Jose Raul Capablanca: The Chess Phenomenon (Books Cover Design by Alex Ghizea Ciobanu)

The book of Dutch Grandmasters M. Euwe and L. Prins contains a comprehensive analysis of the great Cuban chess player - the third world champion J. R. Capablanca.The authors knew their hero personally, and one of them - Max Euwe - played a match with him and many tournament games. The work about Capablanca with such a volume - almost 200 games, about a quarter of them are analyzed in detail, will be a great value.Without falling under the charm of a Cuban chess player, which would be quite forgivable, the authors give him an objective assessment both in chess and in human terms. This, in my opinion, is especially valuable, as, in many previously published books about the world champion, such an evaluation was somewhat idealized.A separate chapter includes Capablanca's famous “Small Combinations” and examples of his Endgame art. Revealing the myth of the “chess machine” (an epithet that Capablanca was often awarded by his contemporaries). M. Euwe and L. Prince explain the true reasons behind Capablanca's conquest of the chess throne in 1921, his defeat in the 1927 match against Alekhine, and the later tournament successes.The authors pay special attention to his style and to his chess technique that was on a high level. These sections are undoubtedly useful to study for qualified chess players. However, I am sure that all chess enthusiasts will find in the book many interesting and instructive lessons.