The Grandmaster's Mind

This book investigates how chess-players find good ideas. Amatzia Avni, a psychologist by profession, pursues this goal by interviewing top players and analysts. The discussion focuses on their most interesting and instructive games and compositions.

Avni has been careful to allow his interviewees to convey their own thoughts, rather than direct their answers to comply with any pre-existing theories. We experience the events on the board through the vivid recollections of the player. This gives us a realistic view of each struggle and how the critical decisions were really made.

Avni also presents the players with some unfamiliar positions, and records their reactions upon encountering these new situations. Once we have heard from the grandmasters, Avni discusses the essence of what was said, and provides some insights and recommendations.

The interviewees include famous grandmasters such as Boris Gelfand, Ilia Smirin and Lev Psakhis.

Amatzia Avni is an Israeli psychologist. He is a FIDE Master in both game and composition, an international judge of studies, a former editor of the Israeli magazine Schahmat, and a regular contributor to Chess Monthly and Kingpin.