Catalogue text:

Some players seem to have an inexhaustible supply of chessboard luck. Like all players, they may get into trouble every now and then, but they somehow find a way to escape. Among world champions, Lasker and Tal and Kasparov especially excelled at peering into the abyss but making sure it was their opponents who fell. This book aims to help ordinary players, who may have little time for studying chess, to make the most of their abilities. Unlike most previous literature on chess psychology, this is no heavyweight theoretical treatise, but rather a practical guide in how to lure opponents into error - and thus create what is often called 'luck'.

Review(s):

Don't be fooled! Luck has nothing to do with this game of chess. Of course, the writer doesn't appear to be serious when he writes this book, but he is serious when he says that there are things that you can do during a game to ensure that you play to your ability. The book is intended for ordinary players who haven't studied chess a great deal and it gives guidelines for a number of different aspects of your play to minimise your bad luck and maximise your opponents bad luck.
After a short introduction the book is broken up into three major parts followed by a Conclusion. The parts are: Getting Out of Jail; Aspects of Luck, and The Successful Speculative Sacrifice.
This is a book on chess psychology, but it is by no means a dry theoretical book. LeMoir uses many of his own games and many games played by the elite to explain the points he is making. The anecdotes are interesting and the chess positions given are analysed from the perspective of "encouraging your opponents to self-destruct". The production quality is very good and the illustrations lighten the book throughout. An interesting read.

Recommended

Thanks to Australian Chess Forum, Mr. Paul Dunn