SERGEY BYSTROV, INTERNATIONAL MASTER
	Please love manuals, source of knowledge!

I believe, you had rest enough during summer holidays. Behind is the mellow season as well. Since the time of our latest review of the books by V.A.Charushin more than a month has already passed. Several interesting tournaments have taken place for this period of time, for example "A match of century". Not a little it has been written about event and its results. Our Russian team played without brilliance at the European club championship in Greece. The new schooling year began on such somewhat pessimistic note. And how there cannot one recall the words of our dear Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov-Lenin, the leader of world proletariat, and at the same time chess player -amateur: "Learn, learn, and learn!" And though we perceive all the more the nihilism of our yesterday's past the chessplayers should not consider it their fault, in order to return there from time to time, that is to the manuals of the past years. The fact that Russian chessplayers compete successfully as before with "the rest of the world" is the merit of the previous generations of the great masters who left accumulated chess knowledge, analyses, worked-out variations, methods of teaching. That is why, today I offer only educational literature of our native "Terra-Sport" Publishing House. There are re-edited the famous "Chess Game Manuals " by Em.Lasker, J.-R. Capablanca , and R.Reti is know to us under the title "A modern manual of chess game", and has whenever it been modern?! Now let us say about each of them by order.

The manual by Lasker has passed successfully the seventh publication, and the first edition was issued in far 1926. It consists of six chapters and an epilogue. In distinction from the modern similar textbooks the initial chess information and opening s are set forth briefly in it.

And this is clearly understood, in those years the openings theory was at a stage of developing, it is known about the author's cool attitude to the initial stage of the game, but the chapters "Combination" and in particular "Positional Game" are written to admiration. Knowing the sense in the methods of teaching, M.Botvinnik highly estimated the work by Em.Lasker. In his foreword to the sixth edition he says: "This chapter is an adornment of the manual. In our days chessplayers know little of the past of chess, how the teaching of position was being formed..." There are chapters "Esthetics of chess" and "model games" in the book as well. The ending knowledge is spaced thought the book. Chessplayers up to a rank of candidate master are recommended to study this fundamental work.

The manual by J.-R.Capablanca passed also many publications. It is written in simple words, and to a greater extent it is intended for beginning chessplayers and amateurs.

The manual by J.-R.Capablanca passed also many publications. It is written in simple words, and to a greater extent it is intended for beginning chessplayers and amateurs. One can say that the manual consists of three parts: theoretical, practical and autobiographical. The tens, if not hundreds books are written about J.-R.Capablanca. It is worth mentioning that he displayed exceptional capacities at an early age, and at the age of 23 the Cuban won the first prize in the international San Sebastian tournament. In our days it does not look so grandiose as it was nearly hundred years ago...

Another classical manual was written by Richard Reti, one of the strongest chess players of the world in the first third twentieth century. R.Reti was a founder of the "Reti opening", a well-known chess writer and composer.

Conventionally speaking, this book is the historical selection, but in essence it is a manual. Here is how the author himself reveals the assignment of the work: "The assignment of the manual is to warn against further failures and at the same time to reveal beauty and profundity of chess art and to make up an interest by this, which is a principal reason to achieve success. These considerations made me shape the manual as selection of games... The theory is solely a generalization of practical chess experience. The main unknown in chess is a real game..."

The book consists of 23 personal monographies of outstanding chessplayers of the past from Adolf Andersen to Karlos Torre, what in an author's representation adds up to the book a historical value as well. Here was found no places for such outstanding maestro like M.Chigorin, L.Paulsen and others. R.Reti himself wrote of it. In his opinion, they "...did not found their school". We would omit the details of the maestro's subjective evaluation. I take note only that it does not decrease the value of his work. All the games have been commented in detail. The opening is detail discussed also, and its connection is traced with the middle game, if need be, with the ending. One can boldly recommend This book to all chess matures and - players of higher categories.

Another manual of which I would like to tell you, is " The travel into chess Kingdom" by Yu.L.Awerbach and M.A.Beilin

The book being revised thoroughly is published for fourth time. "A fascinating travel into the wonder world of chess is waiting for readers in this book. The authors teach and lead them to understanding the beauty and depth of ancient game beginning from its rudiments, game rules and moves of pieces. At the same time the book is designed so that actually it represents in itself a chess game manual..." Your fathers and mothers were taught chess, with the use of the previous editions, our dear young chess amateurs! The world champion himself A.Khalifman studied it thoroughly! As compared with the last edition, the book is supplemented substantially. I should recognize, however, that editors quite in vain did not use the numerous illustrations given by authors in the earlier publications. Which attracted children so much during their lessons.

I remind you that above mentioned manuals and other books, magazines, etc. May be ordered and bought in the biggest virtual "BS-CHESS" shop. New books of Moscow and other publishing Houses are offered on the basic of dealers' prices. I shall continue to acquaint you with manuals of modern and classical heritage! Please remain always with us!

update 25-11-2002