However we really want it in the actual <ChessBookForum> for the benefit of the book hounds who frequent that dimly lit, yet perhaps important part of the website.

Can you repost your book material there, as well as the link to your <Kotov video series>?

Just click on the Book's face to get to his forum.

The <ChessBookForum> gets a fair bit of "looky loo" traffic so it's a good place to get a wider audience for some of your <Master Level Games Analyses>.

"What is wrong with Kotov's notion of trying to think like a computer".

Well for one thing it doesn't exactly play on our strengths as human beings. We weren't designed to be calculating machines.

I also wrote:

The thing wrong with it (Kotov's Think Like a Grandmaster) is I think personally most GMs are primarily thinking strategically and not in terms of variation trees as Kotov implies.

In fact Kotov himself in the introduction to the subsequent book "Play like a Grandmaster" does seem extremely apologetic for not emphasing positional elements and planning. This is probably why he had to do that subsequent book - to address complaints.

If his candidate move system was so brilliant, it is a shame Fischer crushed Taimanov 6-0 when Kotov was Taimanov's chief assistance. Apparently Taimanov had been confident before playing Fischer indicating a comment such as "Fischer is a computer".

I think this book is interesting because it is written at the peak of the cold war, and is a kind of "The USSR is better than everyone at chess, and here is the thought technology we have". When in fact, between themselves, it was considered a kind of insult to describe a player as a computer (back then).

And from personal experience, one of the top priorities when Soviet GM's came to play in things like the UK Lloyds bank masters were notions like counterplay removal. This idealistic reputation Kotov was giving the impression of GM's as elaborate calculating machines, meant at best "Think Like a Grandmaster" is a misleading book title in the extreme. At worst, it is actually a destructive bit of propaganda encouraging Western players to avoid positional and strategic notions, which our Schools of chess, such as the Hypermoderns had tried to teach us. Notions of the pawn chains, undermining, overprotection, centralisation, etc - that sort of thing. Not variation trees.

So if anyone who saids about this "great book" would like to elaborate more why it is so great, please I am deeply fascinated to know.

http://www.ajschess.com/thegotmman/...
Analysis by <AJ Goldsby>

I have done a video part 50 for the evolution of style, which looks at the seminal book "My system" :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Oa...

The evolution of style series road map link is:

http://www.letsplaychess.com/chessc...

This is now on the Chessworld.net "play better" menu as well.

Does anyone know the procedure for applying for FIDE "Candidate master" title. I was 2250 FIDE back in 1992 (!), and apparently it doesn't matter when you went over 2200.

How do I apply to fide for this?!

I was given this Email address when I contacted the General Secretary office:

Ratings@fide.com

And they said a girl called Irina handles this at their Russian office.

".. The application <must be sent and signed by the player’s federation>. If the player’s federation refuses to apply, the player can appeal to FIDE and apply (and pay) for the title himself. .."

(from FIDE Handbook, 1.10.1f)

http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook?i...

IMHO you can also try to contact FIDE [given email] via ECF [given link with email*].

* ECF contacts: http://www.fide.com/info.html?task=...

nigel should manage to solve this matter in short time^^

I have just asked the ECF office, and paid a small fee, and the application will be made on my behalf.

You're welcome. But this is nothing compared to the fun I had watching Kaylie and your games/analysis over the years.

Well done CM Kingscrusher!

Evolution of Style video series:

http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

Candidate Move System

http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

Learn from Kasparov

http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

Learn from Fischer

http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

Pawn structures

http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

Live commentaries

I took a good look at the <Fischer page organization> and it seems fine to me.

Categories grouped with headings all seem to be in order.

What about a Roadmap for your <Traps series>?

I posted a bunch of your trap videos, a dozen or more, over at <AG Argent> forum in response to his question about that series.

They are sitting over in his forum now User: A.G. Argent

What kinds of events would you need to play in, and how high would you have to score in them, till you got FM status?

You've gone to a lot of trouble to organize your video analyses by player and topic-

If you list these new pages in your Profile, then they will be there forever for any one to see easily.

Things that are posted in your forum will eventually get buried when it gets to the next page-

Something like this in your Profile for each of your collections:

#######################

<VIDEO ANALYSES of <<<MASTER>>> GAMES>:

1. <The Evolution of Style> series. http://www.chessworld.net/chessclub...

2. <list the next title and so on>

<You can give feedback, ask questions, or contribute to the discussion of any of these video series right here in my forum.>

###############################