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A chess book? That was my experience with Karolyi and Aplin’s Genius in the Background. It really is that good. It makes me quite pleased to keep my commitment to read almost every book that I review twice before committing my opinion to print. An interesting array of subjects; passionate writing; exciting games with enlightening annotations; and testimonials by accomplished peers. Pleasant layout, good use of diagrams, bolding, italics, fonts and white space. What’s not to love? The list of subjects profiled in Genius in the Background will have you nodding – or scratching – your head: IM Petko Atanasov, IM Yochanan Afek, GM Gerardo Barbero; Alexander Shakarov, GM Karoly Honfi; GM Ashot Nadanian , GM Karsten Müller; Lazlo Lindner; GM Elmar Magerramov; the Singaporean players IM Tan Lian Ann, GM Wong Meng Kong, FM Ignatius Leong, and IM Jason Goh Koon Jong; and Oleg Pervakov. Dive right in! Atanasov was GM Veselin Topalov’s junior
trainer. You can see the fire of the student’s games in those of the
teacher. Karolyi’s annotations are quite illuminating here. Afek is an International Master, both in over-the-board and correspondence chess. He is also an arbiter and a chess coach. Twenty-five of his studies are given in Genius in the Background (with solutions). Barbero was born in Argentina, moved to Hungary, and impressed others during his illness-shortened life, both with his chess skill and interpersonal warmth. This chapter is one of the more personal ones in the collection, as Barbero was “highly respected and fondly remembered”. Shakarov was GM Gary Kasparov’s junior trainer. Some of Shakarov’s games are presented in Genius in the Background, and their unlimited complexity, with exacting notes (expanded upon by the authors) make it easy to see the kind of impact he could have had on the person who many consider the greatest chess player ever. Honfi, know to the authors as Uncle Karcsi, was one of Hungary’s strongest and most versatile players, active in the 1950s and 1960s. Young modern players may not recognize his name, but they would do well to learn more about him.
Linder survived a World War II concentration camp in Bor, Yugoslavia. The creativity in his games and studies echo the triumph of light over darkness. The authors do well to share what they have learned about this little-known figure. Magerramov has probably defeated Gary Kasparov, across their lifetimes, more than anyone. The authors discuss the games with him, with just the right amount of gravity and levity – oh, wow, there’s another couple of games that I forgot about, that makes my record against Gary… The developing chess culture in Singapore is reflected in shorter essays (with games) about four of the country’s top players. In a decade, this chapter will be much longer.
Pervakov’s studies sparkle and are recommended to those who enjoy unraveling – or learning about – the endgame, whether you have a taste for studies or not. His work is far more likely to evoke an Aha! than a Pass the aspirin! if my experience is any indicator. Genius in the Background is simply the best
book that I read in 2010, chess-related or otherwise – and I read at least
four score titles last year. Do yourself a favor and pick the book up. You
won’t regret it. If you’re currently unhappy with yourself, buy it anyway
and give to a friend who promises to return it when he or she is done
reading it and you feel better…
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Chessville
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Advertise to Single insert:
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Nadanian,
another student of Shakarov, is a trainer with profoundly creative ideas.
Luckily, I don’t have to come up with the words to describe his dynamism in
play: readers can check out what he has written here at Chessville:
Müller,
a strong grandmaster with a PhD in mathematics, is well-known for his
contributions to understanding the endgame, especially his book
