The Science of Strategy

So guys, I said that we would want some help. Some already guessed this would be with the titles for a few of the books. The first one is a book by Alexander Kotov, not previously translated into English. The Russian title was “The Textbook of Chess Strategy”, which we did not like at all. We are currently going with: The Science of Strategy, but feel that a better choice may be out there.

So, this is your chance to get your name on page 2 and your title on the cover. Suggestions are very welcome! Has to work with the theme and the cover.

196 thoughts on “The Science of Strategy”

  1. Some suggestions:

    1. Kotov´s Primer on Chess Strategy
    2. Classical Chess Strategy explained
    3. The Development of Chess Strategy – A Classical Treatise

  2. The Russians teach you strategy
    Time to really learn chess strategy
    Kotov pure strategy : why classic knowledge is important

  3. I actually like the proposed title, but here are some other options:

    1. Every Russian schoolboy knows…
    2. Soviet Chess Strategy reloaded
    3. Foundations of Chess Strategy
    4. Standard Chess Strategy

  4. How about The Application of Chess Strategy or Chess Strategy: An Essay or (one for old Batsford) Winning With Chess Strategy? :0)

    James

  5. How about Chess Strategy: A Modern Treatise or Winning Chess: Priming the Prelates or Practiacal Chess Theory Applied: You Win!

    James

  6. Or another one: Doctorin’ The Doctrine: Chess the Right Way?

    Or perhaps another Smiths inspires title: Kotov – Take a Bow?

    I think they are my final suggestions now.

    James

  7. Your intended action is, in my view, a bit of a liberty. So I would ask you all to reconsider the merits of the original title, but rendered TEXTBOOK ON CHESS STRATEGY or A TEXTBOOK ON CHESS STRATEGY.
    We have used textbooks to learn many things in life, the association for struggling players will be positive. Textbook on Chess Strategy has a brusque, Russian feel (No definite/indefinite articles). A Textbook on Chess Strategy, prettier, is perhaps just as good. Of the various ways of juggling the words, these are best to my North American ears.
    Altering the titles of old books is a mistake. I wish you wouldn’t do this. Save your “Science” title for a book in the future that fits it perfectly.

  8. My plan involves the Bee Gees on the front cover of the book in full 70s flares and open necked shirts and very tight trousers staring at a chessboard…in soft focus of course…

    title: “”Strategy- ah, ah ah ah, staying alive”

    blurb on back
    “Strategy- when you need a plan so it won’t go wrong
    It’s Strategy
    When your trainer cries and you don’t know why
    It’s hard to bear
    With no engine to help you you’re
    Goin’ nowhere
    Strategy
    When you lose control and your position has holes
    It’s Strategy
    When the initiative dies and you don’t know why
    It’s hard to bear
    But with Kotov to help you you’re
    Goin’ somewhere”

    May be slightly overlong but if QC do gatefold picture disc special editions then that may sort that minor problem out…

  9. Strategize like a Grandmaster.
    Strategic Science: Kotov’s Quanta.
    Strategic Science in Chess: Beating the Hiesenberg Uncertainty Principle

  10. Space: The Final Frontier of Strategy.

    A tribute to Leonard Nimoy whose passing has now been 3 years. Hard to believe it has been that long. In the tv show at least he was purported to be a great 3 dimensional chessplayer.

  11. A. N. Burumcekci

    @Robert R

    +1. I believe the author has the right to the name of the book. Maybe a subtitle can be added to increase interest such as The Russian Way or something else.

  12. “Stratagems of Chess” by Alexander Kotov

    “Scheming,Systematized Soviet Style” (4 S’s) by Kotov

    “Soviet Style Scheming Systematized ” by Kotov

    “Scheming Soviet Style” (3 S’s) by Kotov

    “Kotov’s Legacy: Strategize Like a GM” by Kotov

    “Strategize Like a GM” by Kotov

  13. Atomic Structure of Chess Strategy

    Strategy: the Atomic Structure of Chess

    Chess Strategy : Atomic Structure of the Game

    Atom Heart Chess Strategy (maybe best of all, but provided there are no copyright problems … Pink Floyd)

  14. Perhaps this book could be done like a musical birthday card? As soon as the pages are open we get a full rendition of the Howard’s Way theme? ;0)

    James

  15. “Strategy’s Periodic Table”
    This also alludes to the fact that Mendeleev, possibly Russia’s greatest scientist developed the concept of The Periodic Table.

