C.J.S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts: Volume 1

Purdy was a master at chess and analyzing positions on a chess board. I have bought every single Purdy book I can get my hands on. They are exceptional and I've learned a whole lot from them.

As someone who has studied plenty of chess but is mired still in the club range, I have found one area that I have neglected in my training. Playing over annotated games as Purdy suggests. There is an old-school feel to how he writes at times (he wrote such clear books when very few were out there, as opposed to now when there are many more like this). But that is part of what I like about it. He writes simply and clearly, and provides apt feedback for a blind annotator. I especially like how the book is not simply a book of annotated games, but that a few essays about studying, thinking and tactics are included. For all the books I have, I am finding my time best spent with these games.

in my chess library, there is no single author that I would not consider selling with the exception of CJS Purdy. I try to get my hands on EVERYTHING written by this man. so many chess books are over the head of the under 2000 player, but Purdy writes for us, and to us, and brings such practical observations, without assumptions, that one cannot help but to grow from his teaching, and enjoy him as a writer. The rare humility of a great chess player comes shining through his pen....get everything you can by CJS Purdy...enjoyable reading.

This book contains 100 master games annotated by Purdy: 25 world championship games from Botvinnik to Spassky, 25 grandmaster games from tournaments, and 50 master games from Australasia. In his notes, Purdy tries to elucidate the ideas behind the players' moves rather than reeling off long variations of analysis. However, when required, Purdy did include analysis of his own. In this, he was very good as evidenced by his achievement of winning the first World Correspondence Chess Championship. The book also includes tips on playing the openings, middlegame, and endgame as well as the playing over of grandmaster games (a form of solitaire chess). Perhaps the most useful part of the book is Purdy's system of thinking which the student should use to decide upon his moves. Purdy developed his system many years before Jeremy Silman elaborated the Silman Thinking Technique in his book How to reassess your chess. Purdy's system of thinking is also discussed in more detail in his other book The Search for Chess Perfection. My only complaint with the book (a minor flaw) is that information about the tournament and year in which some of the games were played is not included. Highly recommended.