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CHESS 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games
This giant collection, finally available in paperback, features enough chess challenges to keep even the most avid player occupied for a long, long time. The biggest book of chess problems ever published is now available in a paperback edition, featuring more than five thousand fully diagrammed problems, games, and end games for players at all levels. Chapters are organized by problem type, and each problem, combination, and game is keyed to an easy-to-follow solution at the back of the book, so users— whether they are beginners or highly accomplished players—can learn as they go. In all, this volume is a most extensive and thorough chess reference, sure to help hone skills while providing hours of fun. The more affordable paperback edition will give players at all levels reason to rejoice.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
683 people are currently reading
1728 people want to read
About the author
László Polgár
18 books114 followersLászló Polgár is a Hungarian chess teacher and educational psychologist. He is the father of the famous Polgár sisters: Zsuzsa, Zsófia, and Judit, whom he raised to be chess prodigies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 28, 2021
This book, the "bible of tactics," is the best bang for your training bucks. You can easily pick up a used copy of this for around $9--do it.
The publisher description is good but let me elaborate a bit on a few things.
Firstly, there are no explanations for any of the problems, combos, or games; in fact, if I recall, the only actual sentences that occur, other than Laszlo's forward and Pandolfini's intro, are brief remarks about the rules of the game and the properties of the pieces. So, while a total beginner can learn to play chess from this book, this is not a beginner's course book--this book would supplement such a course. Because there are no explanations, one cannot get a deep understanding of why some of the tactics work as they do, or why certain moves in the miniatures occurred. The closest thing to an explanation in the games is the occasional Informant-style annotation variation of a few moves. (Informant annotations are symbolic annotations not ordinary language annotations.)
Secondly, there is a section of simple endgames--144 diagrams, I think, of which some are far more important to know than others; and by " important to know" I mean some are theoretical endgames that must be memorized and whose winning and drawing methods learned by heart. Such important theoretical endgames need explanation because just knowing the pattern is not sufficient at certain levels. Sure, knowing the pattern for winning a K+P v K endgame, for example, is good but without understanding the concepts of the various sorts of opposition, key control squares, and outflanking, one will fumble in all but the most elementary scenarios. Regardless, these simple endgame positions are worth going over again and again and again.
Thirdly, the miniature games (25 moves or fewer) are organized by tactical focal point; i.e., the focus of the tactic is on the f2/f7 square, the g3/g6 square, h2/h7, f3/f6, h3/h6, etc. This is very useful for quickly developing pattern recognition--and that's really what this book is good for: building a memory bank of tactical patterns.
If you are rated under 1800 you should be devouring this material, and not just once. Just do the work, the good chess will eventually follow.
Here are two personal stories about this book that you might find helpful or interesting. A few years ago a family, who knew virtually nothing about chess, except that they wanted their little girl to be the next Humpty Koneru, contacted me about coaching their 6 year old daughter. They had mentioned that previously she had been studying with a certain IM but that they thought he was not a good fit. Okay, so I meet with the family and the kid and find out that the only study material the IM had provided (other than the weekly one hour in-person meeting) was this Polgar book, and it was the hardcover edition, to boot. The hardcover, I believe, is what the young 4 year old Capablanca sat on to see the board when he was beating up on his father in that 1892 photo. I mean, this 6 year old girl was barely bigger than the book. You don't hand a monstrosity like this to a 6 year old and expect them to start using it for their own edification. (This kind of thoughtless, I'm-collecting-an-easy-paycheck approach to coaching is, unfortunately, far more common than you might think among titled players who have to coach.)
In 2017 I had the opportunity to meet Susan Polgar (one of Laszlo's prodigy daughters) and discuss training materials with her. One thing she said to me about this book by her father is that it consists of some of the type of training material her father used for training her and Judit and Sofia, but that she didn't necessarily think it was organized as well as it could be; hence, the Susan Polgar series Learn Chess The Right Way, which she thinks is a better approach to chess pedagogy.
One final thought about a couple of criticisms of this book that are either just empirically false, misguided, or the sort of stuff the lazy repeat mindlessly.
