Small Steps to Giant Improvement – perfect as it is?

At some point in the next couple of months we will need to print more copies of Small Steps to Giant Improvement by Sam Shankland. We are delighted with the book, but what did you think of it? Did you see something we should change/correct?

As you will guess, after the blog readers’ suggestions on what we should correct when reprinting Playing 1.e4 e5 (thanks for that) we are once again asking for help.

On a wholly unrelated topic, my pre-World Cup prediction was that England would win the Cup (this is football not chess). I was half-joking to Jacob, but if it turns out be correct then I will claim full credit.

50 thoughts on “Small Steps to Giant Improvement – perfect as it is?”

  1. For me it’s perfect as it is – this is the best book on pawn play (and strategy in general) I know. My only suggestion for an improvement is that there should be a volume, and volume being sold out so quickly, you can keep Shankland to his promise?

  2. Could use more exercises. 6 per chapter would be nice to mimic the Yusupov format. An appendix with all the guidelines in one place would be useful.
    -How about some post publication Shankland pawn play examples if he or any of you can manage it.
    Thanks in advance

  3. It’s a fine book. I agree with Michael though that more exercises would have been a welcome addition. This would have made it possible to mix up the solutions a bit. Now there’s always one ‘yes’ and one ‘no’ per chapter. At least it feels like that.
    A summary would also be helpful. I’m not sure it can be done without sounding boring. Listing 40 guidelines one after the other probably reads similar to a phone book.
    I’ve worked through the book with a student lately. After he had done all 32 exercises his comment was “What, this was it? 32 exercises and I’m through the whole book?!”. It’s mainly a text book, of course, but maybe 4 exercises per chapter on one page would have improved the product even more.

  4. Thanks for the comments guys. Regarding the suggestion about adding more exercises: while we take the point that additional exercises would have been welcome, we are reprinting as opposed to making a new edition. Adding exercises or other new content would mean changing the layout, adding pages and re-doing the contents/index (due to changes in page numbering) and therefore involves too many changes for a simple reprint. Listing the guidelines as an appendix is more feasible, but we will have to consider if it would enhance the book or if it would seem too bland.

    If anyone has spotted any spelling mistakes, typos, factual errors or any other things which can be corrected without changing the overall content, these are the things which we are especially keen to know about when reprinting.

  5. Jacob Aagaard

    I just want to add that Sam found the suggestions very helpful, while I was sueezing him on the need for a second volume (no guarantees).

  6. Here’s a major error not caught by proofreading in TitB:
    Page 345 (Chapter cover) and later again in the text, the black player’s name is wrong. Just filter the game out of MegaDB and you’ll see.

  7. dvigorito :
    page 52 note to Black’s 73…Rb3 it says “the natural square for the room”.

    Thanks Dave. Seemingly ‘obvious’ typos like that are weirdly hard to spot. I have no doubt the editor and proofreader saw the word ‘rook’ in that sentence, even though it’s not there.

  8. Thank you for this wonderful book.
    I’ve only found a small thing in the Name index page 331 the name of Sam Shankland its not included.
    I’m looking forward the volume!!

  9. On page 95 the book says “With Ng4 coming..”
    The knight has been on g4 all the time, it’s Nf2 or Ne3 that is coming.

  10. Jacob Aagaard

    @CarlosB
    Not a mistake. We do not include the name of the authors in the name indexes, as it makes no sense to know he is mentioned 150 times in the book…

  11. Timotheos Lirindzakis

    Is there any plan to publish a book on the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian Defence from Black`s point of view?

  12. Jacob Aagaard

    Hopes, dreams and progress. But no announcements yet.

    On the other hand, people keep asking about the Classical Sicilian and I would rather go for the Latvian, as it seems a more reliable opening ;-).

  13. Jacob Aagaard :
    Hopes, dreams and progress. But no announcements yet.
    On the other hand, people keep asking about the Classical Sicilian and I would rather go for the Latvian, as it seems a more reliable opening ;-).

    As they say here in the States: “Ohhhhh, burn !!”

  14. Thomas :
    On page 95 the book says “With Ng4 coming..”
    The knight has been on g4 all the time, it’s Nf2 or Ne3 that is coming.

    A reader emailed me about this error yesterday. It should say “With …Ng4-f2 coming”. In fact, it did say that originally, but at some point we accidentally deleted the end.

  15. @Jacob Aagaard

    I think you exaggerating a bit……it’s not that bad!
    Is it any worse than the Pirc? A book you did a GM Rep on?

    How come the Najdorf book is taking soooooooo long??

  16. Jacob Aagaard

    I checked it again a few days ago, because of this relentless pressure. And yes, I do think it is worse than the Pirc. Much worse.

  17. You will probably already have someone lined up to do the Najdorf-book. Boris Gelfand probably does not want to waste his time writing an opening book, but he is a great Najdorf-expert. Daniel King did a (comparatively) great book on this opening in 1994, nowhere near as complex as a GM Rep book, but still very nice. It seems to me Dr. Nunn might have some spare time as well?@The Doctor

  18. Maybe a Najdorf book with recommendations for lines that do not change by the minute, and summarize the topical lines with: “You, your time, your engine, and keep a close watch for everydays news on topical lines, have fun!”.

