Imagination in Chess: How to Think Creatively and Avoid Foolish Mistakes

By Paata Gaprindashvili

There is much published on chess tactics, strategy, openings and endings, but little on how to come up with imaginative solutions through logical thinking and evaluation. This book is dedicated to that task and provides over 700 'fresh' positions, incorporating a variety of schemes of thought for the reader to solve. The examples emphasise the power of logical and resourceful thinking, quick wit and imagination. In each chapter the author presents little-explored concepts, such as progressive and reciprocal thinking, to help the reader achieve decisive results and to make fewer mistakes in calculation.

The material has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer and will be of great benefit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0713488913
• ISBN13: 9780713488913
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Batsford
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Desert Island Chess Book

This is not the book for the person new to chess, or those still learning the basics. As mentioned in another review, it is almost entirely composed of page after page of diagrams (positions usually taken from master-level games) with the solutions at the end - no explanations of what to look for (bank-rank mate, skewer, etc), and only a short introduction to each section, providing a very abstract theme that ties all the problems in that section together. But assuming you are a competent chess player, the effort you put into this very dense book will be rewarded and your results will improve in over-the-board chess. At least that is what happened to me. After a long period away from tournament chess I came across this book and started working on a couple problems a night (over a period of six months). I gained over 200 USCF rating points (to Class A) in my first year back. Now I won't claim that improvement is solely due to this book, but it certainly helped my tactical vision and ability to read a board for potential combinations. This book will give you years of study material (if you do two problems a night, every day, it will take you almost a year - and of course once you finish you should start over to see what you have retained and how much you have improved). While the average chess player library contains a plethora of opening books, with lines and lines of theory that never seem to come in handy when your opponent plays something unexpected on move 4, every chess player can benefit from a book like this, which does not give you any lines to memorize or even explicit tactical themes to remember, just problem after problem to hone your overall tactical vision. If an opening book is like handing you a fish, this book will teach you how to fish. One recommendation is to set up each problem on a board. Don't move the pieces (unless you are stuck), but just view the position as you would when playing an opponent in real life. Give yourself 10-15 minutes to solve the position; if unable to see the way, check the solution and play through it to convince yourself it is correct. Finally, if you find the 'multi-starred' problems too much for you, just skip them on your first pass through the book.

An obligatory book

A book for those who want to improve your chess in a high level!

Yes, other reviewers' point are right, it is a very advanced book!!!

I love to solve problems, so I bought a lot of books on combinations, tactics etc. For some classics, like " combinative motifs ", I even bought two. One use as exercises ( I think most reader would do the same, after finishing one question, one would take it ). The second book for collection. Today I receive with thrill to this book, but on seeing those questions, I only manage to solve one or two without *!!! I have already finished John Nunn's Learn chess tactics, about two third of those two stars questions of " Sharpen your tactics". I think the name of this book should be called, "tactics, stretgy or puzzles for advanced players!!! But I still give it 5 stars for author's enthusiasm. Also, I think I should work harder!!!

Anyone who thinks this is a puzzle book is missing the point....

Gaprindashvili's examples are exceedingly difficult (I wouldn't recommend this to players under USCF/FIDE 1800), but it's an extremely well-done collection of critical positions ORGANIZED BY THE THOUGHT PROCESS NECESSARY TO SOLVE THEM EFFICIENTLY. In many cases, the obvious move doesn't work, but the obvious move suggests a move that wasn't one of the original candidates. We are not computers--we can't possibly look at every move three moves deep. Gaprindashvili's method is to drill the student in a METHOD of finding critical moves and analyzing them in an efficient fashion. Valeri Beim's How to Calculate Chess Tactics teaches a similar approach, somewhat more accessibly. Serious players should read both books (Beim first). Both books demand serious effort--both books will make you a much stronger tactician.

systemization

Gaprindashvili is currently chess rated 2253 Fide. after turning all 151 pages of the exercises, I believe this knowledge is very well the routine thinking of the "advanced" players in the chess world (only a few exercises are instructive compositions, the rest are actual games played by competitors). my research discovered the author's latest tournament participation in april 2003; where he placed 8th out of 16 with players rated at least 2200 fide.This gave me motivation in reading the book seriously, for the book contains material which has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer. The book will be of great benifit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.