Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games

Rating:
Summary: Overlaps many other collections
Review: Being a "best of" book, the 115 games here are easy to find elsewhere. For example, all 10 of Alekhine's section are in 'Alekhine's Best Games', and only 4 of Capablanca's were not in 'Capablanca's Best Games' (and 3 of those are in 'The Unknown Capablanca'). And of course, there is some overlap with 'The Mammoth Book of The Greatest Games of Chess' and other such books.

So if you already have several collections, you probably do not need this book.

If you don't (yet) own several collections, then you would be happier with something else by Chernev. Beginners can learn much from 'Logical Chess Move By Move', and intermediate players would find more value in 'Most Instructive Chess Games of All Time'. The games in 'Twelve' can be quite subtle in their exactness, which is not very instructive.

Still, this is easily a 5-star book. So who would enjoy it? If you're interested in the question, "Who's the best player ever?", then you'll enjoy going through this collection of 12 of the top candidates.

Read in that frame of mind, this book is a joy, a sort of Tournament of the Century. If only it were a Top 20, instead of a Top 12! Missing are Reshevsky, Keres, Fine, Euwe, Reti, Steinitz, Anderssen, Morphy, and of course anybody after the publication date of the book.

[By the way, the break-down of games by each player provided by another reviewer only accounts for wins.]

Rating:
Summary: Overlaps many other collections
Review: Being a "best of" book, the 115 games here are easy to find elsewhere. For example, all 10 of Alekhine's section are in 'Alekhine's Best Games', and only 4 of Capablanca's were not in 'Capablanca's Best Games' (and 3 of those are in 'The Unknown Capablanca'). And of course, there is some overlap with 'The Mammoth Book of The Greatest Games of Chess' and other such books.

So if you already have several collections, you probably do not need this book.

If you don't (yet) own several collections, then you would be happier with something else by Chernev. Beginners can learn much from 'Logical Chess Move By Move', and intermediate players would find more value in 'Most Instructive Chess Games of All Time'. The games in 'Twelve' can be quite subtle in their exactness, which is not very instructive.

Still, this is easily a 5-star book. So who would enjoy it? If you're interested in the question, "Who's the best player ever?", then you'll enjoy going through this collection of 12 of the top candidates.

Read in that frame of mind, this book is a joy, a sort of Tournament of the Century. If only it were a Top 20, instead of a Top 12! Missing are Reshevsky, Keres, Fine, Euwe, Reti, Steinitz, Anderssen, Morphy, and of course anybody after the publication date of the book.

[By the way, the break-down of games by each player provided by another reviewer only accounts for wins.]

Rating:
Summary: Great game collection for most club players
Review: I read this book when it was titled "The Golden Dozen". Chernev picked some very fine games from the 12 greatest players up to his time, i.e. pre-Karpov.

The vast majority of club players couldn't fail to learn much from studying these games. Chernev's enthusiasm is catching, and he provides good guidance without swamping the reader with forests of variations.

Rating:
Summary: Great game collection for most club players
Review: I read this book when it was titled "The Golden Dozen". Chernev picked some very fine games from the 12 greatest players up to his time, i.e. pre-Karpov.

The vast majority of club players couldn't fail to learn much from studying these games. Chernev's enthusiasm is catching, and he provides good guidance without swamping the reader with forests of variations.

Rating:
Summary: Chernev's Masterpiece
Review: Maybe Irving Chernev's Best Book

If you can get it, I promise you that you will not be sorry. A real masterpiece. For people who love the game AND players who are looking to improve ... Chernev was one of the greatest chess writers of all time!

Rating:
Summary: Alert
Review: Players(their games) ; Nimzowitsch(9) , Rubinstein(9) , Bronstein(9) , Spassky(9) , Smyslov(9) , Tal(9) , Petrosian(9) , Botvinnik(9) , Fischer(9) , Lasker(9) , Alekhine(10) , Capablanca(15)

I hope this helps.

Rating:
Summary: This is a really fine book !
Review: This book is an exceptional value. Irving Chernev is a great author for developing chess players rated between 1000 - 1800 USCF. He has an infectious love of the game, and the ability to write in a way that is very understandable to players below the expert/master level. He typically uses just the right blend of verbal explanation and actual move order variations. (Some books just recite a catalogue of possible variations - this is worthless to developing players).

This is an awesome collection of some of the greatest games ever contested on the chess board. The notes are good, and very easy to follow. The large size of the book is a plus - it will lay open next to your chess board, making study very easy.

As with all Dover books, the price can not be beat. If this book were to be re-print and re-published today, using algebraic notation, I would imagine that the price would approximately double (like many other books we have seen).

If you are looking for some excellent,inexpensive study material, or want a collection of master games for entertainment, this book is a great place to start.

P.S. Several years ago, a master at our club (Seattle Chess Club) was being interviewed for a magazine article after winning the Seattle Chess Club Championship. He was asked to name his favorite chess books. This book (under the title then of "The Golden Dozen") was the first one he named.

The Only negative feedback regarding this book would be the fact that it is written in descriptive notation. This may be more of a problem for younger readers, as most of the "over 35" crowd is probably comfortable with either notation.

However, due to the incredible value that this book provides I am still awarding it with a full five stars.