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Nov-03-12
 | | kamalakanta: Thanks, TheFocus! Great game! |
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| Nov-03-12 | | hms123: <re-post>
<SteinitzLives: The new autobiography is entertaining, highly informational and a little disjointed as a biography/game collection. Despite this last point, I am very glad I bought the book.
Brownes' personal honesty about his struggles to make a living at chess are both personal and even painful to read. He has a willingness to spare others by not always naming names, but does name them on the bigger issues he had to deal with.I like Walter a bit more after having finished the book. He writes that playing poker only uses about 5% of the energy chess does, loved it! The games are very well annotated, but the stories about the games and tournaments are separated into the four separate biographical-only sections, so they cannot be easily followed in relation to the annotated games. Brownes' writing style is very clear and concise, which may be due to good editing, or just a different talent Walter has. I learned about other GMs from this book too. Finally, Browne, though focused on self (then again it is an autobiography) reveals a very human side to him and comes off as having a great deal of normalcy about him which is rare for top U.S. players. Despite his controversial nature and past professional chess disputes, Browne (unlike lots of other GMs) seems to still have many good relationships with many others in the chess world. This is easy to forget or overlook when reading what others have written about him in the past. Anyone interested in U.S. chess history and what pre-technology chess was like for a very top American GM trying to make his way in the world on his own terms, should buy this book.> Robert James Fischer |
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Nov-05-12
| | kamalakanta: I have a question:
For many years, I have enjoyed the book by Bronsteon about the 1953 Zurich Candidates Tournament. Sometimes I see comments in some chess chats to the effect that Bronstein's friend, Boris Weinstein, was the person who actually wrote the book. Is this possible? My tendency is not to believe this, because the book is written in Bronstein's style. Can anyone please clarify this? I am an admirer of Bronstein and his games.... |
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| Nov-07-12 | | parisattack: Bronstein's Zurich certainly has his 'voice' as it were. But I think the consensus now is that Weinstein played quite a large part in the writing. You might want to compare with Najdorf's tome on Zurich 1953 which was recently translated into English. Najdorf a good storyteller also - and this volume has more detailed analysis of the games than Bronstein's version. |
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Nov-07-12
| | kamalakanta: Thanks, ParisAttack.
I just ordered the Najdorf book on Zurich 1953, and also Kasparov's book about his own games, Vol. 1, as well as "Secret Notes" by David Bronstein http://tinyurl.com/azghult
and that is all I can afford to order for a while..... By the way, I bought Vol. 2 of Shereshevsky's "Mastering the Endgame" about a year ago for app. $70.00....and now I see the lowest price for it in Amazon is $950.00! http://tinyurl.com/b98wegj
How can a book be worth so much? What's up with that? |
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| Nov-08-12 | | parisattack: <How can a book be worth so much? What's up with that?> It is indeed a strange phenomenon! I've seen it perhaps a dozen times over the past 10 years or so. I assume demand temporarily overwhelms supply - after all, chess books typically have low print numbers. Sometimes a bookseller will use eBay as a pricing guide and see some of the silly prices there, use as a guide. I once saw a Dover paperback of Carlsbad 1929 listed for $499.00. The 'Mastering' openings books and Baburin's pawn structure book other examples. Abebooks is often the most reliable guide to pricing. Interested in other feedback here if someone has dug deeper into this issue. |
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| Nov-08-12 | | TheFocus: <parisattack> I think that many dealers just do not know how to price chess books. And many of them are not chess-players. I have found rare books and paid a pittance for them. It almost felt like highway robbery. Other times, I have seen a low quality book go for an outlandish price. Amazon's prices are very unrealistic. I prefer eBay or www.abebooks.com. Of course, even there you will find some ridiculous prices; again, it goes back to some dealers not knowing the market. |
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| Nov-08-12 | | parisattack: <TheFocus...again, it goes back to some dealers not knowing the market.> Yes, concur. But in this Internet age of fast and almost boundless information a bit strange. I recall a local bookseller, Don Bloch - wonderful fellow BTW - who often mis-valued chess books. But that was 1970. Bidding wars on eBay can lead to ridiculous prices - and then others capture that information as a benchmark/comparable. |
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Nov-09-12
| | kamalakanta: Well, so much for the Abebooks theory....in Abebooks, the same nook is quoted at $1,289.41! http://tinyurl.com/asxrct3
Well, might as well....it IS 2012, you know..... :-) |
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| Nov-09-12 | | TheFocus: <kamalakanta> Well then, the $70 you paid was a bargain!! |
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| Nov-09-12 | | parisattack: I would sell mine for just $1000 - free shipping, too! |
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Nov-11-12
| | kamalakanta: parisattack, I have a question. Where do people get the information that leads them to believe Bronstein did not write that book? The comments are in Bronstein's style, although Najdorf's analysis seems a little deeper.... |
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Nov-12-12
 | | Joshka: Anyone know of a book written by Mitchell R. White on the 1992 Fischer-Spassky match? I have about 3 of the books written about the match, but believe maybe a few more have been written about the match. Thanks in advance! |
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| Nov-12-12 | | parisattack: <kamalakanta: parisattack, I have a question. Where do people get the information that leads them to believe Bronstein did not write that book?
