Move First, Think Later

WINNER: English Chess Federation (ECF) Book of the Year 2012 Award RUNNER-UP: ChessCafe.com Book of the Year 2012 3rd Edition - with a new epilogue: 'The Discussion Continues' The chess instruction establishment claims that all you need to do is concentrate on the characteristics of a position. Stick to some rules of thumb and good moves will pop up more or less automatically. But that is not how it works, finds International Master Willy Hendriks. Chess players, both weak and strong, don’t first make a plan before looking at candidate moves. Trial and error is a very common and in fact highly effective way to get to the best move. In his journey into the chess-playing mind, Hendriks uses recent scientific insights in the working of our brain. He raises a number of intriguing questions: • Can you, too (whether you are talented or not), become a grandmaster? • Why does a chess trainer’s advice often sound like a horoscope? • Can you find strong moves by ticking off a