Some people who follow my reviews may have noticed that I appear to be hard on Dr. Nunn. Perhaps. Nunn is, without a doubt, one of the world's best chess writers. If I feel he's slipping, I will always let out a loud shout in an effort to shock him back on track (nobody likes criticism, and it inevitably forces the writer to reassess his work).

In the case of Secrets of Practical Chess, there's no need to raise my voice at all, unless it's to shout about the great job he's done. This book is virtually filled with interesting stuff! Chapter One (which explores things like decision-making, oversights, time trouble, laziness and determination) offers us tidbits like "The Tree of Analysis revisited" (I found this fascinating), "Evaluation Functions," "When to Analyze," "Safety-nets," "When the Tactics Have to Work," "Positional Thinking," and on and on and on.

Chapter two discusses opening considerations like building a repertoire and using opening books. Chapter three is a discussion of the middlegame. His piece on bad positions is especially important, in my opinion. A huge chapter on the endgame follows, and then he finishes up with a chapter on how to use a computer (playing programs and databases).

Nunn's use of lots of prose to explain key ideas, concepts and theories is laudable. His examples are excellent, his writing is interesting and well-considered, and his subject matter is largely made up of important areas of chess knowledge which haven't been sufficiently explored in other books.

My only complaint is that it could have used another hundred pages! If he thickens the existing chapters, and adds one or two new ones, he would have something really special on his hands (of course, all this is based on personal greed. If I find some ice cream that I really like, I always want the pint to turn into a quart).

An important book, and a great addition to any library!

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