Chess Strategy in Action

by John L. Watson

In 2022 John Watson was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame as "one of the greatest writers in the history of American chess".User-friendly ebook Every diagram in the book is also a link to an interactive lichess analysis board of that position!John Watson fleshes out the theory presented to enormous acclaim in Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy and extends it into new areas. He illustrates the modern practice of chess with many examples from imaginative players such as Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Ivanchuk and tempestuous innovators such as Shirov and Morozevich.Voted 2003 Book of the Year by Readers of ChessCafeIn Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, Watson broke new ground by describing the developments in chess strategy since the time of Nimzowitsch. He explained how modern players are more willing than their predecessors to favour dynamic considerations over static ones, and how they have increasingly transcended the limiting 'rules' which influenced play in earlier times. The dominant results of Garry Kasparov and the rise of a new generation of supergrandmasters testify to the effectiveness of this dynamic and open-minded philosophy which has enriched modern chess.Those who enjoyed Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy will welcome the clarification of important concepts. Chess Strategy in Action can also be read on its own as an outstanding collection of modern games with thoughtful and enlightening annotations."a companion volume ... every bit as good as its predecessor. In the first part it covers concepts which were neglected in the earlier work; in the second, it gives examples from play. The book is well structured and packed with erudition" - GM Nigel Short, The Sunday TelegraphInternational Master John Watson is one of the world's most respected writers on chess. His groundbreaking four-volume work on the English firmly established his reputation in the 1980s, and he has produced a string of top-quality works since. In 1999, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, Watson's first book for Gambit, won the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award and the United States Chess Federation Fred Cramer Award for Best Book. His pupils include the 1997 World Junior Champion, Tal Shaked."John Watson's particular talent lies in his ability to sift material to show distinct patterns and demonstrate trends in the way the modern game is played. Like the conductor of an orchestra, he brings together the work of virtuoso players and commentators to illustrate a common theme." - John Saunders, British Chess Magazine

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction

823 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Leonard Watson is an International chess Master and author.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is never easy to write a follow up to a masterpiece (Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy), but one could admit that Watson did not disappoint with this book.
Still, I wish that he didn't end the book with Nimzowitsch's game. By missing to mention 11... Qd7 12 Nc2 f5! 13 h3 O-O, or 11... h5!? 12 g5 d5!, one gets a wrong impression of the whole game; the book would be perfectly fine without it.
However, to end this review on the positive note, Watson has included four games played by the always creative GM Alexander Morozevich, and although in all of the games he played on the black-side - White was still nullified! This gives food for thought.