Practical Chess Beauty (hardcover) by Yochanan Afek

Solving studies is well established as an effective method of chess improvement. In Practical Chess Beauty one of the world’s greatest study composers, Yochanan Afek, shares his finest creations.

Fire your imagination, gain a greater appreciation of chess geometry, and develop a finer feeling for the pieces’ potential by trying to find the ideas hidden in the hundreds of studies in this book. Or simply wonder at some of the most stunning chess moves ever conceived.

Yochanan Afek is an over-the-board IM from Israel who holds titles in almost every area of chess, including Grandmaster of Chess Composition. In a long and celebrated career, Afek has been a composer and a solver, a player and tournament organizer, as well as an arbiter and trainer.

From the Foreword by GM Emil Sutovsky:
“The book you hold is full of energy; it is fresh and evidently written with a lot of love and passion for the game. Yochanan visibly enjoys sharing his knowledge and readily invites us into his magical world.”

ISBN: 978-1-78483-075-5 - 464 pages - Published 28 November 2018

Reviews

"It is a lengthy work full of ideas and beauty."

GM Jan Timman, New in Chess

"Chess training has advanced by leaps and bounds the past two decades and one of the biggest takeaways has been the need for active training that engages the student. Solving endgame studies is an excellent way to do this as it simultaneously improves one’s endgame understanding, understanding of piece efficiency and calculating ability not to mention developing an appreciation for chess aesthetics.

Afek’s latest book, Practical Chess Beauty, is the product of a life’s work and promises months of absorbing study material."

IM John Donaldson

 "Afek has succeeded in his intention to show the beautiful artistic aspects of chess... And not only that: it also turns out to be an excellent training tool... I knew Afek could compose nice studies; he showed me regularly at tournaments. But I did not know that he had made so many, where each one is even more beautiful than the next."

IM Herman Grooten (full review in Dutch)

"This is one of these books that there should be many more of! The author LOVES chess, and that is clearly evident from nearly every page. Several times, I caught myself thinking: where does all this creativity come from? ... The book is phenomenally entertaining, enlightening, mind-blowing and mind-boggling.

***** (5/5)"

Carsten Hansen, American Chess Magazine

"This is, in my opinion, a must-have book, one of a kind."

Frederic Friedel, ChessBase (full review)

"... there is no doubt in my mind that everybody, either player or composer, who loves 'chess beauty' will enjoy this book very much. It reads like a page-turner novel. Highly recommended!"

Harold van der Heijden, EG

"The Israeli-born artist presents an outline of his 30-year career. The special thing about it: Afek gives an insight into the genesis of his studies and shows how his compositions have been stimulated by his practical games. It is astonishing how many study-like twists can be found in Afek's own games.

In addition to the aesthetic pleasure, Practical Chess Beauty is of course also suitable as a training book. Solving these tasks is not just a good preparation for a tournament. It may even be the best way to improve your skill level because the calculation of concrete variations is trained.

Whether you want to improve your chess or just want to enjoy the beauty - you won't go wrong with Practical Chess Beauty."

Harry Schaack, KARL

"As a composer, the author is well rounded and knowledgeable about problems (he has composed some most acceptable ones) and on the whole not given to lengthy solutions or dense annotations – many of his compositions are full of cut-and-thrust tactics and he relishes the occasional bombshell. As an annotator he has a delightful, gentle sense of humour and takes care to cut things short when the analysis becomes tedious or irrelevant. Moreover, the book is not all about developing tactics and a sense of beauty; lots of amusing anecdotes crop up as you read – these diversions are useful for a broader appreciation of the game and the art."

David Friedgood, The Problemist

"Yochanan Afek talks to us about beauty in Chess, wonderfully illustrated by his games and artistic studies... This book can certainly be used as a tool for working on chess, but it is also and above all an object of absolute pleasure for the lover of chess."

Daniel Capron, Phénix

"Beauty is abundant in the hundreds of gems of studies and game fragments by the author, ordered by many terms from practical chess, such as zwischenzugs, perpetual check and underpromotion... Although it is a separate discipline from playing, the club player can still experience many hours of enjoyment and learning."

Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad

"Afek has written other books but you could call this his Magnum Opus"

Johan Hut, Dutch newspaper column