  16. Although I’m not creative enough to help by offering an alternative title all I would say is that as soon as I saw a chess book with a word like “science” in the title I would put it back on the shelf and look at something else……science seems to me to suggest boring and very hard work!

    Doubtlessly it will attract some, but suspect us lazy players (and there are a good few of us out here) will not go there…

  17. Hard to find a proper title w/o knowing the book. Guess the interest of this book is mainly historic, so the title should retain an historic flavor. Maybe “Chess for strategists”, “strategic chess battleplans”, “essential chess strategy” ?

  18. Since Kotov is best known for the “Tree of Analysis” I would suggest something that reminds potential readers of that fact and at the same time tries to make it clear it’s a different type of book. For example: “Beyond the tree of analysis, Kotov on Strategy” or vice-versa.

  19. Alfred Wallner

    “Secrets of Chess Strategy” by Alexander Kotov or
    “My Search for Chess Strategy” by Alexander Kotov

    All the best!
    Alfred

  20. Mr. Aagaard,
    To tell you the truth, I do not think this is a good book. It is quite similar to the book entitled “How to Become a Grandmaster” which is a Russian edition of postumously assembled teaching materials by Kotov. Why don’t you publish the three volumes by Pachman in one volume entitled “Complete Chess Strategy”, and his other two books on tactics (Pieces and Pawns in Action & Attacking the King, the titles are something of the sort) and entitle this second volume “Complete Chess Tactics”. And it is not that I need the Pachman editions for myself, I just propose a great contribution to chess literature. All these 5 volumes by Pachman have only been published in descriptive notation, what a shame!!!

  21. But really, what does it mean, this sentence: “The science of Strategy”?

    I think it is an empty title like this.

  22. Is there anything about the content of the book that’s different from other books on strategy? Then maybe the title can refer that. Otherwise there’s either generic titles or jokes, I guess.

    So how about Pump Up Your Kotov…

  23. The atoms of Chess Strategy
    Nuclear Pawns clear the way, Kotov’s Strategy is here to stay
    Countdown to zero
    Fire up your strategy
    Evolutionize your chess strategy
    All the strategy’s pawns
    Strategize your pawns

  24. Inside the pawn’s mind
    Chess strategy decomposed
    The decomposition of chess strategy
    Pawn’s play in strategy
    Strategic observations of a mere pawn
    Lessons in strategy
    Particles of chess strategy

  25. Orbital strategy
    Pawns, orbit and strategy
    Pawn and atom – the definite guide in chess strategy
    How to do chess strategy and bring nuclear winters to your chess competitors with Kotov’s manual
    Chess strategy – dissolving pawns to atoms and more strategies by Kotov
    Chess strategies finally translated in english from russian

  26. Hi Jacob
    Not easy to give a title without having read the book. Anyway, from what we know about Kotov’s other books and the soviet era vision of chess , strategy in chess is more related to some “methodical planning” and his ineluctable realisation than a science.
    “Method in chess ” is maybe already a book by Y.Dorfman but something like “method in chess strategy ” might be closer to Kotov’s mind .

    Anyway, if you are just looking to get a nice title for commercial purpose, i will suggest the direct ” sex over the board” ( that one will need a new cover !)

  27. @Peter#102, Kotov already has a book published in English with that title.
    However, along the theme of Kotov’s famous books, “Strategise like a Grandmaster”, but cyberhound has beaten me to this.
    How about:
    “Strategic Planning like a Grandmaster”.

  28. Why not make things simpler instead of getting more and more artsy with the name suggestions. How about simply telling the reader what he can do with Kotov’s book?

    “Learn Chess Strategy”

    This makes sense under the assumption that his text book starts somewhere near the beginning of strategy.
    The name includes the word “chess” and it doesn’t seem to be already taken. It also pairs well with all kinds of sub-titles or marketing slogans like “Best lessons from the Russian school of Chess”. The name can also be integrated into a series later with other classic texts, if the demand is there, like “Learn Positional Play” or “Learn Dynamic Play”, etc.

  29. Strategy : from the Past, for the Future

    Strategic Resonances

    The Quarks of Strategy

    Strategy Revolutions

  30. This is either cheating or lateral thinking, depending on how you view it, but given, as far as I am aware, there is already a Kotov book in English called “Chess Tactics” I think the book should simply be called “Chess Strategy”.

    (There are lots of variations on this above but as far as I can see nobody has suggested just “Chess Strategy” Apologies in advance if I have overlooked it.)

    I accept that there are already books called this by Edward Lasker, Eduard Gufeld and Frank Eagan (and possibly Capablanca) but to my mind this just shows it is a good title. While product differentiation may be desirable for a lesser author or publisher I would not have thought it would be a problem with Kotov or Quality Chess.

    I accept also that it does not go with the cover but if the title is right, which I think it is, then I suggest you change the cover. (You can always use the cover for another book.)

  31. The book also appears from your cover to be in your chess classics series so it should have a classic title.

  32. The Battle Beginns: Create Your Strategy
    How to Create Strategy
    Applying Strategy
    The Creation of Strategy
    Strategy Evolution

  33. An Ordinary Chessplayer

    “The book also appears from your cover to be in your chess classics series so it should have a classic title.” (Ian Jamieson) …

    Ergo: Classical Chess Strategy. Tom Tidom and Kinghartatta already gave very similar titles, so one of them should get credit if this or similar is selected.

    Speaking of classic titles, I remember a conversation my brother had with the neighbor, about a run-down car in our driveway. Neighbor: What kind of car is that? Brother: A “Caprice Classic”. Neighbor: Classic? That’s not a classic. You need to see one of my classic cars. (Explanation: The neighbor had several valuable restored vintage cars in his garage.) Brother: They didn’t make “classic” cars in those days.

  34. – The Universe of Chess Strategy

    – Chemical Composition of Chess Strategy

    – Chess Strategy under the microscope

  35. Time to put us out of our misery Jacob. If we have to stick to the cover (not quite getting it?) here’s my last try
    ‘New Clear Power Strategy’

  36. I think that, even after the fun of this thread, the original title is best.

    If you do it another time, how about not letting us know the title you picked? (You might have to video yourself with a date and time on the videi with your own title before you open the thread so there will be no Doubting Thomas’s if somebody chooses your own suggestion).

    I have enjoyed trying to come up with some titles and even though some of mine were meant to be silly I know have more of an appreciation of how difficult it is to come up with a punchy/relevant title.

    James

  37. @James2
    I was thinking just that. And then a vision came to me. I present to you and to the rest of the world: Elementary (chess) Strategy

    I don’t think it has been mentioned because Google didn’t find it.

  38. Besides a classic title as Principles of Chess Strategy or Classical Chess Strategy, I found a subtitle; “avoid barking up the wrong tree” quite amusing.

  39. Michel Legein :
    Manual of Chess Strategy

    It seems strange that I would “me-too” someone else’s suggestion, but…

    Michel’s suggestion, “Manual of Chess Strategy”, or “The Manual of Chess Strategy”, would seem the best way to stay very close to a literal translation, without using the unmarketable word “textbook”. I’m not sure what the actual title of Kotov’s book is in Russian, but Google’s translation shows both “manual” and “textbook” as translations for both “учебник” and “руководство”.

  40. It’s clearly a picture of an atom with three electrons in the second shell; the two electrons in the innermost shell are not shown. Hence, the title of the book should be:

    Bore On Chess
    🙂

  41. @Dr Bob
    Very nice

    Seems like its one electron in each of the 3 ‘shells’.
    In the planetary model you would put the 3 electrons in the px, py and pz orbitals in one orbit!

