This is not a beginners book at all. Rowson takes the experienced player through the 7 commonest pscyhological problems which cause mistakes in chess, which he categorises (i) thinking; (ii) blinking; (iii) wanting; (iv) materialism; (v) egoism; (vi) perfectionism; and (vii) looseness. Each of these he defines and illustrates with his own games (It is refreshing to see a chess author put in so many games where he has lost.). His sources of wisdom are eclectic in the extreme: the second quote in the book is from St Teresa of Avila, the penultimate is Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. I read this book without following through the games but I did study the board positions.
This book tackles the myth that chess players play an entirely rational game and analyses where their subjective thinking patterns most frequently fall down. It could be read as a guide to life as well as chess.
It is a real page turner (How often do you hear that in relation to a chess book?). It is very funny in places, very human. It instructs the reader on how to train to spot these common errors.
Wednesday 12 September 2007
The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by Jonathan Rowson
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Yes, I think Jonathan Rowson is absolutely brilliant. See also 'Chess for Zebras: Thinking Differently about Black and White'. I'm such a fan - chess books you can actually READ - I got him to inscribe both books at Great Yarmouth. (Well - why not? One was a present.)
Did it actually help you to get any better at chess though?
Was there a reason you did not play through the games? Lack of time perhaps, or were they tricky to follow?
Yes, it did. In fact it's a real eye-opener to start thinking about the psychology of chess. I started to make a list of my own chess 'sins' and it was very revealing - both in terms of chess and in terms of my own personality and 'process'. I won't list my own, but when you think about it most sins reveal themselves in chess, as do many virtues: patience and respect to name but two. Becoming aware of all this has helped my chess in ways I never thought possible.
Post a Comment