Secrets of Chess Intuition

Publisher: Gambit, 2008: Pages: 176, Paperback

Intuition is central to all chess decision-making, and an understanding of its role is vital in improving one's game. Players who try to calculate everything to a finish are doomed to lose out to those who use their logical and intuitive abilities in harmony with one another. This book, the first devoted to the role of intuition in chess, explains how to allow your intuition to reach its full potential and provides guidance on the types of positions in which one should rely heavily on intuition, and on those where one ought to be more analytical.

The two authors, both top-level authors and players, have drawn examples from modern practice and from the classics, with special emphasis on players whose intuition has been legendary, such as Mikhail Tal. The authors devote particular attention to the role of intuition in sacrifices, whether for attacking, defensive or positional purposes.

Alexander Beliavsky is a famous grandmaster from Ukraine who now plays for Slovenia. He was World Junior Champion in 1973 and has been among the world elite for more than twenty years. His play is marked by excellent theoretical preparation, fighting spirit and a determined approach.

Adrian Mikhalchishin is also a Ukrainian grandmaster who is based in Slovenia. He is well known as a writer and researcher, whose work has covered openings and endgames in addition to middlegame topics.