The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings - Softcover

Fine, Reuben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 4871874605 ISBN 13: 9784871874601

Publisher: Ishi Press, 2012

Synopsis

This book presents the indispensable foundations for the understanding of the variations of the chess openings. It has been said that ideas are weapons. That is certainly as true in chess as in any other field. A mastery of a little theory which conveys real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a carefully memorized compilation of endless moves. Paradoxically, a thorough grasp of the ideas behind the openings, which are relatively few in number, is a royal road to knowledge which eliminates much of the drudgery associated with remembering a long series of variations. The object in this work is to present the necessary “ideology” as concisely as possible. This is one of the great classic works on chess by one of the strongest chess players in history. All too often the most recent chess books are just database dumps based on millions of chess games. Our young chess players often undertake the task of memorizing thousands of variations. Let me let you in on a little secret: The world's leading chess grandmasters do not memorize thousands of opening lines. Rather, they study and work them out. They remember the ideas behind the moves, not necessarily the moves themselves. Once they recall the reasons for the moves, they can work out and re-discover the best moves themselves. There are many new moves and opening variations that have become popular and fashionable since this book was published. However, the ideas behind these openings have remained the same. This book is just as valid as when it was first published. Reuben Fine was one of the world's strongest grandmasters of chess.

About this title

About the Author

Reuben Fine was both one of the world's strongest grandmasters of chess and one of the world's leading authorities on psychoanalysis. Reuben Fine (1914-1993) was remarkable not merely for having two successful careers, but for achieving top levels and being world renowned in both fields. Fine took up chess in his youth, became a master as a teenager and at age 17 won his first of seven US Open Chess Championships. He was invited to the great masters tournament in Pasadena 1932, won by World Champion Alekhine, one of the strongest tournaments ever held in the United States. Fine's victories in a series of European tournaments in 1936 and 1937 established Fine as a top contender for the World Chess Championship. This led to his greatest result ever, his tie for first in the strongest chess tournament ever played, AVRO 1938, a double round-robin tournament to determine who would be the next challenger to World Champion Alexander Alekhine. Fine tied with Paul Keres, won more games than anybody, and finished ahead of future champion Mikhail Botvinnik, current champion Alekhine, former world champions Max Euwe and Capablanca, and Grandmasters Samuel Reshevsky and Salo Flohr. Fine won both of his games against Alekhine. AVRO 1938 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Fine ** 0½ 1½ 10 10 11 ½½ 1½ 8½ 2 Keres 1½ ** ½½ ½½ 1½ ½½ 1½ ½½ 8½ 3 Botvinnik 0½ ½½ ** ½0 1½ 1½ ½1 ½½ 7½ 4 Euwe 01 ½½ ½1 ** 0½ 0½ 01 1½ 7 5 Reshevsky 01 0½ 0½ 1½ ** ½½ ½½ 1½ 7 6 Alekhine 00 ½½ 0½ 1½ ½½ ** ½1 ½1 7 7 Capablanca ½½ 0½ ½0 10 ½½ ½0 ** ½1 6 8 Flohr 0½ ½½ ½½ 0½ 0½ ½0 ½0 ** 4½ Note that Keres played easy draws, winning only three games and drawing the rest, whereas Fine won six games, lost three and drew only five games. Fine was born on October 11, 1914 was still only 23 at the time of his victory at AVRO 1938. There is little doubt that he could have and probably would have become the World Chess Champion, except that World War II intervened. During the war, Fine could not travel to Europe, so he concentrated on writing chess books. His books covered all aspects of the game. He wrote Modern Chess Openings, Basic Chess Endings and The Middle Game of Chess during this period. He also played in several US Opens and US Championships. He won the US Open seven times, which was every time he played.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ishi Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 4871874605
• ISBN 13: 9784871874601
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250