Black & White Magic by Axel Smith

PDF excerpt

During his long journey as a chess player and coach, GM Axel Smith came to the realization that understanding colour-complex strategies is one of the key differences between strong and weak players. After many years of delivering lectures and training material to his students, Smith produced a Chessable course on the topic, which has been extensively edited and reorganized by Quality Chess to produce this book.

In these pages, the award-winning author breaks down colour complexes into various sub-topics such as blockades, opposite-coloured bishops and exchange sacrifices, with carefully chosen exercises to test and reinforce the reader’s newfound understanding. Use Black & White Magic to improve your chess strength!

GM Axel Smith is the award-winning author of The Woodpecker Method, Pump Up Your Rating, e3 Poison and Street Smart Chess, which were all enthusiastically received by readers and reviewers. Using the Woodpecker as part of his training, as an adult he improved from a rating of 2100 to becoming a Grandmaster.

264 Pages

Publication Date: 12 April 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-78483-191-2
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-78483-190-5

Reviews

“The book is packed with interesting positions and game fragments. Mostly from the author himself. But it’s definitely not a game of bragging. Smith regularly deals with positions in which he did not find the best continuation, but later in the analysis managed to improve... What I sometimes have trouble with is a chess book where the author floods the reader with variations. That's definitely not Smith's style. He keeps it limited and there is a lot of emphasis on explaining the material. He does this in an entertaining and sometimes even colourful way. The book reads very easily. I myself can follow the material well without grabbing a board. That is, of course, a great exercise in visualization.

Smith introduces the chapters with clear definitions of the topics he will discuss in each chapter. He then closes the chapters with the most important lessons the reader has learned. This is of course very clear and seems to me a didactically strong move.

All in all, I think it is a very educational book with its own perspective.”