Studying Chess Made Easy [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I wish this book was written 25 years ago. It is the only book ever written about chess training to give a complete syllabus of what skills you need to know and how to put in the hard work to acquire them. Soltis's underlying theme is "Too Much [chess] Information" (TMI). We all suffer navigating the jungle of TMI. Soltis provides us with a hatchet, a GPS, and direction -- he provides us with outlines for hard work, how to use books, how to use computers, etc. For example, we learn how to spar with computers, how to read over master games, how to train our planning skills, how to study the opening. All facets of chess training are covered. It's a remarkable book.

Chapter titles and some of the more important topics covered include the following:

Chapter 1: Chess Isn't School
Chapter 2: Cultivating Your Chess Sense
Chapter 3: The biggest Study myth
Chapter 4: The Right Way to Study Openings
Chapter 5: Two-an-a-half-move Chess
Chapter 6: Overcoming Endgame Phobia
Chapter 7: Learning to Live with TMI
Chapter 8: How to Learn More from a Master Game

Some Important Topics in the Book:
Take away at least three lessons from each game (wins and losses).
Examine interesting positions (especially endgames) with a sparing partner (friend or computer). Later in the book Soltis goes into more detail about sparing strategies for endgame positions.
Keep a journal.
Learn endgame basis positions.
Practice technique (endgame, middlegame typical positions, harmonizing pieces).
Typical Opening Positions.
Learn openings slowly, one move at a time. No need for memorization.
2.5-move chess (a way to think about calculation).
Techniques for improving calculation and evaluation. The relative importance between calculation and evaluation.
Exact vs. Inexact endgame positions. Know the difference, and know the different ways to train each.
Only about 25 exact endgames need to be known, up to master.
Candidate moves / relationship planning.
How to study annotated master games. Three iterations required.

Soltis relates each of these concepts to an overall training plan. He recommends which specific books or computer technique to use with each training exercise.

With an incredible sense of chess history and an entertaining story-telling style, Soltis explains how famous players used one or more techniques in their own training. His ability to put these training techniques into context makes the book extremely fun to read. A few annotated games compliment the text, but they're not necessary.

I imagine that good students will take away a single page of detailed notes about how to train all aspects of their game. Then they might start to think that most chess DVDs, chess books, and chess magazines are useless, that only a handful of chess books are required to make master. This book, as the manual of manuals, by all means is one of them.

With the hundreds of books available on improving your chess rating, an overview by a good writer has been long overdue. Soltis is a great chess writer, and does an excellent job of outlining techniques to balance study, given the information overload on the topic. In extensive reviews, we've found 5 typos, which is unusual for Batsford, one of the finest chess publishers, most likely due to the rush to get this to press. We would have added a bibliography with a book of this title, there is none, and the "solutions" look like an afterthought-- they are 8 sentences on half of the last page!

Contents include:

1. Chess isn't school
2. Cultivating your chess sense
3. The biggest study myth
4. The right way to study an opening
5. Two and a half move chess
6. Overcoming endgame phobia
7. Learning to live with TMI
8. How to learn more from a master game

TMI refers to Too Much Information, and the biggest myth is that you should "think like a grandmaster." Soltis convincingly argues that you ought to do a lot less thinking and a lot more pattern recognition (instinctive and intuitive) of good and bad moves!

Improving your rating is not easy, and to be honest, this book isn't either. It is not just tips, but a good number of annotated games to illustrate key points, some of which require 5 or six travel sets or a good couple screens of computer analysis to work through. It is not nearly as difficult as an outstanding but very tough Secrets of Creative Thinking: School of Future Champions 5 (Progress in Chess) text, but isn't for beginners either, and makes numerous advanced and subtle points. If you are an advanced beginner or middle level club player, there are humorous anecdotes that tease you away from buying 50 pound opening encyclopedias and studying them extensively.

