Is Your Move Safe

Most tactics books train you to attack: your opponent’s position is loose, so find the win. This one flips the question. Award-winning instructor Dan Heisman argues that practical success starts with a humbler habit — asking, before every move, “is the move I’m considering actually safe?”

It sounds simple, but answering it reliably is not, and that gap is where countless games are lost. Heisman has assembled more than 150 carefully chosen positions — from openings, middlegames, and endgames — that show how a move can look safe and not be, or look risky yet be the soundest choice on the board. The format is multiple-choice, and the positions range from fairly easy to genuinely difficult.

The orientation is defensive in the best sense: instead of finding your own tactic, you are training to make sure your opponent won’t have one. Many of the answers are far from clear-cut and are analysed in depth, so the book doubles as serious calculation practice rather than a quick quiz.

For anyone who keeps throwing away good positions with one careless move, this is a direct, practical remedy. Suitable for a wide span of players, from lower intermediate up to strong club and master level.

This ebook is a part of Bundle: Dan Heisman's Books