Today is the publication day of Artur Yusupov’s Build Up Your Chess 1 on Chessable. Yusupov’s series was, I believe, top of a Chessable users’ poll as the books they most wanted to see on Chessable. So I hope they are happy to see it. As is normal on Chessable, a new release is introduced at a sale price that lasts just over a week. So if you are interested in this version, I suggest going for it soon.
I recently started to use chessable, and it’s really great so far. Years ago, I started setting up difficult positions for me in “Anki” which also offers spaced repetition, but of course that was a lot of work and I never found the time and it faded quickly…
So, I love the idea that QC is using this format nowadays. Even though I wonder how you convinced A.Y. to finally allow to use his material digitally, which he used to be quite against, from what I’ve read on this blog!
Yet, this is personally not the book I’d re-buy, even though I still had a few difficulties when going through it years ago (I’m >2000 Elo) and probably would have even now. It’s mostly still too basic, so not much to learn. Later books in the series may be a very different choice though, so I hope that potentially low sales on this book won’t prevent you from doing the other books!
Btw., out of curiosity – there are quite a few strategy/positional chapters in the book. How are they playing along with “spaced repetition”? Did you have genius new ideas how to put those chapters into the chessable format?
I have put all of the problems from the first five books into the spaced repetition system Mnemosyne over the years, and I enter the strategic/positional problems in exactly the same way as the tactical problems. I am aware that Yusupov’s answer is not always the best move according to the computer, but I want to train myself to think like a grandmaster, not like a computer. One nice thing about Mnemosyne is that you get to decide whether you got the answer right or not, so if I am confident that I had the right idea I can mark an answer as correct even it isn’t exactly the same as the book solution. It may be a little more annoying to do the same thing on Chessable with its more opinionated take on right and wrong moves.
Any change of a Forwardchess version of the series?
@John NS
No. Getting this to happen was difficult enough 🙂
Pretty sure this is a win, I like chessable.
Does anyone know whether there is a good book with exercises on the
subtle art of playing waiting moves of flexibility? I guess it is rather difficult, since related to profylactic thinking, but it might be hard to give guidelines on when to wait abd when the waiting move turns out to be a waste of time that gives away an advantage.
Just the other day I was analysing Botwinnik-Chekhover, USSR 1938 in which White played just one waiting move (20.h3?!) too many, where he could have successfully finished his strategy with a logical move, 20.Rd7 (of course it was just too difficult for me to understand the pointe of h3, so I checked it with an engine). Probably Botwinnik, whodoes bot comment on this move, wanted his opponent to go wrong on his own account and not play too forcibly or just thought his position was so good he could afford the time for a little improvement move. In other cases the effect of a subtle waiting move is just this: the opponent goes wrong or does not see the difference etc. If anyone knows of some collection of exercises on this theme, thanks in advance for the reference.
@Jacob Aagaard
A pity. Is the plan to have all the books in the series on Chessable?
@Jacob Aagaard
Dear Jacob,
do you think it is advisable to study the Yusopov series via Chessable? It seems to me that Y. wants the student to get familiar with the concepts, not so much with move orders (of course, there is a tactical element in almost every excercise but the tactics is not the point of the puzzle itself). Moreover, you spend a lot of time repeating puzzles you have solved the first time. Maybe it is a good tool after having studied the physical version of the book? I studied 3 books until now (Fundamentals) and am very happy with the series. Yet I take the ‘slow’ route, following Y’s advise in the Preface. Again, what would you advise as a study method: the physical book or Chessable?
@John NS
We have to convince Artur, but we certainly want to do it. If it sells, we will win the argument. So, if you want them all there, support it with your pocketbook…
@Jacob Aagaard
Ok I just bought it to kick things along. I wonder if I’ll get a refund if I don’t end up beating Carlsen 🙂
The offer expires on February 25, 2019 with a $5 discount and a 30-day refund offer. It is really a good initiative to have fun or make a nice gift to a chess fan. Thank you for this information 🙂
Here’s hoping sales are strong and Artur is convinced! As a card-carrying lazy bum, I’m not sure I would have ever worked through this book with a board. But now that it’s available on Chessable, it’s much more *accessible* for me. Amazing book. Just wanted to say thanks for all the effort that must have gone into this.
I’ve been hoping for something exactly like this for the Yusupov series for several years. I’m happy to have (re)purchased in this new version, and will be sure to do the same for any other volumes in this series that are introduced in this format. Thank you!
Great stuff! I will re-purchase on chessable. I recorded which exercises I got wrong in each book, so I will focus on drilling/studying those specific exercises only, rather than go through the whole book as I did the first time.
Even though i have the book in two other formats, i have bought it on chessable too. I hope that this would help you with the argument and help me gain some rating points. I am planing to buy the hole series again if you make it available on chessalbe.
I re-bought it in a weak moment – no regrets yet 😀
@John NS
As a starting point it is an experiment to put one on the platform. But I think it will go well and they will all be available. Yusupov decides essentially. I think it should be available on such a format. It is the 21st century.
I think everyone have their own preferences regarding study method. I cannot recommend one or the other. I think a physical board is an advantage, but in front of a computer, app or else, I doubt it matters.
It’s a great book! Works amazing on Chessable! Would love to see the whole series on that platform!!!
@Jacob Aagaard
At present 456 people have bought it. Without divulging commercial secrets is this considered enough so that all the books can be put on Chessable?
@John NS
We do plan to put the whole Yusupov series on Chessable. Certainly more sales always make a publisher happy, and there is also the Chessable users’ evaluation of Build up Your Chess 1, which is at 4.96/5. So Yusupov’s content seems to work in this format (as Brandon said above).
It will take us a while to get the whole Yusupov series on Chessable, as we want to make sure the files we send are as close to perfect as we can. So the usual checking and re-checking everything.
Great news! Also the idea of making informational lines trainable.
I hope you will convert the orange series first, followed by revision&exam. BTW – any plans for revision&exam 2 and 3?
@Tim
It is a bit more complex than that, but essentially this is the idea.
R&E 2+3. I would love it, but Yusupov has to agree to write them! That is the difficult part…
Hi,
Just a personal plea to make the next book in the series available as soon as possible on chessable. I am almost through the first book and it has made an enormous difference to my play. I keep seeing the book slip down the list of ‘coming soon’ over at Chessable and I wonder what the actual timetable is?
Peter
@Peter Dove
QC has no control over this whatsoever – you would want to talk with Geert (publishing manger) over at Chessable. He has the most control over the publishing schedule there.
@Peter
Gert says its down to the publisher.. in previous comments QC has said they are reviewing the material for accuracy.