by Euwe & Kramer
In the history of chess only a handful of players have achieved the title of World Champion, and of these fewer still left behind any meaningful theoretical work. One player who did both was Dr. Max Euwe, a Dutch mathematician who defeated Alekhine in 1935 and held the title for two years.
At about the same time, Euwe conceived the idea for presenting a definitive treatment of the middlegame in chess. Working in collaboration with the Dutch IM H. Kramer, the team spent decades collecting nearly five hundred masterful examples of middlegame strategy from actual play.
This two volume set is the result of their research, a ground breaking exposition of the permanent and unchangeable features of the middlegame.
Book One is a study of what are termed Static Features, consisting of the relative worth of the pieces: center formations; open and closed formations; the struggles for open lines; weak pawns and much more.
Book Two turns to the Dynamic and Subjective Features, including the initiative; attacking the King; defense; maneuvering; liquidation; psychological factors, and a discussion on the personal style of many top players.
Because Euwe and Kramer devoted themselves to explaining only the immutable basic elements, The Middlegame remains as timeless today as when first published. Algebraic notation, modernized language and many new diagrams, combined with the lucid annotations of the former World Champion make this edition an indispensible tool for the modern chessplayer.
