Complete Chess Strategy, Principles Of Pawn Play And The Center

I first bought this book as a 3-volume series when they were published back in the late 1970s (I'm a senior player). The series covered common chess middlegame strategies; very helpful to me as a new player. Usefulness: 10/10, Covered the main situations that occur in middlegames: Development Leads, Isolated Pawns, Classical Center, Outposts, etc. Readability: 5/10, There are some diagrams at critical positions, but for the most part you will need a physical board to follow the game. Target Audience: My rating at the time of reading the books was around 1600-1700 USCF, so I guess the book would be appropriate for Advanced Beginners, 1600 and up. Study Time: The book has chapters devoted to different themes. For me one chapter a week was sufficient since I usually have other chess training/playing that I am doing. My typical study approach is to refer to appropriate chapters after playing my own game then researching what I could have done better. Main Takeaway: This book was written pre-engine era, so some analysis mistakes, but still very good for covering main principles. Drawback: My series was written in English Descriptive notation, but I believe the current single-book compilation of the 3 volumes has been translated into Algebraic for the younger generations. Highly recommended.