The praise for the book includes the fact that it is "up to date with the most modern computer techniques." Well, it is up to date, for sure, especially in game examples and subtle tips, but there is not even a chapter on computer chess. There are several short sections on the topic, which are well written and give practical tips (Cyber Sparring, 4.5 pages, is the largest section), but no details on loading engines, comparing Hiarcs with Fritz, etc.

Some of the best tips are secrets from the old Russian training schools. They include:

1. Study alone, not with, or exclusively with, a teacher or trainer
2. Practice numerous games against computers and slightly higher AND slightly lower rated players
3. Don't go beyond having fun to the point of getting discouraged or overloaded
4. Don't shy away from memorization
5. Study a lot of endgames, not just for endgames, but to see the tactics at work
6. Play a lot of brief, trick, puzzle and exercize games. A large number of new and unusual exercises are given in this category.
7. Learn analysis, and try it before reading the analysis of others. (Soltis follows his own advice, giving 240+ diagrams, and asking you "what would you do here?" before continuing the analysis)

If you are new to chess, ideas like correspondence chess, reading the Informant, playing black often, practicing "blind," and many other techniques are described. Even advanced players will likely find some novel techniques from the Russian school that they hadn't tried before.

With the number of really BAD chess books published each year, this one stands out as much better than the rest. At 13 bucks or so, it will save you a hundred bucks on wasted money buying extensive opening libraries if you haven't done so yet, and that alone is worth the price! The author likes Logical Chess: Move By Move: Every Move Explained New Algebraic Edition, and quotes it as "the best book for a novice." I personally love books with good bibliographies for additional reading, and although there is NO bib here, Soltis does give tips throughout the text for suggested reading. These tips seem directed mostly at beginners. Beginners will profit from this book, but the analysis and examples are tough enough, and require enough work to follow, to benefit medium club level players as well.

I received my copy of "Studying Chess Made Easy" just a couple of days ago. I already own several books by Andrew Soltis.

"The Inner Game of Chess"
"The Art of Defense in Chess"
"Pawn Structure Chess"
"The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess"

I have thoroughly enjoyed "Studying Chess Made Easy." Of the three dozen or so chess books I've already purchased this year, this is easily the best chess book of the year for me.

I am not a rated player. I've never payed in a tournament. I'm 50. I'd like to play in tournaments eventually and become a master level player. I loved chess in my youth. Dabbled here and there for decades. Recently, my love for chess has been rekindled.

What I am is an avid chess enthusiast. I'm an older player who wants to improve. "Studying Chess Made Easy," is a misleading title. I don't think the study of chess can be made easy. But it sure can be made more efficient and productive.

This book wil not teach you tactics, strategy, opening theory, endgame theory, etc. Instead, it offers practical help on how someone who wants to improve and who is working without a coach can improve in all of the important areas of chess mastery.

I put this book in the same category as Jeremy Silman's books "The Amateur's Mind," "How to Reassess Your Chess," and "How to Reassess Your Chess Workbook." Soltis's latest book is very different from them in terms of coverage. But, in terms of practical guidance for improving your chess, "Studying Chess Made Easy" really expands how you think about the study of chess.

I often buy a book because I appreciate a small portion. Somewhere inside, there is an idea that's expressed in a way that I want to be able to visit again. This book has given me several ideas to revisit and keep my chess studies productive and fun.

Soltis exposes readers to the Russian word "priyome." That idea alone was worth the purchase price to me. It's my guess that "priyome" is a word that will become more familiar to chess players. We're all familiar with mate-in-two, mate-in-three positions. Those focus on combinations. A "priyome" is a positional response to game move rather than a combinational response.

There is so much more to "Studying Chess Made Easy" than just introducing a new piece of Russian jargon. You will learn how to avoid information overload, how to improve your chess analysis skills, how to studying openings and endgames efficiently, etc.

This book will not teach you strategy, tactics, openings, endgames, etc. I'm confident that improving chess players will find it to be an essential companion to more productively studying chess.

I give this book my strongest recommendation.