here's the book description..

<Opening, middlegame and endgame are the three universally recognized stages of a game of chess, but what about the art of preparation? Winning starts with planning before the game, teaches legendary chess trainer Vladimir Tukmakov in this enlightening and entertaining work on a neglected subject.

Exploring and understanding, prior to the game, the strengths and weaknesses of your next opponent and being aware of your own strong points and shortcomings, are a key to success. Tukmakov describes how planning has become a systematic process, how methodical preparation works, and which critical steps you have to take.

The role of the computer in preparing for a game has grown tremendously, and Modern Chess Preparation explains how it is used by top players to get organized for success. But you will also learn the limitations on the use of chess engines and databases and how disastrous it can be to overly respect them and rely on them. A separate chapter is devoted on how to prepare for all-important games, games that will decide a tournament, a match or a even an entire career. Modern Chess Preparation is about more than just opening preparation. It also teaches you how to immerse yourself in order to find the best approach to the game. With powerful anecdotes and many instructive high-level games, Tukmakov explains how, as a competitive chess player, you can organize your homework, focus your efforts, and arrive at a viable game plan.

Vladimir Tukmakov is a chess grandmaster and a former national champion of Ukraine. In his active career he won many tournaments as well as gold medals in international team competitions. He is universally acknowledged as an outstanding chess trainer and coach.>

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Chess-...

- GM Vladimir Tukmakov (when asked what he valued most in chess)

Profession: Chessplayer: Grandmaster at Work by Vladimir Tukmakov

<Tukmakov--Zilberman, Nathan R (UKR-ch Kiev 1966) 25 C05 1-0>

Lombardy uses this game anonymously, introducing it with <"The second player's penchant for originality gets him into trouble">.

I often differ with Lombardy's analysis (of course I have engines, he didn't back in 1972). Sometimes I differ with his lack of analysis. For instance in the game mentioned at White's 17th move:

(White to play - premoves: 15...c4 16.b5 Na5)

click for larger view

Now White has a subtle move to find to win, a move I find impressive but Lombardy doesn't even comment on.

Here's RUSbase's version of the game (I should submit it to <CG> for game 2401):

[Event "Ch Ukraine"]
[Site "Kiev (Ukraine)"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tukmakov Vladimir B (UKR)"]
[Black "Zilberman Nathan R (KYR)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C05"]
[Annotator ""]
[Source ""]
[Remark ""]

He has a unique take on the subject and deals with it as some who see chess as more science than art might not be all that comfortable with. Tukmakov and most of the rest of us seasoned tournament players (especially when we observe Naka or Carlsen's games) know what he is writing about, and it is about time someone took this subject head on, and he does, giving great historic perspective, and many modern games too.

Tukmakov:

<Twenty or thirty years ago, the experienced specialist could identify a famous player just by his moves without knowing their names. All the best players were bright individualists.

Now the group portrait of the chess elite looks quite different. As a rule, everybody is a universal player without real weaknesses but without real individual features at the same time.

There is an absolute authority in chess whose opinion nobody can ignore. The name of this authority is Computer. He is much, much stronger than any human being and he can prove it in practice. Every chess player accepts this reality.

The Machine became the universal trainer for all the players at the same time. As a result, we have very few bright individualists now.

..

https://en.chessbase.com/Portals/Al...

Tukmakov began working with Wesley So more than seven months ago on a trial basis. Wesley’s decision to ask Tukmakov to be his coach was bolstered by his first place at the London Chess Classic 2016.

Wesley So: "Right now I have only one coach I work with. So far we have not made this public, but I can tell, it's Vladimir Tukmakov. We've been working together for six months and I am going to keep him for at least another year. We work online, on Skype.

We work on endgames, on the games of top players, even old classics like Kasparov, Karpov.

We make plans and strategies about what I should play against this player or that. Tukmakov also gives me valuable experience and insights that sometimes are new to me. How this or that player will react. Also this London Chess Classic is different from others. We knew the colours and pairings beforehand, more than a month in advance. When I came here I already had general ideas.

I work a lot on different areas, I try to eliminate my weaknesses. I look at the games I have lost and try to find the reason why I lost. And try to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, both technical and psychological. I used to be affraid to play against certain peaple, but once I got rid of this fear, I play better." (New In Chess, 2017/1)

My friends, this is quite an achievement!

Congratulations to Grandmaster Tukmakov.

Thank you for sharing that post.

How amusing that Mr. So considers Karpov, Kasparov to be "old classics"!

Things disappear without our permission!

Tukmakov:"The arrival of computers dramatically changed the game... I must confess today it is not that same chess with which I immediately and eternally fell in love many, many years ago."

Vladimir Tukmakov: "Modern Chess Formula: The Powerful Impact of Engines"