We mentioned a few weeks ago that two Quality Chess books reached the shortlist of four for the ECF Book of the Year prize. Mauricio Flores Rios made the shortlist alongside Garry Kasparov and Joel Benjamin, but it was Boris Gelfand’s Positional Decision Making in Chess which won the prize. So congratulations to Boris and Jacob, commiserations to Mauricio.
The judges’ full comments can be read here but a few highlights were:
“A fascinating insight into how the chess mind of a great player works… Gelfand comes over as modest but confident in his abilities, with tremendous ability, experience and knowledge. But despite all this, even he sometimes finds chess a difficult game, which gives comfort to us all.”
This is the fourth Quality Chess winner of the ECF prize:
2007: San Luis 2005 – Gershon & Nor
2010: Attacking Manual 1&2 – Jacob Aagaard
2013: How I Beat Fischer’s Record – Judit Polgar
2015: Positional Decision Making in Chess – Boris Gelfand
Congratulation!
Congrats! It’s a great book that surely deserves the title!
Great, congratulations! I’m very much looking forward to volume 2!
Congratulations to Gelfand and Quality Chess! Love you guys.
AMAZING and FANTASTIC news! Congratulations to OUR HERO – Boris Gelfand and Quality Chess! You made my day! I fully agress that’s a great book that surely deserves the title! 🙂 :*
The thing with such a competition that most of the finalists usually deserve to win. Obviously we are pleased to win, but we also know that the true recognition is the countless warm comments we have received from the readers. Thank you for all your support. It makes it easier to work on volume 2…
Off-topic, bu tI was wondering how ‘Thinking inside the Box’ is proceeding? Looking forward to that one as well 🙂
@Ray
Derailed entirely. Honestly, this project scares me. Need a bit of a runner-up. Getting close to starting though…
@Jacob Aagaard
Close to starting?? You should have started a couple of years ago! 😀
Just kidding of course…but if I can give you an advice, you shouldn’t put too much expectation on a book…if you feel writing it…just write…
@Jacob Aagaard
Speaking about volume 2, an second book from Rios in the same spirit (maybe new structures or more details about the already covered structures) would be excellent news, too. I would definitly by a second book.
Me too
And of course congratulations for the prize!
With this book the serie will be completed, but I was wondering that if the new book of Gelfand talk about dynamic chess, in which book in GMP serie do you @Jacob Aaggard consider you are covering dynamic chess?
@garryk
I want to make myself happy. This is a big ask these days. I always try to make the next book better than the last. I might be delusional, but in general I feel I am succeeding, which makes it harder to write the next one yet again.
I have lots of ideas, material, lots of thoughts gone into it. Discussed the ideas with people over and over again. 500 hours in, but only one chapter written…
You should definitively start it! You have the entire blog behind you giving you the support. I’m sure the moment you start writing it writes practically by itself.
BTW, will Shaw repertoire book be tree-format or game-format?
Flores 2 would be great. Is there any plans on that? Having read both Gelfand (almost!) and Flores, I like Flores’ book more!
And don’t hide into Gelfand 2 to not write ‘Thinking’! But Gelfand 2 I will buy too.
@Gollum
“BTW, will Shaw repertoire book be tree-format or game-format?”
Both is the real answer. Generally, it’s game-format with occasional trees where the lines get really complicated or if there are no games I particularly like in the relevant line.
@Jacob Aagaard
Sounds like some kind of writer’s block to me… According to the 80/20 rule the last 20% costs 80% of your effort. The question is, is it worth the extra effort? Or are your books already great as they are?
Finally got my copy today. It seems this is a very good book. Gongrats!
Dear Nikos,
For a year I’m proud owner of Bologan’s masterpiece “Black Weapons in the Open Games”. I’m so thrilled with this book that I can’t even express my astonishment with words! Such a fabulous layout, easy to navigate lines with master evaluation for each White subline, and most importantly Black player gets two repertoire lines against each White response.
I hope that your book will be equally good, or even better 🙂
Can you reveal to us if you’re going to propose 2 lines against each White line?
Also, do you have some new discoveries for Black in all those gambit and wacky lines?
Lastly, when can we expect to have book in our hands?
* * * To Aagaard: since this is Nikos’ first book, I ready to pay 10 euros more for hardback in order to support his debut 🙂
How opinions can differ.
I absolutely hate the layout of Bolgan’s book and I pray that QC stays with the excellent layout of their books established in recent years.
Another point in Bologan’s book (except for the constant name dropping) is that he sometimes reaches the same position by different move orders and makes different evaluations and recommendations.
Please QC continue in your own style.
@Thomas
Obviously we should always remember that producing a book is a team effort. I am sure Bologan delivered high quality files.
@LE BRUIT QUI COURT
Donations are always welcome! But I consider this Nikos’ third book. We were 50/50 on the Tarrasch and 90/10 on the French. He wanted me name on this one, feeling uncertain, but I am sure that people will give him the benefit of the doubt and receive the book well.
Congratulation!
It’s a great book, Gelfand is mi hero!!
It truly is an incredible book. THanks a lot to the author, the editors and the publishing house.
Bologan is great author. Chebanenko slav is my favourite book. I was concidering to leqrn semislav but found it more useful for white side in osme lines and delivered some scores against much higher rated players than I am. Although the book is for black side. Thats why I like your opening books. They are first class purchandise.
Great to hear Boris won.
I buy most of my books from Amazon. I ordered the Boris one. But they sent me a mail saying it is for USA only and they will not mail to Kenya.
@Mehul
Mainly because they will not have it till the end of the year, I presume?
Got my Copy signed today by Boris at the rapid World championship
This is simply the best book of this year ( and for the last years) despite really good competition
Great and looking forward to more volumes !
Finished Gelfand’s book yesterday. One of the best I have read in a long time. Will probably make another run through it again soon. Looking forward to the next ones.
Off topic but is there a chance at getting some of your older books on Forward chess? Learn from the Legends, Grandmaster prep series? I really want Python Strategy, Positional Chess Sacrifices and your Karpov series on Forward chess as I read at work and during travel times and general study material works best. Opening books don’t quite work well for me on Forward chess as I use an app for memorization/quizzing for the openings. And I am a USCF Class A player so openings are limited in any case.
@Paul
Not cost effective for those sort of books. Sorry. We tried and it cost us money.
That’s truely a shame. Thanks for answering.
No plans on any other books released before Christmas?
Thinking of Anti Sicilians of KID books?
@The Doctor
There are plans alright, but nothing I can put a date on.
By the way, note the Gelfand book cover image in the post above is subtly changed.
@John Shaw
Well done for that?
You should be proud you guys do a great job!
@Ray – When I learned it, the 80/20 rule was:
The first 80% of the project requires 80% of the effort, the last 20% of the project requires the other 80%.