The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (Scotland's Youngest Grandmaster Discusses the Most Common Ca)

Jonathan Rowson is a GM and a three-time British champion. His "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins" is a book about how we think in chess. Although it is pitched at the level of expert players, even a wood-pusher like me found some valuable insights. Rowson writes engagingly and with considerable wit - this is not another dry-as-peeled-paint book about chess. It is a philosophical reflection on how chess is played at the highest levels and what we can all learn from this. The most fascinating part for me were Rowson's thoughts on objectivity.He makes two radical claims about objectivity in chess: (1) that it is impossible to be objective during a game (2) that it is not even desirable.Rowson, "When we make decisions from a 'subjective' viewpoint we tend to think that we are making some sort of mistake, and should strive instead to be 'objective'." Being 'objective' in chess means seeing the position as it actually is, uncontaminated by our own wishes and plans. Rowson believes this is largely a mirage: "...seeing things as they 'actually are' would be an enormous achievement which goes against the grain of human perception... humans by their very nature are enormously self-deceptive, will only see that which experience has shown them to be there, cannot help but want the position to be a certain way and will always see the position from a background of emotional memories and pre-established patterns... you cannot escape your subjective perspective during the game." Please note the word "during" - Rowson says it may be possible to annotate a game objectively after it has been finished."To maximize your chances of competitive success, it is essential to be aware of your opponent's likes and dislikes and all their human fallibilities. You must remember that you are a subject playing another subject. Consequently, to view the position objectively is to miss an enormous reservoir of insights into the ways in which the game is perceived during play. To be 'objective' is to treat as an object that which is primarily a battlefield between subjects." By trying to be objective "... you undermine your capacity to sense your opponent's subjective perspective, and miss opportunities to exploit this." Rowson believes that his own development as a chess player was hindered by his striving to be objective: "I began to view chess more as a series of intellectual problems than a fight, and thus behaved more like an academic than a warrior... the pursuit of beauty and truth is incidental to the battle between psyches over the board... In games against grandmasters I found that they were almost never asking 'is this move true?' but rather 'will this move work?'"I think Rowson is saying that if you are playing a person, rather than a computer, then you are handicapping yourself if you do not take psychology into account.Reading Rowson's book made me realise that it is crucial to see chess dynamically. It is wrong to evaluate a position without reference to the sequence of moves that reached this point, to momentum, to dynamics, to the trend of the game, and to the psychological flow in the minds of both players. Looking at a position in isolation from the flow of the game is like attempting to make sense of a movie by examining a single frame. Likewise, looking at the position from scratch on each move to find my "best move" in the current position is like designing a building one brick at a time. Each candidate move must be seen as part of a sequence of future moves designed to improve my situation. That sequence should embody a strategy or a tactic, and cannot just be made afresh on each move.Rowson contrasts the static method of position evaluation with a dynamic approach. The former considers factors such as material balance, king safety, badly positioned pieces, central control, space advantage, pawn structure, and bishops vs knights. The dynamic approach looks at the momentum or dynamics of the game, rather than the position frozen in time. It focuses on trends and how they change. He points out that there can be an upward trend for the player who currently has the inferior position.There is much else of considerable interest in this fine book. He goes a long way towards giving the role of emotion in chess its due importance.Rowson is arguing that we should apply a variety of ways of thinking about chess, avoid applying rules and heuristics, and jump out of our old thought habits. Instead we should make the most of each position while being alive to the trend that is current. In particular, to avoid the sin of egoism we need to adopt an "inter-subjective" perspective, ie remain fully aware of our opponent from a psychological point of view, as well as applying prophylaxis.

