Chess Book Classic: 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures by P.H. Clarke 1963 First Edition Hardcover G. Bell

Chess Book Classic: 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures by P.H. Clarke 1963 First Edition Hardcover G. Bell & Sons

FOR SALE IS A CHESS CLASSIC TITLED 100 SOVIET CHESS MINIATURES. IT IS A FIRST EDITION HARDCOVER PUBLISHED BY G BELL AND SONS IN 1963. IT STILL HAS ITS DUST JACKET.
 
It is a very interesting old chess book. The games were selected and annotated by P.H. Clarke. This book is particularly unique because the games are entirely by unknown players, and the games are also very obscure, despite being quite beautiful and entertaining.
 
The book - as its title indicates - includes 100 games, all under 25 moves long, played in the Soviet Union. All of the games are from the '50s and '60s. As the author states, games by the lesser-known - but still strong - players from the Soviet Union rarely reached the West. And indeed, I don't think you will find any of these games in the databases even today. But starting in 1955 the Shakhmatny Bulleten began to publish all of the games from important events in the Soviet Union; and this is where the author got his material. The book is a collection of twelve articles (one chapter for each article) which was originally published in the British Chess Magazine. 
 
The chapters are the following: 1. King's Side Attack; 2. Queen Sacrifices; 3. Attack and Counter-attack; 4. 'Crime and Punishment'; 5. 'Sicilicide'; 6. The Object is Mate; 7. King in the Center; 8. Poisoned Pawn; 9. Shorter Still; 10. An Exchange of Quality; 11. 'War and Peace'; 12. Finishing Storms.
 
As indeed the term miniatures imply, the games are very sharp and full of complex tactics. The Soviet school of chess was known for introducing the "dynamic approach to chess" and you can see that even in the games of these lesser masters, candidate masters, and first-category players.
 
This book is very entertaining, and you can spend many pleasant hours playing over these exciting, crazy, and pretty games, which are full of wild and obscure ideas. variations. This book was clearly made for entertainment, but the student of chess can certainly get a lot of instructional value as well. You get to learn some tactics and attacking methods; you will learn a lot about the concept of 'compensation'; and of course you will see many examples of what not to do.
 
I believe this book would be best for somewhat lower rated players, from 1200-2000 (although players of any level could enjoy it). It is particularly ideal for those players whose weakness is their lack of dynamism or who have difficulty making use of attacking opportunities.
 
THIS BOOK IS IN DESCRIPTIVE NOTATION:
The old chess notation system is called Descriptive Notation. It was commonly used in English, Spanish, and French chess literature until about 1980, but has been largely replaced by Algebraic Notation. Descriptive Notation refers to files by the piece that occupies the back rank square in the starting position and describes each square from both White and Black's perspectives. 
 
WHERE I GOT THIS BOOK: I bought this book about twenty years ago from a friend of mine who had a collection of some old chess books.
 
SIZE: 14.5CM WIDE 22CM HIGH
 
CONDITION: DUST JACKET HAS A TEAR. ALL INSIDE PAGES AND HARD COVER IN TACT. MINOR YELLOWING OF PAGES. A FEW SMALL PENCIL ANNOTATIONS ON A FEW PAGES.
 
G BELL & SONS (1839-1986):
George Bell & Sons was a prominent British publishing house in London that operated from 1839 to 1986. It was initially founded as an educational bookseller by George Bell and later became known for publishing classics, children's books, and the output of London university presses. 
 
THIS BOOK SELLS FOR AROUND $30 OR R600 ONLINE. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK.
 
ASKING R250.