How to read chess books
2) Genna Sosonko – Russian Silhouettes What is it about?Īs mentioned above, author, writer, grandmaster and big chess enthusiast Genna Sosonko has made a name by writing books about players from Soviet era. The oft-told joke goes that once Petrosian was determined to draw a particular game nothing could stop him, not even a won position. This criticism has evoked thoughtful agreement from a wide selection of grandmasters. Tigran has been criticized as being not especially ambitious. However, when it flares up the results are not pretty… Their egos become so inflated they lose their humanity and cease to respect others. Essentially, the title or even the closeness of the title goes to their heads. It is a strange virus that afflicts players only when they are World Champions, although early symptoms are detectable at the Candidate and Challenger stages. Privately, top players joke about “Championitis”. You got respect when you did it the second time because you know your fears and what you have to face.” To quote: “Bobby won the World Chess Championship. I was taken aback and asked why he harbored such a strong and negative opinion about him. I had spoken about my admiration for Bobby, and my father had been almost vehemently dismissive. I had a conversation with my father in the early 1980s about Bobby. He criticizes FIDE, Kasparov and Fischer, he gives his opinion about Karpov’s chances in the potential 1975 match and the extensive support he enjoyed in the Soviet Union and all other relevant events in the last quarter of the century which boggle the curiosity of chess fans even today. On the contrary, Yasser touches on a number of controversial topics and doesn’t hesitate to share his honest opinion. However, that doesn’t mean the book is a joke. You can’t avoid giggling almost every two pages and the whole spirit of the book is so jovial and light in its nature. On one hand, Yasser Seirawan is a born entertainer and only he can muster such a staggering amount of stories, anecdotes and jokes in a single book. Why I love this book?īecause it is so interesting, entertaining, fun and controversial. In this book, he shares a number of stories about players of the highest caliber and talks about his on-the-board and off-the-board encounters with the World Champions, beginning with Vassily Smyslov and ending with Garry Kasparov. Best Chess Books 2019 1) Yasser Seirawan – Chess Duels: My Games With the World Champions What is it about?Įveryone who has ever watched a Saint Louis Chess Club or Chessbrah chess stream knows that the legendary American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan is an inexhaustible source of chess stories. Now, without further ado, I present to you 5 Best Chess Books I read in 2019. But I think it is fair to say that, when it comes to the author of these lines, chess books and 2019, the term “Year of Sosonko” is quite appropriate.
There is even one chess improvement book on the list. That is not to say there aren’t any others. And indeed, in 2019, I read his entire bibliography and have included even two of his books on the Best Chess Books 2019 list. Those of you who follow my social media accounts might have noticed a whole lot of posts devoted to the brilliant writer, grandmaster Genna Sosonko, who has written a number of books to the various players from the Soviet era 1. On the other hand, as a firm loves of stories about chess players, chess culture and chess history, I found another type of chess book I really enjoy – biographical/memoir type of book where a (great) player (and writer) shares his recollections and stories from the chess tournament halls and encounters with other (great) chess players.