The Grandmaster's Mind

The aim of this book is to look into how players find good chess ideas. Amatzia Avni, a psychologist by profession, pursues this goal by means of short and focused interviews of top players and analysts, discussing specific games and compositions of theirs. Avni has been careful to allow his interviewees to convey their own thoughts, rather than direct their answers to comply with any pre-existing theories. Once we have heard from the grandmasters, Avni discusses the essence of what was said, and provides some insights and recommendations. The positions chosen are ones where the player has a vivid recollection of how events developed, and has something valuable to say. Some unfamiliar positions are also presented, to see how the players react when they encounter a new situation. The interviewees include famous grandmasters Boris Gelfand, Ilia Smirin and Lev Psakhis.