HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS
Author: Simon Williams
Gambit Publications (2008)
111 pages
$24.95

THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS
Author: Zenon Franco
Gambit Publications (2008)
256 pages
$31.95

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

Chess books, like movies, seem to copy each other, in that a concept that one company feels is a good sell, is quickly replicated by other companies as well. After my endgame book appeared (which I claimed was the first truly instructive endgame tome), almost every other chess publishing company rushed to present their own “instructive” endgame book and thus claim a piece of the pie.

This same pattern is being shown again, but this time the concept is “attacking chess.” In the last few months, we first got Jacob Aagaard’s excellent ATTACKING MANUAL 1 (see my review of that book HERE), and now Gambit Publishing has presented their own attacking books, HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS by grandmaster Simon Williams and THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS by grandmaster Zenon Franco.

Both Gambit books are oddly similar. THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS features six chapters and a total of “33 inspirational and instructive masterpieces” (from the front cover). The chapters:
1) The King in the Center
2) Opposite-Side Castling
3) Attacking the Castled King (Same-Side Castling)
4) Exploiting Temporary Advantages
5) Horwitz Bishops
6) Miscellaneous Themes

HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS (with “30 modern attacking masterpieces, explained step-by-step” – from the back cover) offers seven chapters:
1) Opening to Middlegame
2) Keeping the Initiative
3) Harmonizing the Army
4) Locating the Weak Point
5) Changing the Tempo
6) All-In!
7) Playing to Your Strengths

Each chapter begins with two or more paragraphs of “buildup” where we learn a bit about the featured theme. Then deeply annotated games follow which act as illustrations.

One thing that stood out for me was the obvious advantage in experience Zenon Franco has as a chess writer. His prose was more polished, and his design offered the reader more via:
A) Paragraph(s) summing up material after each game show what we should have learned from that particular example.
B) Exercises at the end of each chapter.

I also take exception to HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS’ size (just 111 pages) and price ($24.95). Of course, THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS isn’t a bargain either at $31.95, but at 255 pages you’re clearly getting more for your money.

Both books present many beautiful, exciting games, and the notes in both are excellent and offer quite a bit of advice. But though they have subliminal “crave” words in their titles like “Art” and “Crush,” I can’t consider either book a serious instructional tome. If you’re looking for that, Vukovic’s classic THE ART OF ATTACK can’t be beat for the under 1800 crowd.

Though I slightly prefer Aagaard’s ATTACKING MANUAL 1 (I find his writing style to be more entertaining, though also vexing at times – other readers might prefer Zenon’s more straightforward prose) to the two Gambit offerings (though Aagaard's book is even more expensive, weighing in at a hefty $34.95 for 260 pages), Franco’s THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS meets it head on as a solid competitor for those interested in this kind of thing.

Thus, if you’re looking for molten attacking games, exercises, some instruction and advice, and detailed notes, all in the framework of a solid design, THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS will live up to, or even surpass, your expectations. It’s an excellent book.

On the other hand, HOW TO CRUSH YOUR OPPONENT, though it also has its moments, doesn’t hold up against the heady competition of THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS or ATTACKING MANUAL 1.

Click to buy (or get more information about) HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS

THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS

ATTACKING MANUAL 1 (Aagaard - $34.95)