Move First, Think Later (Hardcover)

This Move First, Think Later: Sense and Nonsense in Improving Your Chess is an English-language hardcover chess book by Willy Hendriks that challenges familiar ideas about chess improvement and focuses on how players actually make decisions over the board.

What the book covers

Willy Hendriks, an international master and coach with more than 25 years of experience, offers a different view of chess improvement. Instead of repeating the usual training formulas about positional features and mandatory planning, he examines the real decision-making process during a game. He argues that both weaker and stronger players often find good moves through trial, comparison and intuitive pattern recognition.

The book also draws on findings from cognitive science and asks questions many players will recognise: whether talent is essential for reaching a high level, whether coaching advice always has practical value, and whether it is possible to reach master level without building a plan in the traditional sense.

Why it stands out

This is not a standard manual of dry rules. Move First, Think Later combines training material with a critical but accessible look at chess teaching. It is provocative at times, but that is part of what makes it useful for readers who want a more realistic approach to improving their chess.

The 3rd Edition includes the new epilogue The Discussion Continues.

Key details

• Product type: hardcover chess book
• Author: Willy Hendriks
• Language: English
• Edition: 3rd Edition
• Page count: 256 pages
• Epilogue: includes the new epilogue The Discussion Continues