Some complain that this book is all checkmates and thus is not all that helpful, especially with other kinds of tactics. Presumably they mean tactics culminating in the gain of some material (or possibly some abstract key positional goal, like control of a key square or file, or creating a passer; or causing some static weakness in the opponent’s camp like “Irish Pawns”, castling prevention, and so forth ). This is false. Most of the positions culminate in mate but a good number of the simple endgames end in draws and a winning significant advantage for one side; furthermore, a number of the combos from the Polgar sisters’ games do not end in mate but advantage to one side. Those with this complaint must have mastered all the mates and can solve all these problems in 3 seconds or fewer with no problems, right? I mean, that’s why they are complaining because they need to move on to winning a pawn after 4 moves, because they have just mastered all these mate patterns, right?
Some complain that this book is not so great because some of the diagrams are artificially constructed mates. The idea here is that because the position is not from a real over-the-board game that the position has no practical value to players. Very few strong players would agree with this assessment and instead attest to real practical value in studying compositions. Let’s consider this: take, say, 50 of Gioachino Greco’s games. He has these great games in the King’s Gambit, Latvian Gambit, Italian, Vienna, 2 Knights, etc., that have foundational tactics and combos. They are exciting and highly instructive games featuring rudimentary and (now) ubiquitous tactical themes, like exchange sacs, queens checking on the Fool’s Diagonal, the so-called Greco Mate, back rank mates, skewers, pins, and the ever so cool Greek Gift sac. Make diagrams of the tactical shots and solve them. Evidence shows that it is highly likely that most or all of Greco’s games that have survived up to now are constructions, artificial creations. Are you telling me that these have no practical value for regular players? Every GM and IM I’ve ever worked with have all studied compositions and all think it improved their practical game. Studying regular tactics develops pattern recognition and some calculation, but compositions further improve one’s calculation and visualization. Here’s a quote from GM Daniel Naroditsky’s Chess.com article Why Solving Studies is so Important:
“Many years ago, my coach introduced me to this titan of composing [Kasparian] by showing me one of his most famous creations. On that day, my passion for studies was born. Looking back, I can proudly say that all of the hours I spent poring over study collections were not in vain. By regularly solving studies, I considerably enhanced three crucial aspects of my tactical ability: visualization, awareness, and imagination. To be sure, composers have as their primary intent the pursuit of aesthetic excellence. However, as we are about to see, aesthetics and instructional value are directly proportional!”
These attributes are obviously important to better practical play. Here is another quote:
“Most players have an uneasy feeling about composed studies. They don’t like those ‘White to play-and-win’ positions they see in magazines because they seem artificial. Yes, most studies are artificial. But what amateurs might like about them is that the solution is usually 100 percent tactical. You don’t have to know esoteric, technical positions. Just work out the tactics. In fact, one of the best ways to improve your winning technique is to work on endgame tactics.” (GM Andrew Soltis – “What it Takes to Become a Chess Master”)
and another:
“What it may lose in realism is more than compensated by the fact that it is uncluttered by inessential detail … giving it a permanent abstract clarity which can only prove an aid to logical thinking and retention in memory. (John Littlewood - “Chess Coaching”)
oops, another one is here:
“For those not convinced by the empirical evidence, there are several plausible reasons why looking at chess problems and studies will improve your chess…Firstly it should enhance powers of chess fantasy by building up the ‘vocabulary’ of tactical ideas and patterns…Secondly, solving problems and studies require very clear, logical, precise, goal-orientated thinking…Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, there is the question of motivation…(which) is critical to competitive success.” (GM Jonathan Levitt and IM David Friedgood - “Secrets of Spectacular Chess”)
blue face visage--from Kasparov:
“I am fond of solving chess problems and, particularly, chess studies. The time I take to solve studies tests my sporting form and I use many ideas in practical play.” (again from “Secrets of Spectacular Chess”)
and the beaten dead horse:
"Richard Reti’s definition of endgame studies was: ‘Endgame studies are endgame positions with extraordinary content.’” (GM Jan Timman – foreword from Mark Dvoretsky’s “Studies for Practical Players”)
'Nuff said.
The publisher description is good but let me elaborate a bit on a few things.
