I'm sure some view the spate of chess books as daunting, but it isn't much different than it was in the 90s when I was also dealing with new equipment and the video (VHS) revolution.
But now there are some good things, better than average coming out. Some people like the gamut and order a lot of goodies which is great for me. Others are more selective with their time and money. But you all are important for my business improvement.
There is one group, maybe not as rabid as in earlier times, but the fellahs who want to stay current with everything. I do my best, but I've been limited by the distributors and when they see product. You see, the "big boys," ChessBase and New in Chess are foreign companies and they announce something new to everyone at the same time. Some people think it is a simple matter to order XYZ because they saw it somewhere.... ehhh, well not really. You'll have to read the fine print in most cases.
I have, on my workbench, the following new books ready to ship except where noted. I will be making up a small and supplemental list to help everyone but because I feel like rewarding the Blog readers (which includes many Chess Reports readers) for their support, I will list what is sitting here without touching on stuff which is coming in soon, but is not here yet (cuts down on the disappointment doesn't it? Okay, so it doesn't.)
1. Who Dares Wins! by IM Lorin D'Costa. Attacks, opposite side Kings. A valuable topic Euwe & Kramer once wrote about. Ret. $26.95
2. A Course in Chess Tactics by Bojkov & Georgiev. Looks like a useful book from Gambit but I am only working from my review copy. Ret. $22.95. A fancy cover which has nothing to do with the subject.
3. Revolutionize Your Chess by Moskalenko. Supposedly a new system to become a better player. My distributor finally got these. A fat sucker, poor use of Photoshop on the King on the flag (hire my son guys he knows how to do this). Ret. $29.95. Will be reviewed later.
4. The Scotch Game for White by Barsky. Ret. $ ??? Looks to be an excellent book. (Nice cover design)
5. Wojo's Weapons vol. 1. Winning with white by IM Ippolito and NM Hilton. A very fat book (400+ pages) on 1. Nf3 d5. I think this will be a big seller. Too bad Wojo isn't around to see it. And a thought: This is from Mongoose Press. What amazes me is how the smaller companies have such beautiful cover design (this one is excellent) and the big boys have such cheap, boring stuff. $29.95.
6. Theory and Practice of Chess Endings by Panchenko, Vols. 1 and 2. (Also a nice cover, Egyptian style). Ret. $??? (more in The Chess Reports). Very useful looking bits.
Now for two books from Everyman. The first is on the Ponziani for a special customer of mine, and by Taylor and Hayward. $27.95. New.
Secondly, a book I have been trying to get and which was finally reprinted: Chess Secrets The Giants of Chess Strategy by McDonald. $24.95. Features Kramnik, Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca, and Nimzovich. This whole series is quite excellent and if you don't have them it is a great way to play through hundreds of annotated games and to get a feel for your own style and who you might like for your chess hero.
Plus, one last thing today. I have (17) followers on this blog, registered as such. I know many many more read this because I hear from them. But if you register then I think Google indexes me and the blog will be featured among other "top" blogs. I always thought the name "blog" sounded like a swamp (bog) but that's me.
If you leave a comment I think you have to "register" but I am not sure. Anyway, not to sound pompous or anything like that, this is an informational and entertainment tool for my business. Recently I looked at a number of chess blogs and they are "cut and paste!" Who wants to spend time reading something that originally appeared somewhere else? These are people with a computer who want to be noticed and have nothing else to do (and they are all over the world!!!)
If you want to know about DVDs, books, catalogs, new TPI issues, the past, the future of chess, then you can do well by tuning in here 6 days a week. Hey, thanks!
bob@thinkerspressinc.com
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