Pattern recognition is one of the most important mechanisms of chess improvement. This is well known. But what does pattern recognition actually mean? And how can you improve at it?
If you realize a position has similarities with something you have seen before, you are recognizing a pattern. This helps you to get to the essence of a position quickly and find the most promising continuation. To get better at recognizing chess patterns, knowing which positions are worth remembering will save lots of time and energy.
In this book IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering supplies building blocks for your chess knowledge. In short chapters he presents lots of well-defined subjects, easy to remember because of their specific elements. After working with this book you will experience something wonderful: your mind and memory will be triggered much easier and more frequently. An increasing number of positions, pawn structures and piece placements will automatically activate your chess knowledge. As a result, you will simply find the right move more often and more quickly!
Many of the chapter titles are very helpful for remembering the theme. IM van de Oudeweetering has done a good job identifying and classifying instructive middlegame positions by theme. Club players rated between 1600-2200 will benefit from this book and master level players (2200 and up) are also likely to pick up some new ideas by carefully reviewing the material.
Very practical and perfect for self-study. The book is written in an entertaining way, working with it is a joy (...) Suitable for beginners as well.
I think it's an excellent book, and while it's not systematic in a way that would turn it into a primer on positional play, there is no question but that this will improve the positional understanding of many club players. I'd highly recommend this to players rated around 1400 to 2100, and I think even master can (and will) learn something from this book as well.
Once the reader has started applying these patterns in their own games, they will find that the post-opening phase of the game becomes easier and they will more often build up a strong position.