Firstly, there are no explanations for any of the problems, combos, or games; in fact, if I recall, the only actual sentences that occur, other than Laszlo's forward and Pandolfini's intro, are brief remarks about the rules of the game and the properties of the pieces. So, while a total beginner can learn to play chess from this book, this is not a beginner's course book--this book would supplement such a course. Because there are no explanations, one cannot get a deep understanding of why some of the tactics work as they do, or why certain moves in the miniatures occurred. The closest thing to an explanation in the games is the occasional Informant-style annotation variation of a few moves. (Informant annotations are symbolic annotations not ordinary language annotations.)
Secondly, there is a section of simple endgames--144 diagrams, I think, of which some are far more important to know than others; and by " important to know" I mean some are theoretical endgames that must be memorized and whose winning and drawing methods learned by heart. Such important theoretical endgames need explanation because just knowing the pattern is not sufficient at certain levels. Sure, knowing the pattern for winning a K+P v K endgame, for example, is good but without understanding the concepts of the various sorts of opposition, key control squares, and outflanking, one will fumble in all but the most elementary scenarios. Regardless, these simple endgame positions are worth going over again and again and again.
Thirdly, the miniature games (25 moves or fewer) are organized by tactical focal point; i.e., the focus of the tactic is on the f2/f7 square, the g3/g6 square, h2/h7, f3/f6, h3/h6, etc. This is very useful for quickly developing pattern recognition--and that's really what this book is good for: building a memory bank of tactical patterns.
If you are rated under 1800 you should be devouring this material, and not just once. Just do the work, the good chess will eventually follow.
Here are two personal stories about this book that you might find helpful or interesting. A few years ago a family, who knew virtually nothing about chess, except that they wanted their little girl to be the next Humpty Koneru, contacted me about coaching their 6 year old daughter. They had mentioned that previously she had been studying with a certain IM but that they thought he was not a good fit. Okay, so I meet with the family and the kid and find out that the only study material the IM had provided (other than the weekly one hour in-person meeting) was this Polgar book, and it was the hardcover edition, to boot. The hardcover, I believe, is what the young 4 year old Capablanca sat on to see the board when he was beating up on his father in that 1892 photo. I mean, this 6 year old girl was barely bigger than the book. You don't hand a monstrosity like this to a 6 year old and expect them to start using it for their own edification. (This kind of thoughtless, I'm-collecting-an-easy-paycheck approach to coaching is, unfortunately, far more common than you might think among titled players who have to coach.)
In 2017 I had the opportunity to meet Susan Polgar (one of Laszlo's prodigy daughters) and discuss training materials with her. One thing she said to me about this book by her father is that it consists of some of the type of training material her father used for training her and Judit and Sofia, but that she didn't necessarily think it was organized as well as it could be; hence, the Susan Polgar series Learn Chess The Right Way, which she thinks is a better approach to chess pedagogy.
One final thought about a couple of criticisms of this book that are either just empirically false, misguided, or the sort of stuff the lazy repeat mindlessly.
Some complain that this book is all checkmates and thus is not all that helpful, especially with other kinds of tactics. Presumably they mean tactics culminating in the gain of some material (or possibly some abstract key positional goal, like control of a key square or file, or creating a passer; or causing some static weakness in the opponent’s camp like “Irish Pawns”, castling prevention, and so forth ). This is false. Most of the positions culminate in mate but a good number of the simple endgames end in draws and a winning significant advantage for one side; furthermore, a number of the combos from the Polgar sisters’ games do not end in mate but advantage to one side. Those with this complaint must have mastered all the mates and can solve all these problems in 3 seconds or fewer with no problems, right? I mean, that’s why they are complaining because they need to move on to winning a pawn after 4 moves, because they have just mastered all these mate patterns, right?
