Imagination in Chess: How To Think Creatively And Avoid Foolish Mistakes

by Paata Gaprindashvili

There is much published on chess tactics, strategy, openings and endings, but little on how to come up with imaginative solutions through logical thinking and evaluation. This book is dedicated to that task and provides over 700 'fresh' positions, incorporating a variety of schemes of thought for the reader to solve. The examples emphasise the power of logical and resourceful thinking, quick wit and imagination. In each chapter the author presents little-explored concepts, such as progressive and reciprocal thinking, to help the reader achieve decisive results and to make fewer mistakes in calculation.

The material has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer and will be of great benefit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.

Genres: Chess

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Emilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loaded with chess puzzles and succint insights. A great test of quick-wittedness and resourcefulness, and forces you to be imaginative.

[Ram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a refreshing and challenging exploration of what truly drives original, flexible thinking. Instead of offering yet another catalog of tactical motifs, this book pushes readers into unfamiliar territory, presenting problems that resist the usual pattern-recognition shortcuts and instead demand deeper calculation, creativity, and psychological resilience.

This book emphasises on breaking mental habits, especially the tendency to jump at the first plausible move , which makes the book both humbling and transformative. While the exercises can feel unforgiving at times, they ultimately reward persistent readers with sharper intuition and a more adventurous approach to combinational play. This is not a casual tactics collection but a serious training manual for players who want to expand their imaginative horizons and eliminate the “foolish mistakes” that stem from rigid thinking.

It is an exceptional and demanding training resource, with its only drawback being that its difficulty may intimidate some readers.

[Random Person · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really helped me improve my chess skills and made me think creatively and more imaginative. The book also helped me calculate more deeply, and improve my strategy and tactics. The only setback for me was that it didn't really help me evaluate positions, and so, therefore, I mostly evaluate positions incorrectly.
Overall, though, I can say that this book helped me work on building my chess skills and it helped me prepare more for the actual game.

[Wyatt Lindvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely my favorite chess book. Such a creative take on the analytical process. The puzzles associated with each chapter are perfectly in line with what was taught, overall a perfect book with endless puzzles

[M J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on thinking in general. Challenging and always fun to pick up and test yourself.