Understanding Your Chess (Practical Chess)

A Gambit Classic Reissue: Learn from your games and improve your results!"In conclusion, this book is far more instructive than most of the games collections by grandmasters" - IM John Watson, The Week in ChessJames Rizzitano, an experienced international master, has reassessed games from the whole of his career, and in this book presents the lessons from them that will be most relevant to club and tournament players.A common problem for the typical weekend competitor or club player is that his time available for studying chess is very limited. What should he study? Grandmasters from Botvinnik to Yermolinsky have stressed the importance of reviewing and annotating your own games. Rizzitano shows how by doing that you can gain a greater understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and drawing upon his own experiences, explains how to shape your approach to chess to make the most of your abilities.Major topics include:Developing a reliable and coherent opening repertoireThe importance of understanding opening theory rather than simply memorizing itTheoretical novelties: finding your own, and facing the opponent’sOpening selection depending upon the nature of the game and eventRisk management and ‘playing for a win’Competing successfully against higher-rated oppositionAccumulating small advantages: a safe method when the opponent plays for a drawThe power of the initiative: lighting a fire and keeping it burningThe book contains more than 60 deeply annotated instructive games.James Rizzitano is a strong international master who dominated chess in the New England region during a 14-year period from 1976 to 1989 – he won 157 out of 336 events in which he competed. His career highlights include victories over Alburt, Benjamin, Benko, Christiansen, Dlugy, I.Gurevich and Wolff, and exciting draws with de Firmian, Larsen, Speelman, and the legendary former world champion Tal."This neatly and intelligently written book supplies ample and often unique advice for the tournament player." - Harold Dondis and GM Patrick Wolff, Globe correspondents"an excellent book for players who are either stuck at one level or improving too slowly and want ideas about how to better their play." - IM John Watson, The Week in Chess"There are very few US players who have written a biography and given insight into what it takes to succeed in our tournaments. The games reinforce the instructional themes and vice versa." - Lou Mercuri, Chess Horizons"I wish to applaud Gambit for introducing many authors who are not 'big names' but whose final product is of the highest quality. I think this fresh approach greatly enhances chess publishing." - Andy Ansel, Chess Today"the author's approach in presenting each game as a learning experience and not simply choosing the best games of his career, is an innovatiove approach which works well." - Alan Sutton, En Passant"For the club player who can play only as a hobby, it is necessary to examine your own games - especially losses. ... a very good book for the club player who genuinely wishes to improve through self-study. Clearly written for its target audience, it is both instructive and entertaining" - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad"'Never go to bed until you understand why you lost' is perhaps the single best advice anyone could offer. Here you will find an insatiable desire to win, a thirst for the initiative, but throughout, a subjective commitment to careful chess." - Jon Edwards, ChessCafe"succeeds both as an instructional work and as a game collection. I particularly enjoyed the vignette about his battles with National Master John Curdo, the measuring stick for New England players for several decades." - IM John Donaldson, USA Team Captain Read more