The Chess Scalpel - 32 Master Games Dissected

The idea behind this book is for you to

‘play’ as in a real game, and it is my job to ensure you have a pleasant time

while training. I suggest you take at least an hour and a half for each

game and as your coach I will indicate when to guess the moves. Sometimes there

will be suggestions — including tricky ones — to measure your concentration

level. The ideas behind the moves are always explained. Points are awarded for

the ‘right answers’ as well as for some other moves, and at the end there is a

general assessment plus a review of some of the things to be learned from the

game. During my coaching period I was able to witness how motivating it is for

kids to receive points for the right answers, their ‘lives are at stake’ when

they try to find the answers, and it is a challenge much appreciated by them.

Later I also noticed a similar effect with adults although, unlike the kids,

the older students try to hide it. The final score is not that important; it is

not scientifically based. But of course the more points you get the better you

‘would have played’. The effort you put into trying to find the best move

every time is what matters most. I firmly believe it really helps to learn a

little more about playing chess with every game. The methodology recommended

for solving the exercises is the ‘old-school’ one of using a piece of paper to

cover the text and scrolling down the page as you advance.