The Art of Sacrifice in Chess (Dover Chess)
by Rudolf Spielmann
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rudolf SpielmannEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2011-11-02
ISBN: 0486284492
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Dover Publications
Book Reviews of The Art of Sacrifice in Chess (Dover Chess)
Book Review: This is not another "hacking" manual, but gives ideas about how to think about sacrificing.
Summary: 5 Stars
Rudolf Spielmann's work is not perfect, but if read in the right frame-of-mind can be an extremely rewarding read.
This is not a manual on the mechanics of kingside attacks, in the vein of Vukovic's "Art of Attack in Chess," or Znosko-Borovsky's "The Art of Chess Combination." Neither is it a tactical workbook, such as Fred Reinfeld's works or Fred Wilson's works or, for that matter, Laszlo Polgar's magnum opus "Chess: 5,334 Problems, Combinations, and Games." Every one of those books/authors mentioned is worth reading, but this is a DIFFERENT KIND of work.
The book that readily comes to mind as being in the same "family" as this work is Tal and Damsky's "Attack with Mikhail Tal," but unlike that (masterpiece!) Spielmann's work does not require a Master's Degree in Attacking Chess! :-)
Now that I've compared "The Art of Sacrifice in Chess" to other types of attacking books you may be thinking of purchasing, let me finally speak about the book itself!
Yes, Spielmann's choice of classification and terminology may be called into question, but that does not in any way detract from the book itself. What Spielmann does in this book better than any other intermediate book I can think of, is reveal HOW THE SACRIFICE AFFECTS THE REMAINING PIECES ON THE ATTACKING AND DEFENDING SIDES! For example, one of his games begins 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 Nfd7 and now Spielmann plays 4.e6!? After 4...fxe6, Spielmann brilliantly demonstrates (through his play and especially through the annotations!) how White was able to win the game by constricting the Black forces behind the e-pawns on e7,e6. The line of thinking runs: if there is a pawn on e6 (extra though it may be), the bishop on c8 cannot really come out, which in turn entombs the rook on a8! There are other similar examples of this thought process throughout the book. You will also notice how, for example, minor piece sacrifices in the center suddenly cause the attacking side's rooks and queen to spring to life with decisive force!
Many of the examples in the book are complex, but in nearly all cases you can see Spielmann's THOUGHT PROCESS, and you understand why he made the decisions he made. To me this book has a lot of value, and thank goodness it is a departure from all those insipid Morphy games with "sac, sac, mate" on f7 against an uncastled king.
Summary of The Art of Sacrifice in Chess (Dover Chess)
A Grandmaster shares secrets from 40 years of tournament play, outlining hard-won lessons that enable players to win games by giving up pieces. The first systematic attempt to explain and exploit the theory of chess sacrifice, this guide remains an extremely helpful weapon in the arsenal of players at every level.
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