scottk74 wrote:
is that the one that has the short stories in it?
Yeah, and they're pretty corny, too... but there's only 60 pages of stories and it's a 400 page book -- the rest is chess with good lively commentary. I really like the author's comments, even if they're occassionally over the top:
"...Tarrasch borrows a device from mythology! He throws a Pawn in the way of the runner. In the Greek legend, Milanion threw golden apples in the path of Atalanta. When she stopped to pick them up, he gained time to win the race. his reward was the fair Atalanta herself as his wife. To get back to poor Nimzovich if he picks up the golden apple by 5 KxP...."
LOL it's like having crazy/brilliant Uncle Theodore going over the games with you.
I recently picked up a copy of that old (1949) Chernev & Reinfeld classic, The Fireside Book of Chess... and if you can get past the corny comics it's still a wonderful book. Here's two combinations that struck me from the "Combinations, The Heart of Chess" chapter -- they're given as puzzles but the first one could begin with another move, so it's not really a fair puzzle:
And here's an attacking combination from Art of the Attack author, Vukovic: