The idea behind this book is for you to
'play' as in a real game, and it is my job to ensure you have a pleasant
time
while training. I suggest you take at least an hour and a half for
each
game and as your coach I will indicate when to guess the moves.
Sometimes there
will be suggestions -- including tricky ones -- to measure your
concentration
level. The ideas behind the moves are always explained. Points are
awarded for
the 'right answers' as well as for some other moves, and at the end
there is a
general assessment plus a review of some of the things to be learned
from the
game. During my coaching period I was able to witness how motivating it
is for
kids to receive points for the right answers, their 'lives are at stake'
when
they try to find the answers, and it is a challenge much appreciated by
them.
Later I also noticed a similar effect with adults although, unlike the
kids,
the older students try to hide it. The final score is not that
important; it is
not scientifically based. But of course the more points you get the
better you
'would have played'. The effort you put into trying to find the best
move
every time is what matters most. I firmly believe it really helps to
learn a
little more about playing chess with every game. The methodology
recommended
for solving the exercises is the 'old-school' one of using a piece of
paper to
cover the text and scrolling down the page as you advance.
