{"id":1060,"date":"2022-04-21T21:05:14","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T21:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2022-04-21T21:08:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T21:08:58","slug":"study-chess-with-matthew-sadler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/study-chess-with-matthew-sadler\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Chess with Matthew Sadler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Review: Study Chess with Matthew Sadler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suppose you could call this book a collection of my personal ‘Eureka!’ experiences, those wonderful moments when something complicated suddenly feels as natural and as easy as breathing<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 the author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\"\"<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

GM Matthew Sadler is a strong British grandmaster with a peak rating just below 2700. He had an extended break from professional chess from 2004 \u2013 2010, before deciding to make a comeback in 2010. As he says, he got the urge to play again, but more importantly, to \u2018play well<\/em> again\u2019 This book, written in 2012, is a summary of how he made the comeback and the trials and tribulations of his return.  He has continued to play sporadically since that time, and remarkably has managed to increase his rating since his return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book is divided into six chapters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Discovering New Ideas in the Opening<\/li>
  • Introducing New Ideas Easily into your Opening Repertory<\/li>
  • Playing Unorthodox Openings<\/li>
  • Types of Thinking in the Middlegame<\/li>
  • That Didn\u2019t Quite Work Out\u2026<\/li>
  • Thinking in Endgames<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Not surprisingly, openings are a dominant theme in the book, as opening research is essential for success at the professional level. Sadler suggests various ways to generate ideas during an analysis session, such as \u2018disturbing the material balance\u2019, \u2018acts of wanton aggression\u2019 and the \u2018spoilsport gambit (exchanging queens)\u2019. The humour in the titles is a common theme in the book. He suggests that \u2018crossover themes\u2019 (borrowing ideas from other openings) is a particularly fruitful technique. The themes are examined through a series of annotated games with insightful commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here is an example of the crossover theme, with annotations from the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n

    \n