Problem Chess: Art and Magic on the Chessboard

by Göran Forslund

A wide-ranging introduction to the beauty and challenge of chess problemsThis 2023 Kindle edition features links to LiChess analysis boards and to specialist problem databases (yacpdb or Die Schwalbe) for each problem.This is a book for those who enjoy problem-solving and appreciate clever solutions, and have at least a basic knowledge of chess. It is about the composition and beauty of chess positions forged not in combat but from pure human imagination, and featuring elegant and surprising solutions.The author offers a personal view of chess problems, conveying an infectious zeal for his subject. Because this is as much a collection of short stories as it is a conventional problem collection. No matter how you use the book, you can expect many hours of excitement and a craving for more.Each chapter presents a variety of chess problems of a specific type, ranging from the familiar ‘mates in two’ via retro-analytical problems worthy of a whodunit novel to 15-move series problems and the ‘outer limits’ of fairy problems (altered rules or pieces). Throughout, the creative processes of problem chess are at the forefront of the discussion.Readers are given the opportunity to solve most of the problems before being presented with the solutions. Or you can simply enjoy reading the book from cover to cover without ever needing to set up a chessboard.“There is probably no better book when it comes to presenting the world of chess problems ... a whole new perspective on what chess can be, since the limits are stretched considerably in this esoteric world .... recommended for those who are looking for a guide which unreservedly presents its knowledge about this, for us ‘regular’ chess players, alien world.” - IM Thomas Engqvist, SchacksnackGöran Forslund was a computer software professional with a PhD in computer science, with a focus on artificial intelligence. He published chess compositions in most genres, and won awards in the World Chess Composition Tournament, and several of his problems were selected for the FIDE albums. He also served as a judge in chess composition contests. He played regular chess too, with some he was a finalist in both the Swedish Junior Championship and the Swedish Correspondence Chess Cup.“Some players don’t mind trotting out the London System 100 times in a row if it brings good results; others enjoy entering a world of endless fantasy and imagination when they play The Royal Game. Those in the latter category should give Problem Chess a look! I suspect Forslund’s brief treatise will be a go-to for problem enthusiasts for a long time to come” – Andre Harding, Chess-Essentials“The book radiates the joy the author takes in playing with chess problems, and the examples are ingenious. ... It is a pleasure trying to solve them, and also just to see the solution, if one did not find it oneself.” - Bjørn Enemark, Problemskak“not a book for specialists, but for chess-players in general - those who may have heard of chess problems, but not much more ... each chapter has an introduction from the world outside that of chess problems ... If this book cannot spark an interest among chess-players, then I do not know what to do!” - Kjell Widlert, International Judge of Chess Compositions, Springaren“easy to read without being banal; Forslund introduces each chapter with short texts about, for example, ice hockey, films, childhood memories or Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and finds relations with chess problems. This makes the book very special and personal ...

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2015