Chess Books

I wrote and published A Manual of Chinese Chess many years ago ahortly after 1950, with my best customers being stores in the San Francisco chinatown. It has been out of print for a very long time. If there is interest, I would consider republishing it again since now it could be available through Amazon, which didn't exist when I first published it. I translated much of this material from the original Mandarin Chinese, which I speak, read and write.

I also published a Manual of Japanese Chess, which is not listed by Amazon, but was published ahead of the Manual of Chinese Chess in 1950. I could also republish it again on the same basis as the above. Japanese Chess is not a variant of Chinese Chess, and is perhaps the most superior form of any of the many Chess variations. I translated much of this material from the original Japanese, which I speak, read and write.

I also prepared but did not publish a similar book on Korean Chess -- a close variant of Chinese Chess. I have considered finishing this book, and publishing it together with the upper two books as a Manual of Oriental Chess, but I do not know if there is interest for this. I am not proficient in Korean, and much of this material was obtained in other than Korean language sources, but this was not a problem since this chess version is so close to the earlier Chinese Chess.

Charles Fred Wilkes, age 80
07/10/2006 San Jose, Calif.

Since I wrote the preceeding, Amazon has announced the Lindle electronic book reader, which is a great advance -- maybe the best since Gutenberg. As a result, I have decided and am in the midst of republishing the above books for sale under Amazon's Lindle store. It will be three separate books, since few would be interested in all three, and that would make the book too long as well. I will publish Japanese Chess first, hopefully by the end of 2007. The others will follow.

Charles Fred Wilkes, Author -- Age 81. Yes -- I am still in good health.
11/23/2007 San Jose, Calif.

In writing the Manual of the End Game the author has dealt with the subject mainly from a practical point of view. It is intended for the beginner who, though having acquired a certain degree of playing strength in the opening and in the middle-game, is weak when it comes to the end-game, owing to insufficient study. The opening and the end-game are open to analytical treatment and, therefore, in both of them theoretical knowledge is indispensable. The player who lacks it in either will be severely handicapped in his practical play. Of what use is it to the amateur who, after avoiding all the pitfalls of the opening and after a well-played middle-game, has obtained a good or even a winning position, if he does not know how to take advantage of it in face of his opponent's superior handling of the end-game? He is caught again and again by subtleties and tricks which should be familiar to him. The Manual of the End Game contains nothing new, nor does it aim at presenting old matter in a new form. It offers the student nothing more than a concise extract from the vast field of end-game theory. In doing this it follows strictly the principle of treating only those categories of end-games which are most important to the player. In addition, a special chapter contains a number of subtleties and tricks with which the reader should become familiar. In another chapter are some general considerations of a common-sense character dealing both with the end-game itself and with the transition stage which lies between it and the middle-game. The purpose of the Manual of the End-Game, let us emphasise once again, is to serve only as a temporary guide and adviser in the chess career of the amateur who should by no means think that he can do without a deeper insight into the theory of the end-game. The player who knows nothing more of the end-game beyond what is given here will have only a slight foretaste of its real subtleties.
- From the original Preface

If you are interested in playing the Marshall attack as your defence to the Ruy Lopez, this is not a bad book to get. Sure, it is over 30 years old. But it has plenty of valuable information.

There are more recent books. You may want to see my review of one from 1990, by Nunn and Harding. And my review of a more recent one, by Lalic, from 2003. These are fine books. But there's material in this earlier one that I think is worth looking at.

This book is fairly comprehensive. We begin with what was then the main line:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5 c6 12 d4 Bd6 13 Re1 Qh4 14 g3 Qh3 15 Be3 Bg4 16 Qd3 Rae8 17 Nd2 Re6 18 a4 bxa4 19 Rxa4 f5 20 Qf1 Qh5. As near as I can tell, this still works for Black, more than 30 years later.

We then see some variations in the above line, including 17...f5, 16...Nxe3, 16...f5, 15...Bf5, and 15...a5. And we also see the line I play, which I think is becoming the main line, 15 Re4 g5 16 Qf3, which gives both sides chances, although a draw is a typical result. And there are all sorts of interesting sidelines. Of course, in the past 30 years, some of these sidelines have been forgotten, while others have become more popular. This book does mention the line 12 d3 Bd6 13 Re1 Qh4 14 g3 Qh3 15 Re4 (Now the White rook is defended, so Black can't try 15...g5 any more.) But nowadays, we'd need a whole chapter to discuss it.

The book continues with some more tries for White: 15 Qd3, 15 Qf3, 12 g3, 12 d3, 12 Qf1, and 12 Bxd5. There's plenty of material on the latter move, which is still a very popular try. One recent try (albeit not a very good one) that's, um, too new for this book is 12 d4 Bd6 13 Re2.

After this, we see some other moves for Black at move 11, namely 11...Nf6, 11...Bb7, 11...Nf4, and 11...Nb6. As well as three chapters on 9...e4. Then we have some chapters on a variety of anti-Marshalls, especially 8 a4 and 8 d4.

One would think that this would complete the book. Or that perhaps the book would conclude with a chapter it actually has, on 7...Bb7. Instead, there are nearly 80 pages of material on how to play the Marshall against earlier White deviations from the main line Ruy. That means plenty on the Exchange Variation (4 Bxc6), a little on the delayed Exchange deferred (6 Bxc6) and even a mention of the delayed Exchange (5 Bxc6). It means a chapter on 5 Qe2 or 6 Qe2. And one on 5 d3. As well as one on an early center attack, with 5 d4 or 6 d4. And one on the Lopez Four Knights, with 5 Nc3 or 6 Nc3. That gives the reader enough to deal with all the major ways White has to avoid the Marshall after 3 Bb5. I think these concluding chapters are quite useful.

I recommend this book for those who want to play the Marshall.

This book is fifteen years old, but it still serves as a very useful guide to those who wish to play either side of the Marshall attack in the Ruy Lopez.

Those of us who play the Ruy with White start out with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6. White can play the Exchange Variation with 4 Bxc6. But suppose we play the main line with 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3. Black can now play 7...Bb7, the Trajkovic, but this book tells us how to get an advantage with 8 d4. So Black plays 7...0-0, threatening to play the Marshall. Now what?

Nunn and Harding analyze just about everything here. The best options are an anti-Marshall with 8 d4, an anti-Marshall with 8 a4, or simply 8 c3, calling Black's bluff in a sense. Sure, White may get a good game with 8 a4 b4 (8...Bb7 9 d3 Re8 is probably a better try for Black here) 9 d3 d6 10 a5, but I think White is better off letting Black play the Marshall. And this book tells us how to do that.

That means 8 c3 d5 (the Marshall) 9 exd5. Now there is a sideline that you have to know for White. Black can play 9...e4. You have to play 10 dxc6 (not 10 Ng5) exf3 11 d4 (not 11 Qxf3).

After 9 exd5, the main line is 9...Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5. Originally, Marshall tried 11...Nf6 against Capablanca and lost. It's not a good line for Black, and we learn to play 12 d4 against it. Against 11...Bb7, we play 12 Qf3 Bd6 13 Bxd5. That gets us back to the main line, 11...c6. We now play 12 d4 Bd6 13 Re1 Qh4 14 g3 Qh3. At this point, I like to play 15 Re4 g5! 16 Qf3!

However, the main line for White seems even better. After 15 Be3 Bg4 16 Qd3 Rae8 17 Nd2 Re6 18 a4, Black has a problem. I think the best move is Spassky's 18...Qh5, but after 19 axb5 axb5 20 Nf1, White is the only one with winning chances. These days, most folks try 18...bxa4 with Black.

This book suggests 18...f5 as the main line here, but I think this is no good. A few years ago, even Harding, one of the authors, agreed. It was pointed out that 19 axb5 (a move not in this book) ought to win for White. The problem with the position is strategic; White's counterplay on the Queenside is just too much. If 19...f4 20 Bxf4.

I used to play the Marshall for Black. Now I play it for White. I was considering giving it up as Black because White rarely let me play it. But a little over 20 years ago, a good player let me try it with Black, and here is what happened. I tried that main line, all the way through 18 a4 f5. I felt good about all this. I wanted to get in ...f4, and I thought that I'd get the chance to do that.

As I said, 19 axb5 is best here, but White tried 19 f4, stopping my intended ...f4. 19 f4 was considered a losing move in the book, so I felt pretty good for a little while. I played 19...Rfe8 (19...Rh6 is probably a better try) 20 axb5 Bxf4 after which we both thought for a while. This book gives 20...Bxf4! an exclam, but to put it mildly, I disagree.

While I was thinking, it occurred to me that 18...f5 had been a mistake. Sure, I might be okay after 21 gxf4 Rg6. But almost anything else seemed to be really good for White! I silently prayed to Caissa "Please save me! If you do, I swear I'll never play 18...f5 again here!" I was already thinking of giving up the Marshall completely with Black.

My opponent played 21 Bf2 and I almost resigned on the spot. Unless I took White's pawn on b5, White's Queenside counterplay would be fatal. So I decided to play 21...axb5 and resign if White played 22 Bxd5 cxd5 23 Qxb5. Instead, Caissa answered my prayer, and White inexplicably tried 22 Bxd5 cxd5 23 Nf1? Re2 24 b3. When I played 24...Bg5, White couldn't find a defence and resigned.

Needless to say, I have not tried the Marshall for Black since then. But I think the book is great (albeit a little dated) for those of you who do. And it's also excellent for those of us who play it with White.

Classic. Amazing Games. A bit more explanations would have been nice. Also, a bit more autobiography would not hurt either.

This astonishingly beautiful chess work is the pinnacle of what chess literature should be, on every level: it is a physically large book (9-3/4" x 6-3/4") with 248 pages; the pages are laid out two-columns with plenty of diagrams; the annotations are poignant and thematically focused; complete games are given, so that one may see the connection of the opening to the endgame. Volume one investigates open and semi-open games. The book is arranged by opening, beginning with the Sicilian Defence. Shereshevsky is a natural teacher, as anyone familiar with his classic work Endgame Strategy knows. This is not an endgame book per se; rather, it brings you complete games, with the endgame always in mind. For instance, it is generally true that in the Sicilian Defence the short wins go to white, and the long wins to black. The authors use Sicilian game examples to show you why this is the case, and, in more modern games, why this often is not the case. So, there is an explicit plan to this book, and each and every game and annotation supports the plan. This is precisely the type of instruction that the intermediate player needs, in order to expand his overall understanding of chess and the endgame from a strategic perspective. This is not to say that tactics are ignored. Indeed, the games presented are tactically beautiful, the idea being that certain strategic plusses lead to tactical possibilities. The games selected by the authors are wonderful to play through, so this book constantly entertains and astonishes, even as it educates you. Compared to more recent works, I would compare this book (and volume two on the closed games) to the two works on pawn play by Drazen Marovic. I consider all four of these books to be indispensable parts of my chess collection.

Collins took more than 100 chess maxims from his teaching, chess history, chess masters and writers and categorized such that they can be used as a checklist during a game. They illustrated how to use each piece (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight and Pawn) where and where most efficiently. Each stage of chess game (Opening, Middle game and Endgame) has its own set of maxims. There is a chapter about Exchange. And there are four more chapters about the topics that sometimes I feel I understand what they are and many times I just can't tell what they really are. Those topics are: Tactical Play, Positional Play, Combinations and Strategy. Each maxim in the book has a master game or endgame study to go with it for clarification. The final chapter is about a philosophy of chess, which has no games. The author had a wishful thinking that Fischer would come back and dominate chess again. The book was written in 1978. Fifteen years later, there comes another similar book, "The Tao of Chess." Comparing "Tao" to "Maxims", the former is about fifteen percent as good as the latter. Maxims passes the test of time and is good enough for beginning to immediate level.

First published in 1940. Arguably the strongest tournament of all time was AVRO 1938, held in The Netherlands. This competition contained no fewer than four past present and future world champions, while the players in this event continuously held the supreme title with just two one year breaks from 1921 to 1963.

In this book the Dutch World Champion Dr Max Euwe previews the AVRO Tournament and gives his insights into the particular strengths and weaknesses of such titans as Fine, Keres, Botvinnik, Alekhine, Capablanca and Reshevsky.


Dr Max Euwe is the only world champion to have come from Holland, where his triumph created something like nationwide chess fever. An apostle of order and logic, and a man possessed of a steely determination to win, Euwe seized the chess crown from the volatile Alekhine in 1935 - only to lose it back in the rematch of 1937. Nevertheless, Euwe held his own against such giants as Botvinnik, Fine, Fischer, Geller and Alekhine himself, in most cases giving as good as he got. Euwe went on to become president of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and in this capacity he officiated at the celebrated 1972 championship between Fischer and Spassky. Euwe is the most active world champion on the Hardinge Simpole list, having written or contributed to no fewer than five titles, including Modern Chess Theory, Chess Treasury of the Air, WCC 1937, and My Best Games.

Very good history of famous memory and mathematical savants. Has some interesing mental tricks in the appendix as well.

This well-produced book contains the complete scores of 775 games by Russian genius Mikhail Chigorin. 200 of them are wordlessly annoated by Khalifman and Soloviov. Chigorin's games make for a fascinating collection, particularly because of his unique opening repertoire. He played very many King's Indian Attack type games, such as against the French and the Sicilian, although he nearly never played the King's finachetto as black. This is an invaluable book to have. It is wll-indexed too, although for some reason there are separate indexes for the first 200 games and the latter 575. You can find this book at the bgchess site. Highly recommended.