MASTERING CHESS TACTICS

Over the board a player must continually be alert to tactics, which effectively decide the outcome of all chess games. Often distinguished by deep calculation and stunning imagination, tactical combinations represent true artistry in chess. Yet despite their spectacular effect, the author maintains there is no mystery or magic in chess tactics, which can be learned by breaking them down into their basic components. Thus the reader is introduced to such practical and recurring themes as forks, double attacks, pins, skewers, trapping pieces, removal of the defender, desperado, opening lines ... and then combinations of these themes. Not only does this book offer a wealth of practical and beautiful illustrative examples taken from modern chess play but it provides challenging exercises in which readers can test their newly acquired tactical awareness. A self-instructor for competitors at club and tournament level, the book will not only help players deliver telling tactical blows but also enable them to side-step threats coming their way!