Chess Training Pocket Book II: 320 Key Positions for players of all levels Paperback – Illustrated, October 17, 2008

The first "little" book by Alburt (300 Most Important Positions) is very good and I highly recommend owning both of these; however, I believe they upped the bar with this book. Most of the examples are taken from a variety of top level tournament games, some of them old, some new. What distinguishes this book from a lot of the rest is that it throws you into a "you are there" game atmosphere. There are no "you have a fork and a mate in three" type of hints. You must determine each problem just like a real tournament game. Also, a huge difference from other books is that some of the solutions (or best ideas) in these positions are just about improving the position. They do not necessarily lead to something hugely decisive at the moment, but instead prevent counterplay or just simply improve your position. I have not done much along the lines of studying chess in the last few months besides read this book and my USCF rating has gone up about 150 points in only 3 tournaments. I am USCF 1696 and have had a 2000+ performance rating in 2 of those last 3 tournaments. No promises here for you but you cannot go anywhere but up with this in your library. This book covers all bases - opening, middlegame, and endgame. Highly recommended and a fantastic job by Alburt and Lawrence.

I've used the earlier edition of this book for years. It is one of the best available tactical exercises texts because the selection encompasses tactical motifs, strategic plans, and endgame techniques. Having the answers on the facing page is convenient, but requires self-discipline to avert one's gaze from the solution while solving the problems. But the explanations are clear and to the point--combining lucid prose with critical lines. The essential structure of the new edition remains the same, but the text is cleaner, better aesthetically.I was concerned, however, when ordering this book. I wasn't certain whether I would be getting the same problems as the first edition, but expanded slightly. I was delighted to learn that the book contains 320 new problems. There are several enhancements in the organization. For example, several pages in, all four problems on the page come from one game. The diagrams include both actual positions from the game and theoretical positions that might have occurred.Given a choice between the two versions of "Chess Training Pocket Book," I recommend the second. As for me, I will keep both versions together and ready to hand as I continue my skill improvement.

I must say I'm disappointed with this book. The organization has the feel of someone just dumping a bunch of positions on blank pages and calling them "critical" or "key" without much rhyme or reason. Don't expect much cohesive thematic exploration from one position to the next. The material is more or less pseudo-random in what it covers: a mating net in one diagram, an end game in the next, win a couple of pawns in the third, and so on. Useful from the perspective of "you never know what you'll face in a game," but hard to follow. I'm giving it three stars because it does contain some thought-provoking material, but to be honest, I've put it down in favor of a couple of other tactical books I have.

Learn more chess and/or keep skills fresh while traveling, waiting in line, etc. As with the first Pocket Book, covers a vast array of chess ideas in a compact format, suitable for players of almost any level, but not for those still learning the rules/basics. Anyone below master strength could benefit from these positions: the experience of working through them helps; and understanding the underlying ideas is crucial, both to improving one's game and to appreciating the beauty of chess.

This is what I ordered thank you.

Easy to understand and study.

Excellent book, full of worthwhile insights.

Big disappointment! I thought this would be perfect to carry with you and practice tactics methodically from easy to more advanced. This book jumps around and there is no structure in teaching how to spot tactics or how far ahead to calculate. Just a bunch of diagrams to fill up the pages. Chapter one was the only informative and interesting part of the book.