The Complete Manual of Positional Chess: The Russian Chess School 2.0 – Opening and Middlegame Kindle Edition

As the title suggests, I'm writing this review in direct reponse to the earlier review by "nimzo-karpov." While it's true that all of the concepts covered in this book are covered elsewhere, I don't know of any other book that covers them all in one place. The books by Grooten and Hellsten certainly do not cover all of the topics covered in this book. In fact, this book's preface states that it was originally aimed mainly at Russian 1st Category players (approximately 2000-2200). Such players would obviously have studied the middlegame already.This wide-ranging book by Sakaev & Landa, mainly Sakaev, also has pedagogical features that will appeal to many readers. The general style IS typically Russian, meaning that large topics (e.g. prophylaxis) are divided into smaller ones treated in separate chapters (e.g. prophylatically strengthening one's own position, limiting the opponent's counterplay, etc.). It also means that there are plenty of examples, each having as much explanation & concrete analysis as necessary to convey the point of the example but not much more. The amount of annotatation for each example in this seems nearly ideal to me. Whether one perefers the concise, example-oriented Russian style of chess instruction or the more verbose, discussion-rich Western style is a matter of taste. A unique feature of this book is that recurring strategic themes, such as the advance of a rook's pawn, are often highlighted with boxed "notes" or "tags" wherever they occur. This draws the reader's attention to important themes that don't necessarily get their own chapter or occur outside of their assigned chapter. It reminds me of the notes a student might scribble in margins, except that it has already been done. This is admittedly a small detail, but I find it very helpful. I don't know if the earlier reviewer somehow expected Sakaev to reinvent the middlegame. He obviously hasn't done that, but has put a lot of of effort into producing a well-written & well-designed textbook.This is intended to be the first of two volumes, with Volume 2 covering more material about pawns and dynamics in the middlegame.

“The Complete Manual of Positional Chess: The Russian School 2.0” is an outstanding chess instructional book co-authored by two Russian chess Grandmasters, Konstantin Sakaev and Konstantin Landa. The book concentrates on basic positional concepts found in the opening and middle games of chess. Written more for chess teachers than for chess students, it is nevertheless an extremely valuable book for average players (like me) who want to improve their chess playing skills. I would estimate that “The Complete Manual of Positional Chess” is best suited for club-level players who want to develop their playing abilities to a more advanced level.When I first started reading this book, I was impressed with how well written it is. Sakaev and Landa not only demonstrate a formidable knowledge of chess; they are very fine writers as well. Their prose is smooth, sharp, and easy to understand. I’m not sure whether Sakaev and Landa wrote in English, or whether this is a translation from Russian. In either case, readers will thoroughly enjoy the book and gain great benefit from it – as I continue to do.My only (very minor) complaint about “The Complete Manual of Positional Chess” Kindle edition is the size of the chess diagrams. They are just a bit small for my 60-plus year-old eyes. Having said that, the diagrams are clear, crisp, and reasonably easy to read.“The Complete Manual of Positional Chess: The Russian School 2.0” is a "must-own" book for all chess players who seriously aspire to improve their game. Highly recommended. (4½ Stars ^ 5)

The course seems very enlightening and well worth the money if you work through the problems and try to understand what the authors are saying.I will warn the buyer that the book contains very complex and often times hard to follow diagrams and cramped annotation. In other words, the authors already presume the reader is equipped with beginner knowledge and has already breached intermediate status.I would not recommend this book if you plan on reading something light or easily understandable, unless you are used to studying heavy duty chess books for master level.But in summary I think it is a good book when you think you can understand it and are willing to work hard for your knowledge.It contains many useful concepts that are ideal for mastering Openings and especially the Middle-game.

You will definitely improve your chess if you study these two manuals. I find the title The Complete Manual of Positional Chess to be a bit pretentious. A more appropriate title would be Best Lessons of a Russian Chess Coach. I was bit annoyed that the authors did not stick to giving complete game score. They switched to game fragments after the section on the opening.I have yet to complete the second volume but the topic covered like discovered check seem more appropriate to a book on Chess Tactics. Is it a case of the authors running out of material for a Complete Manual on Positional Chess? I will withhold judgement until I thoroughly review the material.Anyhow I found the games covered in this book to be quite enjoyable.

Great to have this book i went through each and every game from this book, all the games which was selected by the author its amazing. I recommend this book for any who have rating more than 1600+ and he/she have to go through all the games with the board.

I would prefer to see more examples and explanations of theory. The constant following of existing games is boring. Video and other forms of interactions are more entertaining. This book is a great way to learn notation. I now know where G7 is at.

Excellent organization and quality product. All topics covered clearly with good examples, and it is easy to read.

This wonderfully written book exceeded my expectations. As a lower rated player it has opened my eyes and I am already seeing an improvement in my play. 👍👍😎

A great book, much here to admire and learn from, and rare amongst chess books in being exactly what it claims to be-a true guide to 'positional' play. If you are a chess player you will know already what that means, but if not then it means this is NOT a book for beginners, or necessarily those whose style of play inclines more towards the 'romantic' or 'desperado' style of play with bold sacrifices a la Mikhail Tal or Shirov for instance. Even Tal in his later years however incorporated more positional instincts in his play as a result of his association in '78 with Karpov, so it just shows that everybody can learn something from positional play if they want to.

Educational.

Excellent book - well written, with a large number of example games, both from the early Twentieth century and more recent years. As with my other purchases from the New in Chess range, the type is really clearly laid out, with high quality board layouts. It would have been great if this and the second volume could have been combined into one, but you can't have everything. All in all very pleased with this and volume 2.

Conteúdo para melhorar o jogo posicional, indicado pelo meu professor GM El Debs e recomendado para jogadores com nível avançado.

Very good book for chess lovers. Recommended for slightly advanced players and chess enthusiasts