Chess Training Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas

by Lev Alburt

This newly revised volume in the successful Comprehensive Chess Course sharpens and tightens your game through examination and study of the 300 most important chess game positions. The most important and instructive positions over the last 100 years arranged as challenges, with illuminating explanations and solutions. Lev Alburt, Grandmaster of Chess and renowned three-time US chess champion, presents and analyzes the 300 most important game positions an average player should understand and remember to become a chess expert. These most crucial and instructive positions taken from games over the last 100 years are arranged as challenges, with instructive explanations and solutions on facing pages. Besides giving students this essential knowledge, this book also helps them to train their chess abilities and improve their skills steadily and efficiently. These practical exercises, easy to read and to understand, take the reader from beginner to tournament-strength chess player.

Genres: Chess, Games

188 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Paul Bryant]

this has never happened to me when I have played chess:



so I am keen to take Lev Alburt's advice on where I have been going wrong.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lev Alburt’s Chess Training Pocket Book claims to include the 300 most important positions and ideas in chess. As a mere patzer, I am unqualified to judge this grandmaster’s selection, but I have with enthusiasm read and solved the problems in this book at least 6 times over the last decade. I really like the convenience of the small size, as well as the page format. Each left-hand page has 4 chess diagrams, while the right-hand page posts the solutions and Alburt’s commentary. This does increase the temptation to cheat, but it also makes it easier to follow the master’s reasoning when the diagram is so close. There is a wide variety of tactical problems, and a few positional tests as well. I think this is an excellent tactical exercise book , and I recommend it for players over 1200.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent puzzle book that contains the most important motives. You will find the smothered mate, backrank tricks, knight forks but also some essential endgames. The difficulty varies and there are even puzzles where you have to find a drawing move.

The small format is great, you can carry the book with you wherever you go. I have also entered the positions at Chessable (http://www.chessable.com), which makes it smooth sailing and allows for circle training (or what is also called the The Woodpecker Method). Let's see in a year if the training had any effect.

I would say the book is suitable for players between ELO 1400 and 1800, maybe even 2000 if used as quick refresher to stay sharp.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the "essential 300" tactical and strategic positions that chess players should know. Different levels of difficulty throughout the book. The size of the book makes it easy to carry around.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The solutions to most of these positions seem so simple after seeing the printed solution on the facing page. This book has been very educational for me.

[Bruce Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playing good chess is about pattern recognition. Classic checkmates, tactics that win a piece in the middlegame, and endgame technique are easier to understand when you have already studied similar combinations.
I have read this book 5-6 times, so that when my games reach a similar position, I can find the key move quicker - and the best move more often.
Study this book. Memorize these three hundred positions and solutions. Understand the solutions. You will see these patterns in your own games and play much better.
Soon, I'll start on the sequel, Check Training Pocket Book II.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This one took a long time to get through the 300 puzzles! I keep nibbling away at it after taking some long breaks from it. These puzzles were hard! Definitely not beginner and are challenging even to intermediate players! Rarely got over 50% of attempted puzzles correct at a sitting! Glad I finished it and now move onto Polgars “Chess Tactics for Champions”. Hopefully won’t take as long!😎

[Deepak Singh Bisth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

A short book with 300 essential chess puzzles.

[Mark Galassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give it 5 stars if it did not have the stupid cover

This is an absolutely wonderful book: a great collection of problems to solve that you can take with you anywhere. I strongly recommend it for tournament players.

I found the cover offensive and am a bit embarrassed when I read it on the bus or in public. I could never, for example, give it as a gift to one of my students, much as I would like to.

[Rodolfo Pardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I good book, even I was not able to finish it. I also got the chessbase format, but as my reading time is limited, I gave it a chance, and stopped after a while. A great book according to many, well prepared, but of no utility to me.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i can memorize this book...

[Nathan Otten · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best tactic books I've ever read. Highly recommended!

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always wondered if Lev was a scam artist with all these 'Soviet Secrets to Chess' and it was all hype...

some feel this is his best book actually!