The Grandmaster Mindset

The Grandmaster Mindset by GM Alojzije Jankovic is an enjoyable read which increases the readers chess imagination. You contemplate the best move in a tactical position, learn a new theme, then press the solution button of Forward Chess to see the solution, along with variations and explanations. The veracity of the book variations can be corroborated by Stockfish 10 next to the interactive board. This treasure trove addresses neglected aspects in typical chess writing by tackling concrete examples and helping the reader deeply understand advanced concepts that will take their chess to the next level. It makes use of all the helpful little things a strong chess player should know.

“This book is a breath of fresh air for me when there is paucity of creative chess work in modern times!” –Ed Clarke

The book contains 12 Chapters including critical subjects such as…

Candidate moves
Knight geometry
Underpromotion to the knight
Unexpected Moves
Luring the king
Useful endgames

And much more! From tidbits of useful knowledge, to completely reforming your thought process of considering candidate moves, to thinking flexibly in general and not having your mind fixed on conventional principles when concrete circumstances suggest otherwise.

Studying this book will help you:

Be knowledgeable in endgames that frequently appear in tournament practice.
Sharpen your calculations skills with practical exercises.
Understand the true power of each piece (i.e. Power of the rooks, Knight Geometry chapters)
Familiarize yourself with unusual tactical motifs.
Develop your thinking-outside-the-box abilities with beautiful compositions. Increases your chess imagination.
Improve your dynamical feel for the game with a wealth of instructional examples of hunting down the enemy king.
Recognize the difference between sacrifices that win by concrete variations, and “intuitive” sacrifices for long-term initiative and pressure on the enemy king.
Explore how strong players spark attacks out of nowhere. This is where Jankovic comes in to bridge the gap. He puts aside your uncertainty with lucid elaborations.

Below I’ll present you a glimpse of merely a small portion of the ocean of instructive chess material.

Knight Geometry

Knight geometry isn’t topic I’ve seen in many books yet it could be of invaluable help to certain players. Do you ever feel lost or nervous in a complicated position with all sorts of sneaky knight forks? Were you blind to a subtle knight retreat? Blow a totally won position due to a chronic chess hallucination?

I’m grateful to this book for covering this topic which puts me at an incontrovertible advantage to someone without formal knight geometry chess education. Also, this will improve the readers’ intuitive feeling for devious tricks with knights in time pressure, reducing the probability of a premature blunder.

Just how good is your geometrical talent with the knights? Test yourself below on 4 positions. Give yourself one point for each correct solution. Take your time and solve these positions with utmost care and patience. If you get even 3/4 positions correct (on the first try, of course), you have exceptional talent when it comes to knights!

Tactical combination which enters a winning endgame in the following chapter. Calculate! There is a certain flow the to variation, you must calculate deeply in this case, not widely.

Boring, blockaded, drawn position….then…. amazing! By watching the following titanic struggle unfold, you’ll hesitate next time in a blocked position before mind begins to doze. Keep in mind, these are between two very experienced GMs: Croatian Granmaster Zdenko Kozul has established himself at the 2600 elo rating for decades, while Ukrainian Grandmaster Vladimir Borisovich Tukmakov is an elite level coach, training players from Efim Geller, to Wesley So.