Reuben Fine

Dr. Fine, both a pyschoanalyst and a great chess player of the 20th century, analyzes what sets chess champions apart.

The Psychology of the Chess Player

The Value System of Psychoanalysis

Love and Work

This is the book most recommended by chess coaches for their students. It can perhaps be said that there are primarily four kinds of chess books. 1. Beginner's Books 2. Advance Strategy Books 3. Opening Books 4. Books of Historical Interest What makes "Chess the Easy Way" almost unique is that it spans the first two and touches on the third. It can be said that this book starts off the player at the beginning level and rapidly accelerates, reaching almost the expert level by the end. As a re-printer of out-of-print chess books, I have been absolutely bombarded by chess coaches with requests for a reprinting of this book. I get not only more requests for this book than any other book, but I get more requests for this book than ALL OTHER CHESS BOOKS COMBINED.

Chess the Easy Way

The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings

The Ideas Behind the Chess Opening

Pal Benko

The most authoritative reference work on the endgame, serious students of chess will find this book unmatched in its depth and range. Updated with the latest innovations in the endgame and adapted to algebraic notation by Grandmaster Pal Benko, the result is what chess aficionados have been waiting for - a thoroughly modern bible on chess endings. Packed with diagrams that make examples easy to follow, this is an indispensable point of reference for the Grandmaster in the making.

Basic Chess Endings

In this book, originally published in 1963, Dr Fine sets out to describe what Freud said, and to re-evaluate his views critically in the light of the best knowledge of the time. Freud’s numerous changes of view, his constant searching for the truth wherever it might lead him, as well as his resolute adherence to certain hard-won positions once he had achieved them, are all skilfully traced. Freud’s intellectual Odyssey is divided into four periods. From 1886 to 1895 he was a neurologist investigating hysteria and other ‘nervous’ disorders. Then came his self-analysis, from 1896 to 1899, the real matrix from which psycho-analysis grew. The first psycho-analytic system of psychology was developed in the period from 1900 to 1914. The remainder of his life, from 1914 to 1939, was devoted to the elaboration of ego psychology, and heart of contemporary psycho-analysis. Dr Fine undertook, in writing this book, the formidable task of examining the whole body of Freud’s thought, to clarify what he said, and to review his ideas critically in the light of the best available existing knowledge. As he says ‘In this process of criticism I have tried to specify which aspects of Freud have stood the test of time and which have not.’ ‘So far as I can see no one has ever before taken the trouble to ask: "What did Freud actually say? How does what Freud said stand up in terms of what we now know?"’ In answering these questions, Dr Fine develops a major thesis that all modern psycho-analysis derives from Freud, though it has moved far in many different directions. The contention is that emphasis on schools is misleading and has obscured the actual historical growth of the science. As he states in his Preface to this volume, Dr Fine’s conviction is: ‘By building on Freud’s fundamental insights, we can move on most readily to empirical research and thus construct a more satisfactory science of psychology.’

A Critical Re-evaluation of his Theories

Freud (RLE: Freud)

This book presents an integrative theory of love as the most important of human experiences, drawing on data from psychology, psychoanalysis, anthropology and history. It distinguishes and analyzes the differences between love cultures and hate cultures, showing how these differences affect social history, child-rearing practices and personal mental health. The book also examines the meaning of love from genetic, cultural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal perspectives.

The Meaning of Love in Human Experience

Practical Chess Openings is a basic openings book covering all the major openings, in alphabetical order. At the beginning of each section is a general description of the opening and its history, including the names of famous players who played it. The opening lines are in Descriptive Notation and are arranged in columns from the most popular to the least popular. Nowadays chess grandmasters do not study opening books. Instead they work with computer databases with millions of games in them, and then run them through chess analysis programs like Fritz, Houdini and Rybka, searching for new ideas and for flaws in their rival grandmaster's analysis. Amateur chess players cannot compete against this. We must just play for the enjoyment of the game without any hope of ever making grandmaster status. Having a book with the latest most up to date lines is of no added value. A serviceable, shorter and highly readable book like Fine's "Practical Chess Openings" is just as good and perhaps even better than a new book crammed with all the latest stuff.

Practical Chess Openings

Sam Sloan

This book presents the indispensable foundations for the understanding of the variations of the chess openings. It has been said that ideas are weapons. That is certainly as true in chess as in any other field. A mastery of a little theory which conveys real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a carefully memorized compilation of endless moves. Paradoxically, a thorough grasp of the ideas behind the openings, which are relatively few in number, is a royal road to knowledge which eliminates much of the drudgery associated with remembering a long series of variations. My object in this work is to present the necessary "ideology" as concisely as possible. This is one of the great classic works on chess by one of the strongest chess players in history. All to often the most recent chess books are just database dumps based on millions of chess games. Our young chess players often undertake the task of memorizing thousands of variations. Let me let you in on a little secret: The world's leading chess grandmasters do not memorize thousands of opening lines. Rather, they study and work them out. They remember the ideas behind the moves, not necessarily the moves themselves. Once they recall the reasons for the moves, they can work out and re-discover the best moves themselves. There are many new moves and opening variations that have become popular and fashionable since this book was published. However, the ideas behind these openings have remained the same. This book is just as valid as when it was first published. Reuben Fine was one of the world's strongest grandmasters of chess.

