Chess for Zebras by Jonathan Rowson

Chess for Zebras by Jonathan Rowson

Jonathan Rowson, author of the highly acclaimed Seven Deadly Chess Sins, investigates three questions important to all chess-players:
1) Why is it so difficult, especially for adult players, to improve?
2) What kinds of mental attitudes are needed to find good moves in different phases of the game?
3) Is White's alleged first-move advantage a myth, and does it make a difference whether you are playing Black or White?
In a strikingly original work, Rowson makes use of his academic background in philosophy and psychology to answer these questions in an entertaining and instructive way. This book assists all players in their efforts to improve, and provides fresh insights into the opening and early middlegame.
Rowson presents many new ideas on how Black should best combat White's early initiative, and make use of the extra information that he gains as a result of moving second. For instance, he shows that in some cases a situation he calls 'Zugzwang Lite' can arise, where White finds himself lacking any constructive moves. He also takes a close look at the theories of two players who, in differing styles, have specialized in championing Black's cause: Mihai Suba and Andras Adorjan. Readers are also equipped with a 'mental toolkit' that will enable them to handle many typical over-the-board situations with greater success, and avoid a variety of psychological pitfalls.
Chess for Zebras offers fresh insights into human idiosyncrasies in all phases of the game. The depth and breadth of this book will therefore help players to appreciate chess at a more profound level, and make steps towards sustained and significant improvement.

Jonathan Rowson is a writer, philosopher, and chess Grandmaster who has competed internationally with world-class players and was three-time British Chess Champion from 2004 through 2006. He holds a first class degree from Oxford University in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; a Masters degree from Harvard University in Mind, Brain, and Education; and a PhD from the University of Bristol, where his thesis examined the process of becoming wiser. In 2016, after serving for six years as Director of the Social Brain Centre at the Royal Society of the Arts, he became co-founder and Director of Perspectiva, a research institute that examines the relationship between complex global challenges and the inner lives of human beings. He is also a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity at the University of Surrey, and was a 2018 Open Society Fellow. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, New Statesman, and Prospect, and he is the author of three technical books on chess. Rowson lives in London with his wife, Siva, and their sons, Kailash and Vishnu.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781901983852
ISBN 10	1901983854
Title	Chess for Zebras
Author	Jonathan Rowson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Gambit Publications Ltd
Year published	2005-10-19
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable