How Chess Games are Won and Lost (Chess Strategy)

Humor & Entertainment

Hansen, Lars Bo

Puzzles & Games

Gambit Publications

Chess is a game where profound strategic thinking must be allied with clever short-term tactics. Most previous works on strategy focus on specific aspects of chess strategy, but Lars Bo Hansen's aims here are different. He creates a framework in which the various elements can be systematically included and organized - a framework that will help chess-players to think about chess strategy during practical play. The theory of business strategy is extensively developed, and Hansen adopts the novel approach of investigating whether any of the vast amounts of research and modelling done for business purposes can be applied in chess. He finds that there are indeed many useful parallels, and focuses on how these ideas can be used to good effect by chess-players both in their preparation and when making over-the-board decisions.

Foundations of Chess Strategy

A large proportion of chess games are decided in the endgame or in the transition to the endgame, but chess literature has provided relatively little guidance for players seeking to improve their skill in making the vital decisions in these phases of the game. Building on the ideas introduced in his ground-breaking work Foundations of Chess Strategy, Lars Bo Hansen provides a thought-provoking and convincing treatise on general endgame strategy. He explains how players can maximize the practical problems for their opponents while emphasizing the strengths of their own position. Under his guidance, chess-players will more easily focus on the key elements in the position, devise plans for exploiting them to the full, and develop a better understanding of which pieces need to be exchanged, and which weaknesses really matter. Part 1 of the book discusses the basic principles of endgame strategy and the thinking methods associated with them. In Part 2, Hansen moves on to consider a wealth of examples by the great masters of chess, showing how they have handled endgames in practice, often making difficult tasks appear simple, and in many cases bamboozling their opponents into self-destruction.

Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy

Traditionally, chess games have been divided into three stages – opening, middlegame and endgame – and general principles presented for how to handle each stage. All chess-players will be well aware that these principles all too frequently fail to help in their selection of the best move. In this important work, Lars Bo Hansen, grandmaster and professional educator, presents chess as a game of five phases, and explains the do’s and don’ts in each: * the opening * the transition to the early middlegame * the middlegame * strategic endgames * technical endgames * With a wealth of examples from both his own practice and that of his colleagues, Hansen discusses the typical mistakes and pitfalls, and shows how to handle the subtleties unique to each stage. He also advises on how to work on your chess in each aspect of the game. Of special value is his explanation of how to study typical middlegames, and that middlegame preparation – a neglected area for most players – is both possible and necessary.

How Chess Games are Won and Lost

"If you want to reach the heights, you should study the entire history of chess. I can't give any clear logical explanation for it, but I think it is absolutely essential to soak up the whole of chess history." - VLADIMIR KRAMNIK In this book Lars Bo Hansen shows how chess understanding has evolved and explains how and why a study of the great champions of the past and present will significantly improve your chess. Although modern chess is a highly concrete game where calculation is paramount and principles often appear to take a back seat, Hansen argues that the principles have become implicit at top level: "you cannot win games only by following Steinitz's or Nimzowitsch's principles, but you will certainly lose games if you don't know these principles!" Hansen shows that pattern recognition - one of the most vital aspects of chess mastery - is built up highly effectively by studying historic games, and cites many examples which will immediately form part of your armoury. Building upon the structure of his acclaimed work How Chess Games are Won and Lost, Hansen also argues that the transitions opening-to-middlegame and middlegame-to-endgame are best understood by studying the games of the great champions. Throughout the book, the emphasis is firmly on improving your chess, and equipping you to improve your chess further by studying on your own. At the same time, you will enjoy a feast of the most instructive chess games of all time - both classical and modern. The final chapter discusses the future development of chess style.

Improve Your Chess - by Learning from the Champions

A Gambit Classic Reissue: How to marshal your forces in the decisive phase of the game\nA large proportion of chess games are decided in the endgame or in the transition to the endgame, but chess literature has provided relatively little guidance for players seeking to improve their skill in making the vital decisions in these phases of the game.\nBuilding on the ideas introduced in his ground-breaking work Foundations of Chess Strategy, Lars Bo Hansen provides a thought-provoking and convincing treatise on general endgame strategy. He explains how players can maximize the practical problems for their opponents while emphasizing the strengths of their own position. Under his guidance, chess-players will more easily focus on the key elements in the position, devise plans for exploiting them to the full, and develop a better understanding of which pieces need to be exchanged, and which weaknesses really matter.\nPart 1 of the book discusses the basic principles of endgame strategy and the thinking methods associated with them, and in Part 2 we see these principles in action in specific types of endings. In Part 3, Hansen investigates the impact of style on the handling of endgame strategy. Many of the examples are from top-level recent practice, and we repeatedly see how the great masters of chess can make difficult tasks appear simple, and in many cases bamboozle their opponents into self-destruction.\nLars Bo Hansen is a well-known grandmaster from Denmark. He has won the Danish Championship on two occasions, and represented his country in four olympiads, winning a bronze medal for his individual performance in 1990. His many tournament victories include first prize in the strong Copenhagen Open in both 1995 and 2000. Away from the board, he holds an MBA and lectures on business studies, with a particular focus on marketing, organization and strategy. This is his second book for Gambit.\n"In the past I have played many international matches sitting alongside Lars Bo, and wondered to myself, how he won that equal ending, and also if, as he claims, it is exciting to play chess that way. The book gives a good answer to both matters. One takes as given that the author considers that [the ending] is a really fascinating side of playing chess. And more important is, that he is able to pass this on. ... The research is thorough, and the instructive examples are to a great degree from new material in comparison with earlier works." - GM Peter Heine Nielsen (Magnus Carlsen's trainer), Skakbladet\n"takes a more holistic approach in general ... Most major material distributions are discussed." - IM John Watson, The Week in Chess\n"One of the hardest things in chess writing is to make endgame education palatable, but this book succeeds where many others have failed." - John Saunders, British Chess Magazine\n"Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy is a challenging book that cannot fail to improve the understanding of any player below 2400 FIDE." - IM John Donaldson, Jeremy Silman's website

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Books by Hansen, Lars Bo

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hansen, Lars Bo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

How Chess Games are Won and Lost (Chess Strategy)

Foundations of Chess Strategy

Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy

How Chess Games are Won and Lost

Improve Your Chess - by Learning from the Champions

Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy

Foundations of Chess Strategy