Goldendog and Ziryab agree: F K Young is one of the worst. More on chess books to avoid here:
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/chess-books-to-avoid?page=3
Franklink K Young chess books
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Here an article by Edward Winter about him, with a parody of his style at the end: http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/young.html
Nov 8, 2015
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#4
Back in the 1970s-80s there used to be Franklin K Young Memorial tournaments at the old Boylston Chess Club in downtown Boston.
Franklin KYoung has written the most epic definition of checkmate ever.Contrary to the Gentlemen who advise against his books,I actually think it is well worth owning a book by him.Personally,with few exceptions,I would say stay away from books by Raymond Keene.
Nov 10, 2015
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#7
HueyWilliams wrote:
electric_limes wrote:
Personally,with few exceptions,I would say stay away from books by Raymond Keene.
Yeah, I'll go along with that (except for the "exceptions" part).
But he wrote a book on computer chess that would probably help you play ENIAC.
Nov 10, 2015
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#8
Get really stoned and read it. I bet you sit on the sofa giggling all night!
Oh, and years ago (1989?) I was creeping around the stacks at the University of Kansas looking for books on foreign policy & such and came across a small booklet on Austro-Hungarian artillery tactics in The Great War and on the blank front page was the autograph of Franklin K Young (all one continuous signature) diagonally across the page. I always regretted not stealing that book. No doubt recycled by now.
Nov 14, 2015
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#12
I think I need to work on my lateral obliques...or is it my enfilade left?
Dec 26, 2016
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#15
For what it's worth, I was invited to Christmas dinner last evening and during a lull post-feast spied a single chess book on the shelf by none other than Franklin Young. I had twenty minutes to spend studying it, long enough to remark to one of my companions that it would probably take me around a month just to be able to understand whatever the hell he was talking about. I've never seen a denser bunch of obscure gobbledygook in my life. If it had been the first book on chess I had ever seen, I'm sure I would have sworn off the game forever.
Dec 27, 2016
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#16
I wonder if F K Young would make sense if one had a background in the military strategy studied in the 1890's. All the strange terminology, etc. or maybe he just made it all up.
Dec 29, 2016
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#17
I don't know, WB, I don't have the book in hand now, though I did ask the owner to talk to me if she ever decides to part with it. I did look through the abbreviation list for the formulae, and didn't recognize many of the terms, but I'd guess it's drawn from arcane military terms I've just never seen.
Franklin K Young, proof that chess and drugs don't mix.
The Grand Tactics Of Chess by Franklin K Young
"Whenever a point of junction is the vertex of a mathematical figure formed by the union of the logistic symbol of a pawn with an oblique, diagonal, horizontal, or vertical from the logistic symbol of any kindred piece; then the given combination of two kindred pieces wins any given adverse piece"
Insightful.
"The proper post for the Prime Strategetic Point is at the extremity of a straight line drawn from the centre of, and at right angles to, the grand strategic front. It never should be posted at the extremity of an adverse major or grand strategic front; nor on the same side of the board with the crochet aligned in a double strategic front; nor on the wing refused of a kindred minor or major strategic front."
Illuminating.
It all makes sense now, thank you Franklin K Young.