The Bottom Line
(November 2005) 'Award-Winning Chess Problems' by Burt Hochberg; Sterling; June 2005; 96 pages; 'Each of these problems has been awarded a top prize in one of the innumerable problem competitions that have been held all over the world in the last century and a half.' [Introduction] • 'Outrageous Chess Problems'; March 2005; 128 pages; Hochberg has 'selected problems that are delightful, ingenious, imaginative, provocative, funny, outrageous, thought-provoking, or all of the above.'
Pros
- Although both books are by the same author and cover the same subject, there is no overlap.
- Problems are fun to solve and are a great way to pass an idle moment.
- The books can be used to advantage without having a chess board at hand.
- You do not have to be an expert player to appreciate the art behind a good problem.
Cons
- Chess problems are not to everyone's liking; don't buy these as gifts unless you are sure.
- As far as we know, solving chess problems will not raise your chess playing strength.
Description
- 'Award-Winning Chess Problems' (also called 'Sit & Solve Chess Problems' on some web pages):-
- -> 125 orthodox two-move direct mates : no helpmates, selfmates, or other unorthodox forms;
- -> hints are structured to make it difficult to see accidentally the hint to the next problem;
- -> solutions with comments on the mechanics underlying the problem and its solution;
- -> 'What is Mensa?': the book is an 'Official Mensa Puzzle Book'.
- 'Outrageous Chess Problems':-
- -> 'What's Going On Here': introduction to why these problems were chosen as 'outrageous';
- -> 'Things You Should Know': glossary of terms and conventions that apply to chess problems;
- -> 110 problems organized by related themes in nine chapters; comments on the mechanics;
- -> algebraic notation explained, 'Crash Course on Chess', index of 'constructors' (aka composers).
Guide Review - Two Books by Burt Hochberg about Chess Problems
These two books by former 'Chess Life' editor-in-chief Hochberg cover a niche often overlooked or ignored by competitive players. Problems are the closest that chess comes to being an art. They have nothing to do with chess logic (i.e. chess as a science) and nothing to do with chess as a competition. For this reason chess problems are almost guaranteed not to occur in a real game and should not be confused with chess puzzles and chess studies, which might possibly arise under competitive conditions. See the accompanying article under 'Suggested Reading' for an explanation of the difference between the three terms as well as an example problem from each of the two books. • The problems collected by Hochberg are excellent examples of the genre. The award winning problems have passed muster in competitions which attracted entries from the best composers in the world. The outrageous problems will make you smile as you admire the ingenuity of composers in adapting and stretching the rules of chess; forget about using your computer to solve them. • Even if you've never been interested in chess problems, you should find these to your liking.
