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David vs Goliath

What is it that separates chess masters from amateur players? That is a question that many people have asked. A simplistic answer is that the master is simply better at all parts of the game; openings, middlegame, endgame, calculation, tactics - you name it! On the other hand, this question has a quite complex answer. Former world champion, Max Euwe (together with Walter Meiden), has written a book that aims to illustrate the differences in how masters and amateurs approach the game. I have been curious about this book for a long time, and I have finally had the opportunity to read it and share my thougths on it with you.

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What can you expect from this book?

Chess master vs chess amateur is a book that for some reason does not get as much attention as other books. After reading it, I cannot see why. This is a book that has a lot to offer. It is full of practical tips for how to approach the game, and it is very well-written.

Before we get into the details of the book, let's begin with a description of its structure. And what better way to do that than through the authors' own words:
This book consists of a series of twenty-five games played between master and amateur. The early games of the book were played against beginners; later games, against coffeehouse players of various types; the last games against amateur book players.
  Each game has been chosen to study certain aspects of chess.The introduction of the game lists the important points illustrated in the course of the game and discusses in detail one or two aspects of chess which are exemplified in the game.
  As far as possible, the games are presented in order of their degree of amateurishness, but this order has occasionally been varied so as to present openings as a group or in some advantegous sequence. (p. xxix)
As indicated by the quote above, the games that are presented in order of "difficulty", beginning with quite elementary tactical mistakes and loss of tempo in the opening, progressing through more subtle positional details and the exploitation of weaknesses.

It is hard to imagine that this book is written by a world champion. Unlike many other books written by prominent grandmasters, this book has no examples whatsoever of "of-course-isms" (e.g. "Bh4 is of course bad in this position"). Rather, the reader is guided carefully through each example and each move.

The 25 games that are featured in the book seem to have been selected carefully in order to illustrate important principles and maximize the educational value. Here are some examples of principles and themes in the book:
  • The importance of time in the opening
  • Bringing the queen out too early
  • Central control - directly and indirectly
  • Passive play
  • Positional exchange sacrifice
  • Preventing castling
  • Using open files
  • Initiative
  • When to trade queens
  • Isolated pawns
  • Double pawns
  • The "Greek gift" sacrifice (Bxh7)
  • Focusing on a weak square
There are, of course, many other principles that are highlighted in the book, and all of them are explained through illustrative examples from complete games. There is even a little bit of opening theory for common openings, such as the queen's gambit and the Spanish/Ruy Lopez.

The book has a lot to offer in all parts of the game, but for the most part it highlights typical mistakes and misconceptions in the middlegame, which is why I have chosen to put it in the middlegame category as well as chess improvement.

The annotations are quite detailed and the main points are thoroughly explained. Overall, the content is presented in a very accessible and pedagogical way, which makes it very easy to follow the logic and extract the essence from each game.

Who should read this book?

One of the main chess book stores in Sweden describes this as a perfect continuation for players that have just passed the beginner stage and want to continue. I think this perfectly captures the spirit of the book. In my opinion, the book is very much readable for players who have come a bit further in their development. As stated above, it is very well-written and nicely presented, which makes it a delight to read. I would recommend it for all players up to about 1800 strength. Chess master vs chess amateur is a wonderful book in all aspects. So if you haven't already read it, I suggest you put it on your reading list. It will be well worth your time.

About this book

Author:Max Euwe & Walter Meiden
Title:Chess master vs chess amateur
Type of book:Chess improvement, Middlegame
Level:Beginner, Intermediate
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