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Has anyone looked at "Improving Your Chess at any Age" by Andres D. Hortilosa? It's from Everyman (2009).
The book is interesting, but the prose is beyond tortured. I was going to put up a selection of quotes, but abandoned the notion as too painful. So, I'll just offer up the worst I have found so far:
"When you can take something away from your opponent, wisely resist the urge and falsify the idea first before biting into the apple."
It isn't clear who the editor is. If it was me, I wouldn't have put my name to it either.
Sounds like good advice for the organiser of that Bramption active, currently being dissed in another thread. Can't accuse him of "falsifying the idea first".
Has anyone looked at "Improving Your Chess at any Age" by Andres D. Hortilosa? It's from Everyman (2009).
The book is reviewed at chesscafe: "Hortillosa spent a number of years in the military and his writing often reflects a somewhat stiff military style, as in ..."
The book is reviewed at chesscafe: "Hortillosa spent a number of years in the military and his writing often reflects a somewhat stiff military style, as in ..."
About ten years or so ago a whole set of books came out from the good ole U.S.A about "How to become an A player", and "How to become a B player", and perhaps even, if I recall "How to become a C player"! These would have to at least qualify as in the running for the worst chess book ever!
The book is reviewed at chesscafe: "Hortillosa spent a number of years in the military and his writing often reflects a somewhat stiff military style, as in ..."
I would consider writing that was a little stiff and terse to be "military style". This is just plain bad.
Just because it's a chess book shouldn't be an excuse for incomprehensible language.
Last edited by Neil Sullivan; Monday, 22nd March, 2010, 03:50 PM.
What was an impulse that you've purchased this book?
Hi, I'm not sure I understand your question. If you're asking why I bought it, it was because the writer is close to my age and rating so I wanted to compare his book to mine.
I made the purchase before reading last week's review and have been looking the book over for a couple of weeks. Even if I had read the review first, I might have still bought it out of morbid curiosity. :)
I made the purchase before reading last week's review and have been looking the book over for a couple of weeks.
For me the major question is if a person can improve his chess from the book.
I don't care if he writes with an accent. I only care if the title fairly represents the content of the book. In you opinion, does the title fairly represent the content of the book?
For me the major question is if a person can improve his chess from the book.
I don't care if he writes with an accent. I only care if the title fairly represents the content of the book. In you opinion, does the title fairly represent the content of the book?
No, it does not.
On the Everyman chess forum, the author discusses the fact that changes to the book were made after the cover had already been designed. The promise of a study plan was not respected. Oh well ...
I agree that the style isn't necessarily the most important element, but, if you don't understand what I am telling you, it doesn't matter how great my advice might really be.
On the Everyman chess forum, the author discusses the fact that changes to the book were made after the cover had already been designed. The promise of a study plan was not respected. Oh well ...
I agree that the style isn't necessarily the most important element, but, if you don't understand what I am telling you, it doesn't matter how great my advice might really be.
That's the important part.
Strictly going from the quote, which is out of context and I have never seen the content of the book, I assumed it means that once you see you can obtain an advantage, or a piece, do the proper preparation rather than immediately pouncing and possibly spoiling the long term prospects of your game.
Look at the guy on the cover... That is why you buy the book. Tried to make this post in all caps, but it converted my all caps into all lower-case. Pretty lame...
I have this book as well, though I haven't read it yet. Perusing its pages at random definitely yields a number of examples of tortured phrases and sentences. I don't agree that this failing makes it a bad book.
The system that the author offers reminds me of some of the writings of Cecil Purdy and Dan Heisman with a smattering of Alexander Kotov thrown in for good measure.
Everyman Chess probably needs to take a look at its editing and proofreading. There were similar complaints on Amazon about another recent Everyman book, "Modern Chess: Move by Move" by Colin Crouch. The prose there was not quite as tortured but there are issues with typos. There has been a suggestion that the typos drop what may have been a great book down to a very good book. I'm not sure that I agree but I'll know in a few weeks once I finish with the book.
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