A Spanish grandmaster explains how creativity can be used to overcome technical obstacles on the chessboard. Once they have obtained an advantage, too many players make the mistake of assuming that the exploitation of this advantage will just be a matter of technique, requiring accuracy but little imagination. Romero shows that the opposite is often the case: sometimes it is the paradoxical solution that works, whereas the mechanical method would fritter away the hard-earned advantage. By following Romero in his investigation of the many outstanding practical examples in this book, readers will inevitably increase their understanding of chess strategy in general, and fine-tune their instinct for sensing those critical moments when non-standard solutions are necessary.

Alfonso Romero is a grandmaster from Spain, and was editor of the magazine Gambito. He was runner-up in the 1984/5 European Junior Championship and has represented his country in several Olympiads. He has a reputation for playing imaginative attacking chess. This is his first chess book.