Description
GMI Ivan Sokolov
"The ‘work database’ collection for this book which I started about
two years ago meant the initial plan was for just one volume on Chess
Middlegame Strategies. However, the way my work and material built up
and progressed, it soon became obvious that this ‘one volume’ would be
approximately 500 pages long – so, the decision was taken to split the
material into two volumes.
In this first volume I have annotated
37 games representing different aspects (chapters) of ‘chess middlegame
strategies’. Readers will see that the vast majority of the games
selected belong to the works of ‘contemporary artists’. Notwithstanding
the ‘traditional/golden classics selection’, I preferred to use the
‘contemporary learning examples’ feeling that: A) younger/middle
generation reader will more easily associate with them and B) they
perfectly mirror the middlegame strategies used in modern top-class
chess (i.e. today’s chess at the highest level).
Opening
play is in general not the subject of this book, although I did pay
attention to opening ideas in the cases where I felt I had something
useful to say on the subject (in the particular game selected).
The
aim of this book is to offer the reader a spectrum of middlegame ideas/
strategies, thereby inspiring and improving their practical tournament
play. Besides this book’s ‘practical aim’, I hope that the reader will
also gain purely aesthetic pleasure from playing over the games selected
(and variations given)."