    So if new are talking purely on a chemistry level the whole diagram of the atom is inaccurate!

    But frankly who cares!

  42. Talking from a theoretical physics point of view: nothing is orbiting anything else – get over it!

    Anyway, it was intended to be a humorous digression. I think that the cover picture is too constraining to allow much sensible input. Something less committal might have led to a title to match the (imho) wonderful, ‘Luther’s Chess Reformation’.

  43. The Central Elements of Strategy
    Insights in Chess Strategy / Insight of Chess Strategy
    Observations of Chess Strategy

  44. @The Doctor
    Sorry for the misunderstanding – not intended to be either personal or catty.
    Just my conclusion after a long time trying to make sense of QM, that *I* should be getting over it!

  45. This is lehrbuch der schachstrategie Vol 2 3rd edition ?
    so the title should be : Textbook of Strategy Volume 2
    When will Koblencs Book 1 be out?

  46. Javier Castellote

    What happened with the third video? The video more complicated and doesnt exists… why? Simptomatic.

  47. @Jacob Aagaard

    Hello, i’m a newbie on this forum, so please don’t hate me, i didn’t really know where to ask this question.
    I wanted to know if there are any books for wannabe coaches other than your “Thinking Inside the Box” (which can be used as a material for coaches as well) ? Just to give you some information, i’m playing around Fide Master level, and i would like to start coaching , tho i’m pretty young (18 old).
    I really appreciate what you’re doing for this community,
    and thanks in advance for your anwer. 🙂

  48. It is difficult to come up with a name for a book without looking at the contents or knowing the intention of the author. Is it a comprehensive tome on strategy or is it a barebones primer? As it is an older book and the main selling point may be who wrote it, my choice would be Kotov’s Chess Strategy Primer, or Kotov’s Guide to Chess Strategy, or Basics of Chess Strategy, or Basic Chess Strategy.

  49. The Soviet School of Strategy

    – A title Kotov himself would likely have approved. There’s an alliteration there. And you can leave the reader to wonder whether these days a title like that is slightly tongue-in-cheek (after Yermolinsky and others have tried to debunk the image of a monolithic Soviet School of Chess).

  50. Now I see kutlu hasan already suggested Soviet school of Strategy in post #10.
    I still like it though!

  51. Hmm reading about the new Shereshevsky Method book from New in Chess and examples of plagiarism. Did it involve any Quality Chess titles? Gelfand’s name was mentioned

  52. Do you mean Road to Endgame is the book “Sharp Endgames”, or is it another new book in the future … ?

  53. (The) Orbits of Chess Strategy
    or
    Classical Orbits of Chess Strategy
    or
    Orbits of Classical Chess Strategy

    Cheers

  54. I see that you went for the original title after all if the new catalogue is to be believed. Slight anticlimax but have to applaud the new Tal cover complete with pawn sporting a combover! Just needed to be holding a fag and downing a brandy as well to be perfect
    ?

  55. Jacob Aagaard

    @JB
    We have been a bit unimpressed, but may still change the titles if a better one comes along. The leaflet is just a suggestion of what is coming…

  56. @JB

    I would not say “The Science of Strategy” is 100% the final title decision. We wanted to put something as a title in the catalogue, and the original title was the front-runner at the time. Probably it still is. I appreciate the effort that has gone into suggesting alternative titles, but I have not spotted one yet that looks a guaranteed winner.

  57. Timeless Strategy
    Immortal Strategy
    Eternal Strategy
    Everlasting Strategy
    Relentless Strategy
    Tremendous Strategy
    Passionate Strategy
    Energetic Strategy
    Ambitious Strategy
    High-Powered Strategy
    Hooked on Strategy
    Shapes of Strategy

  58. That symbol looks similar to the animation you see when they come out of commercial or change scenes on The Big Bang Theory. So how about:

    Big Bang Strategy!

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