Elements of Positional Evaluation: How the Pieces Get Their Power

by Dan Heisman

Which side stands better? How much better? Why? Most chess players rely on loosely knit, unstructured methods to evaluate chess pieces and positions. They learn positional principles which often lead to inaccurate evaluations and faulty decisions about how to proceed. This groundbreaking book by best-selling chess author Dan Heisman addresses the evaluation and understanding of how static features affect the value of the pieces in a given position. Emphasis is placed on the static evaluation of each piece s value and its role in the overall position rather than the assessment of a specific position, but Heisman s approach can also be applied to help evaluate entire positions by helping to answer the questions who stands better, by how much, and why?

Genres: Chess

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

Reviews

[TjeerdFokkens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting reflection on the 'scientific' method of evaluation chess positions. The method was initiated by the first world champion Wilhelm Steinitz, but became outdated after so many years. Dan makes a strong case for the invalidity of the old theory. He proposes a new theory, the main idea being that Steinitz's elements should be broken down into smaller units. This way of thinking is very interesting and gives the chess player a better and deeper understanding of positional evaluation. I like that the book explains all the concepts verbally instead of presenting endless variations. Many concepts I never found quite as clearly explained as in this book: overprotection, using a pawn majority, average material value of the pieces. The moves are checked with Rybka, which I found quite cute. A drawback of the book, I think, is that sometimes the author is too theoretical in his explanations. I understand that the author wants to be precise in establishing his new theory, but it doesn't make the reading easier. That said, the book contains many thought-provoking ideas, making it an ideal read for chess players who know the basics of positional chess.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars.

This book is an attempt to update the old chess maxims like "doubled pawns are bad" etc. with a more modern, dynamic approach.

Worth a read, and probably worth a second at some point to really get some of the points to drive home. It's not "My System", but it does a pretty good job at explaining why the old maxims aren't so cut-and-dried.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a great history of positional theory from Philidor up to this 4th edition on 2010. Then proceeds to dive deep into the power of the pieces and how to evaluate a position.