I just read Logical Chess: Move by Move by Chernov. Which of these games still impresses you and why?
I've only been playing chess for less than a year. After a few failed attempts, I finally found a good setup to get through it.
My Setup
- Free copy of the ebook on a Kindle
- Actual physical chessboard in front of me
- An in-depth lichess study to walk me through alternate lines
I tried to read this book a few months ago and got too flustered by all the notations. Physically playing through the moves on a board and referencing back to the lichess study helped a lot.
What I Learned
I'm still very much a beginner, and this book helped me a lot with how to think about the opening and middle game. I struggle with knowing when to take pawns versus keeping the situation fluid, so Chernov was very instructive.
I enjoyed the Van Vliet vs Borovosky game particularly because of Reuben's Fine's quotes about how the king is a great attacking piece.
My Complaints
It feels like the first dozen or so games felt somewhat similar. There wasn't a whole lot of exciting endgames until the ending. Most of the games ended with a lot of pieces still on the board. This Canal Capablanca match in the second-to-last chapter was epic, but I would have loved some more thoughts on endgames and pawn promotions throughout the book.
What to Read Next?
I very much enjoyed the style of explaining each move and would love to read a similar style. It reminds me of Eric Rosen, who is currently my fave on Youtube.
Do you still think about any of the games from this book? Did I just teach myself a bunch of outdated theories? I know that the Chapter 1 game between Von Scheve and Teichmann was revealed to be a blunder several decades later, so I'm sure some of this book was out of date, but I still think I learned a lot.