| From | Message |
|---|
|
 Recommend me a Pawn book please
Pawn play, formation and strategy (in the middle-game) is a weak part of my game, could anyone recommend a good study book?
|
|
"Understanding Pawn Play in Chess" by Drazen Marovic is good. Also Solitis's "Pawn Structure Chess" I prefer Marovic, but the Solitis book is easier reading and you will get through it faster.
|
|
thanks!
The Solitis book seems to be somewhat hard/expensive to get hold of (at least on uk amazon) so I'll give the Marovic one a go.
|
|
Pawns
Marovic has written two books on pawns Understanding pawn play in chess, I liked it when I read
it and then Dynamic pawn play in chess. Have had no time to read in it yet.
Silmans How to reassess your chess has some on it.
Steve Giddens 101 Chess endgame tips is a light little brilliant book with a lot of startling pawn
moves. Great book!
|
|
I have read "Dynamic pawn play in chess" It is a good book but the title is a little misleading. You definitively should read "Pawn Play in Chess" first. "Dynamic Pawn Play" deals with certain types of dynamic pawn structures but pawn moves don't figure much in it. to "Dynamic Pawn Play" is a great book for people who play the closed Ruy Lopez, it really gives you an understanding for what is going in the Spanish middle game.
|
|
"The Final Countdown" by Willem Jajenius and Herman Van Riemsdijk is a specialist book on pawn endings, the book gives some very sound advice on where to position your pawns.
|
|
Seen the book "Pawn Structure Chess"(1995) by Soltis on Ebay today for 34.00.Its expensive,but worth it for those learning.I have a copy in my extensive library of books.I recommend it.Another book,much older,that covers alot of pawn structure theory is:
"Point Count Chess" by Horowitz/Mott Smith(1973).Covers alot about pawn structures and point value "changes" depending upon piece placement and structure.This book was not written by a GM,but has alot of value in illustrating the common misconceptions about various point value's in pawns and other pieces that some players feel never changes.The book "Point Value Chess",while outdated,has definitely helped me in my younger years raise my rating quite alot of points.I've seen the book on EBay for 19.00 today.
|
|
The problem I have with Point Count Chess is this. The system is based on a point being worth a 1/3 of a pawn. Most pawn weakness are rated as one point or a 1/3 of a pawn, so far this is about right. The problem that they don't address is that two weakness is worth a lot more than 2 points or 2/3 of a pawn. If you have two weakness and no compensation, very often your opponent has a won game.
|
|
This post was deleted by tactical_abyss on 20-Aug-09, 10:47.
|
|
Your right Blake,thats why I mentioned that it is outdated.Alot of older books like that have some need to improve upon and have some things about pawn values that are not addressed as you say....but that book does contain other values that are are addressed and have value for those players who have no idea about any value changes vs structure and more.One can simply interpolate,modify and "read between the lines" as is said about points and piece placement using that book.There are many interesting areas of the book that do contain accurate and usable info.
"Point Count Chess" is certainly nowhere near the top of my list,but many of the theories and ideas in the book held on to a basic foundation of thought that a player in the early stages of thought/rating can grow ideas from.Its definitely a book that one should add to any collection they have regarding pawn structures....if only to make interpolating comparisons between that book and other ones.
|
|
thanks
for all your thoughts on this, I'm going to start with Marovic and see how I go
|
|
Complete Chess Strategy Volume 2; Principle of Pawn Play , by Ludek Pachman is a nice book to study from.
|
|
Pawn Power in Chess
by Hans Kmoch is a good resource too and cheap. www.amazon.com
|
|
Like ALGOL said ...
I have the Kmoch book and enjoyed it a lot. Besides just showing what are weak pawn formations and such ... it also goes into how a pawns position affects the pieces, and especially Rook play with use of half open files. And part of the fun is that Kmoch uses some really far-out terminology. I thought he created it, but heard Tarrasch made at least some of it.
***
He speaks of things like pawn duo's, Weavils, Rex-Weavils, Benoni-Jumps, etc. Those last three are types of positions, which he breaks down middlegames into according to similarities of pawn structures. Benoni type positions might include ...c5 Pirc's, Sicilian Dragons, and such as well as actual Benoni.
***
It is worth the price just to learn this "lingo", imo. Then when you meet another who has studied Kmoch ... you Always recognize them by it; while others stand around impressed but befuddled as to what you are speaking of with such authoritative jargon that it Must be a Chess Secret. Kind of like a secret brotherhood you know ... sure to psych-out the opposition who overhears. (I've gotten to do this, and it IS fun )
};-D
|
Please log in to your account to play chess online!
