Chess is fundamentally a dynamic game. Each move changes the situation and the possibilities for both sides. No piece is ever identically as valuable as any other, and their scope changes from move to move. The current generation of supergrandmasters plays unrelentingly dynamic chess, but a great deal of chess literature still deals with chess as if it were a predominantly static game. Much traditional chess teaching is based around rules of thumb that might work well 'on average' or in 'typical' situations, but these rules may not equip players for the specific and sometimes exceptional situations that they face in their games. In this book, Valeri Beim explains how to factor in dynamic considerations, and weigh initiative and time against material and other static factors.

Introduction:

"This book follows on from my previous work Lessons in Chess Strategy, in which the most impor­tant chapter, supplying the whole work with its central theme, was the one dealing with chess stat­ics. Accordingly, in the present work it seems logical to concentrate on the other side of the coin: dynamics.

I will now repeat something I said in the previous book (I can't help it, for this is an essential point). The terms statics and dynamics express concepts that are extremely important in chess. They are frequently found in books, articles and annotations. There are definitions of these terms that are generally accepted. And yet I have not so far come across a lucid explanation of the sub­stance that lies behind the definitions, of the way these concepts operate on the chessboard, of the dividing line between them (what it is, and where it must be drawn), and so forth.

Recently, in fact, these extremely important elements of chess have had some books devoted to them. Unfortunately, however, for an ordinary amateur - for someone we normally refer to as a club-player - these books are difficult to follow unaided, precisely because the complex concepts are not elucidated plainly and thoroughly. Such elucidation seems to me essential.

In general, I believe that neither authors nor trainers (and I belong to both those categories my­self) should forget about the special importance of studying the simplest, most fundamental princi­ples of the game, upon which, after all, everything else in chess is constructed. (I had already written these lines when I came across an utterance by Kasparov in his article on Petrosian: "Essen­tially, the basis for creative achievement in chess is supplied by truths which at first sight appear trivial." I was delighted to find such an authoritative confirmation of my view.)

To chess trainers, my message is this. Should your pupil lack a proper 'grasp' of some simple but important principle of the game, let's say centralization, then both you and he need to identify the problem by studying plenty of examples from his games. For someone who isn't a direct pupil of yours but merely a reader of your books, things are that much harder, for with no one to monitor his chess development, the defects in his play will accumulate.

That, by the way, is precisely the reason for rejecting one opinion which is very popular, indeed almost universal, among chess lovers in the West. According to them, a chess student can do with­out a trainer entirely (unlike in golf or tennis!), since there's always a computer that 'knows it all better than anyone', and you can buy a book too and on occasion have a look at it. But this view is mistaken. In the first place, a computer may be crammed full of information, but it can never tell what information - in what quantity, in what area, and so forth - is necessary for you personally. And secondly, neither a computer nor the best of books will be able to keep a constant watch on your progress as a chess-player, applying corrective measures as the need arises.

An authoritative and friendly view from someone at their side - this is the main thing that players expect from a good trainer, and it is one of the most indispensable conditions for their development. (This incidentally is a big topic and requires separate discussion.) From all that has been said, it isn't hard to see that for anyone working with chess novices or players trying to improve, the main requirement is a systematic approach and a grasp of the fact that we shouldn't on any account grudge the time spent on 'obvious things' - indeed we should make a detailed and extremely clear explanation of them!

To the students, the very same message can be given: don't try to 'skimp' on the time you devote to these matters. Time spent on the thoughtful study of 'commonplace truths' is always repaid in the form of time saved later and points scored in your games.

Now, a few words on the structure of this book and its content.

It will be entirely devoted to the place of dynamics in the game of chess. I aim to discuss the na­ture of dynamics, how they operate in the most varied situations, and, most importantly, how all this is to be utilized. To my 'regular' readers, I would point out that I have decided to depart somewhat from the usual structure. In particular, there will not be the 'exercises' which have become a regular feature of my books. On the other hand, the quantity of instructional material has been increased, and much of what might have been presented in the form of independent exercises will be found in the examples.

This is my fourth book, and the longer I work on searching for material, the more frequently I come across the problem of sub-standard annotations, whether in periodicals, books or databases. I have often found that these annotations miss the key moments of a game or fail to assess them cor­rectly. I don't wish to point my finger at anyone in particular; indeed if anyone makes the same kind of reproach against my own writings, I am prepared to hear them out, provided of course that they show me exactly where the fault lies.

One other point seems to me of fundamental importance. As always when settling down to work on a new book, I am not content merely to retell things which are fairly common knowledge and which an intelligent and experienced reader can very well look for independently and find scattered in various other books and magazines.

Works composed on such lines, assembling material from various sources and drawing it all to­gether, do have their use, which is sometimes very considerable. They can help the reader to attain a more complete grasp of one aspect of chess or another. However, when an author feels it is in his power to add something to what is generally known (he may simply be giving new information, but is often providing an original slant on some familiar aspects of the game), this can give an extra stimulus to his work and make it attractive to the readers. Up to now I have managed to present something 'novel' in each of my books. I intend to do so again this time. I realize of course that not all my disclosures are of equal significance, and that perhaps not all of them will withstand the pas­sage of time. But I think that if some ideas come into your head now and again, they shouldn't be left on the back-burner but published in the expectation of constructive criticism.

The true value of these 'novelties' should emerge when other people - my readers - see them, ponder them and assess them. I am therefore very interested in receiving feedback. That is, I not only address myself to my readers but would also like to hear your opinions on this book as well as on all my previous (and perhaps future) ones. My e-mail address is: valeribeim@gmx.net

Valeri Beim Vienna, 2004"

004 Symbols

005 Introduction

007 Dynamics

042 Development

097 King Moves for Attacking Purposes

114 Breakthrough

131 Initiative

174 Index of Players

176 Index of Openings