis of theoretical positions to assess precisely the merits of each and every move.
This is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the most fundamental type of endgame, including puzzle positions to test the reader's understanding. It makes use of the new computer software specifically geared to solving pawn endings. In addition, it's logically organized in a user-friendly fashion.
Customer Reviews:
the works.......2006-02-25
This book starts with the basic concepts of King and Pawn against King, gives a thorough tour of the situations arising with progressively more pawns, and ends with general advice about finding plans in complicated situations. The whole exposition is given in clear, logical prose supported by valuable and well-diagrammed game analyses and exercises. The authors do not shirk giving clear explanations of the basics, while there is enough advanced material to give food for thought, I suspect, to much stronger players. In short I was delighted with this book, and strongly recommend it.
Putting phase in chess........2005-10-20
This is a rather difficult book for us, C-players, to follow. The positions have only two types of pieces, Kings and Pawns. In order to win, some Ps must reach the 6th or 7th to demonstrate to us that game is decided. The King- and Pawn-moves are single squares; therefore to achieve this goal the game must take many moves. This makes the variations of many (sometimes dozen of) moves deep. Unless we have the visual ability like the masters or grandmasters do, we need a chessboard or program to follow the moves incrementally. To study and understand these deep analyses, the authors recommend us, average players, to use chessboard and play them through. I think this is good for even masters and GMs. For us, amateurs, with 10 percent of its knowledge we could hold ground fairly against our opponents. I need at least one year or so to go through all the details the book provides.
I just caught three major mistakes that I wrongly believed all these years.
1) Two isolated P's separated by 1 file against a King are an automatic win. Wrong.
2) Two connected passed P's with the rear P blocked by enemy lone P is an automatic win. Wrong.
3) In pawn ending with two P's each, the outside passed P wins always. Wrong.
Above are three of many simple rules I often aim for when reaching the pure P endings.
Diagrams 8.01D, 4.07 and 3.12 from this book debunks my beliefs. What is missing with my simple rules? The King-position. In the pure pawn endings, the K-position is the single most important factor. The list on the Crash Course page is very helpful. There are about 40 different themes. So far I could recognize and understand 3 or 4 of them, but not 100% certainty, unless I have to carefully and quietly study the book.
This book is worth 5 stars. Hope I could use what it offers in real games. At C-class, our games are often over during the middle-games by blunders. The fewer pieces on our endgames are, the stronger (or more equal) are we. Good luck to all.
Perfection.......2004-08-18
I'm a class C player interested in seriously improving my game. My first endgame book was by Yasser Seirawan, Winning Chess Endings. I didn't really get enough out of the book's section on pawn endings. Due to this I decided to purchase this boook and I was amazed at what I could learn and how quickly. I believe this is the easiest to understand book on any aspect of chess theory I have ever read.
To get the most out of this book I highly recommend playing through the positions against a strong chess engine (Fritz, for example). Evaluate the test positions in your head and if you get any incorrect play through the positions against the engine.
I rarely reach endgames in my play, but I'm sure that I am able to correctly evaluate if I should trade off into an ending or not when I am faced with the choice.
Secrets of Good Books.......2003-12-29
Ok, endgame books are mostly raw facts and calculation. Accuracy is more important than writing ability. If you purchased this book, there is no doubt what you expected to take from it.
When I found the first typo on the first page of chapter one I thought I made a bad purchase. I don't care about excuses...poor editing, hard to translate from German, or anything else.
As I continued to read I found the book to be better than I had expected. Once I got used to the codes and symbols, the book was very enjoyable. The exercises were outstanding. They hammered home the critical ideas without wasting your time on exercises that would never occur in an actual game. And yes the book was very accurate. I learned a few new ways to quickly evaluate complex positions. The order of the exercises was perfect. Each exercise built on the previous exercises as they flowed smoothly through the book. You can not spend too much time with a book like this.
After living and playing in Germany for the past two years I am amazed at the strength of German players and their passion for the game. They are absolutely crazy about chess. I find chess everywhere I go in this country. These two authors are a direct reflection of chess in Germany today. I will look for more of their books.
Your Second Endgame Book.......2002-06-18
Unfortunately, explanations of pawn endings tend to be more mystifying than helpful to players of average talent (like me). Even single pawn endgames can seem so puzzling. However, with a little work even average players can understand this book. I suspect it would be helpful to unusually talented and experienced players as well.
I feel that for most player's purposes this book is a little better than Averbach's book, but it's most fun to have them both and compare their explanations. Averbach's book spends far more time on the theory of corresponding squares, while this book is more practical. In short, don't despair if you can't find Averbach's book; this one is very good.
If you've read a basic introduction to the endgame, and want to go deeper, this is the next step. All other endgames constantly threaten to reduce to pawn endgames, so these are fundamental concepts. As it says on the back cover, "Without an understanding of [pawn endings] it is impossible to master more complicated endings." That is absolutely true.
Many players will feel that pawn endgames are boring, but in reality they can be very beautiful. If you learn to enjoy them, then your enjoyment of the entire game of chess will increase.
Book Description
This book tackles fundamental questions such as: 'How should pawns be used to fight for the centre?' and 'How does the central pawn formation affect planning for both sides?' These issues are central to understanding chess. Marovic discusses central pawn-structures and their impact on play both in the centre and on the wings. He begins by surveying how the pawn's role in controlling the centre has been developed over the last 150 years, and how this has led to the refinement of concepts such as the 'dynamic' backward pawn and the positional exchange sacrifice. The bulk of the book is devoted to discussions of the main type of centre: Open Centre; Closed/Blocked Centre; Fixed Centre; and in particular the Mobile/Dynamic Centre.
Customer Reviews:
Great sequel on pawn play.......2006-11-23
Like this author's "Understanding Pawn Play in Chess", this book is a great addition to the library of any serious player wanting to improve his or her game.
This book examines pawn structures in relation to the fight for the center. Again, the author uses complete games to help the student's understanding, and the same conversational tone of explanation that he used in his previous book.
After an historical survey, he covers the Open center, Closed center, Pawn Majorities and Minority attacks and the Dynamic center. There are many fascinating games in this volume. As a chess instructor, I have found this book very useful because of the clarity with which Marovic presents his material. It is like having a greatly expanded and better organized version of the essay "Various Pawn Positions in the Center" by Alexander Kotov (in the collection of papers titled "The Art of the Middlegame" by Kotov and Keres). Those, like myself, who loved the article by Kotov will be ecstatic over this volume.
One of the most difficult things in chess is to truly understand the role and power of the pawns. The books by Marovic will greatly aid that understanding.
Book Description
Facing the King's Indian? Take No Prisoners! Here are eighteen chapters covering the principal variations with some rarer sidelines mentioned in the Introduction. In addition to this analysis, there are sixty-three fully-annotated games illustrating the tactical and other nuances of the Attack. The King's Indian has long been one of Black's sharpest defenses to 1.d2-d4. Here is a book that deals with one of the most aggressive systems against this popular defense. The logic of the system is quite simple: With f2-f4 White stakes a maximal claim in the center, which he will follow up by an attack on the enemy king. Of course, Black has a lot of defensive possibilities, but must play with a feel for the positions and, above all, know the theory well. Otherwise White will quickly grab the initiative, and Black may find himself on the wrong end of a blistering, direct attack on the King.
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