One of the most enjoyable and thought provoking chess books I have ever read, and certainly one of the few that, if I was forced to give up most of my collection, would remain with me.This book is not for all chess players. It is not a book about tactics, combinations, opening, middle-game or end-game strategy. It is also not a book containing analysis of "famous" games. This book re-examines the intangible and cloudy thought process that the player goes through during a match, and proposes a new methodology ("approach" may be a better word) for "thinking" and "feeling" by identifying what the author considers the major mental "traps" of the chess player (hence the title "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins"). It is more philosophical and abstract in nature and is not really designed to improve your chess from a technical perspective. It does however, in great detail, show you how to re-evaluate how to "think" about chess. And in that sense this book is a delightful rarity and extremely valuable.What are the seven deadly sins? "Thinking", (yes, Rowson tells us you can think too much in chess!), "Blinking", "Wanting", "Materialism", "Egosim", "Perfectionism", and "Looseness". In a nutshell, Rowson explains that emotion is much more involved in our chess thinking than we would care to admit, and that emotion can manifest itself in these various "sins" without us ever realizing or caring to acknowledge it.The author has a great writing style that exudes his love for the game, that is one of the books biggest appeals. Perhaps it is his Scottish lineage which makes for some interesting quips, like this one: "Black may point to them and say `Look! Weak pawns: doubled and isolated!' But that is a bit like pointing to a mole on Cindy Crawford's face and saying `Look! Black spot; obvious and protruding!' As with any face, you miss much if you look at the parts seperate from the whole". The book is full of dry and humurous analogies like this one which make for a pleasurable read. It is true, as one reviewer noted, that Rowson delves into subject matter which may not be his area of expertise, but so what? His insights are interesting and in most cases quite relevant. A few reviewers have also said, they liked the book but claimed it wouldn't help their chess. I submit that, just as with concentrated study of chess "theory", this book will help, but first you must open your mind to Rowson's theories and "practice" them as you would any other technique. Chess is not for the lazy and applying Rowson's ideas are no different.There are hundreds of thousands of chess books available to choose from, but to me this one is a diamond in the rough. Simply put, if you love chess, you will love this book.

This is perhaps the most original book on Chess I've ever read. Its often funny, the author's personality surfaces in the prose, and it looks at chess from an almost social scientist angle. Its quite psychological and philosophical at times, but always readable and engaging. I beleive it isn't just useful for a chess player, anyone who plays and indivudual game or sport would benefit from some of the insights Rowson discusses. For example, Rowson has chapters on Egoism, Perfectionism and Thinking and their impact at the chess board and some of these 'sins', as Rowson calls them, are probably evident in the mindset of any individual sportsman.I think another reason why this book is so original is that its not just teaching tactics or stategy, but it is looking at some of the mental qualities a chess players needs, and the psychological origins of mistakes or sins. Whether it be wanting to win too much and trying to force a win, or 'blinking' at a key moment in the game and missing an opportunity. Some of the situations Rowson describes are identical to the kind I've experienced at the board, and the thought processes Rowson mentions were remarkable for their accuracy too. I was reading this book and thinking "I do that", or "thats what I did in my last game" and therefore I really feel that this book has helped my chess.This book would be a must buy for any chess player, but in particular I feel its most useful for the competitive player who is already playing in leagues and tournaments. Its a great chess book and a great read too.

Un livre facile à lire, l'auteur est très limpide avec les idées partagées. Je le recommande pour tous les joueurs qui cherchent à surmonter une stagnation peu importe son niveau.

I was honoured enough to be able to meet Jonathan Rowson at my chess club a few years ago. He is a really nice guy and speaks (and writes) with great intelligence. There are no exaggerations from him he is very down to earth and very philosophical in his writing. I was honoured enough to be given an autographed copy of "Chess for Zebras" by the same author. This tile is mentioned in that book and I've always wanted a copy of this book ever since. Rowson's way of writing a chess books is both unique and insightful. Thanks to his works we can all learn about ourselves as chess players.

Si vous avez perdu le gout de jouer, ou que vous êtes lassé des cinquante exercices tactiques pratiqués quotidiennement, ou que vous vous posez la question : « 1500 elo… pour quoi faire ? », il est temps de vous investir dans ce livre. Le jeu d’échec a une âme et Jonathan Rowson l’a rencontrée.Echecs sans peine (27/03/2019)

Très bon livre