Schach [antikvár]

Foreword There are more than 5,000 problems in this boolc. Most of them can be solved within a few minutes. There are very few books containing chess problems, games and endgames which are not only easy to solve but elegant and instructive as well. And there are even fewer that offer a sufficient number for regular and intensive training over a relatively long period. With this book, I would like to provide some help for those who are learning the game alone, and for parents and coaches too. A word of guidance before we start. First, learn the names and the colours of the squares on the chessboard. Never move the pieces while solving a problem. Solving the problems in this book may result in a considerable improvement in your tactics, logic, concentration and imagination, and will also be a source of motivation - nothing is as encouraging as success and achievement. You can use your new knowledge in playing with partners and in tournaments too. Studying the miniature games (max. 25 moves) will help you to avoid errors in game opening, and it will improve your arsenal for attacking the king. Children are more interested in short games, and they can concentrate on them better than on long ones. The two-move miniature games (max. number of pieces: 7) are not difficult, but they are enjoyable, and make it possible to proceed to more challenging chess problems. They may also inspire you to study the literature dealing with problems, or even to create your own chess problems. This book draws on my private collection of five thousand chess books, and my archives of periodicals going back 150 years. I have also used the experience gained in the training of my three daughters - Olympic gold medallists, Oscar-award winners, holders of several Guinness records, champions of the world, for many years first and second in the world rankings - and during my 15-year activity as a chess tutor in extracurricular classes at various schools. Apart from the foreword and the chapter "Key to symbols", the following 1,000 pages are written in international chess terms, and thus the book can be read in any country by those who wish to improve their knowledge. The chapters containing problems and combinations might be useful for setting up problem-solving contests. The problems figuring in this collectíon cover the history of chess literature from 1140 to the present. There are problems by Pál Benkő, the international grandmaster, created especially for this collection, and there are 125 combinations from the tournament games of the Polgár sisters. This book is primarily intended for beginners and amateurs, from the basic level to master candidate (2,200 Elo points), and can be enjoyed by players of all ages. I wish to thank Könemann Verlag for making it possible to publish a chess book of so wide a scope; Kul-turtrade for editing the manuscript; my daughters for their help in professional matters; and my wife for her help with technical problems. Budapest, 1994 László Polgár In addition to studying the book, beginners who may wish to become tournament chess players should play every day - even against a chess computer if they do not have a regular partner. And the repeated problems in the book will repay repeated solving and study. The book aims to strengthen the positive skills and discipline needed for competition in- chess (and any other field) - but above all it aims to give pleasure.