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S. G. Tartakover
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500 Master Games of Chess (Dover Chess) Paperback – June 1, 1975

by Dr. S. Tartakower (Author), J. du Mont (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 103 ratings
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This compilation of 500 master games is the greatest standard collection of chess games ever published. Ranging over 150 years of master play, these games include masterpieces of every kind by such master players as Anderssen, Morphy, Blackburne, Pillsbury, Lasker, Marshall, Steinitz, Tarrasch, Alekhine, Capablanca, Spielmann, Tartaower, Rubinstein, Réti, Nimzowitsch, Euwe, Botvinnik, and many more. There are also once-in-a-lifetime matches, such as Franz-Mayet (1858) and Bowdler-Conway (1788), and other interesting examples. Fully annotated, arranged by opening for easier study.
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  1. Part of series
    Dover Chess
  2. Print length
    720 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Dover Publications
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 1975
  6. Dimensions
    5.42 x 1.33 x 8.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0486232085
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0486232089
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications (June 1, 1975)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486232085
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486232089
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.91 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.42 x 1.33 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

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  1. S. G. Tartakover

    S. G. Tartakover

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  2. Saveli-I Grigor-Evich Tartakower

    Saveli-I Grigor-Evich Tartakower

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  3. Saveliĭ Grigorʹevich Tartakover

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
103 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

TheKingOfChess
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Classic to come back to.
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
This collection of games is fantastic. First, it's annotated by Tarkakover, a great master of both chess and words. A true wordsmith. The notes are enough to get his point across. Not the ocean of computer generated garbage analysis that drowns you in modern day books on the game. In the process of going through the games you suddenly realize that chess is a game played by human beings and not machines programmed to play the game. Or, to put simply, chess has personality.
The games are segregated by opening and within each opening section arranged chronologically. It gives you a feel for how an opening developed through the years and either became popular or fell out of favor.
I may as well mention the tome uses Descriptive Notation. Spend a few minutes LEARNING it. It won't kill you.
Update February 2018-- I was wandering around on Amazon like a lost soul haunting a graveyard searching for repose when I decided to revisit some old purchases. Back in 2013 I bought this for a paltry $5.99. Now it has ballooned to an unbelievable $28. Has inflation been THAT bad???
16 people found this helpful
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BigBen3
5.0 out of 5 stars 500 Excellent games of Chess
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2021
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This book is worth its weight in chess gold. There are 500 Master games played by the greatest players to have played the game prior to 1940. The best way to learn the game, if you don't have a relative who just happens to be a Grandmaster, is to read, follow, and try to absorb the chess wisdom, within games played by the Masters and Grandmasters. Each game is fully annotated, and the Dover book's quality is excellent.
2 people found this helpful
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Kirk Sugars
5.0 out of 5 stars Key Resource for Any Serious Student of the Game
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a book every competitive chess player should own and study thoroughly. It includes many games of historical interest annotated by Tartakower -- a true grandmaster not just in terms of playing strength, but also in encyclopedic knowledge. The analyses are accurate (I have checked many of them with a computer), and I find his choice of which variations to include tend to be "just what I was wondering".

