Two pieces of news about How I Became a Chess Grandmaster by GM Vinay Bhat. Firstly, a hardcover version of this title will be published on August 30th – the same day as Playing the English will appear.
Secondly, the book won a prize from the Chess Journalists of America in the category Best Chess Book – Instruction. Congratulations to Vinay!
I’ve possibly underestimated this and dismissed it as more a chess biography of a player I’m not so interested in rather than an instruction book. Was disappointed with Nigel’s one and have shied away from getting another. Will have to look at the excerpt properly and maybe put it on the shopping list
Everyone’s different but for me Short’s Winning was the best chess book in recent years. Hoping for a follow-up volume maybe including his candidate matches.
Bhat’s book doesn’t seem as directly instructional as say Hawkins’s “Amateur to IM: Proven Ideas and Training Methods”. Looks interesting though, and will be getting the hardback version.
@John Christopher Simmons
It did have some great reviews and with Nigel as the author you’d think it would be an open goal but but for me it was like Diana Ross at the 1994 World Cup. The format was terrible but I presume that was what Nigel wanted so QC had to go along with it…did you like the ‘list every game in the whole tournament however dull’ and no mention of his Candidates and WC match ypurselfJohn?
I thought showing all the games of the tournament, gave a more balanced picture of player, compared to a best games collection, and was quite valuable. A few of the dull draws had some content for example defending the queens gambit declined tartakower against Karpov. Can’t win a tournament without more than a few fighting games, so thought the format was quite ok on the whole.
I am quite hoping for a follow on volume for the candidates matches. Particularly interested in the Queens Gambit declined games in the Gelfand and Timman matches.
@John Christopher Simmons
Glad you enjoyed it…it wasn’t bad I was just expecting more.
As for a follow up volume , looking at Twitter these past few days the likelihood is on a par with QC announcing the release of a book of Karjakin’s best games
No European chess supplier (chess & bridge, niggeman, new in chess) has the hardcover, which leaves the option of ordering from yourselves, where the postage is high, or passing.
Hi QC
Is it really true that there will be 3 endgame books published this month, as the Coming Soon section says?
Thanks
Steve
This hasn’t been published yet in hardback form has it?, because was orginally going to be with English volume.
@John Christopher Simmons
Yes it has