Chess Strategy For Club Players

Herman Grooten

New (3rd) improved and extended edition

Sample pages (pdf)

International Master Herman Grooten presents a structured course on positional play aimed at amateur players and based around Steinitz's own elements of positional play. Structural elements such as strong squares, passed pawns, pawn islands and harmony & coordination are examined in 26 chapters, with illustrative examples and exercises in each chapter.

In addition there are 3 quiz games where the reader has to try to find the best moves as the game progresses. The author understands that, often, these positional signposts point in different directions and he offers advice on how to find the most important characteristic in a given position.

This new edition of Herman Grooten's award-winning classic has, besides various corrections and improvements, a new preface and a brand-new chapter called Total Control.

In this 35-page chapter Grooten adds the final instructive brick to his formidable building: inspired by Tigran Petrosian’s playing style he explains amateurs how to exploit small advantages. With a new set of exercises.

Herman Grooten is an International Master and chess coach with over 25 years experience. He has coached Grandmasters Loek van Wely and Jan Werle.

Published 2017, softback, 462 pages.