Some books are worth waiting for, and this one is exceptional in terms of waiting. When I ordered the book, it took over 6 months before it was delivered. When I finally got around to reading it, I realized that I should probably read more basic books on chess strategy in order to get more context on this one. So I put it away for a while. The result is that it has taken almost two years from when I ordered the book until this review was done. Is it worth the wait? Read on to find out.
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What can you expect from this book?
In How to study chess on your own, Davorin Kuljasevic recommends that you should "dynamize" your tactical training. Dynamic chess strategy is a good book to get you started on that track. And it is also one of the books that Kuljasevic references repeatedly throughout his book. But what exactly does it mean? Well, that's one of the main questions that this book aims to answer.
In this book, the term dynamic is used to describe the mobility, or potential energy, of the pieces. Plainly put, this means putting the pieces on squares where they can "do" something. Dynamic chess is thereby a matter of maximizing the pieces' potential, and dynamic chess strategy is a general approach for playing in this way. Suba describes the aim of dynamic chess strategy as "promoting fighting and uncompromising chess" (p. 60).
According to Suba, the discourse around chess strategy is biased towards static factors such as key files and squares, space, and "good" vs "bad" pieces. In his opinion, the dynamic elements of chess strategy has been neglected. And according to Suba, the most important element of chess strategy is mobility. (Side note: This is, in fact, the same message that Michael Stean gave in his book Simple Chess. It's nice to see that there is agreement between books written for beginners and for advanced players.)
An indication of this bias is the somewhat artificial distinction between strategy and tactics. With a dynamic perspective on chess strategy, this line is blurred. Tactics is an important part of dynamic play, and could thus be seen as a part of strategy. Or as Suba phrases it (p. 94):
Strategy is not the opposite of tactics, it is the theory of tactics. (...) It gives pointers for discovering plans, and plans, in their turn, direct the moves in given positions.
In practical terms, dynamic chess means that we aim for positions with elastic and non-symmetrical structures and central control. Because of the sharp positions that tend to arise in dynamic chess, evaluation of time is also very important. This is an example of how the distinction between strategy and tactics can be blurry.
Although Suba questions a lot of the traditional texts on chess strategy, he does not criticize the principles that are presented by authors such as Steinitz, Nimzowitsch and Watson. He emphasizes that these principles are still valid and an important part of chess strategy, but that dynamic elements need to be added to the mix. The table below gives a few examples of dynamic vs static elements of strategy.
| Dynamic elements | Static elements |
|---|---|
| Development | Material |
| Activity |
Structure |
| Concentration of pieces |
Weaknesses |
In How to reassess your chess, Silman has brought dynamics and statics together as one of several imbalances that need to be considered. This is one example of how the discussion of chess strategy has (hopefully) evolved since Suba first wrote this book.
Suba also argues that chess strategy can easily be perceived as something abstract and difficult to grasp. His opinion is that strategy must be made more practical and concrete (p. 63):
Chess strategy must lose some of its grandness, some of its sentential character, must come back to earth and become practical, so that we can make it work for us move by move.
Suba's suggestion for achieving this is to see strategy as a continuous process rather than some mystical concept that involves the unbroken execution of a deep plan that is laid before the game starts. Suba describes three major functions of chess strategy:
- Positional evaluation
- Understanding plans and "weapons"; your own and your opponent's
- Establish a plan
This is a quite advanced book. Although I enjoyed it, I feel that I probably did not understand all of it to the extent Suba had intended. In the foreword, he writes that the book is aimed at player rated 1900 or above, but that it could be relevant for somewhat lower rated players if they have sufficient "chess culture".
Dynamic chess strategy is not a very big book. It has 195 pages distributed over 7 chapters (plus one with solutions). The book contains a mix of stories, 36 annotated games and a lot of philosophical discussions about chess strategy. In my opinion, the latter is what makes this a great book. Personally, I found chapters 3 and 4 to be the most interesting parts. Don't get me wrong, the rest is also interesting, but not more than any average games collection.
If you are looking for more details on this book, please take a look at the sample pages from the publisher.
Who should read this book?
Dynamic chess strategy is a book for advanced players. Before reading it, you should have a strong foundation in chess strategy, and you have probably read quite a bit about the subject before. In terms of playing strength, you are probably well above 1800. So if you have a solid understanding of chess strategy, and you want to broaden your perspective on the subject, then this is an excellent book. For beginners, and intermediate players, I suggest you make a note of this book and pick it up once you reach the appropriate level.About this book
| Author: | Mihai Suba |
| Title: | Dynamic chess strategy |
| Type of book: | Middlegame, Strategy |
| Level: | Advanced |
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