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Chessville
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Brilliant Chess Studies Prof. Nagesh Havanur
The endgame study in Russia has followed two schools of thought. On the one hand we have the positional and analytical school with composers like Kasparian and Nadareishvili as its main exponents. On the other hand we have the romantic school with votaries like Korolkov, Mitrofanov and Pogosyants. The work of the new generation of composers like Kralin, Bazlov and Pervakov, however, is not easy to label and categorize as their studies show a synthesis of both styles. In their case imagination is tempered by realism. This book has an unusual format. Every composition is followed by two companion studies in which the same idea is developed and refined in a different form and variation. On each page the solutions are found overleaf. This is particularly helpful. The same cannot be said of the additional symbols indicating various motifs of endgame composition. They tend to clutter the page and can be conveniently ignored. In the Introduction the author claims that he has been guided by three criteria in his selection of these studies:
Obviously any choice in the making of such an anthology is bound to be subjective. On the whole I gather the impression that there is an inbuilt bias in favour of composers from the former Soviet Union. Certain composers from the Western world like Harold Lommer, C.M.Bent, and H.F.Blandford are not represented at all. Similarly OTB players-turned- composers like Yochanan Afek, John Nunn and Jan Timman have been ignored altogether. Perhaps the most unfortunate cases of omission are those of A.F.Mackenzie and, ironically enough, Paul Keres. Mackenzie (1861-1905) lived in Kingston, Jamaica and he was blind. The following study published at the turn of the century makes an extraordinary impression. A.F.Mackenzie
White To Play And Win 1…dxe4 2.Nc5+ Kxc5 3.Nxe4 + and 4.Nxg5 2.Ka6 Qe2+ 3.Kxa7 dxe4 4.Bg7! Qa2 5.Bf8 Qxa4+ 6.Na5+ Kb5 7.Bc6+ and 8.Bxa4 wins. The late Keres composed very few endgame studies as compared to his great contemporary Smyslov, the former world champion. However, these compositions have survived the ravages of time. Consider the following gem: Paul Keres 1936
White To Play And Win
On the flipside this work is virtually a languageless book with little verbal content by way of explanation. Connoisseurs of endgame studies would not find much that is new. Many of the studies here are well-known and there is no attempt to examine them afresh. Such aficionados are well-advised to browse through John Nunn’s recent work Endgame Challenge. In fairness to this book it may be said that every study here is a masterpiece and worthy of attention. It would bring hours of enjoyment both for regular solvers and players who may not be familiar with endgame studies. The pocketsize edition is user-friendly and an ideal travel companion. The following compositions are taken from the book: Nadareishvili 1975
White To Play And Draw
Mitrofanov 1971
White To Play And Win
Pervakov 1985-1986
White To Play And Win
Recommended
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If
you have enjoyed the compositions in this review , do not miss the
famous international endgame study magazine EG.
The
aim of EG is to cover all aspects of the composed endgame study and to publish award winning studies wherever in the world they may have appeared. Besides, several original studies published in EG have become
classics in their own right.
To subscribe, 22 euros or the
equivalent in USD may be sent to Marcel van Herck, Brialmontlei 66 B 2018
Antwerpen, Belgium
