Chess Master vs Chess Amateur Max Euwe

I want to know if you all think struggling to digest descriptive notation is worth it to go through Max Euwe's book - Chess Master vs Chess Amateur. What do you think of the book?

stwils

Very good book--DN will be easier as you go through the book--I would go through it slowly--covering up the moves as you go and see if you can guess the next move or at least the concept of the plan--going through the book this way will improve your chess understanding as you will string good moves together with a cohesive plan.

Thanks, Aansel. I also have this book.

stwils - there are some classics in Descriptive that you probably cannot pass up. Slowly though (very) these are being put into Algebraic.

It's a great book, probably one of the better books ever written for people around our level.

this was my first book in chess. dating back in the year 1989 followed by the road to chess mastery.

How does it compare to Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move?

stwils

I think the Chernev book is aimed at a lower level than the Euwe book--also I think the explanations in Euwe's books teach a little bit more.

Then I just will go on and order it - and try to digest the descriptive notation.

stwils

This IS a great and educational book!  I wish I had read it a little earlier then I did.  And I think it is very much worth the time to learn Descriptive Notation as there are bunch of great books out there that have never been converted to algebraic notation.  And  sometimes those books are even cheaper!  :)

Many of Euwe's ideas have become dated now, not just the variations.

It's better to try John Nunn's books,

Understanding Chess Move by Move,Grandmaster Chess Move by Move.

 Also try John Watson's Mastering The Openings.

Watson's books while great are much more advanced than either Chernev or Euwe's books.

Nunn's book is also aimed at a higher level than these two. The only more current one is Chess The Art of Logical Thinking by McDonald.

However i think these old classics still teach basic chess ideas. The openings may be dated but the middle game themes and concepts are still more than valid today and the game discussion is more than applicable today. In fact, many of these older books I think have more value as the authors really took the time to explain there ideas instead of of using catch all phrases.

Saying that anything is 'dated' or 'unsound' is really moot at the class level.  Just because somebody found a move that refutes an opening line in move 27 of Karpov v Korchnoi 1984 (I made that up obviously), really has zero bearing on what class level players need to be doing at the Rec. center on Saturday mornings.  Sometimes we get caught up and forget the enormous gulf between master level play and class level players.

The fundamentals that Euwe, Chenov, Lasker, Capa, etc. teach is still golden.  Unless you think you could have beaten Euwe, you could probably still learn from his tutalage.  BTW, don't take this as a criticism chessbibliophile, I think yours is one of the finest blogs on this Site.  Please keep up the good work!

Amazon has just informed me that the Euwe book is in the mail!

Thanks for all the enlightening comments.

stwils

Those books are definitely not for novices.

As an aside, I had always heard that Nunn's books were for the more advanced player (which I ain't!!), but I have been going through his Learn Chess Tactics book and I have to say I find his explanations and examples for the different tactics much clearer and educational than Dan Heisman's Tactics book.   I think (and granted this opinion is only from one book) that Nunn might be the best pedagogue of the current crop of Chess Writers!!

I was also thinking of ordering this book as it sounds useful. Anyone recommend the book or stwills what did you think of it? (I realise this thread is an old one, but the questions still stand.)

Sorry any views on whether it is worth getting this book? I've looked at the first game on the Amazon 'look in the book' but it is difficult to judge whether the book is worth while or not.

The notation is not hard to get used to ... especially if you go over the book and enter in the games into a database so that future reviews could simply require you to use the book for the actual instructional content.

That being said ... this is one of the really nice instructional annotated game books out there ... I'd recommend people start out with this even before they get to the Chernev books!

Cheers. Yes I'm sort of used to the old notation as I've been through a few books with it, though it does get annoying going through longer lines. I've read and played through all the games in Chernev's Logical Chess and I do often enter the games into a games explorer. I just wouldn't how good this book is and what level it would be recommended for and if it is worth it.

Thanks, I might have a look then. I know what you mean about the last point, sounds similar to Chernev in that respects. I have Amateur's Mind but thought it was only so/so, (I'm not so sure about Siman generally and his imbalances) I might give it another go though.