Schacksnack

IM Thomas Engqvist provides a detailed review of the third and final book in Alexander Kotov’s influential chess training trilogy, Train Like a Grandmaster (Batsford, 1981). This work follows on from Think Like a Grandmaster (1971) and Play Like a Grandmaster (1978), forming a coherent framework for structured chess improvement.

In this video, we examine Kotov’s broader approach to chess training and how it complements earlier ideas in the trilogy. Particular attention is given to the organisation of chess study across the three critical phases of the game: opening, middlegame, and endgame.

Key themes include:

How should one effectively train openings, middlegames, and endgames? Why is annotating your own games essential for improvement? What can we learn from the history of chess development and its classical masters? How do thinkers such as Philidor, Steinitz, Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch, Réti, Capablanca Alekhine, Botvinnik and Bronstein shape our understanding of chess philosophy? What role did the Soviet chess school play in systematising training methods and typical positions?

This review places Kotov’s ideas within a broader historical and philosophical context, making it particularly relevant for active chess players, coaches, and serious students of the game.

Chess training is not only about calculation, but also about structure, understanding, and historical awareness. Kotov’s work continues to offer valuable perspectives on how to think, study, and improve.

In this video, IM Thomas Engqvist reviews the classic chess book Play Like a Grandmaster (Batsford, 1978) by Alexander Kotov.

Together with Think Like a Grandmaster, this is one of the most influential instructional works ever written for ambitious chess players. Whereas Think Like a Grandmaster focuses primarily on the calculation of variations, Play Like a Grandmaster examines three further qualities required for master-level play: positional judgement, planning, and combinational vision.

Thomas explains Kotov’s approach to positional understanding, including Steinitz’s fundamental principles and the importance of evaluating the key elements of a position. The book’s famous discussion of planning is also explored, from single-stage plans to more complex multi-stage plans, which Kotov divides into three categories: positions where everything is clear to the end, positions where something can be seen ahead, and positions that lead into subsequent darkness.

The video also covers Kotov’s treatment of combinations, including his classification system and the relationship between motif, means, and theme. Throughout the review, illustrative examples are discussed from the games of great players such as Kotov, Alekhine, and Karpov.

This is a highly recommended book for ambitious club and tournament players, particularly from around 1800 Elo upwards, but it contains valuable lessons all the way to master and elite level.

Have you read Play Like a Grandmaster? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

In this video, IM Thomas Engqvist examines Grandmaster Opening Preparation by Estonian-American Grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest, published by Quality Chess in 2018.

Unlike most opening books, this work is not primarily about finding the objectively strongest engine line. Instead, Ehlvest explores how players should choose openings and variations according to their age, playing strength, style, practical needs, and competitive ambitions.

The book also discusses the changing nature of opening preparation from the pre-computer Informator era to today’s engine-driven chess world. Why is memorisation more important than ever? How should modern players choose between good and bad variations? And how can club players, coaches and titled players build an effective opening repertoire?

A major focus of this video is Chapter 2, which examines the Isolated Queen’s Pawn (IQP) from both strategic and historical perspectives. We look at how great players such as Siegbert Tarrasch, Paul Keres, Anatoly Lein, Boris Spassky and Garry Kasparov handled these positions, particularly through the Tarrasch Defence in the Queen’s Gambit.

Whether you are a club player, tournament competitor, coach or aspiring master, this discussion offers valuable insights into opening preparation, endgame planning and the practical realities of modern chess improvement.

Topics covered:

• Grandmaster Opening Preparation by Jaan Ehlvest • Opening preparation in the computer era • The Informator era vs the engine era • The Isolated Queen’s Pawn (IQP) • Isolated pawn strategy • The Tarrasch Defence • Queen’s Gambit • Sicilian Defence • Opening repertoires • Chess training and improvement • Middlegame planning • Practical opening choices for tournament players

In this video, International Master Thomas Engqvist explores the classic chess book Lessons From My Games – A Passion for Chess by American Grandmaster Reuben Fine (Dover, 1983; originally published 1958).

This book is a standalone continuation of Chess Marches On and offers a rich and insightful look into Fine’s career through carefully selected games. It is filled with personal reflections, the books that shaped Fine’s thinking, and fascinating insights into the playing styles of the great masters of the time.

A recurring thread throughout the book is Alexander Alekhine, whom Fine faced several times. We dive into some of the most compelling chapters, including:

• I Meet Alekhine

• I Turn to Blindfold Chess

• Beyond the Hypermodern School

• How Far Ahead Can a Chess Master See?

This video is also a tutorial on how to study chess books effectively. I demonstrate how I read, underline and highlight key passages when working with classic chess literature — especially older, out-of-print books written in descriptive notation.

These timeless works remain incredibly valuable for players who want to:

Improve their chess understanding

Develop stronger study habits

Gain historical and strategic perspective on the game

This video is for chess lovers interested in American chess history and the legacy of Reuben Fine.

In this lecture, International Master Thomas Engqvist presents the timeless chess classic The World’s Great Chess Games by Reuben Fine (published by Dover Publications).

Why can this book be read with equal benefit by beginners, club players, and titled players? Because it tells the story of how chess has evolved from the earliest masters to the modern era — through the games, ideas and personalities that shaped the game.

The book’s centrepiece is a journey through great games from Ruy López to Anatoly Karpov, while also highlighting lesser-known masters from the USA, the UK, Sweden and beyond.

A major focus of the talk is the Hypermodern Revolution and Fine’s famous concept of the Hypermodern Paradox, illustrated through the classic game Richard Réti vs Akiba Rubinstein, played in Karlovy Vary 1923.

Reuben Fine brings a unique perspective: he personally knew many of the great chess personalities he writes about, and later became a practising psychiatrist from 1948 onwards — giving his writing remarkable psychological depth.

If you want to understand chess styles, chess personalities, and the evolution of ideas in chess history, this book is essential reading.

In this video, Swedish International Master Thomas Engqvist revisits one of the most beloved and enduring books in chess literature — ”How Not to Play Chess” by Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky, first published in 1934 and republished by Dover in 1961.

Written in descriptive notation, this remarkable book suits players of all levels — from beginners to advanced players — and has stood the test of time for nearly a century. IM Engqvist shares his personal impressions from studying the book many years ago, drawing on his own notes and underlinings made according to the principles of the American philosopher Mortimer Adler — whose celebrated method of active reading encourages the reader to engage deeply with a text in order to truly understand it. Whether you are discovering this classic for the first time or returning to it as an old friend, this video offers a unique and personal perspective on one of chess literature’s most thoughtful and instructive works.

I TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament 2026 i Malmö, som spelas 1 till 7 maj, bjuder rond 2 på ett toppmöte mellan Magnus Carlsen och Nils Grandelius, där Grandelius har de vita pjäserna. Första ronden den 1 maj innehåller bland annat matcherna Carlsen mot Erigaisi och Grandelius mot Woodward. Hela turneringens lottning är klar och visar ett starkt startfält med flera av världens bästa spelare. Under de sju ronderna möts alla deltagare i ett rundspelsformat, med flera toppmatcher att se fram emot, inklusive Carlsen mot Abdusattorov och Grandelius i senare ronder.

In this video, Swedish International Master Thomas Engqvist explores one of the most remarkable chess tournaments ever held — Nottingham 1936, played at the University of Nottingham from 10th to 28th August 1936. The tournament book was written and annotated by Alexander Alekhine and republished by Dover in 1962. What makes Nottingham 1936 truly unique is its extraordinary field: the reigning World Champion Euwe, three former champions — Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine himself — and the future champion Botvinnik, all competing for first prize and the prestige of being crowned the world’s strongest player. IM Engqvist examines Alekhine’s annotations and compares them with modern computer analysis — a fascinating glimpse into how human chess understanding has evolved over nearly a century. And then there is the mystery that has never been fully resolved: why did the British master William Winter, a known Stalinist, accept a draw against Botvinnik in the final round when he had a clearly winning position? Was it a gift to Stalin? Was it political loyalty — or something else entirely? Whether you are passionate about classical chess literature, legendary tournaments, or the human drama behind the moves, this video has something for you.

History of Chess is a series that we began with GM Emil Sutovsky at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023. The first episode was about Morphy and Steinitz, then the 2nd episode moved to Lasker, the 3rd one was Capablanca and now at the FIDE Candidates 2026, we recorded the 4th episode on Alexander Alekhine. Usually the episodes are an hour long, but this one is twice the length. We assure you, that if you are a chess lover, a chess history lover, or just inquisitive about the great masters of the past, you will enjoy this episode a lot. A big shoutout to Emil’s knowledge and his willingness to share all of this with the chess loving audience! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did while listening to it and editing it.