Paul Keres Chess Master Class (Pergamon Russian Chess Series)

ix, 182 pp. Paul Keres -- "the greatest player never to have been world champion" -- was a legendary figure in chess. The depth of his conceptions and the elegance and beauty of his play rank him among such immortals as Alekhine, Tal, Bronstein, Botvinnik, and Bobby Fischer. As a chess analyst, Keres had even fewer equals. The first Soviet grandmaster with a regular column in an American chess magazine, his articles for Chess Life between 1968 and 1975 set new standards in chess analysis. Paul Keres was not only one of the strongest players of his generation, he also played in a most elegant, aggressive style. Here, using numerous examples of Keres's play, the author works backwards through the various stages of a chess attack, from crowning it with a winning combination to seizing the initiative in the opening. With additional chapters on defence and counterattack, and on the practical endgame, the Paul Keres Chess Master Class is a virtual textbook on attacking play, and a study of it cannot fail to improve this important aspect of your game.