  19. @Jacob Aagaard
    Really! I’m guessing it’s the RR that’s the problem, still seems many top players still employ it, including Carlsen and Ivanchuk.

    Not so fussed as I play the French these days, I am only waiting for the new Najdorf book to see if it can inspire me to revert back to my first love ?

  20. Jacob Aagaard

    Of course we already tried to offer Boris a lot of money writing a book on the Najdorf. He seriously considered it, but eventually decided not to. So we have a good solid guy writing it instead. I am happy with that, but obviously would have loved to have Boris write something for us.

  21. On page 116 it says 11.-exd5 is based on the tactic 12. Bxa6 c4.
    Not the best move as white has 13. Bxc4. 12.-dxe4 seems much stronger

  22. An Ordinary Chessplayer

    “I think he is just too old to change openings.” – This comment really spoke to me.

  23. it is a really nice book and I feel very much out of place to comment on it. Perhaps it might need some sequel on the power of pawns, indirectly this subject has been touched of course. Things like fixing a weakness, pawn rollers, dynamics of pawns, past pawns, using pawn chains or pawn against bishops, how they coordinate with other pieces or fight against enemy pieces, breaking moves and guidelines for those. Of course Nimzowitsch and others have covered such themes, but maybe Sam can do a better or more objective job in this era?

  24. I am really wondering what Roïz recommend against Catalán in the QID book. Catalan is so strong because even with small +/= small inaccuracy in the opening can cause Black to have depressing positions. Any hints on what is planned for Catalán?! 😀

  25. @ Leon Trotsky

    I think Nikos already gave a convincing line against the Catalan in his repertoire book on the Queen’s Gambit. The main line ends in a forced draw. I haven’t been able to find anything convincing for white in that line, so maybe white needs to find an alternative at an earlier move. I played this line in a league game last season and obtained a great position very quickly. Black”s plans are quite clear. So what’s the problem in your opinion with this variation?

  26. @Leon Trotsky
    The most popular line at a high level seems to be Bb4+ followed by Be7. This seems to have increased in popularity over the last couple of years too. I think Roiz will cover this line (I certainly hope he does) as I can’t think where this line is covered in literature from the black perspective in detail off the top of my head. I know Daniel King did a dvd on the line recently.

    Of course, there are other lines that could be covered (such as ..b6 in the closed Catalan) and I’m sure you could get some fresh position from a deviation in the Open Catalan somewhere, but I would like to see the main line covered.

    Lastly, I asked this question a couple of weeks ago and they have been tight lipped!

    James

  27. James2 :
    @Leon Trotsky
    The most popular line at a high level seems to be Bb4+ followed by Be7. This seems to have increased in popularity over the last couple of years too. I think Roiz will cover this line (I certainly hope he does) as I can’t think where this line is covered in literature from the black perspective in detail off the top of my head. I know Daniel King did a dvd on the line recently.
    Of course, there are other lines that could be covered (such as ..b6 in the closed Catalan) and I’m sure you could get some fresh position from a deviation in the Open Catalan somewhere, but I would like to see the main line covered.
    Lastly, I asked this question a couple of weeks ago and they have been tight lipped!
    James

    Which line is this? the Closed line with …Aa6 and …Cbd7 ¿

  28. On the top of page 31 Sam writes in the third sentence how much nicer Black’s position would be if he could move his pawn back to e6! Well, I doubt it. Black could play e5-e6 only on move 15 or 16, but then Qg3 x Qc7 finishes the job immediatly! The basic explanation of this paragraph is correct and speaks for itself. So why don’t you just delete this sentence?

  29. @Hesse_Bub
    It is you who is not getting it I am afraid. He is talking about the way the pawn structure allows White to use the d5- and f5-squares for his knights and how it would be great for Black if pawns could move backwards, to e6.

  30. Dear Mr. Aagard, thank you for publishing Small Steps to Giant improvement by Sam Shankland. It is an interesting topic and after the first look I feel this book in Combination with Chess Structures – A Grandmaster Guide by Mauricio Flores Rios will help to improve my pawn play.
    Regards

    Andreas

  31. @Jacob Aagaard

    In the Page 51 of the book, there is one mistake in the comment after 10.Kf7:
    “Stalemate. Note that White would be winning if the pieces were shifted one file to the left.” – At that time, if all pieces shift one file to the left (including the bishop), it should still be a draw. It is fortress, White cannot win.

  32. @ Stephen Jiang : W( Ba2 , Ke6 ,h6 ) vs B ( Ke8 , h7 ) is a white win . I suppose that pawns are not real « pieces « .

  33. @Pinpon

    That is what I want to know. From the text, it indicates W( Ba2 , Ke6 ,g6 ) vs B ( Ke8 , g7 ), that makes sense to me that after the book is published, Shankland resigned against Giri in a similar draw position, because he truly believes in that position Black is lost.

    If we correct the book, our reader would do the same in the future :-).

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