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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Chess Book Review blog (Read 336039 times)
proustiskeen
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #12 - 03/12/13 at 16:22:17
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A new review: Grandmaster Repertoire 10 by Aagaard and Ntirlis.

http://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/gm10/
  
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GeneM
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #11 - 02/09/13 at 20:20:38
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Troilus wrote on 02/08/13 at 10:14:28:
There aren't enough serious chess book reviewers on the web. Let's spread the word.

So true. And difficult to understand why. There are many ways to enjoy chess, and assessing and comparing chess books is something many chess enthusiasts enjoy.

The best way to review a chess book is in *relation* to a similar book within the same sub-genre.

To review a chess book about the French Defense, the reviewer should include paragraphs or sections which compare the book to another well-known book on the French Def.
Otherwise the review is like a photograph of an odd object with nothing else in the frame to indicate its size (like a standing person for something large, or a human thumb for something small).

Here are links to chess book reviews that use the relation-comparison technique to excellent effect:



http://www.chessvibes.com/reviews/having-fun-with-the-anti-sicilians

http://www.chessvibes.com/reviews/tukmakov-and-browne-%E2%80%93-a-tale-of-two-wo...


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I can see why grandmasters do not bother to write reviews of chess books, most of which are far beneath any utility to them.
But I would have expected that at least a handful of class level players would post chess book reviews.

Maybe the problem is that the same pre-judgment or stigma against chess books that are authored by class players --- is applied to chess book reviews by class players?
Indeed, can a class B player accurately review-assess an author's claim that a given variation of the Sicilian Defense is really the best? And is it wise for a class A player, or another class B player, to trust the class reviewer's assessment on this point? Perhaps not.

Yet there are plenty of important attributes of each chess book that can be reviewed that informatively without any need for extreme chess skill. And the class player has a better than 50%-50% chance of being better than a given grandmaster at understanding the value of those attributes for his bretheren class players.

For example, the class B reviewer can tell his blog audience whether the grandmaster author justified well the book's claim of best variation. Was enough explanatory verbiage given in the right places, etc?

Besides, the ability to articulate in an entertaining way is orthogonal to one's Elo rating.


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Maybe Amazon.com's book review feature is such an easy avenue for posting a review that there is less incentive to make the leap to reviewing chess books on one's own blog.

Unfortunately, the Amazon.com reviews suffer from a variety of problems. One problem is that Amazon grants anonymous reviewers the same level of privilege as reviewers who give their true name.  Blogs of chess book reviews give the reviewer's real name, thus lending credibility and fairness to the authors.
« Last Edit: 02/10/13 at 04:43:26 by GeneM »  

GeneM , CastleLong.com , FRC-chess960
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Troilus
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #10 - 02/08/13 at 10:14:28
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Deep and thoughtful reviews - thanks! There aren't enough serious chess book reviewers on the web. Let's spread the word.
  
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proustiskeen
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #9 - 02/04/13 at 19:27:44
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Done.
  
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John Bartholomew
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #8 - 02/04/13 at 19:12:39
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proustiskeen wrote on 02/04/13 at 17:43:12:
Thanks, John.  By the way, want to come to a tournament in Omaha? Smiley


Send me the details! You never know  Wink
  
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proustiskeen
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #7 - 02/04/13 at 17:43:12
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Thanks, John.  By the way, want to come to a tournament in Omaha? Smiley
  
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John Bartholomew
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #6 - 02/04/13 at 17:36:01
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Awesome site, proustiskeen!
  
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BabySnake
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #5 - 02/04/13 at 16:33:04
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proustiskeen wrote on 02/04/13 at 15:23:13:
Thanks, all.  Just got my first comment, so that's progress.

Strange re: the pricing.  It's still $4.49 in my browser.  Are you writing from outside of America?


Yes, I'm outside America but have to buy Kindle books from amazon.com since there is no amazon in my country.
  
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proustiskeen
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #4 - 02/04/13 at 15:23:13
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Thanks, all.  Just got my first comment, so that's progress.

Strange re: the pricing.  It's still $4.49 in my browser.  Are you writing from outside of America?
  
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BabySnake
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #3 - 02/04/13 at 14:56:37
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I enjoyed your reviews!

Funnily enough, the 4 Hansen booklets together in paper form cost $9.99 whereas a Kindle copy of each lessons costs $8.14. At least that's what I see, although you claim $4.49.

So paper format $9.99 vs Kindle format $32.56.
  
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Larsen_fan
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #2 - 02/03/13 at 12:23:26
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Add to favorites! Keep up the good work - there is a need for this. Not many reviews combine the view of a solid club player with good knowledge about the chess world (and publishing) in general and a thourghtfull overall approach.
  
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ghenghisclown
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Re: Chess Book Review blog
Reply #1 - 02/03/13 at 06:17:00
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I was thinking about this today - couldn't remember who had announced they were working on it. I hope it flourishes.
  

"Experience is a dim lamp, which only lights the one who bears it."
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proustiskeen
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Chess Book Review blog
02/03/13 at 05:05:02
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(Note: not selling anything, so I hope this doesn't count as cross-promotion!)

I've started a blog devoted to chess book reviews.  The first two reviews - Hawkins' Amateur to IM, and Lars Bo Hansen's What Would a GM Do - are up.  I welcome comments and adulation! Smiley

http://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com
  
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