Chess for Tigers

by Simon Webb

The Tiger is a vicious beast. He doesn’t care about the aesthetic side of chess. He doesn’t even care about making the “best” moves. All he cares about is winning. This book will turn players into Tigers who can make the most of their playing strength, take advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses, steer the game into positions that favor their style of play, improve their odds of winning against stronger players, and avoid making silly mistakes. A cult classic in the chess world—now in its third updated and revised edition—this is a must-have for all chess players, especially beginners.

Genres: Chess, Reference, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1990

Reviews

[Rob Slaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual I paid nothing for this book but instead received it from NetGalley. Despite that kindness I give my candid thoughts below.

In most reviews this is the part in which I give the good and the bad about the book in question but in this case I can't really find any negatives. Instead of that point/counterpoint I'll just say what the book really is.

Most books on chess focus on some part of the game and give intricate detail about openings or middle game or endings or the general concepts of positional strategies or some other nugget of esoterica. Chess for Tigers is different in that instead it doesn't really focus on anything but looks at the game from a holistic and psychological viewpoint. The chapter titles reveal this pretty keenly:

* Play the Man - not the board (Basically, figuring out your opponent's weaknesses and exploiting them.

* Looking in the Mirror (Figuring out YOUR weaknesses and how to best compensate for them)

* How to Catch Rabbits (How to beat weaker players consistently and thoroughly)

* How to Trap Heffalumps (How to have a chance at beating a stronger player)

And also more down to earth practical topics

* How to win won positions

* What to do in drawn positions

* Clock Control

In summary, when I was a wee lad I read all sorts of books on opening positions and closings and I learned how to mate with just two bishops and all that usual rot but I quickly lost interest because I didn't have a book to tie all that working knowledge into a sensible whole. This book is that one I was missing. It takes all the memorization and strategy and stretches it out into a way to win games on a consistent basis.

[Bobsie67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a "how to" chess book in terms of tactics or positional play. It is a book about chess strategy in terms of how you should psychologically go about playing the game. There is general advice on what your strategy should be about playing players stronger or weaker than you, how to choose an opening that fits your style and personality, how you should strategize about winning won games, how to create the right frame of mind that enables you to avoid time trouble, and how to embrace your killer instinct--the Tiger within you. Probably best for advanced players, but there is still practical advice for all players to follow. Also, Simon Webb has a very entertaining writing style. This edition is marred by several typos, some in the game moves, so you'll have to figure out the right move from the board position (this is often fairly obvious, even for a patzer like me).

[Timothy Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good practical advice

Being a scientist by nature I tend to approach chess games and chess positions as problems to be solved and solved scientifically at that. However, in real life you play against humans with nerves and emotions, so a bit of tiger attitude really helps! After almost three years of tournament play, I'm still only scratching the surface of what's offered in this book :)

[Hugo Cruz montt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quick read going through the basic psychological aspects of chess, but mostly focused on OTB, tournament and slow (classic) chess.

[Cody Oldham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Wish I had read this sooner! I doubt this will help my game much at this point, but a fun read and great for newer players.

[Ralph Stoever · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and practical book for competitive chess players.

Simon Webb provides well analyzed examples even if the modern analyst can certainly find some improvements here and there with modern chess engines.

The book really is about developing competitive skills, not mastering the arcanes of the game itself. You can't learn to play chess from this book, but you can learn how to win at chess.

Webb explains how to compete against stronger or weaker players and how to deal with technical wins or time trouble, for example. I found the chapter about team competitions particularly interesting since I used to play mostly team events for a long time.

Given it's age, most of the content was written in 1978 and the rest in 1989, there is no advice on the use of computers. In fact this seems to me the only competitive ingredient missing from this book which I highly recommend to any competitive player.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spite of passing itself off as the specious and amusing snake oil coveted by chess readers everywhere, Webb manages to present a coherent meta-game outlook in a fun writing style, with tiger pictures so good they make it rewarding to play through example games in each short chapter.