Some complain that this book is not so great because some of the diagrams are artificially constructed mates. The idea here is that because the position is not from a real over-the-board game that the position has no practical value to players. Very few strong players would agree with this assessment and instead attest to real practical value in studying compositions. Let’s consider this: take, say, 50 of Gioachino Greco’s games. He has these great games in the King’s Gambit, Latvian Gambit, Italian, Vienna, 2 Knights, etc., that have foundational tactics and combos. They are exciting and highly instructive games featuring rudimentary and (now) ubiquitous tactical themes, like exchange sacs, queens checking on the Fool’s Diagonal, the so-called Greco Mate, back rank mates, skewers, pins, and the ever so cool Greek Gift sac. Make diagrams of the tactical shots and solve them. Evidence shows that it is highly likely that most or all of Greco’s games that have survived up to now are constructions, artificial creations. Are you telling me that these have no practical value for regular players? Every GM and IM I’ve ever worked with have all studied compositions and all think it improved their practical game. Studying regular tactics develops pattern recognition and some calculation, but compositions further improve one’s calculation and visualization. Here’s a quote from GM Daniel Naroditsky’s Chess.com article Why Solving Studies is so Important:
“Many years ago, my coach introduced me to this titan of composing [Kasparian] by showing me one of his most famous creations. On that day, my passion for studies was born. Looking back, I can proudly say that all of the hours I spent poring over study collections were not in vain. By regularly solving studies, I considerably enhanced three crucial aspects of my tactical ability: visualization, awareness, and imagination. To be sure, composers have as their primary intent the pursuit of aesthetic excellence. However, as we are about to see, aesthetics and instructional value are directly proportional!”
These attributes are obviously important to better practical play. Here is another quote:
“Most players have an uneasy feeling about composed studies. They don’t like those ‘White to play-and-win’ positions they see in magazines because they seem artificial. Yes, most studies are artificial. But what amateurs might like about them is that the solution is usually 100 percent tactical. You don’t have to know esoteric, technical positions. Just work out the tactics. In fact, one of the best ways to improve your winning technique is to work on endgame tactics.” (GM Andrew Soltis – “What it Takes to Become a Chess Master”)
and another:
“What it may lose in realism is more than compensated by the fact that it is uncluttered by inessential detail … giving it a permanent abstract clarity which can only prove an aid to logical thinking and retention in memory. (John Littlewood - “Chess Coaching”)
oops, another one is here:
“For those not convinced by the empirical evidence, there are several plausible reasons why looking at chess problems and studies will improve your chess…Firstly it should enhance powers of chess fantasy by building up the ‘vocabulary’ of tactical ideas and patterns…Secondly, solving problems and studies require very clear, logical, precise, goal-orientated thinking…Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, there is the question of motivation…(which) is critical to competitive success.” (GM Jonathan Levitt and IM David Friedgood - “Secrets of Spectacular Chess”)
blue face visage--from Kasparov:
“I am fond of solving chess problems and, particularly, chess studies. The time I take to solve studies tests my sporting form and I use many ideas in practical play.” (again from “Secrets of Spectacular Chess”)
and the beaten dead horse:
"Richard Reti’s definition of endgame studies was: ‘Endgame studies are endgame positions with extraordinary content.’” (GM Jan Timman – foreword from Mark Dvoretsky’s “Studies for Practical Players”)
'Nuff said.
November 20, 2008
This is a KICK ASS BOOK that everyone should own from unrated players to Chess Masters.
It is especially extraordinary because there are no words, only pictures, lots of fun looking at the combinations because it's very visual, and you can look at it at your own pace.
Ah, memories. Let's just say you haven't lived until you've beaten a chess master and then had your ass kicked by a 3rd grader. I'll always remember her last words before she killed me, "Wait Dad, I'm almost done." grr.
It is especially extraordinary because there are no words, only pictures, lots of fun looking at the combinations because it's very visual, and you can look at it at your own pace.
Ah, memories. Let's just say you haven't lived until you've beaten a chess master and then had your ass kicked by a 3rd grader. I'll always remember her last words before she killed me, "Wait Dad, I'm almost done." grr.
December 4, 2020
Another daily devotional thanks to smartphone tech. Problems of every variety and with the intention of drilling past mastery. Which is why it often is accused of being a little monotonous in problem selections. Polgar was aiming to instill secondhand reflex. Will probably take ~4yrs to work through.
December 3, 2022
What a great puzzle book! To solve a lot of these puzzles, it is required to use different types of tactics. It most definitely helped improve my calculation and board vision. Themes such as en passant, x-ray, knight coordination and more are found in these puzzles.
