Rapid Chess Improvement (Everyman Chess) by Michael de la Maza
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Book Reviews of Rapid Chess Improvement (Everyman Chess)
Book Review: Tactics are just PART of the picture here.
Summary: 3 Stars
Chess is a complex game, tactics are just ONE component. I'll admit below MASTER level tactics should be emphasized more since most of the blunders are tactical in nature. However, there are many aspects of chess to work on. Let me paint you a senario.
Chess player A follows De La Maza's reccomendations: the 7 rounds of study. However lets say player A also has a solid opening repertoire worked out, knows all the traps and positional subtitles in his system, knows some key move transpositions to help him get a favorable version of key openings, he also has studied resulting positions from his chosen opening repertoire (both middlegames and endgames) and knows how to proceed from them. Player A studied Master Games from all his key systems so he can see how a master would handle them and the strategies they are susposed to implement. Let's say he also studied his own games from tournements with a chess coach who is able to point out his weaknesses and train him properly to correct his deficiencies in tactics, the middlegame, and the endgame.
Player B went through the 7 rounds of study reccomended by De La Maza, played internet chess, and also plays in tournaments.
So who's going to win if player A and B plays one another? I'm sure you can already see that player B is just going to be looking for tactical opportunities, while player A is going to be IN THE KNOW the entire game. Tactical opportunities are more likely to manifest in superior positions rather than poor ones. De La Maza simply said by studying tactics, positional skills will come naturally, and he's right up to a certain point. But he forgets to stress that tactics and strategy are RARELY ever without one another. Good strategy leads to good tactics. And good strategical moves can or cannot be played BECAUSE of tactics.
My reccommendation: follow this program (its not a bad tactical plan, but I don't reccomend the thought process since it does not respect the games complexity), ALSO... work out an opening repertoire, study master games, study your own games, study endgames, study middlegames.
Book Review: Nothing too stunning
Summary: 3 Stars
This book has a "Secret" for you. That secret is "Hard work and study will improve your chess". Now, this is'nt news to any of us who study and play chess, so De LA Maza tries to give us a plan for this study.
This book is based off of his article "400 points in 400 days" which is available on the web. In this article he lays out a grueling schedule of solving tactical puzzles which will (he asserts) increase your rating by roughly 400 points.
This approach has many flaws. Not the least of which is the fact that with chess rating it's not true that "a point is a point is a point". If your rating is 600 then gaining 400 points is not too difficult. If your rating is 1800 then gaining 400 points to get to 2200 means you achieved both an expert and then a master title. If you are already a master and want to gain 400 points then studying thousands of tactical puzzles will absolutly NOT make you a 2600 player.
When you are new to chess then tactics are key. As we say down at the chess club "Material rules! Whoever has the most material wins". But at higher levels of play strategy, rather than tactics becomes more and more important. And I won't even get started on the importance of opening and endgame theory at higher levels of play.
Also, I have to wonder about the merits of a chess book written by someone who is not himself a chess master. These lessons may have worked for him, but since he is not yet a chess master then he may very well be missing the very subtleties of play and study that can help someone become a master.
So if you're rating is about 1600 or lower you may indeed improve by using the study plan outlined in this book. But take it with a grain of salt. Chess is not all tactics, and 400 points is not always 400 points.
Book Review: Inspiration in Search of Moderation
Summary: 3 Stars
First, let's give credit where due. Michael DeLaMaza has (1) earned a
USCF Expert rating, (2) won a major prize at a big tournament, and (3)
published a book about it. Most of us chess nuts would be lucky to
achieve just one of the above! Perhaps his biggest achievement was to
have single-handedly launched a tactics craze among chess wannabes
around the world, and consequently triggering a proliferation of
tactics books, software and netware in the market. Sure, none of his
ideas were original (anybody remember Ken Smith?), but his rather
dramatic story had the power to inspire like no other. There is even a
group of bloggers, calling themselves the "Knights Errant," devoted to
a program of chess study derived from DeLaMaza's 7 circles.
Having said all this, it must be conceded that all the criticisms of
the book are valid. Yes, it is mostly repetitive, abrasive,
self-promoting fluff. And the notion of studying tactics maniacally
and exclusively is obviously flawed. I see the effect in some of my
students -- they end up with a rather brittle style that is apparently
very hard to overcome. Even if they reach 1500, they get into trouble
getting squashed by players who understand positional chess. But at
least they're all studying tactics!
So, four stars for the cultural impact, one for the message of studying
tactics, minus two for content.
Book Review: Eye Opener But No Content
Summary: 3 Stars
I read this book cover-to-cover and took careful notes and I'm generously giving it 3 stars because it was the first real book to explicitly and unambigously open my eyes to the importance of tactics. For that, it must be given a couple of extra stars. As a result, I have been studying tactics with little or no focus on other aspects of chess and I feel much more comfortable at a chess board now and am making far fewer stupid mistakes.
However, aside from the message that tactics are important, this book has no real content. If you want to know what is inside, here it is in a nutshell:
1. A couple of traditional "vision drills" explained.
2. Effusive text touting the benefits of tactics, tactics, tactics.
3. 85% fluff in the form of "testimonials".
That's it, seriously.
In summary, if you want to be inspired to study tactics in the way Tony Robbins would inspire you, read this pointless book. If you want to know in particular what tactical material you should study, don't read this book. Instead read "Jason's Chess Recommendations" (google it) list here on Amazon--Jason's list will save you some time and money and will entertain you to boot.
Book Review: Great Tactical Program, but Superfical Outlook of Chess
Summary: 3 Stars
All good chess teachers suggest studying tactics. Here in "Rapid Chess Improvement" is a powerful systematic program of study that will certainly improve your chess. He suggests basically going through 1000 tactical chess problems seven times, each time getting through the lot faster and faster until finally doing 1-1000 of the same problems in one day. It's hard work, but I'm sure it's worthwhile (I just started the program).Some of the beginning exercises are a bit elementary, but might be an OK warm up.
It's also nice to have a book geared toward class players.
The major problem of this book is that its outlook on chess is superficial, gearing one toward looking for cheapshots instead of having any deep understanding of the game. What is telling is that the author no longer plays chess. Yes, study tactics, use or alter de la Maza's methods, but balance this with the study of endgames and master games. I highly reccomend the book "GM-Ram" by IM Rashid Ziatdinov as well as Alekhine's book of best games.
Another thing I disliked about this book was all the corny testimonials. Half of the book is composed of them.