"Sanakoev's book is rich in content and offers us abundant food for thought. ... in all the games the reader is sure to discover something interesting and useful." - Mark Dvoretsky, famous chess trainer
It is rare that a Correspondence World Champion annotates a collection of the finest games from his career with detailed notes that penetrate deeply into the analytical and decision-making process. Yet this is precisely what Grigory Sanakoev has done, and the result is a work packed with entertainment and instructive value, ideal for study by ambitious players.
Sanakoev's style of play, though as well-rounded as one would expect from a World Champion, tends towards the brilliant, with sacrificial attacks featuring in many of his games. As these attacks have had to stand up to the most scrupulous analysis, the reader will develop a feel for when an attack is sound, and when it is too speculative.
Besides the analytical feast he presents, Sanakoev packs a great deal of general chess wisdom into these pages, often featuring pertinent quotes from the greats of chess.
For this new electronic edition, all the analysis has been rechecked with modern NNUE-based engines.
Grigory Sanakoev (1935-2021) played top-level correspondence chess for more than forty years, culminating in his victory in the 12th Correspondence World Championship (1985-92), following high places in the 6th and 10th Championships. He was a chemist by profession and lived in the city of Voronezh.
"Delightful ... Sanakoev's book is fizzling with humanity and mischief" - GM Jonathan Speelman, The Independent
"This is the best book ever written on correspondence chess." - Alex Dunne, Correspondence Chess News
"Strewn with interesting ideas in the opening, middlegame and endgame. Already a hit in its Russian and German editions, this book will surely delight English speaking readers as well" - IM John Watson, Inside Chess
"many helpful hints for aspiring World Champions ... a very interesting and readable book" - Alan Sutton, En Passant
"It is very instructive to see a World Champion's choice of opening variations, to try to understand the early middlegame tactics and then how he ruthlessly converts his advantages." - Alan Borwell, Scottish Correspondence Chess
"A wealth of chess wisdom and practical hints based on his rigorous Soviet training" - Leonard Barden, Financial Times (London)
"A first class collection ... the deep annotations hold centre stage. Very highly recommended" - Australian Chess Forum