You can use this book from any <1000 - 2000 elo rating range, it starts off with mate in 1s, mate in 2s and then mate in 3s.
I believe every chess player should own this book.
You can use this book from any <1000 - 2000 elo rating range, it starts off with mate in 1s, mate in 2s and then mate in 3s.
I believe every chess player should own this book.
June 25, 2015
THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE CHESS PUZZLE BOOK...I DO 3 OR 4 EVERY MORNING LIKE CLOCKWORK, MY CHESS HAS IMPROVED BECAUSE OF IT, BUY A SMALL ANALYSIS SET AND GET TO MATING!!!
October 1, 2008
This book is a must have for any player trying to increase his level of play. Though basically it's 1/4 mate in one puzzles, 2/4 mate in two puzzles, and 1/4 combination it is still a great book (many of the books that are mainly exercises, have positional puzzles, defense puzzles, forks/skewers/discover puzzles, and piece value/trade puzzles). I have not completely finished all of the puzzles within, but I have done all of the mate in ones, all of the mate in twos, but only about 1/4 of the combinations. Im still working at it. Again this is a must have weapon in your chess arsenal.
August 14, 2012
I made it to problem 700 before returning this book to the library. I won't deny that it is excellent practice, but I have two main complaints. First, the book is only checkmates and gives little assistance on other kinds of tactics. Second, many of the positions are composed rather than coming from actual games. This reduces the transferability of the practice to actual play.
September 17, 2012
Literally thousands upon thousands of problems to solve. A great one volume collection of tactical studies. There are better books on the market for studying tactics, however there is nothing that matches it in sheer numbers. Sidenote: some of the problems are composed.
December 12, 2018
This book is fantastic, so far my favorite on chess. It is easily the shortest 1,000 page book I've ever read, in terms of number of words. The bulk of the book is comprised of board layouts, with roughly eight games per page; the illustrations are very useful, an enormous improvement over Silman (who makes heavy use of chess notation in numbered, paragraph form. Really, Silman is a pain to read.)
Most of the problems contained in this book are endgame-oriented, like mates in one, two or three moves. The purpose of the book is to get you to recognize patterns unthinkingly; it is very effective. I love it.
Most of the problems contained in this book are endgame-oriented, like mates in one, two or three moves. The purpose of the book is to get you to recognize patterns unthinkingly; it is very effective. I love it.
March 24, 2022
I loved this book. I started learning chess a few years ago when I found this book. I play with people, I take my kids to chess clubs and participate myself, and I use chess.com to learn and play matches. But there is something so satisfying about picking up a book like this, taking out my chess set with the weighted pieces, and sitting down with a coffee to run through these drills. It takes more time to set up the board sometimes than it does to figure out the challenge, but they get harder and harder, and sometimes it's wonderful to just set up the board and leave it for a few days, pondering the problem. I feel we all spend too much time on the computer, me included, and I relish those days I can get away from it a bit. The afternoons I spent running these drills with my real life chess set, were some of the most relaxing ones I've ever had. There are so many drills, and I really appreciate the way Polgar set up the levels and the types of drills for learning. Highly recommend this book. I see myself using this as a resource down the line as well, especially to teach.
December 1, 2024
No explaination so it’s raw. And it is almost only mate in (1, 2, then 3). So when for example it is a mate in 2, you check first if the opponent will be able to check you after your move. If yes, then you just look at “check” moves, that reduce significantly the possibilities and makes the problem much easier. In real games, you don’t know if you can mate in X and so, you just have to find the best move. This is why I prefer “find the best move” problems.
What is good with this book is that it goes throught many different patterns for the mates, that will definitely help to develop your pattern recognition, especially for mates.
The quantity of problems is huge (5334!), so a good value for money.
In conclusion, not a book for everyone. I would not recommend this book first to progress in Chess, but if you are looking at a bible for mate problems, it is recommended.
What is good with this book is that it goes throught many different patterns for the mates, that will definitely help to develop your pattern recognition, especially for mates.
The quantity of problems is huge (5334!), so a good value for money.
In conclusion, not a book for everyone. I would not recommend this book first to progress in Chess, but if you are looking at a bible for mate problems, it is recommended.
