Technique in Chess - Softcover

Dvoretsky, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1949859649 ISBN 13: 9781949859645

Publisher: Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2023

Synopsis

“And the Rest Is Just a Matter of Technique...”

How often has this comment been appended to a game move or variation? As many players know, it really may not be all that easy to figure out what is meant by this familiar phrase.

After the untimely passing of legendary instructor Mark Dvoretsky, Artur Yusupov was given access to Dvoretsky’s famous card files. With the core material based upon these files, the former top ten grandmaster – and perhaps the most successful of all of Dvoretsky’s students – put together this book, modifying and refining the content as needed.

The book begins with a “theoretical” explanatory section. This is followed by 102 practice positions, which increase in in difficulty. Good technique for gaining an advantage is useful in all areas of the game, so there are positions from the opening, middlegame, and especially the endgame – not only from practical games but also from various studies.

The comments to the solutions are very detailed, explaining not only the main line but also the supplementary side variations. Yusupov thought it important to demonstrate the logic in the search for a decision and to show how a chessplayer can come to the right conclusions at the board.

Dvoretsky’s master student Artur Yusupov has done a great job in selecting and presenting the material so that this book “feels” like another genuine Dvoretsky work. This book is a real gem and I hope that it gives you as much pleasure as it has given me. And that from now on, when you have an advantage, the rest really will be, well, just a matter of technique… – From the Foreword by Grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller

About this title

About the Author

Mark Dvoretsky (1947-2016) was regarded as the premier chess instructor of his time.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Concept of Technique

As is the case with some other terms, the term “technique” in the context of chess does not have just a single meaning.

Generally speaking, it is understood to mean the totality of the standard procedures of the game of chess. The more such procedures a chess player masters the more confidently he or she can orient himself or herself in the various game situations that occur on the chessboard. In doing so, he lets himself be prompted” by decisions that were made in similar situations by great masters in the past and present. This thought was expressed by Igor Zaitsev in brief, aphoristic form: “Technique is an art from the past.”

But when we speak of endgame technique (and its most important part, the technique of realizing an advantage), we mean something quite different – namely, the ability to play the endgame accurately and safely, taking advantage of all the opportunities that arise, while limiting the opponent’s chances as much as possible.

Endgame Technique and the Realization of an Advantage

The terms “endgame technique” and “realization of an advantage” overlap but are not identical. Each is broader than the other in a particular sense.

There are many technical methods that can be applied only to endgame positions with a specific material distribution and setup on the board. It is useful to learn such techniques when studying certain areas of endgame theory; they are not covered in this book. In contrast to general principles of endgame play, such as the activation of the king, the formation of a passed pawn, exchanges of pieces, etc., which are discussed here.

However, a much larger place is given to examples that reflect the psychological principles of realizing an advantage and the approach to finding the right solutions.

We will talk more about four golden principles, which can be read in the chapter “Realizing an Advantage” from the book Secrets of Endgame Technique: School of Future Champions, Vol. 3 by Mark Dvoretsky and Artur Yusupov, in Tragicomedy in the Endgame, by Mark Dvoretsky, and in the Tigersprung series. I have summarized the most important findings from these sources. Artur Yusupov – hereinafter (AY)

A Player’s Behavior in Better Positions

Chess players suffer from many “diseases.” One of the most common and most serious is weak technique in realizing an advantage.

After losing a game, we often declare to our opponent, the coach, or a spectator, “I had a clearly won position!” Such complaints

Edition details

• Publisher: Russell Enterprises, Inc.
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1949859649
• ISBN 13: 9781949859645
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176