The Seven Deadly Chess Sins

Rating:
Summary: THE book on chess psychology and self-improvement
Review: because I'm a novice. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it because I feel as if I learned a lot about the author: he must be a very interesting guy.

The intro was so good and wide-ranging (chess, literature, religion, philosophy) that I sent copies of it to my friends.

There is a somewhat negative but very accurate review at I agree with the reviewer's facts, but somehow still managed to enjoy Rowson's book.

Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed it, but it won't help my chess
Review: because I'm a novice. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it because I feel as if I learned a lot about the author: he must be a very interesting guy.

The intro was so good and wide-ranging (chess, literature, religion, philosophy) that I sent copies of it to my friends.

There is a somewhat negative but very accurate review at I agree with the reviewer's facts, but somehow still managed to enjoy Rowson's book.

Rating:
Summary: THE book on chess psychology and self-improvement
Review: GM Jonathan Rowson is, in my opinion, the best chess author at present. The creative insight he has to chess psychology can hardly be matched by anyone who has written on the subject before him. And his literary talent is enormous.

This book is essential reading for a chess coach. If you are a relatively strong player and your own trainer, you will do well to read it too.

But there are few quick fixes to be found on the pages. You need to be able to take a deep look inside your own thinking processes during playing, if you want to improve your chess with this book.

As a physical object, this book is very pleasant to hold and to read. The pages are large and full of content.

Rating:
Summary: amazing and multidimenzional book
Review: I am an international chess master and I have about 1000 chess books. the 7 deadly chess sins is superb. Honest,erudite,practical and philosophical. I wonder how Rowson managed to finish Oxford university,get GM title,write chess books,and remain sane and witty. I did not buy any chess book for 3 year(because they write books for money not for players!) but i sensed in this book great love,will to help,genuine research and dedication. Buy this book and you will understand chess deeply.

Rating:
Summary: best chess (psychology) book, tour de force.
Review: If I were only allowed to keep four of my chess books, this would be one of them (along with The Amatuer's Mind, Pawn Power in Chess, and My System). Rowson has managed to accomplish a very difficult feat: to write a book about chess psychology, but one that is fundamentally a book about chess and how we think while we are playing, instead of being a dry psychological treatise. This book has that magic of seeming to be written by a chess-playing human being who happens to be a grandmaster, rather than by a grandmaster who is willing to share with you secrets that are over your head. That is not to say this is a simple or easy book; but chess is not a simple or easy game. The point is that Rowson grabs you right in the intricacies of chess and your thinking about it, so that even while the book is deep, it is always interesting, because you can recognize yourself in it. He understands how we look at chess; and his description of mental problems we encounter is more accurate and insightful than anything I have read. For instance, he acknowledges that we are not always at our best when we play. So, perhaps then if you are tired you should take extra time focusing on your opening moves. Another point on openings: do not play them casually, because you may not be prepared to switch gears into serious mode when needed. He brings to life the ieda of talking to your pieces, through well-chosen examples. I could go on and on--this book is a gem, and I genuinely feel it will seriously improve the chess of anyone who studies it. Of at least equal importance, it will entertain and challenge you. Plus, The Gambit production values (double-column, big floppy structure that is easy to hold open) makes it physically a joy to hold and read through. I have found that I can be drawn into this book even when I feel too tired for chess--it is that good. Buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Instructive despite writing style and format framework
Review: This book needed an editor.

The author sat down and attempted to write a book based on 7 different psychological aspects of the game. He successfully did so. Previous attempts on the subject (I am thinking of Krogius' book) were awfully dry. This book is anything but. In fact, the overarching theme of his book (the 7 deadly sins) lends itself, in the author's hands, to exposition rambling to the point of discursiveness. In short, this author occasionally goes off of "chess topics", which seems like heresy to some people.

His self-annotations of his games are brutually honest and illustrate the points about the sins that he wishes to make. They alone are worth the price of this book

But I sense that the author was in a fog as he wrote this book ("I must write the chess equivalent of physics "Theory of Everything", I can almost imagine him saying to himself), at times semi-blindly reaching to make his points, and using a barrage of words as a shield to duck behind.

He makes many good points, and if the prose in the book had been tightened a bit at points, this would be an excellent book.

I loved this book, but focused on the negative aspects of it to better inform the potential buyer. If you are willing to occasionally wade through the author's verbiage, this is an excellent book that covers a vastly under-explored area of chess literature.

Rating:
Summary: Instructive despite writing style and format framework
Review: This book needed an editor.

The author sat down and attempted to write a book based on 7 different psychological aspects of the game. He successfully did so. Previous attempts on the subject (I am thinking of Krogius' book) were awfully dry. This book is anything but. In fact, the overarching theme of his book (the 7 deadly sins) lends itself, in the author's hands, to exposition rambling to the point of discursiveness. In short, this author occasionally goes off of "chess topics", which seems like heresy to some people.

His self-annotations of his games are brutually honest and illustrate the points about the sins that he wishes to make. They alone are worth the price of this book

But I sense that the author was in a fog as he wrote this book ("I must write the chess equivalent of physics "Theory of Everything", I can almost imagine him saying to himself), at times semi-blindly reaching to make his points, and using a barrage of words as a shield to duck behind.

He makes many good points, and if the prose in the book had been tightened a bit at points, this would be an excellent book.

I loved this book, but focused on the negative aspects of it to better inform the potential buyer. If you are willing to occasionally wade through the author's verbiage, this is an excellent book that covers a vastly under-explored area of chess literature.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This is a high quality book by a young upcoming grandmaster which takes on a very difficult subject: Self-psychology at chess. It is provocative, original, and honest.

However, it is my belief that players below USCF 1800 will not benefit from the work put into this book nearly as much as from comparable work put into any of several good books for the improving untitled player. I guess I think psychology needs to come after Tactics, Endgames, and Analysis of Grandmaster Games.

If you are over 1800, ignore everything I say for I know not what will improve your game.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This is a high quality book by a young upcoming grandmaster which takes on a very difficult subject: Self-psychology at chess. It is provocative, original, and honest.

However, it is my belief that players below USCF 1800 will not benefit from the work put into this book nearly as much as from comparable work put into any of several good books for the improving untitled player. I guess I think psychology needs to come after Tactics, Endgames, and Analysis of Grandmaster Games.

If you are over 1800, ignore everything I say for I know not what will improve your game.

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Ordinary Chess Book
Review: This is the kind of chess book one is likely either to love or hate; it simply doesn't leave room for an indifferent response. It either has the ring of truth and wit for the reader because the reader shares the beliefs and values of the book or it seems pretentious and overblown. I confess that I loved it. I enjoyed a chess book that didn't look like an algebra text and talked about ego, concentration, materialism and Groucho Marx. I thought there were creative ideas throughout the text. Talking to one's pieces, for example, struck me as helpful - usually I just curse their clumsiness. My good friend hated this book. He wanted prescriptions, checklists, and forced move variations. It is a matter of taste. I should add that all this psychological "stuff" might be less relevant if the reader often overlooks tactical ideas that net the opponent a piece or pawn. It's a luxury to worry about perfectionism or thinking too much when you're down a piece.