Great Short Games of the Chess Masters

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book! For beginners thru intermediates.
Review: 80 highly tactical games, with venues and players named, annotated for the beginner.

This is what chess is all about! Amazing games. Glorious conclusions. A couple end in remarkable draws. Most finish with the inevitable threat of checkmate.

FEATURES

+ Digestible format. Each game looks like its own chapter, though it's only 2-3 pages. The brevity of the comments, the lightness of the annotations, and the shortness of the games all conspire to induce even a rank beginner into taking a bite. It's very easy to play out a single game when you find yourself with a few minutes to spare.

+ Breadth of coverage. Although this book is no-one's first choice for studying the openings, it certainly provides a convenient introduction. The games are grouped by opening, roughly in the order of their chronological popularity. The first half is dominated by open games, especially the King's Gambit and Ruy Lopez. In the middle, there are several of the French, the Sicilian, the Caro-Kann, and the Queen's Gambit. Finally, there are samples of modern openings, like the KID and English. There is no index; there wouldn't be a point.

+ Reinfeld's descriptions. They're brief, but they make the games interesting. He tells you what to watch for in plain English.

+ Useful, brief, understandable annotations. Typical chess annotations are of the form "instead of this move, which leads to this series of moves" and end with a position that is not obviously winning for either side. These are inscrutable to beginners. Reinfeld, however, only provides that sort of annotation when the result is decisive. Often, he instead lists the threats. In other words, he tells us what would happen if the next player skipped his turn. This is exactly what the beginner wants to know. He can think for a minute, "OK. So how would I counter that threat?" Then he can see the next move and understand why it was made.

DRAWBACKS?

OK. There are many ways to criticize this book. For example:

"Many of these games are against duffers!"
A: Yes, and often the master is hampered by considerable disadvantages (a blindfold, a simultaneous exhibition, a piece removed before the game even starts, or a free move for the opponent) which tend to level the playing field. Because the games are not nail-bitingly close, a beginner can understand the moves.

"There are too many mistakes in these games."
A: It is very useful to the beginner to see how to take advantage of mistakes. Most here are subtle, rather than outright blunders like leaving a piece en prise (attacked and undefended), but Reinfeld's verbal explanations are clear and cogent. Sometimes there is an obvious mistake, but only when the position is already lost.

"These games are all available elsewhere, in books and computer databases."
A: Yes, because they are classics. If they were lengthy struggles, I might recommend a computer or deep annotations, but not for such decisive games. Just watch and learn.

"The moves are in Descriptive Notation."
A: This is really not a problem when the analysis is so shallow. DN is fine for re-playing games (as well as for tactics puzzles, where NxN is actually easier to grasp than Nxf3). Don't be dissuaded by this.

"There is only 1 diagram per game. A beginner book should not require a board."
A: For one of these quick games, one diagram is almost too much. It mainly serves to remind you that you are reading a chess book! Well, it also reassures the beginner that he is following the moves correctly. Yes, this book requires a board. I enjoy moving the pieces and imagining that I am one of the great masters. I peek at the end to see which side wins, and I play his pieces, trying to guess the moves.

"It's very difficult to guess the master's move following a diagram."
A: True. Since the strong moves which follow the diagrams are far from obvious, this book is not useful for tactical drills. The purpose is to inspire. However, it is possible to look for the crushing blow near the end.

TRUST ME!

With these objections swept aside, there is much to love in this treasure trove. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Once you know the rules and have lost a few games, you are ready for this book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have
Review: This book belongs in every chesslover's library. The combinations and strategies are suberb. This and "The Immortal Games of Capablanca" are, IMHO, two of the finest books in chess literature. And both are by the same author

Rating:
Summary: Great fun,and instructive too
Review: This is a great book.The games are fantastic,the analysis good and the short introductions to each game are fascinating.The only drawback is the descriptive notation,but the book is too good to miss.