The Art of the Middle Game

While there are plenty of books dealing with chess openings and no shortage or helpful volumes on the endgame, there are far fewer available on the all-important middle game. And yet, the middle game is one of the most challenging parts of the contest. It is then that the player has the chance to initiate long-range attacks, and create defensive systems.  In this excellent study, two great grandmasters combine their talents in a masterly analysis of attack and defense in the middle game. Kotov was one of the great attacking players of the century, and in this book he has written an entire chapter devoted to the strategy and tactics of attacking the king. Conversely, Keres has contributed an outstanding and unconventional treatment of defense, showing how one can defend any position given the right spirit and understanding, no matter how hopeless it seems.  The truth of Philidor's statement that "pawns are the soul of chess" is reflected in a helpful chapter in which Kotov demonstrates