INTRODUCTION I

INTRODUCTION I

I was extremely nervous when I began to write this, my first book, until I realised

that it actually had absolutely nothing to do with me. The fact is that this book is

about two very specific sets of people: Grandmasters, without whose co-operation

and words of wisdom this would be a very short book and, secondly, you — the

players. You are the people who follow Grandmaster games and aspire, if not to

play like them, certainly to play better chess.

This book has demanded lengthy research, using many different sources. In this

technological age the Internet now presents us with an amazing wealth of informa‑

don and I've spent hours (when I should have been looking at facts and numbers)

reading through reams of endlessly entertaining and well-observed chess literature.

Here, for example, is one rather poignant excerpt that I felt 1 should share with you:

The Post Mortem: Many players specialise in this. Mary's the time I've swaggered into the

congress mom set aside.* this sort of thing with a defeated opponent (obviously 1 win all the time),

only. fir said opponent to demonstrate conclusively how unbelievably lucky I was. How they missed

fourteen wins in the first six moves alone, and how I managed to make a decent move on occasion

only through a combination of blind luck and Faustian chicanery.

The Over-the-Shoulder Comment: You know who you am. These people pass by your Post

Mortem, glance fleetingly at the board and then say something like 'Why didn't you do this? That

wins the Queen' or 'Oh, you missed a mate in Jive Mere.' Aare Even if these suggestions are

right, you an implying that in the past few seconds you have seen more deeply into the game than I

have, despite sweating over it, for four rotten hours, and finless your name begins with K and ends in

V that is not the case!...'— Mark Blackmore.

I have certainly gone through these emotions, as I suspect a large number of you

will have, but back to my research,

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