Not a list of moves, but simple and logical explanations of opening systems.

A review of the actual statements made by Freud and their influence on later developments in psychoanalysis presented by a New York psychoanalyst.

A Critical Re-evaluation of His Theories

Freud

This is a reprint of the classic work Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine, published in 1941. Although there are claims it has been superseded by other books, Basic Chess Endings by Fine remains the only book that covers all of the most basic chess endings and yet is in small size so it can be carried around in your pocket. The other books just show some endgames, not every endgame. Grandmaster Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world and would likely have become world champion but he gave up tournament play to become a writer of textbooks on psychology, in addition to books on chess. A major advantage to Fine's book is his writing ability. Fine was a professional writer. He did not make his living as a chess player. This book is in old style descriptive notation. Some especially younger readers will prefer the more modern Algebraic System. The practical chess player is not interested in knowing that there is a computer somewhere that will show the solution for his position. Rather, he wants to learn how to find the best moves himself so as to defeat his human opponent. The most important endgames to study and learn are King and Pawn Endgames and Rook and Pawn Endgames. Knowing rook and pawn endgames is like having money in a savings account, as they come up all the time. Be sure to take time and learn all the rook and pawn against rook endgames.

Burt Hochberg

Long out-of-print and known only to collectors and connoiseurs, this legendary work by Reuben Fine returns in a completely revised and corrected edition in modern algebraic notation. After explaining the basic elements of combinations and attacks against the King, Fine discusses how to evaluate a position; how to handle superior, equal, and inferior positions; the significance of pawn structure and space; the transition from opening to middlegame and middlegame to endgame; and much more. With hundreds of diagrams and examples from actual play, The Middlegame in Chess is one of the modern classics of the game.

The Middlegame in Chess

Addresses one of the major aspects of chess with systems for improving practical skills in analyzing positions and taking appropriate actions.

The Middle Game in Chess Reuben Fine

PREFACE TO THE SIXTH EDITION In the Sixth Edition of this book there is a notable change, which we are sure that all our supporters will appreciate. While we were considering the advisability of bringing it out in the current year we were approached by Mr. Reuben Fine with a suggestion that he should under take the task of revision and we gladly agreed. Reuben Fine needs no introduction to those who are interested in the game of chess. His past achievements had already made him famous and he added another glorious chapter to the story of his career, just as he had finished his work for us, by tieing for the first place in the great A. V. R. O. Tournament towards the end of 1938. Naturally we gave our reviser a free hand in dealing with his task, merely reserving to ourselves the editorial right of making such slight changes in his text as might seem to us necessary. Mr. Fine, however, scrupulously adhered to the traditions of Modern Chess Openings, while availing himself fully of the privilege which must be con ceded to a master of his rank of expressing his personal opinions on the lines of play which are illustrated in the book, and altering as he thought fit the introductions to the various openings. In comparing this new edition with its predecessor we may note that it contains 332 pages and 1,215 columns, as against 300 pages and 1,060 columns of seven years ago, We have gladly got rid of the cumbrous device of Addenda, which was forced upon us by circumstances of production in 1932. We have also, in deference to Mr. Fines wishes, abandoned the use of starred columns to indicate what appears to be the best line of play for both sides. In his preface the reviser explains the systemadopted by him in appraising lines of play, so no comment on it is needed from us. The only difficulty which arose in the completion of this edition was caused by our desire to introduce new variations from the A. V. R. O. Tournament after the manuscript had been sent to the printers and was in process of being set up. The printers work was held back sufficiently to permit the mention of the most important of these and it so happened that this delay made it possible to put in some of the novelties from the Hastings Tourna ment of 1938-39 and a few from the Leningrad-Moscow Tournament this year. In conclusion we should like to convey our personal thanks to Mr. Fine for the admirable way in which he has carried out his revision on which point we think our readers will agree, and to acknowledge how little he left us to do. The manuscript was typed by his wife, and the printers had no difficulty on the score of illegibility. We desire also to express our gratitude to all who have helped us in the preparation of this new editi6n, and especially to our assistants in the exacting work of reading the proofs, with particular mention of Messrs. F. J. Camm and R. Hutter, and Sir Gilbert Jackson. T E EDITORS. London, Januar 1939. THE task of revising Modern Chess Openings has been both arduous and pleasant arduous because of the almost endless ramifications of modern opening theory, which necessitated the examination of the openings of thousands of games pleasant because the result is a solution, albeit an incomplete one, to the complicated labyrinth. I have been guided by the principle of the earlier editions, that this work is intended to be both modern and practical For that reason I haveenlarged the sections on the Queens side openings and the Ruy Lopez, as these are the sine qua non of contemporary tournaments, although I have refrained from paying too much attention to any particular variation in these openings, since the practical player must be acquainted with a great number of different lines. I wish to express my grateful thanks to various friends who have helped me particularly to Mr...

Reuben Fine

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