Ward, It's your move - Tough Puzzles

Everyman 2003, 160 Seiten, kartoniert


Feeling up to a challenge In this highly original and instructive test yourself book, Grandmaster Chris Ward presents a selection of carefully chosen puzzles for you to solve. Hot on the heels of his very successful It's Your Move and Improvers It's Your Move, comes It's Your Move: Tough Puzzles, which this time aims to rack the brains of even the most experienced chess players.
The puzzles might be a bit more difficult this time but, in the same style of the previous two books, the reader is once again helped by the choice of five plausible plans and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. Instead of opting for the traditional 'check, check, mate ... mate!' type of puzzles, Ward concentrates on situations which are much more likely to occur in practical games.
So you're back, even though this time the puzzles are much tougher. Well good for you and I'm glad that you chose to join me and our panel on the adventure that is 'It's your move!'
The questions throughout this book are not just of the right/wrong variety and there are no checkmates in four or more! Most of the exercises will test your positional understanding of the game and if you don't have the required technique at the start then hopefully you will by the end!
In case you are new to this different type of quiz series, the story is as follows: you will be asked a question based on a position and you must decide which fictitious character is offering the most relevant answer. The panellists are:
'Analytical' Anatoly
Born and bred of the Russian chess school, they don't come much less emotional than Anatoly. He never makes a rash decision and any offering is based on pure calculation. He's good, really good, but um not that good because to let you into a little secret, he doesn't always select the best answer!
'Battling' Boris
Also originally from the ex-Soviet Union, Boris remembers his education in the chess schools of Moscow. Unfortunately, since leaving to live abroad his play appears to have been tainted by too many large open events and it possibly English weekend congresses too! He never shirks a challenge but you feel that some of his old teachers might be turning in their graves if they could see some of the rather radical solutions that he now provides.
'Creative' Chris
Chris is naturally talented, but probably chess is not where that talent lies! In all fairness, he often comes up with some fascinating ideas. However, there is a fine line between genius and over-elaboration and his chess plans range from the sublime to the ridiculous. He could score ten points, he could score nought - you decide!
'Desperate' Dan
Desperate Dan comes right out of a comic book! He doesn't like hanging around or for that matter many other things! When it comes to chess he likes to win and he will do almost anything in order to achieve that goal. Even the kitchen sink will go into his attacks but he gets very moody if he doesn't win or is deprived the ability to wash his dishes!
'Elegant' Elizabeth
Everyone stops and stares when Elizabeth glides into the tournament hall and her play mirrors her demeanour. Graceful in her appearance and manner, her chess games can be equally stylish. Cool, calm and collected, she is the voice of reason. Unfortunately, the problem is that not everyone can speak her language!
Arguably some questions may be down to a matter of taste but I think that I've been fair in the marking scheme and points awarded are between 0 and 10. Make your selection, check the answer and then tot up your points. Consulting the chart at the back will then tell you how you have performed.
The vast majority of these questions are based on real encounters and many are from famous matches. I would like to thank my fellow British League Wood Green team-mates for their wonderful contribution to this book. As the wine flowed at last season's victory celebration dinner, I was fortunate enough to have the likes of Grandmasters Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Jon Speelman, Alex Baburin, Bogdan Lalic, Matthew Turner and John Emms suggesting examples from chess history that stuck in their minds as extraordinary or especially instructive plans. FIDE Master Peter Sowray was also a fantastic source of information and quite frankly put my own knowledge of the old classics to shame. While I like to think that I did extra work besides, this book is the culmination of that May evening.