The Art of the Middle Game

The Middle Ground!

Whereas, the Opening sets the stage, an Endgame is only reached still afteryet when the Middlegame has set the stage, most games actually finish in the middlegame when it comes to advanced players. Often it is complained that the endgame is neglected, it is actually the study of the middlegame that is of the GREATEST SIGNIFICANCE when it comes to neglect!
"THE ART OF THE MIDDLEGAME" is the absolute best buy for the money in the MIDDLEGAME book arena! Nice practical examples are used by world class players (of the mid 1900s). There is no new THEORY being developed in chess for the middlegame (unlike openings). I also have enjoyed THE MIDDLEGAME IN CHESS by Euwe and for complete games with excellent middlegames in the majority of games (fantastic analysis unlike any other book on games) UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS and MORE UNBEATABLE CHESS LESSONS (get these for sure). ENJOY!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Solid Book on the Middlegame

This is a classic work, and one of the best books written on some of the more common type of middlegame themes you are likely to come across in practical play. Studying books on the middlegame, tactics in general and going over well annotated complete games is a good way to improve your middle game - often a neglected part of study.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Classic Work on the Middlegame (for the more advanced player)

Written in descriptive notation (wish they would update it to algebraic, but since this book is written for Intermediate or for Advanced players, this should not be a biggie) 'Art of the Middlegame' will help you formulate a 'plan'. Actually written by several top notch Grandmasters taking on certain chapters, each one teaches what they consider to be important themes (ranging from defending a difficult position to strategy and tactics in attacking the King). Game Collection Books with good middlegames will go along well with this this book. Conclusion: If you are rated 1500+, want to improve your ability to plan, and don't mind descriptive notation 'The Art of the Middle Game' would make an excellent choice.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The forgotten classic

I have read Kotov's classic trilogy: Train Like a Grandmaster, Think Like a Grandmaster and Play Like A Grandmaster. And, I think that this book ought to be put on par with the trio of books that Kotov has written: it is a classic! The two chapters written by Paul Keres on 'defending' and 'the art of analysis' deserves praise as well. It shows Keres' penchant for details. Golombek's introduction serves as a useful guide to a not-so-good player like me before moving into more heavyweight stuffs written by Kotov and Keres. There is only one drawback though, the material written by Kotov was almost the same with those in his famous trilogy. Overall, it is a good book for those who wants to deepen their understanding of the middlegame!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Timeless coverage of a neglected part of the game

The ideas in this book are timeless and will not change down the line. So the fact that this book may appear to be 'dated' is not of importance. The only drawback is that for those not initiated in 'descriptive' notation, they will simply need to become initiated! Excellent examples forming a well-rounded balance of situations are provided in the ART OF THE MIDDLE GAME. The book is designed for the player just beyond the novice stage on up to average tournament level skill. This book isn't a 'tactics' problem book. You will learn about positional play as well. Often a neglected part of the game.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Classic Book on Middlegame Strategy

Written in descriptive notation (wish they would update it to algebraic, but since this book is written for Intermediate or or Advanced players, this should not be a biggie) 'Art of the Middlegame' will help you formulate a 'plan'. Actually written by several top notch Grandmasters taking on certain chapters, each one teaches what they consider to be important themes (ranging from defending a difficult position to strategy and tactics in attacking the King).

Very Good Examples of some useful middlegame ideas

If you have already learned from good books on tactics, opening traps and are ready for to start adding some positional concepts to your game, then 'Art of the Middlegame' is a good way to begin. It is not a difficult book to grasp once you have an understanding of tactical concepts. Too many lower rated players jump into studying positional concepts before having a solid understanding of what should come first: Tactics.

Stupid

This book consists of very basic concepts explained in a complicated manner. Almost like saying, 'I need two units of hydrogen accompanied by one unit of oxygen to quench my dehyrdated system,' instead of saying 'I want water, I'm thirsty.' Waste of time unless you are horrible at chess and want to read a book that only experts would understand. No helpful diagrams, obsolete notation, and terribly outlined.

Excellent Book!!!

Any chess book that has the names Keres and Kotov are classics. Kotov is famous for his trilogy Think Like A Grandmaster, Play Like A Grandmaster, and Train Like A Grandmaster. Keres is famous for many things. Keres is the only world class player of the fifties and sixties that never got to play for the world's championship. This is because the Soviet machine told him they would kill his family if he tried to win the world's championship. He was bluntly told to throw games to Botvinnik thus helping Botvinnik win the world's championship. An American Grandmaster who was considered Keres equal decided not to participate in that farce of a world's championship. Ruben Fine's public cover story was that he had chosen psychiatry as his profession rather than chess. But privately the real reason was that Fine, much to his credit, wouldn't play because of the cheating by the Soviets. After Botvinnik won the title (and seemed to never be able to hold on to it) Keres had a plus score against Botvinnik. Later, one Robert J. Fischer claimed the Soviets were cheating by throwing games so he couldn't win the challenger's tournament. Fischer went into semi retirement after two bad performances in the challengers tournament. Most people said it was sour grapes but when Viktor Korchonoi defected and wrote a couple of books verifying Fischer's claim and making the Keres incident known to all the chess world we all saw what was going on. Chess took a real hit and had a black eye after that. Back to the book. This is required reading for any serious chess player but the casual player might also benefit from this book. Keres and Kotov at their best! Buy it! You'll like it!

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