Chessboard Combat

This Chessboard Combat is an English-language paperback chess book that takes tactics out of the puzzle page and into the reality of practical play, where attack, defence and counterattack all matter at once.

What this book is about

Many classic tactical exercises teach you to spot a motif, but they usually begin with the answer already implied. Chessboard Combat goes further by looking at positions that feel much closer to a real game. In tournament play, no one tells you that a combination is available. Sometimes the tactic works; sometimes the opponent has a defence ready or can strike back immediately.

That is the central idea behind this book: the tension between making an attack, meeting resistance and responding to threats from the other side of the board. It is designed to support practical tactical decision-making, while also helping you judge positions more accurately and react with greater awareness.

Inside the book

Written by American grandmaster Joel Benjamin, the book draws inspiration from the classic twentieth-century work Chess Traps, Pitfalls, and Swindles by Fred Reinfeld and Israel Albert Horowitz. Rather than simply revisiting that material, it uses contemporary examples and a large number of quiz-style exercises to train decision-making at the board.

The result is a focused study aid for players who want to sharpen their tactical eye, spot attacking chances more reliably and learn how to meet threats with a sound reply.

Key details

• Product type: chess book
• Language: English
• Format: paperback
• Page count: 224
• Author: Joel Benjamin
• Subject: practical chess tactics
• Approach: quiz-style exercises and contemporary examples
• Inspiration: Chess Traps, Pitfalls, and Swindles by Fred Reinfeld and Israel Albert Horowitz