Sharp Middlegames 1: A Practical Guide to Chess Calculation

When do you learn most about your chess? After a game, analyzing with your opponent. Perhaps even over a pint of warm English beer.

Sharp Middlegames by GM Danny Gormally is exactly that - it is a friendly fireside chat about chess that is also a thoroughly-practical examination of the strategic lessons you can learn from your games.

At heart, this course is a guide to self-analysis that is chock full of Grandmaster nuggets delivered in a down-to-earth, easy-to-understand manner. It is a course which will benefit anyone serious about improving - but who likes a quick, revealing anecdote along the way.

"The Gorm" lays his own chess bare here in an effort to help you make sure you learn from his expertise and don't fall into the same habits he - in his worst moments - has.

GM Gormally explores a series of great games played by names such as Morozevich, Kasparov, Ding and Caruana but also includes in-depth analysis from his own clashes with the cream of England's chess scene.

GM Gormally candidly recounts games where his thinking process broke down and examines why - and how you can avoid the same problem.

Among the topics GM Gormally tackles are:

🔹 The process of elimination
🔹 The art of analysis
🔹 How to use memory as a weapon in chess
🔹 How to recognize and handle critical moments

GM Gormally is a well-known face on the English circuit with a peak career rating of 2573. At the time of publication, his rating was 2509.

Danny has authored several books on chess, including his entertaining 2016 confessional Insanity, Passion and Addiction - A Year Inside the Chess World.