Sketchyfish, thanks for the invitation. I would be very happy to accept and join.
The Middlegame - Book 1: Static Features (study group!)
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You touch on a very good point.
It is unfortunate to see interest in the great authors slip. Too many "Chess For Dummies" and "10,000 Openings For Slaughtering Your Opponents". People forget about the roots of chess, and from whom the theoretical aspects were taken. I guess the book has to be written by Silman for people to pay them any mind. It's a shame.
Edit: I spoke too soon :D
Anyone else interested?
I agree with you entirely. And people wonder why it's so difficult to find good competition these days. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with Silman's books- quite the contrary- but I do think people rely too heavily on the modern renditions of classical concepts. I guess the Olde English format can be a bit intimidating, but beneath the ink strokes lie concepts that the modern sources scarcely convey.
Jul 12, 2012
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#6
alonsoquijano
Second hand copies are available at quite reasonable prices on abebooks.
Jul 12, 2012
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#7
This link from abebooks.co.uk lists seven copies of volume 1, http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=euwe&bt.x=0&bt.y=0&sts=t&tn=middlegame+static
If anyone else is interested, we're looking for as many people as we can get! The more the merrier!
EDIT: Also, I've decided to start a formal group so we will have access to a forum. I like the idea of having 'drop-box' communication in between live sessions, along with the other features that come with it. I will do my best to message everyone who has shown interest, but if you haven't left a message on this page, it's important that people message me for an invite.
Keep 'em coming guys :D
I'm interested in organizing a study group for the first (and possibly second) book in the epic duology 'The Middlegame' by Euwe and Kramer. The book focuses (as the title suggests) on the static features of a position, with a large emphasis on the different pawn configurations. Topics such as the relative worth of the pieces, the struggle for open lines, the minority attack, controlling open files, weak pawns, etc. are also examined in great depth.
This book targets the 1300-1700 rated audience, and will give you some much needed insight on the foundations of positional play.
This will be my second time reading it, and my goal here is to disect the book piece by piece, and really ensure that this wealth of practical knowledge carries over from the book, to the board. Studying this book in a group environment (making good use of chess.com's analysis board as a visual aid) is a great tool for learning, and being able to discuss different perspectives on how these concepts can be applied to our own games is a huge psychological advantage.
That being said, I have no desire to be an instructor, so if you find yourself on the verge of a mental breakdown just from skimming over the preface, please don't waste my time. :D
Let me know what you think.