*****Short-listed for the English Chess Federation Book of the Year
Award 2020*****
In Coaching Kasparov, Year by Year and Move by Move Garry Kasparov's
long-term coach, second and mentor Alexander Nikitin tells the story of
how he trained Kasparov from a brilliant but raw junior into becoming
and then remaining the world champion. Volume I, the present work,
covers the period 1973-1981, until Kasparov reached the age of 18. The
author goes to great lengths to describe his educational approach during
the early period to raise Kasparov's theoretical knowledge and practical
performance, covering both play and psychological training.
In Nikitin's blow-by-blow tournament accounts he describes how he
handled various unexpected situations to get the best out of Kasparov
with detailed recipes. His numerous insights will be of great interest
to today's chess coaches who wish to take a comprehensive approach to
improving their pupils' performances.
The present volume contains 46 games fully annotated by Nikitin,
including all 14 games of a blitz match played between the 15-year old
Kasparov and ex-world champion Mikhail Tal on 26 December 1978 in
Tbilisi that have never before been published and which are provided
specially for the 2019 edition of this book.
Most of the other games are well known, but Nikitin explains many of
Kasparov's decisions in those games from the point of view of the future
world champion's coach, providing the context of his young pupil's
thought process and mistakes and tracing his progress. He also uses
these games to illustrate and expand upon his coaching advice. This
makes his commentary quite unique and instructive, of formidable
practical use to budding players, coaches and parents.