The comments are in Bronstein's style, although Najdorf's analysis seems a little deeper....> Hmmm... Good question, I'll see if I can run it down. Sosonko is the too-of-my-head guess, I'll look in his books first. But you are correct - the 'voice' is quite similar to Bronstein's other writings. |
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Nov-15-12
| | kamalakanta: paris-attack, I just got Bronstein's "Secret Notes" book, and in the preface, Kasparov talks highly about Bronstein's book on the 1953 Candidates Tournament. Until I see some real proof, I will assume that it was Bronstein who wrote that book, and that this rumor is just that, a rumor started by people who did not like Bronstein, probably Botvinnik's fans. |
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| Nov-15-12 | | TheFocus: <Joshka> <Joshka: Anyone know of a book written by Mitchell R. White on the 1992 Fischer-Spassky match?> Is that the one published in a small run in the U.S.? If so, I have it in storage. He used a lot of sources for annotations. I think it compares very well with the other books written about the 1992 match. I bought mine from John Donaldson. |
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Nov-16-12
| | kamalakanta: I found something in a forum regarding the collaboration between Vainstein and Bronstein on the Zurich 1953 Candidates Tournament book... http://ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php...
...."Bronstein was open about Vainstein's contribution. Apparently, Vainstein wrote the words and conceived of the idea of writing the book in the first place; the analysis is essentially Bronstein's. The latest New in Chess magazine (6/2011) includes an article by Genna Sosonko on Vainstein (Weinstein) and provides more information on the collaboration. In the article, Bronstein is said to have offered to put Vainstein's name on the cover as well, but his co-author (or should we say ghostwriter?) refused." |
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| Nov-16-12 | | TheFocus: <Joshka> I am retrieving books from storage this weekend. If there is an address in which you may write to obtain a copy of White's book, I will provide you with that on Monday, as I cannot guarantee that I will be posting over the weekend. IIRC, White self-published this book in a small run, but I may be mistaken. (That's the problem with buying lots of books - you can't recall everything). The book on the 1992 match by Shamkovich is another excellent book. It has every Fischer - Spassky game, dozens of supplemental games and some nice information I have not seen anywhere else. |
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Nov-16-12
| | Joshka: <TheFocus> Thanks for looking. Really don't know anything about the production run....I saw an article somewhere and it listed authors who wrote books on the match...I have Yasser's, Ray Keene's, and the one by Davies, Pein, and Levitt. Thanks again. |
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| Nov-18-12 | | TheFocus: <Joshka> You may have to wait on this information. It rained most of the day yesterday and I didn't want to cart books home in the rain. (I don't drive.) I could just kick myself for putting ANY chess material in storage. |
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| Nov-18-12 | | parisattack: Chess Movies -
I just watched Brainwashed with Curt Jergens for the first time in quite a few years. Great flick, European style lots of fun with lighting and angles. It is based on Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game. German, English subtitles. But recommended if you have not ever seen it. Used to be on Amazon. Did not see it there, but here it is: http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musi... |
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Nov-26-12
| | kamalakanta: I just bought Kasparov's book "Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov, Part 1: 1973-1985". I have to say, it is an excellent book! The first night, I was reading for about 2 hours non-stop....so many interesting stories! As the book progresses, more games are given. The analysis is, of course, super-excellent. The whole book is a Master Class. I recommend it highly. |
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| Dec-01-12 | | wordfunph: <parisattack> <guys> i wonder why Mastering the Endgame Volume 2 by Shereshevsky was fetched at a low of $850, i guess i have to buy my friend's copy at only $8. http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-End... |
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| Dec-02-12 | | parisattack: <wordfunph: <parisattack> <guys>
i wonder why Mastering the Endgame Volume 2 by Shereshevsky was fetched at a low of $850, i guess i have to buy my friend's copy at only $8. http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-End>...
:) Yessir, buy it! There's some crazy things in the chess book market. |
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| Dec-02-12 | | wordfunph: harhar :)
thanks sir <paris>, Shereshevsky's volumes 1 & 2 will be delivered today together with.. Half a Century of Chess
Secrets of Chess Training
Steve Davies Plays Chess
Complete Semi-Slav
Attacking with Mikhail Tal
Decision-Making at the Chessboard
Taimanov's Selected Games
:-) |
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