What I find most valuable is that the games are from an era where the openings that many of today's amateurs (especially students) rely on were still being played in professional tournaments. It is fascinating to see how the great masters of the past handled these positions. Tartakower chose each game for its didactic value and many of them end with delightfully instructive combinations and positions. The one down side is that it is in "descriptive" notation. I know some people who avoid it for that reason, but I urge them to take a few minutes and learn the notation, because the book is well worth it. The kindle version works great on my paperwhite reader.
12 people found this helpful
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Narayan
5.0 out of 5 stars Why is this a good book??
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2003
Verified Purchase
Here's why! Chess games have come a long way since the 19th century, and in my opinion recent GM games have most of its charm. But the games from this book are 50+ years old, and the players varied. We have Stenitz the defensive master, Blackburne and Anderssen's attacking games, Capablanca's simplicity, and Sultan Khan's positional masterpeices. Not to mention Lasker, Morphy, Botvinnik, Charousek, Pillsbury and a host of others. In essence it is a complete book, which includes the most well known games. And the most important reason why this book is good? Because it brings the art back into chess, playing the game for the love of it!! Will it improve your rating? Dunno! Will it improve your understanding and love of chess? Surely!!
30 people found this helpful
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Joseph G
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Games from the Past
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017
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If you enjoy games going back to the 1800s, as well as 1900s pre-WW2, you'll definitely enjoy this book. I'm a retired history teacher who enjoys playing chess with friends, so this was a double hit for me. BTW, a few games older than the 19th Century are found now and then.
One person found this helpful
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Skinnyhorse
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent layout in the Kindle version. Terrific games! A bargain for the price.
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
The Kindle version of this book is excellent. The layout is thoughtful and high quality and makes for easy reading, which is not always the case for all kindle chessbooks, especially the older chess classics that are converted to kindle. The diagrams are large and quite readable and the moves are in columnar layout which makes the games easy to follow. I open up the kindle version on the left side of my screen and chessbase on the right side for easy viewing. The variations covered are just about enough for clarity and they won't drown you with excess variations.
The notation is descriptive, but most should be able to catch on to it in 15 or 20 minutes and that knowledge opens the door to many classic chess books.
6 people found this helpful
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SoothSeeker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Classic on Chess
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017
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This was one of my old favorites on chess, but it got lost in the shuffle a few years ago and so I was pleased to be able to pick it up again. From what I've seen so far the games are displayed quite well on Kindle, better than I expected actually.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! Broken down into sections so lines can be covered!
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
Well put together with the user in mind not to display the writers expertise, which was also evident
Some of the greatest minds in Chess
and well put together by another
A great book!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Phil
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic.
Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
If I was stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean and I was allowed only one book, this would be the one I would have.
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dilip kaiwart
5.0 out of 5 stars The best chess games ever played by masters
Reviewed in India on March 12, 2023
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The best chess games ever played by masters
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Musicus
5.0 out of 5 stars Something has to give...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
In a famous interview, Kramnik says that to fully master chess it is necessary to take in the complete history of chess. If you agree with Kramnik, here are 500 annotated master games up to 1938. They are selected because they are master pieces.
The games are ordered in bolks according to the opening, but this is by all means not an openings book! Dr. Tartakower has organised the games in the tradition of Dr. Tarrasch, who used the same dispositio in The Modern Game of Chess (Die moderne Schachpartie.)
Dr. Tartakower is an excellent annotator. From a casual page I take this example quote: "Fearlessly castling on the side likely to be attacked, because he foresees that he will be able to nip his adversary's propensities in the bud." There are also many variations; make no mistake, Tartakower was a master analyst. (His main weakness as a player was his love for the bizarre and the adventurous.)
You can read every single game on chessgames.com, but the annotations are only in this book and they feature many variations, all in the descriptive notation... I understand the descriptive, but it's still harder to visualise the moves than by the algebraic one.
500 well annotated games on 665 effective pages only! Something has to give: The font size is rather small. And the tome is thick and hard to keep open. I would prefer to pay for three separate books!
These is my only qualms however. The price is a steal as this tome is a treasure!
One person found this helpful
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Alfonso Marín cliente Amaxon
5.0 out of 5 stars MUY COMPLETO
Reviewed in Mexico on July 31, 2019
Verified Purchase
ILUSTRADO CON UNA GRAN CANTIDAD DE EJEMPLOS AGRUPADO ACORDE A LAS DIVERSAS APERTURAS QUE SON MÁS COMUNES EN ESTE BELLO JUEGO. HE ESTUDIADO CERCA DE 200 DE LAS PARTIDAS PRESENTADAS, Y SON MUY DIDÁCTICAS
One person found this helpful
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Chantallou71
5.0 out of 5 stars very good book
Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
for the chess players it is a must have
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