by IM Jan Przewoznik and Marek Soszynski 288pp. (Russell Enterprises 2001)

What wins chess games? More than anything else, organized and efficient thinking. But chess thinking is specialized. Even Albert Einstein was a confessed chess duffer. It's not so much how smart you are as how smart your chess-thinking techniques are. The effects of memorizing moves, one of the most widespread attempts to improve, pale beside the results of learning how to think effectively in chess. How to Think in Chess is the rare book that explains in clear terms the techniques chess masters use to find their moves.

The authors, an international chess champion and a trained professional thinker, are uniquely qualified on the subject. They offer you both academic research and personal experience. How to Think in Chess teaches you practical ways of thinking to win. You'll see how to assess your thought processes during play and how to reorganize them in practice. You'll get exercises to increase your thinking skills. You'll see how to use elements of sports psychology in your preparation. How to Think in Chess gives you techniques to analyze and improve your own chess thinking; methods to foster creativity; over 200 specialized chess exercises to strengthen your game; advice on setting goals and coping with stress; and techniques to overcome mental blocks “How to Think in Chess can reveal a great deal to a player who wants to improve, a chess teacher who wants somebody else to improve or even a psychologist who just wants to observe the thinking brain in action” from the foreword by International Grandmaster and journalist Jon Levitt.

There is no "quick fix", a magic wand that will instantly and easily add 300 points to your rating. But if you are willing to apply yourself to the study regimen advocated by the authors, you will surely improve your game. When it was released in June 2001 it became an instant best seller. Here is a chance to pick up one of the fine one-volume training manuals of our time.

Click to view Table of Contents

(click lower right hand corner of text to enlarge image)