Nice review. To be honest I had heard of the book, but didn't guess from the title that there would be that cross-comparison among players of so many different levels! Sounds like a book worth checking out.
Agree. I'm about halfway through the book, and in terms of practical use and insight think it's one of the best chess books in 5-10 years. An absolute gem. I can't think of a book I've learned more from since, maybe, Reassess Your Chess. I really do feel like I'm playing OTB when I'm solving the positions. And what better consolation prize than to find you got the same wrong answer as Michael Adams?
Ah you're getting through it too, awesome. For puzzle books, it's definitely one of the best I've read, as it's easy to find those which are useful, but there's something about being able to compare your thought process/decisions with those of stronger players—I believe the project may have begun with Hurtado coming across the famous de Groot problem where the latter asked players like Capablanca and Alekhine to solve the puzzle and describe their train of thought (if I'm not mistaken). And yes, that's the best consolation prize you'll find in a book!
Nice review. To be honest I had heard of the book, but didn't guess from the title that there would be that cross-comparison among players of so many different levels! Sounds like a book worth checking out.
Thanks Sam, definitely recommend this one for you too if you're looking for a book with exercises to solve!
Agree. I'm about halfway through the book, and in terms of practical use and insight think it's one of the best chess books in 5-10 years. An absolute gem. I can't think of a book I've learned more from since, maybe, Reassess Your Chess. I really do feel like I'm playing OTB when I'm solving the positions. And what better consolation prize than to find you got the same wrong answer as Michael Adams?
Ah you're getting through it too, awesome. For puzzle books, it's definitely one of the best I've read, as it's easy to find those which are useful, but there's something about being able to compare your thought process/decisions with those of stronger players—I believe the project may have begun with Hurtado coming across the famous de Groot problem where the latter asked players like Capablanca and Alekhine to solve the puzzle and describe their train of thought (if I'm not mistaken). And yes, that's the best consolation prize you'll find in a book!