Chess Strategy in Action (Great Chess Games)

Watson provides a much needed update on Pachman's classic, but somewhat dated work on chess strategy. The subject may seem dry and difficult to some, but the book reads like a thrill. The layout is so good and the explanations so clear that you do not need a chess board to follow the discussions of conceptual issues (although you will need to set up the pieces to analyze the technical details, of course). Watson is entertaining and instructive at the same time.Outstanding work. Five stars.

This is a very worthy successor to the greatest chess book ever written: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by the same author.

IM J Watson shares controversial and interesting ideas that contribute to improve our understanding about chess from Ninzowitch to Watson. For coach and chess player read this book must be " mandatory" even when you can be disagree.

Fine

Not the book I expected. Not very helpful in improving a player's game. The book that helps me the most is one where moves are explained clearly and without excessive "what if" type lines.

As an amateur enthusiast who plays chess only for enjoyment (I do not even possess a current rating) I feel almost itimidated in trying to review this book. However, as there are many other amateur players out there, I thought it would be worth sharing my views on why this is such a great work.The first thing to note, of course, is that this book is a sequel to the multi-award-winning SECRETS OF MODERN CHESS STRATEGY. If you haven't read that book, you should - not because it is essential to the understanding of this one (it isn't) but because it is a phenomenal book. In CHESS STRATEGY IN ACTION John Watson expands on many subjects he covered in his first book. The new material is always put in context by Watson before he elaborates.In his first book Watson advocated his theory of "rule-independence." He demonstrated how the modern day greats will sometimes break all established convention regarding general rules on how best to play certain positions. In this successor, the theory is fleshed out with the help of numerous examples from the games of Anand, Kasparov, Ivanchuk, Bareev, Topalov etc.So do the old general principles, handed down over generations, still apply? Only sometimes! Watson has the rare ability to sift great games and find themes overlooked by other commentators. Thus he is able to show how and why the current chess elite can sometimes violate the golden rules that we were all brought up on. I must admit that I am a big fan of all of the Gambit books on chess strategy, which all cover different areas even though the book titles can seem a bit similar. I found CREATIVE CHESS STRATEGY (by Spanish GM Alfonso Romero) to also contain many excellent examples of rule-independence.Whether or not you subscribe to the complete Watson philosophy, the material is rich in content, splndidly written and packed with games - the index reveals around three hundred players are represented. Like Watson's first book, CHESS STRATEGY IN ACTION is a modern-day classic.

Chess Strategy in Action is Watson's companion volume to his award winning work, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy. In my opinion, the companion volume is just as wonderful as the first volume. Watson has in-depth narratives about every major theme of modern chess. I especially enjoyed the chapters:The Surrender of the Center, The Flank Pawns Have Their Say, The Positional Pawn Sacrifice, and An Edgy Day and a Sleepess Knight. Not only does the companion volume provide many complete-game examples of the themes discussed in the first volume, it also contains new theoretical material.Thes two books have immensely increased my love and appreciation for the game of chess. They are the kind of books that you will revisit for a lifetime. I highly recommend both of these works and believe they constitute a major contribution to chess theory.

Good for higher graded club players

Just what it says on the tin.