If you have disabled Java for your browser, use the Site Map (linked in the header and footer).

Chessville
logo by
ChessPrints
 

Advertise
with
Chessville!!

Advertise to
thousands
of chess
fans for
as little
as $25.

Single insert:
$35
x4 insert:
@ $25 each.

From the
Chessville
Chess Store

From the
Chessville
Chess Store

The Book of the Year?

Up until just a few years ago, there weren’t a whole lot of “chess strategy” books to choose from.  Euwe’s two books on the middlegame as well as Romanovsky’s come to mind, as well as Silman’s efforts and a handful of others.  Tactics and opening manuals were the darlings of the chess publishers throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.  However, over the last several years, there have been quite a few books out on Strategy.

There’s Secrets of Positional Chess by Drazen Marovic, Improve Your Positional Chess by Carsten Hansen, Lessons in Chess Strategy by Valeri Beim, and Creative Chess Strategy by Alfonso Romero, to name but a few (all put out by Gambit, I might add, which puts them at the forefront of chess publishers these days).

And now we can add this latest effort by Lars Bo Hansen, a GM from Denmark (must be something in the water, as it seems like this part of the world produces more than its share of talented players) who is attempting to break new ground in his book, Foundations of Chess Strategy (Applying Business Methods to Chess Preparation and Training).

Since Hansen’s background is in business economics, his goal is to instruct the reader on how to utilize key business strategies to make oneself a better chess player.

From the back cover:

The theory of business strategy is extensively developed, and Hansen adopts the novel approach of investigating whether any of the vast amounts of research and modeling done for business purposes can be applied to chess.  He finds that there are indeed many useful parallels, and focuses on how these ideas can be used to good effect by chess players, both in their preparations and when making over-the-board decisions.

This is quite an ambitious effort, to say the least.  Whenever an author tries to mesh two separate disciplines, the results can either produce a classic, such as Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel, or a mess, such as The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson.

Where does Hansen’s effort fall?  Well, to be honest I had my doubts going in (as those of you who have read my reviews in the past know all too well!).  However, I have been so pleasantly surprised by how deep, rich, and original Hansen’s ideas are.  If you are serious at all about improving your game, all I can tell you is don’t walk, RUN to the bookstore (or better yet, click on the link at the bottom of this review), and purchase this book!

No, I don’t get a kickback.  But I do get the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping to get the word out about possibly the book of the year.  I should warn you though, it is NOT your standard fair.  You are going to be asked to really look at yourself, and the way you view chess, in possibly a whole new way.  This is because, as far as I know, these ideas are being brought to the chess community for the very first time.  And it took the mind of someone who is both a successful GM and business expert to put it all down on paper, and hand it to us on a silver platter.  All YOU have to do is fork over $27.50–about the price of a good dinner, to get your hands on this gold mine.

Okay, let’s take a brief look at each chapter, and I’ll try to give you a little “sample” of the feast that this book serves up.

Chapter One: What is Chess Strategy? (10 pages)

The first inkling we get that this book is different from your average chess book is in the very first chapter when Hansen sets about defining strategy.  Rather than simply give us the usual fair, he attempts to give us a framework for how to think about chess strategy.  Says Hansen:

Defining chess strategy is far from easy.  In fact, only a few attempts to define a coherent model of chess strategy exist.  Most writings focus on various specific parts of chess strategy, such as the impact of a space advantage, how to play with or against an isolated d-pawn, the pawn-structure, good knight versus bad bishop, etc.  However, my purpose here is different.  Rather than focus on specific elements within chess strategy, I shall attempt to create a framework in which the various specific elements can be systematically included and organized—in other words, a framework that helps chess players decide how to think about chess strategy during practical play.

And this is exactly what Hansen proceeds to do - get you to think about chess strategy in a whole new way.  And yet, and this is one of the great things about the book, he drops in tons of great practical tips along the way.  For example, I found his comment on page 10 about planning extremely enlightening:

It is important to notice that chess is not about one plan, but a string of consecutive plans. I am often asked what the main difference between a chess grandmaster and chess amateur is, and I believe it is this: the amateur knows that he has to follow a plan– grandmasters, on the other hand, are always ready to change their plan according to the circumstances.

