Rating: 
Summary: Some real truth in a chess book
Review: This book is one of the most interesting I have read. It has many interesting points such as a revised points score scale for the pieces. Berliner clearly believes in this as he has used it for the evaluation function in his computer program HITECH.
Also some of the opening analysis is very interesting, such as some very convincing ideas on Benko gambit and Grunfeld.The book is has been slated by some ignorant reviewers who do not fully understand what Berliner is trying to say in this book.
The idea in the book to me is that evaluation is the key to the middlegame and that you have to have an openings philosophy. The anecdote about his conversation with Bobby Fischer is also an eye opener. All in all very entertaining, more please Dr Berliner!
Rating:
Summary: Some real truth in a chess book
Review: This book is one of the most interesting I have read. It has many interesting points such as a revised points score scale for the pieces. Berliner clearly believes in this as he has used it for the evaluation function in his computer program HITECH.
Also some of the opening analysis is very interesting, such as some very convincing ideas on Benko gambit and Grunfeld. The book is has been slated by some ignorant reviewers who do not fully understand what Berliner is trying to say in this book.
The idea in the book to me is that evaluation is the key to the middlegame and that you have to have an openings philosophy. The anecdote about his conversation with Bobby Fischer is also an eye opener. All in all very entertaining, more please Dr Berliner!
Rating: 
Summary: eccentric and egocentric but worth reading, maybe
Review: When you read - page 174 - "we wanted to claim that this is The theory of chess, not just my theory" you may think that the author is a joker or the innocent victim to german and american culture. OK, Berliner was an average chess player - US results were meaningless in years when soviet players dominated - and 30 years ago was a succesful correspondence chess player, then quitted active chess. he dedicates himself to computer science and designed and programmed Hitech a succesful chess playing software until late 1988. So now he writes this book pretending to reveal the chess truth. Here Berliner comments 13 games, most recent of which is 30 years old, when in the chess world 30 years are 300 years. He explains how to choose each move it's true, but this leads to variations and every chess lover knows variations are confuted all saints day by chess practice. Berliner thinks he is Prometeus but chess is an unrevealable fire. However the book contains some interesting idea so I'm happy having read it.
Rating:
Summary: eccentric and egocentric but worth reading, maybe
Review: When you read - page 174 - "we wanted to claim that this is The theory of chess, not just my theory" you may think that the author is a joker or the innocent victim to german and american culture. OK, Berliner was an average chess player - US results were meaningless in years when soviet players dominated - and 30 years ago was a succesful correspondence chess player, then quitted active chess. he dedicates himself to computer science and designed and programmed Hitech a succesful chess playing software until late 1988. So now he writes this book pretending to reveal the chess truth. Here Berliner comments 13 games, most recent of which is 30 years old, when in the chess world 30 years are 300 years. He explains how to choose each move it's true, but this leads to variations and every chess lover knows variations are confuted all saints day by chess practice. Berliner thinks he is Prometeus but chess is an unrevealable fire. However the book contains some interesting idea so I'm happy having read it.
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