August 20, 2011
a giant book of chess problems (limited/no text). good fun. and perfect for the under 5 set, since you don't need to read to enjoy it!
August 14, 2022
Chess is an ancient game. It isn't as old as others, but it is old enough. Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games is a massive tome over 1000 pages in length. Laszlo Polgar is a chess grandmaster and teacher. He draws from different sources to make this book.
There isn't a lot to say about it. The book doesn't have many words. It is mainly images of chess boards with positions you have to solve. It is a basic middlegame book covering mate in one, mate in two, combinations, and more. The solutions are in the back of the book.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
There isn't a lot to say about it. The book doesn't have many words. It is mainly images of chess boards with positions you have to solve. It is a basic middlegame book covering mate in one, mate in two, combinations, and more. The solutions are in the back of the book.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
July 17, 2012
The description is wrong. This book has nothing to do with Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. CHESS is a book written (assembled?) by Laszlo Polgar and contains many puzzles and game fragments. Most of the puzzles are checkmate in two or three moves. Laszlo is the father of the famous Polgar sisters.
July 20, 2022
Huge collection of non practical positions. I have done all mate in 1 and many mate in 2s and I didn't enjoy it at the end of the day, if you wish to do mate in 2s do it from lichess if you wish to find a book that has Tactics choose 1001 Tactics For beginners or Woodpecker method if you are slightly stronger player.
February 13, 2008
Its pretty thick and looks intimidating on your shelf when your friends come over for a game.
September 6, 2008
The initial copy was like 14"x 17" x 5", quite the coffee table-doorstop-paperweight-anvil. The latest one is a much more manageable roughly 6x10x4. Read should be read as -partially solved.
November 29, 2022
5 hours ago i decided i wanted to learn chess now here i am
April 16, 2022
ถือเป็นสุดยอดคัมภีร์ end game โดยผู้ชายที่เชื่อว่าพรสวรรค์ฝึกกันได้ ผู้หญิงก็เล่นเชสได้ดีเยี่ยม Laszlo Polgar กล้าประกาศตั้งแต่ลูกของเขายังไม่ลืมตาดูโลกว่าจะต้องเป็นเซียนเชสระดับโลก
Susan Polgar ลูกสาวคนโตมีคะแนน Elo 2577 ในปี 2005 ซึ่งเป็นผู้หญิงที่มีคะแนนสูงสุดอันดับ 2 ของโลก (ตอนนั้น) ส่วนอันดับ 1 ก็หาใช่ใครที่ไหน น้องสาวของเธอเอง Judit Polgar ว่ากันว่าเป็นนักหมากรุกหญิงที่แกร่งที่สุดตลอดกาล และเป็นผู้เคยทุบสถิติคว้าเอาคำนำหน้า GM (Grandmaster) ที่มีอายุน้อยที่สุดคือ 15 ปีกับ 4 เดือน (ตอนนั้น) เดือนตุลาคม 2007 เธออยู่อันดับ 10 (เคยขึ้นสูงถึงอันดับ 8) ของโลก (รวมชายหญิง) มีคะแนน Elo 2708 เคยชนะปรมาจารย์คะแนนสูงสุดตลอดกาลอย่าง Garry Kasparov (รวมทั้งโทปาลอฟกับอานันด์) ส่วนลูกสาวคนกลาง Zsofia Polgar แม้ไม่ถูกกล่าวขวัญถึงเป็นอันดับต้นๆ เมื่อมีคนเอ่ยถึงสามพี่น้องโปลการ์ ด้านฝีไม้ลายมือเชสเธอก็ถึงขนาดคว้าคำนำหน้า IM (International Master) มาครอง
ผมเคยอ่านบทสัมภาษณ์หลายแห่งของโปลการ์คนพ่อ แกชอบพูดว่า "geniuses are made, not born"
Susan Polgar ลูกสาวคนโตมีคะแนน Elo 2577 ในปี 2005 ซึ่งเป็นผู้หญิงที่มีคะแนนสูงสุดอันดับ 2 ของโลก (ตอนนั้น) ส่วนอันดับ 1 ก็หาใช่ใครที่ไหน น้องสาวของเธอเอง Judit Polgar ว่ากันว่าเป็นนักหมากรุกหญิงที่แกร่งที่สุดตลอดกาล และเป็นผู้เคยทุบสถิติคว้าเอาคำนำหน้า GM (Grandmaster) ที่มีอายุน้อยที่สุดคือ 15 ปีกับ 4 เดือน (ตอนนั้น) เดือนตุลาคม 2007 เธออยู่อันดับ 10 (เคยขึ้นสูงถึงอันดับ 8) ของโลก (รวมชายหญิง) มีคะแนน Elo 2708 เคยชนะปรมาจารย์คะแนนสูงสุดตลอดกาลอย่าง Garry Kasparov (รวมทั้งโทปาลอฟกับอานันด์) ส่วนลูกสาวคนกลาง Zsofia Polgar แม้ไม่ถูกกล่าวขวัญถึงเป็นอันดับต้นๆ เมื่อมีคนเอ่ยถึงสามพี่น้องโปลการ์ ด้านฝีไม้ลายมือเชสเธอก็ถึงขนาดคว้าคำนำหน้า IM (International Master) มาครอง
