I spent quite some time in recent years writing the Chess Calculation Training series, which was aimed at experienced players. People were pleased with the format of the books and I also enjoyed writing them, so I’ve decided to launch a series for kids and club players, with exercises of a more modest level.
Most tactics and training books are good for boosting your calculation ability, but they do not teach you how to calculate. This is the difference I want to make with my own books, by arranging the exercises in different categories so that the thinking process more closely resembles the one we have during a game.
Level 1 of my new series consists of learning how to checkmate your opponent.
- The first three chapters consist of mostly standard tactical exercises, then things get harder.
- In Chapter 4, you have to trap your opponent’s king;
- in Chapter 5, you have to win by eliminating your opponent's key defender;
- in Chapter 6, by using a decisive double threat
- in Chapter 7, with an unexpected winning sacrifice.
- Chapter 8 consists of a few other problems, each with brief instructions.
You should go through the book chapter by chapter. The complexity of the examples increases as you progress, and covers the full thinking process you should have when trying to mate your opponent, or when your opponent's king looks exposed. As with all training, there is a warm-up, a tough phase, a break, a relaxing phase, then another tough phase. Follow the order of the book to make sure that you derive the maximum benefit from it, and are 100% ready for Level 2.
After you have completed all 276 exercises in the book you definitely won’t let your opponent’s king escape when it shouldn’t. Reading it should pay off quickly in terms of results! And this is exactly what I wish you.
All the very best,
GM Romain Edouard