This quote was preceded by the famous Karpov – Unzicker game from Nice OL 1974, where Karpov parks a bishop on a7 on move 24, and gets a double exclam for it.  This is because he is now able to calmly double his rooks on the a-file, while all Black can do is sit by helplessly and watch.  Karpov was thinking “outside the box,” as Hansen would say.  He found a unique way of achieving a goal, a goal that he could not have foreseen 10 moves earlier, but which he was happy to take advantage of once the opportunity availed itself.

One topic that Hansen really drives home is the concept of Outside-in versus Inside-out thinking.  Basically, “Outside-in” means judging the position on the chess board, evaluating what you see, and formulating a plan.  Very little of who you are factors into it.

“Inside-out” thinking is just the opposite; YOU decide which type of positions you are most comfortable/best at, and then you formulate a plan to bring about such positions.  Says Hansen: “The outside-in perspective is dominant in chess.  It is how we are taught to think and work with chess at an early age—objective assessment of the position.”

Needless to say, Hansen believes that we should “get to know thyself,” and then select those types of openings that best fit our own intrinsic nature.  In the business world, this concept is known as “Resource-based strategy.”  Instead of looking for a need and then attempting to fill it, a company figures out what they are good at based on their own internal resources, and then offers that service or product to its customers.  Says Hansen:

If every strategist approaches the same position in the same way having the same basic knowledge, how then can anyone hope for a competitive advantage?  In chess we have witnessed a soaring percentage of draws among top players, and the same tendency can be seen among competing companies in the business world.  To avoid this potential deadlock, contemporary business strategy experts and researchers increasingly emphasize the role of internal resources rather than the external position as the starting point for building a competitive advantage.  Understand what you are good at and start from there– not the other way around!  Think inside-out rather than outside-in!  Do not choose the Sveshnikov Sicilian just because it is considered sound (outside-in thinking).  Choose it if it fits your style or otherwise leave it alone and look for some opening that matches your style and talent better (inside-out thinking)!

Hard to argue with this extremely important, yet rarely talked about concept.  Yet, how many of us actually take the time to stop and ask ourselves why we play the openings that we do?  As I was editing this section, I stopped for a few minutes to think about my openings.  I play the Trompowsky, the Center-Counter, and The Slav.  My first thought was that I simply played them because A) I liked them, and B) they were all I knew.  After some more thought I realized that the reason I chose them was because, for some reason, I seemed to grasp the main ideas pretty easily.  They made sense to me.  However, this is not the case for say, the Ruy Lopez, which until very recently always seemed like the world’s biggest mystery to me.

I think just the fact that Hansen’s book has me even thinking about my openings and why I play them is proof to my mind that he is on to something.  Anyway, I encourage you to do the same and think about your own openings and why you play them.

Chapter Two: The Factors Shaping Chess Strategy (4 pages)

In the book's second chapter, Hansen explains that there are five forces that shape chess strategy:

1. The Human Factor (your own style and that of your opponent’s)
2. The Environmental factor (time-rate, standings in tournament, type of tournament, etc.)
3. Material (what exchanges have been made, position on the board after a queen trade)
4. Positional factors (space, pawn structure, control of key squares, files and center)
5. Initiative (deployment speed, king position, coordination of pieces, # of attackers)

This short section brings to your attention that there is much more to consider during a chess game than just the moves on the board!  (With all due respect to GM Svetozar Gligoric, who wrote, I Play Against the Pieces.)

Chapter Three: The Opponents: The Role of the Human Factor in Chess (15 pages)

While I know there are those chess players that hate the fact that computers can now trounce GM’s like a baby (as we saw in the GM Michael Adams vs. Hydra match), this doesn’t bother me in the least for one reason: MY opponents are all human!  Yet, to be honest, I hadn’t really spent much time thinking about my flesh and blood opponents.  That is, until GM Hansen brought to my attention just how important it is to take your opponent into account whilst formulating your chess strategy.  Says Hansen:

I believe the opponent plays a crucial role in strategy making in chess. The players in a chess game are humans (forget about computers for a second), and the choices they make are influenced by their background, experience, self-confidence, personality, etc. This means that what is the right choice in a given position for one player is not the right choice for another player with a completely different personality and chess style.

