IM John Donaldson: "In some ways, a book from earlier times in that it offers the reader a significant amount of explanatory prose. Yes, analysis is given, but only what is needed, not more. The author repeatedly reinforces the points he wishes to make not only through the illustrative games he offers, but also in the summaries and the exerices."
John Saunders, British Chess Magazine: "You would never guess that he was so young when he wrote it as it is imbued with a great deal of understanding of the game and expressed in good, plain English."
Marshtower Chess Reviews: "This book will suit improving club players who are prepared to work on building up their positional skills. Is it possible that an author so young has sufficient wisdom to impart such knowledge? As far as this book goes, the answer is an unequivoical 'yes'."
GM Simen Agdestein: "The book is quite excellent. It is easy to understand and contains a good collection of illustrative examples of how you can improve your positional understanding."
Arne Moll, ChessVibes: "It may well be one of the best books ever written on positional chess (..) Extremely well written, carefully selected examples showing the whole range of positional aspects of a particlaur theme (..) In between the examples, Naroditsky often makes valuable and sharp points."
B.H.Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad: "Club players, the target group of this book, will be able to work on improving their positional skills by using the great games, the summaries and the exercises."
Ronald Gross, Co-chair, University Seminar on Innovation, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
"The book is one of the most sophisticated, superbly-written, enjoyable, and serviceable works on chess I have ever read. Congratulations to all involved, and esp. the brilliant young author." Steve Godberg, Chess Cafe:
"Surely, in five or ten or twenty years, with further experience and practice, Daniel would write a different Mastering Positional Chess than we have today. But Naroditsky writes in a mature manner beyond his years, and this text should prove helpful to virtually all class players.
After all, a wise person understands that he can learn from all people, even from someone who not so long ago was tooling around in a tricycle and drinking from a sippy-cup."
Howard Goldowsky "Chess Writer", Boston, MA:
I like the book, but it's advanced. It's a nice collection of (2450-rated, 14-year-old) Naroditsky's notebook entries about positional chess. The chapter headings include Prophylaxis, Defense in Worse Positions, Building and Breaking Fortresses, Positional Sacrifice, Paralysis in the Middlegame, and Maneuvering. Each chapter includes complete games and game fragments. The editing is okay, and the writing is decent, even by adult standards. The instruction is about half prose and half analysis. Naroditsky looks at positional chess from an original angle, and he provides fresh perspective into even the most time-worn examples. He is wary of computer analysis. There could have been more explanation of basic concepts for the novice, but if you're a novice you probably shouldn't be expecting to get much from this book anyway. There are little boxed-in concept summaries, which are a nice touch and I think the editors probably asked Naroditsky to add them. Based on the Intro, the book was pretty much written before it was sent to NIC. Overall, not a bad effort for a 14-year-old! In an interview with Jen Shahade, at the USCF Web site, Naroditsky says that he's at work on a follow-up book about the endgame. If that book proves as entertaining as this one, then bring it on!
Edward Scimia, About.com Guide
The subtitle of this book is quite accurate; much of the advice given throughout its six chapters is practical in nature, exactly the kind of help I find most useful. I suspect this is the case for most club players; playing a more theoretically perfect game is great, but practical answers that will help us win more games certainly show a more immediate payoff in our results.Chapter two deals with defending bad positions, a skill that can save many points by holding difficult draws or frustrating anxious opponents. Chapter three handles what to do when you find yourself either holding or invading a fortress. Chapter four talks about positional sacrifices, including the usual goals that warrant such a sacrifice. The fifth chapter covers paralysis (the situation in which your pieces simply have no good moves, or no moves at all), and the final chapter is on maneuvering the pieces.
I don't feel like a strong enough player to evaluate whether the positional advice given by Naroditsky is better, worse, or similar to the advice given by more experienced authors. What I do know is that his book is easily digestible, and the tips always make sense. They seem to be written at a level that any club player could understand -- a lot of it aimed at much lower rated players, but plenty of which can help those of us rated closer to 2000 as well. Maybe it's because the author himself was a class player not too long ago.
I'm sure many will look at Mastering Positional Chess dismissively, or at best, as a gimmick from a young writer. But this book and its author deserve respect. If you're a class player who has found picking up positional concepts difficult or mysterious, I'd recommend giving Daniel Naroditsky's first book a chance.
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