Nestorovic & Nesotrovic: Positional Sacrifices in Modern Chess
A Word from the Authors
The sequel, or the second part of the Secrets of Positional Sacrifice manual is titled Positional Sacrifice in Modern Chess.
We assume that readers will conclude that the subject of our analysis
are recently played games, especially the games played over the last few
years. The book is intended for chess players who aspire to raise the
level of positional play in this particular field of expertise, as well
as coaches working on chess education. Like the previous book Secrets of Positional Sacrifice, the
book in our hands is divided into chapters according to the material
that is the subject of the sacrifice: the positional sacrifice of a
pawn, exchange, piece, rook, and queen. Finally, the last chapter deals
with “hot games” and contains six games played during November and
December 2021. We believe that the book is as interesting and
instructive as its prequel.
However, the examples are a tad more complicated, primarily because of
the positional rook sacrifice section. In actual fact, the examples on
this kind were very difficult to find in practice, and processing them
in the right way was a particular challenge for us. The first section,
the positional pawn sacrifice, should encourage the reader to execute
one of the most complicated positional sacrifices in practice as often
as possible. On the other hand, the sacrifice of exchange is the most
common and easiest to apply and can very successfully serve as a means
of relieving the fear of possible sacrifice of material. Asymmetric
positions, i.e., positions with an unusual distribution of material, are
mostly featured in the positional piece and queen sacrifice positions.
In the last chapter entitled “Hot Games,” we present the analysis on the
topics of various fascinating examples, from the latest games of
today’s great players. We tried to choose the examples that were easy to
follow, so they are embellished with diagrams and explained verbally as
well. We paid more attention to the analysis of the positional
sacrifice from the moment of its execution to the end of the game.
Hence, the introductory part of each example may be somewhat shorter in
relation to the first book. Finally, the invaluable exercises at the end
of the book should be mentioned.
The tasks cover four topics to
make them as interesting and easy to solve as possible. The exercises
are based on the correct assessment of asymmetric positions and, of
course, on concrete calculations. In conclusion, we would like to
emphasize that the book highlights the beauty of human ideas and their
practical application. In some cases, the authors give preference to the
human idea over the assessment of the computer. When a player cannot
calculate complicated lines accurately, he should look for an
alternative solution of the similar quality. One of the possible answers
is the positional sacrifice that leads to asymmetric material and thus
the change of the character of the fight.
GM Nikola Nestorovic
IM Dejan Nestorovic
312 Seiten, gebunden, Chess Informant
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