As an example of this, Hansen gives the following diagram:

And then says:

This common position from the Queen’s Gambit Exchange Variation has been seen in thousands of games even at the highest level, but still no consensus seems to have been reached as to which is White’s strongest plan.  Some prefer 9. Nf3 followed by 10. 0-0 and a classic queenside minority attack with b4-b5; others play 9. Nge2 later followed by expansion in the centre with f3 and e4; and still others choose to castle queenside and initiate a kingside attack.  What should normal mortals like us do when even world champions like Karpov and Kasparov cannot agree on ‘one right plan’?  What we should not do is choose one over the other simply because, e.g., “Kasparov is my favourite so I will play like he does.”  Instead it is better to look deeply inside yourself and determine which style fits you best – the positional minority attack, active play in the centre or a reckless attempt to build up an attack.

Hansen then has a very interesting section where he compares world champion’s styles against one another, such as in the Karpov-Kasparov and Kasparov-Kramnik matches.

From there he goes on to help you define your own style, which he admits is no simple task.  To help you, he suggests considering the answers to these two questions:

1. Do you reach your decisions at the board through logic or through your experience and intuition?

2. Do you think and play on the basis of facts (e.g. concrete calculation of variations) or do you focus on general concepts?

Says Hansen:

Logical players make decisions by systematic and interrelated lines of reasoning. They develop connected chains of thought and arguments, which then at the end lead to the final decisions. The games of logical players are often very instructive and easier to understand and learn from than games of intuitive players.

Hansen includes Alekhine, Botvinnik, Fischer and Kasparov in this “logical” group.

On the other hand, says Hansen:

Intuitive players are players who simply feel what the right move is and how they must place their pieces to obtain maximum coordination.  They are often very strong in determining the value of positional or long-term sacrifices, which cannot be assessed through calculation or logical deduction.  Often such players have difficulty explaining verbally how they reached the decision to play a given move or to choose that particular plan.  It is very much tacit knowledge.

(Note: This might explain why when I ask a friend of mine, FM Alan Stein (2453 Elo) how he came up with a particular move during a game he is showing me, he often just looks at me and shrugs!  This used to somewhat frustrate me, but now I realize, thanks to Hansen’s explanation here, that Alan is mostly an intuitive player and thus “just understands” that the move was “correct,” without really being able to state why (yes, when I press him, he can give me some logical reasons for the move, but for the most part it just seems to come to him intuitively.)

Okay, back to Hansen:

For the chess playing public, it is difficult to follow games of such players live, since their play is often subtle and much is going on ‘behind the scenes.’  At the end of the game, however, everything often becomes clear—now it is clear that this was the right way to play or to coordinate the pieces, and that the opponent was outplayed.

Hansen includes Capablanca, Petrosian and Karpov in this “intuitive” group.

To further bring home his point, on page 34, Hansen writes:

It is interesting to compare not only the play of various world champions, but also their approach to annotating games.  Fact-based players will often tend to explain the game through numerous concrete variations, whereas general-concept players will often prefer to explain the proceedings verbally and with relatively few variations to support the text notes.

This is good stuff and definitely will make me pay attention to the “styles” of players from now on, be they GM’s or my next tournament opponent.

Chapter Four: Characteristics of Reflectors (26 pages)

This chapter is on chess players who have an amazing “natural” feel for the game (I’m not sure why Hansen uses the rather strange word “reflectors,” and he doesn’t state the reason).

Characteristics of “Reflectors” include:  A strong feel for where the pieces belong and a good understanding of piece coordination.  Good at collecting “small” advantages.  Good at assessing the long-term value of piece sacrifices.  Doesn’t calculate except when necessary; mostly plays by “feel.”

Hansen goes over games by Capablanca, Rubenstein, Petrosian and Karpov as examples of players who had a great feel for the game.

He points out that “reflectors” biggest weakness lies in the fact that they tend to calculate relatively few concrete variations and this makes them susceptible to short term oversights and blunders.

