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Mastering The Spanish: With the Read and Play Method
Introduces the Spanish, or Ruy Lopez chess opening, looks at how it has been used by Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Nigel Short, and provides a variety of examples
- GenresChess
245 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1994
About the author
Daniel J. King
23 books5 followersDaniel King is a chess grandmaster. He has been a professional chess-player for over 25 years representing his country on numerous occasions. In addition, he is a games consultant, television presenter, live commentator, freelance journalist, and an award-winning author of 15 books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2020
Best opening book I've read to date. It goes far beyond just showing the lines. This one categorizes many different lines by pawn structure and shows common goals for both sides based on the structure. Didn't feel tedious or boring; instead was surprisingly fun to read.
I bought the book specifically to learn the white side of the Spanish, but after reading this, I've started playing the black side as well, because of how many cool ideas it showed from both sides.
I bought the book specifically to learn the white side of the Spanish, but after reading this, I've started playing the black side as well, because of how many cool ideas it showed from both sides.
November 15, 2012
Daniel King (who wrote this along with Pietro Ponzetto) is one of the finest chess writers working today. I have read and studied nearly all his books and this British Grandmaster not only is a master at the game but a master at explaining it.
Mastering The Spanish, also known as the Ruy Lopez, is a book I would recommend after the Starting Out book on the Lopez. It is more in-depth tho some of it will cover the same ground. One of the better features in this book is the pawns-only chapters where pawn structures are discected. This is a feature you'll occasionally find in a book but not nearly as often as it should be included. Discussing the tension and formation of the foot-soldiers is the foundation of any opening and more attention should be paid to it in chess books. (For massive coverage on pawn play, be sure to get Drazen Marovic's two-volume pawn play set. This will improve your game probably more than any other two-volume set available on any other subject in chess.)
Written for the more experienced explorer in the Spanish, this one is well worth adding to your collection.
Mastering The Spanish, also known as the Ruy Lopez, is a book I would recommend after the Starting Out book on the Lopez. It is more in-depth tho some of it will cover the same ground. One of the better features in this book is the pawns-only chapters where pawn structures are discected. This is a feature you'll occasionally find in a book but not nearly as often as it should be included. Discussing the tension and formation of the foot-soldiers is the foundation of any opening and more attention should be paid to it in chess books. (For massive coverage on pawn play, be sure to get Drazen Marovic's two-volume pawn play set. This will improve your game probably more than any other two-volume set available on any other subject in chess.)
Written for the more experienced explorer in the Spanish, this one is well worth adding to your collection.
February 8, 2017
A must read book to understand Ruy Lopez
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews