Steeplechase
This fifth installment of The Tactician's Handbook turns to pawn
combinations. Extreme pawn combinations! The Steeplechase is a
foot-race through obstacles, and here Charushin treats us to the
spectacle of a lowly pawn surmounting barriers and overcoming pieces,
headlong in its tactical dash for the finish line. A high stakes
capturing race, a pawn charge under the enemy gauntlet, a forced march
to the Queening square - that's the Steeplechase! Over 200 examples
reveal advanced pawn tactics like Excelsior, a stunning quick-march
from the pawn's initial square to the 8th rank. Or the mutual
Steeplechase, in which the players seem to ignore one another, each
pushing his own pawn forward. Chapters cover the Steeplechase in
history, in openings, in compositions; there's even a chapter on
Alekhine's use of the Steeplechase. Every page recalls Philidor's maxim
that "pawns are the soul of chess," and now we know why! This volume
elevates pawn play to an art form, and Charushin's unique vision of
pawn power makes The Steeplechase an unforgettable experience!
The Tactician's Handbook is a ground breaking study of combinations in
chess. Each volume presents what Charushin has called a single-image
combination, a solitary tactical element examined in depth, to be mastered and
applied with confidence. Taken together, this series uncovers a remarkable class
of combinations hitherto unexplored - yet the central idea of these tactical
templates can be understood immediately, as if by intuition or some non-linear
psychic impressionism! The effect is most pleasing, and offers a new aesthetic in
the realm of chess tactics. In Charushin's compelling world of combinational
vision, to See is to Know! Join our growing band of initiates, those who develop
their "second sight" in chess, and start training with The Tactician's
Handbook. Author: Victor Charushin
Title: International Master
Published: 1999
Pages: 123
Annotation: FAN |