Chapter Five: Characteristics of Theorists (27 pages)

Theorists are those players that possess a vast amount of knowledge, or theory, about the game.  They have a good understanding of pawn structure and how it affects strategy.  They excel at maneuvering in closed positions.  Paradoxically, they are also strong with the Bishop pair.  They are very logical and systematic in their approach to chess.  They possess good opening preparation, but can often be stubborn in their beliefs.

Examples games from “Theorists” include those by Steinitz, Tarrasch, Botvinnik, and Leko.

Chapter Six:  Characteristics of Pragmatics (30 pages)

Hansen says that most world champions are “pragmatics.”  That this somewhat universal, “best of all worlds” style tends to be what it takes to reach the top.  “Pragmatics” use concrete calculation and facts for evaluation and decision making; and they tend to be very accurate.  They strive for sharp openings and tend to set theory in their chosen openings.  They are ferocious attackers and usually go after the king.  Their downside is that they can sometimes lose focus in “dull” positions.

Example games from “Pragmatics” include those by Alekhine, Euwe, Keres, and of course, Fischer.

I can’t leave chapter six without sharing with you Hansen’s interesting comments on the eleventh world champion, whom he considered to be the “Master Pragmatic":

Fischer is rightly considered one of the greatest in chess history—by some even the greatest.  But what is it that made him so strong?  Fischer’s play was built on concrete calculation and fact-based decision-making.  Look through Fischer’s games and you will never find ‘do-nothing’ moves.  His moves always served a concrete purpose, usually backed by variations.  These talents he combined with a tremendous capacity for work, fighting spirit and willingness to learn.  How many other Western players learned the Russian language with the single purpose of being able to read Russian chess magazines?  Fischer did!  It is a great shame that the world championship between Fischer and Karpov in 1975 did not materialize.  The clash between the pragmatic Fischer and the reflector Karpov would have been a gem for chess fans…

Truer words were never written!

Chapter Seven: Characteristics of Activists (28 pages)

“Activists” are your brilliant attackers.  Those swash buckling slashers who aren’t afraid to burn their bridges and “go for broke.”  Their style is inventive and enterprising, as well as extremely courageous to the point of being risky.  They are willing to sacrifice material for the initiative.  They are extremely tactical and have amazing calculative powers.  Not surprisingly, they are very good at blitz chess.  Needless to say, these types of players are favorites with chess fans.

Interestingly, Hansen predicts that we will be seeing more future world champions who are “Activists,” since FIDE seems to heading more and more to shorter time controls, which favor this attacking style.

Example games from “Activists” include those by Pillsbury, Bronstein, Tal, Anand, Shirov, and Morozevich.

Chapter Eight: Environmental Factors (28 pages)

This final chapter covers things that influence a player’s decision making ability during a game.  These include: the time-rate, the standing in the tournament, the impact of the opponent’s background, whether it is an individual game or a team event, and time-pressure.

The Bottom Line

There are several things that make this review unique.  First, it is somewhat longer than my normal reviews.  Secondly, I have quoted the author much more than I normally do.  The reason for this is because I wanted the reader to see for themselves why I am so high on this book.  Obviously I believe that Hansen has a lot of things to say that I think are worth hearing.

Now, do I expect everybody to love this book?  No, of course not.  There will be those that, for whatever reason, don’t take to the material—and this is fine.  However, I believe that most of those players that are serious about improving will gain a lot by a careful reading of this material.

About the only criticism I could find of this book was the use of too many hyphens, i.e., using hyphens where they didn’t belong.

As my title to this review indicates, I consider this book to be a very strong candidate for “Book of the Year,” and I feel that GM Lars Bo Hansen should be quite proud of this landmark work he has given the chess world.  On a scale of 1-10, Foundations of Chess Strategy gets a well deserved 10.
 

Index of all Reviews

search tips

The
Chessville
Chess Store
 

Reference
Center

The Chessville
 Weekly
The Best Free
Chess
Newsletter
On the Planet!

Subscribe
Today -
It's Free!!

The
Chessville
Weekly
Archives

Discussion
Forum

Chess Links

Chess Rules

Visit the
Chessville
Chess Store