If this celebrated observation is true for the master, how much more so for the beginner and club player.By far and away,
the quickest and most effective way to improve your chess performance is to increase your tactical skill so that at a glance you are able to see the typical mating patterns and material-winning tactical motifs that so often decide a game.
There is no doubt that the best way to acquire good tactical vision is to do exercises that teach you to recognise the tactical building blocks that make up every combination. This book focuses on the crucial positions that every chess player must know.
It cannot be stressed enough that a knowledge of strategy is of little use if you have not first mastered the fundamentals of tactics.This book starts with hundreds of essential mating positions that train immediate visual recognition; first there are the easier mate in one or two move exercises; then there are exercises for various crucial tactical motifs that must be mastered by any aspiring chess player; these are followed by more demanding positions where these various motifs are often combined.
The introductions to each chapter are particularly instructive. It is here that we explain the ideas behind crucial tactical motifs such as double attack, the pin and skewer, as well as pawn promotion, drawing techniques, etc.
This book is intended not only for personal use, but also as a course text book.
We have thus consulted leading teachers and masters with extensive training experience working in chess academies and club courses so as to best identify the most productive positions and exercises to use.
Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa
