Schacksnack

In this video, IM Thomas Engqvist discusses his chess teachers — not as coaches at the board, but as authors and thinkers seen through their books.

The focus is primarily on the middlegame, where plans, structures and ideas truly come to life. Engqvist presents his 32 teachers in alphabetical order, from Averbakh to Zaitsev, and to each one he connects a key concept, a key sentence, or a specific book that has shaped his understanding of chess.

In earlier videos, 31 books have already been introduced. In this episode, Engqvist also discusses two new middlegame books:

• Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal by Raymond Keene

• The Younger School of Soviet Chess by Andrew Soltis

Together, these authors and works form the backbone of IM Thomas Engqvist’s chess education — especially when it comes to thinking, planning, and decision-making in the middlegame.