How Chess Games are Won and Lost (Chess Strategy)

In search of excellence in the five stages of a chess game
"a delightful modern chess manual." - GM Lubomir Kavalek, Washington Post

Traditionally, chess games have been divided into three stages - opening, middlegame and endgame - and general principles presented for how to handle each stage. All chess-players will be well aware that these principles all too frequently fail to help in their selection of the best move.

In this important work, Lars Bo Hansen, grandmaster and professional educator, presents chess as a game of five phases, and explains the do's and don'ts in each:

• The opening
• The transition to the early middlegame
• The middlegame
• Strategic endgames
• Technical endgames

With a wealth of examples from both his own practice and that of his colleagues, Hansen discusses the typical mistakes and pitfalls, and shows how to handle the subtleties unique to each stage. He also advises on how to work on your chess in each aspect of the game. Of special value is his explanation of how to study typical middlegames, and that middlegame preparation - a neglected area for most players - is both possible and necessary.

"Hansen ... while drawing very much on his own experiences, makes the autobiographical aspect subsidiary to his main purpose, which is to provide the reader with a recipe of practical suggestions by which he can improve his play." - Alan Sutton, En Passant

Lars Bo Hansen is a well-known grandmaster from Denmark. He has won the Danish Championship on two occasions, and represented his country in four olympiads, winning a bronze medal for his individual performance in 1990. His many tournament victories include first prize in the strong Copenhagen Open in both 1997 and 2000. Away from the board, he teaches and lectures on business studies, with a particular focus on marketing, organization and strategy.

"There are many excellent chess books on the market. For the serious chess student, it's not always easy to choose between them. Sometimes, it's worth picking up a book by an author you don't know yet. You may be pleasantly surprised. ... plenty of inspiring games and analysis, a highly structured and coherent overview of the most important themes in chess with good and often very recent examples, from a serious author who knows what he's doing. Highly recommended." - Arne Moll, Chess Vibes

"I buy chess books in hopes of finding a treasure - the improvement of my chess game. With each book I usually find a clue that gets me closer to the treasure of a better understanding and better results. If I'm lucky, I find a couple clues - which I can understand and incorporate into my game. But with How Chess Games are Won and Lost, I found an easy to read map of almost all the clues that promises to significantly improve my entire game. As stated in the first line of the Introduction, this is truly 'a book about chess improvement.' It is jam-packed with clues, suggestions, examples, directions, and instructions - everything you need to get to a higher level (and maybe more) of chess. It is a treasure map for those wanting direction in self training." - George S. Eichorn, The Chess Reports no. 87 2009

"...an impressively organised and well thought-out book which flows beautifully and provides eminently sensible advice on how to work on your game. ... A great many books have crossed this reviewer’s desk this year but this is one of the very best. Highly recommended" - John Saunders, British Chess Magazine