A book by stalwart chess writer on an aspect of chess that is quite
common, but little is written about, swindling in chess. In chess, a
swindle is a ruse by which a player in a losing position tricks his
opponent, and thereby achieves a win or draw instead of the expected
loss. Renown chess writers Horowitz and Reinfeld observe that swindles,
"though ignored in virtually all chess books", "play an enormously
important role in over-the-board chess, and decide the fate of countless
games".
Andrew Soltis, American chess journalist, says swindles are not
accidental or a matter of luck. Swindling is a skill. But there has been
almost nothing written about how to do it, how to make yourself lucky in
chess. Swindling means setting traps that exploit an opponent's
over-confidence. It means choosing the move that has the greatest chance
of winning, rather than the move that has the least chance of losing.
Soltis' new proposal will explain to players of all levels how to do
just that with plenty of examples to explain along the way.