ผมเคยอ่านบทสัมภาษณ์หลายแห่งของโปลการ์คนพ่อ แกชอบพูดว่า "geniuses are made, not born"
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April 6, 2020Great book. A nearly inexhaustible resource to develop an eye for short mating sequences. I started out doing one a day and eventually got up to 6. I enjoy setting them up on a regular board, though I lost that habit as time progressed and I wanted to get to the end.
I gave up on finishing it once it got the games. I'd rather read annotated games or search by a specific player or event.
Very useful for an improving player. The only knock on it is that spotting a hidden mate tends not to decide the outcome of games. Most games end through attrition from a loss of material. If they had put more puzzles in that win material it might be more balanced resource.
I gave up on finishing it once it got the games. I'd rather read annotated games or search by a specific player or event.
Very useful for an improving player. The only knock on it is that spotting a hidden mate tends not to decide the outcome of games. Most games end through attrition from a loss of material. If they had put more puzzles in that win material it might be more balanced resource.
January 20, 2025
Polgar, as a psychologist, undoubtedly understands the importance of repetition in honing a skill. While I value quality over quantity, I cannot entirely dismiss the methods of a man who successfully raised three grandmasters, especially as I am no expert myself. I can appreciate the target demographic and still recognize the value in practicing even rudimentary concepts, such as mate in one and mate in two.
November 3, 2024
kept looking for books i could read to get better until i finally accepted what everyone said: at the early levels the best bang for your buck is doing a bunch of tactics. And man, over 5k puzzles for 20 bucks?! Every chess website or service wants to charge at least 15 bucks a month. This’ll be like two or three years worth of content for me. Incredible.
December 31, 2020
Replete with confounding chess puzzles, their respective solutions, and a compendium of different grandmaster games, this tome strives to edify its aspiring chess experts with only the most mind-boggling (and consequently effective) chess problems.
December 29, 2018
Most instructive book I've read about chess.
February 1, 2023
This is a must have book for any Chess player, at any level. its simple and fun. I have been using it for over 20 years. Great.
February 23, 2023
What a beast this thing is. To “finish” it would be a life achievement. I like to have it around; lets me see deep thought whenever I want.
August 1, 2023
good book
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December 22, 2024Great practice resource
Currently reading
January 12, 2025A great book to solve nice mate in 2 and 3 puzzles. Solving these puzzles helps you to get a grip on the board and avoid blundering less.
partially-read
June 12, 2016Solved two thousand problems or so, then lost the ambition to finish the book/got bored/got sidetracked and never returned to it. Currently my thinking is that solving problems like the ones you'll encounter on sites like Chesstempo is at least as useful as is solving problems like the ones included in this book, and so I doubt I shall ever actually return to it. Working systematically on the problems included in this book will in my opinion definitely help your ability to calculate lines and evaluate positions, but there are lots of other ways to improve these skills as well so the book is hardly a 'must-read' in the way that e.g. Jesús de la Villa's endgame book might be argued to be.
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