I love chess puzzle books but have found that many are basically the same and once you get a grasp of them your stuck not learnign any new. EG there are so many books on basic tactics skewer, deflection, etc, but they are very basic, and once you have work with several book your not learning anything new. What I really liked about this book is that the puzzles are more complicated. I have been searching for a book that was more difficult and this one did the trick. Many of the puzzles have longer line which at least forced me to think even further ahead. It gave me a different perscpective about the chess board. I am not a master but before working on puzzles I was 1200. After doing many puzzle books I made to 1500, but have been stuck there for a long time. After completing this book. I started beating stronger players and now am hovering around the 1800 mark. So if your a master or stronger then you may not like this book, but is your like me who was stuck at 1500, this will take you to the next level.
I recommend this book highly

I like when an author give me a novel approach( with empasis on the thinking process and not the overcooked pattern recognition-tactical motif approach), a new tool to improve my chess.

Why five stars;

1.Novel Approach.

2.Complete References so you can look the whole games, online or in any database.

3.Nemotecnics; You can see a title in each problem, it makes easier to remember the idea at a later time.

4.Userfriendly, great layout.

5.Cost/Benefit this book will help your chess , yes more than the new glossy opening book available in pre-order , this book is worth every hard earned penny I spend.


To improve in the Next Edition.

1.Typo in page 15: 6...kxg7 wins the Ng6 (this is a bishop endgame)

2. After a material advantage the author put a 1-0, but sometimes, like in page 128 Ex 3.4 Benjamin-Seirawan seattle 2000 the game last 70 more moves!!, in my opinion ( I am a 1860 player so I have a lot to learn ) it is not that simple to cash in the material advantage as the authors implies with the 1-0, If Seirawan a world class player keeps fighting Benjamin after the "winning combo" is because a draw can be possible. My point is that if a GM keeps playing that position I am not sure if a Club Level player will be able to win after the 'winning combo". Just play the game in your database and draw your own conclusions.

3.The author wrote a Chapter in The chess Instructor 2009 published by New in Chess page 154-167. I believe this chapter belongs to Forcing chess Moves, this chapter in my opininon is critical to increase the benefit that the reader of Forcing Moves can get from the book. Just an opinion.

In summary, 5 Starts, the 'cons" I founded on this book are subjective, they do not decrease, in general, the Quality of the Book or the benefit a club player (the target audience)can get by WORKING on this book.

I wish I could work with this book more often than I do. It is structured very well for a player of my strenght. My rating is currently 1359.

Years ago I was a "serious" chess player, but my competitive days are long gone. Instead I play daily on chessgames, which weekly offers seven chess puzzles taken from real games. Each game is rated, "Very Easy" on Mondays, "Insane" on Sundays. As a measure of my skill level, I usually get through Wednesday's puzzle, and can almost always follow the analysis of the various contributors.

Over the past several months, I've noticed that more and more of the commentators have referred to this book in glowing terms.

It was a revelation. The examples are well chosen and interesting, but what is more important, Charles Hertan has helped me greatly improve my solving ability. The editorial blurb is right on the money here:

"Charles Hertan has made an astonishing discovery: the failure to consider key moves is often due to human bias. Your brain tends to disregard many winning moves because they are counter-intuitive or look unnatural."

The other reviewers, much better players than I am, have done a great job of describing this book. I'm chiming in because Hertan's approach can help even a weak player like myself.

Perhaps when the weather gets warmer, I'll lose a few bucks at Washington Square Park. Hertan may help me slow the rate of cash outflow, but he'll certainly enhance my pleasure in playing as he already has done online.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Let's face it, computers are outpacing humans on the chess board and have been for about 10 years now. For this reason, "Forcing Chess Moves" doesn't take a human approach to teaching calculation. Instead the author encourages the reader to adopt "Computer Eyes" while learning to calculate. The first two chapters are devoted completely to developing perfect two-move calculation, which Hertan believes is the key to mastery. I wouldn't know since I'm not a master, but I do know that through studying the two and three move mating puzzles he presented I've seen instant improvement in my game and calculation.

Another area that this masterful piece of work helped me improve is in understanding the tactics of sacrificing a piece. I tend to play for material advantage, so understanding the art of piece sacrifice has never really been my strong suit. By presenting a series of clear and fascinating sacrifice puzzles, Mr. Hertan furthered my knowledge of this technique. I still don't use them that often, but I now can recognize a sacrifice gambit when I see one.

What really impressed me, though, is Hertan's tone. His writing style is very direct, at times ascerbic, at times witty but always scholarly and excited. It is clear that Hertan really loves chess and the art of calculation. Be warned, though: The book can be grueling. It jumps right into calculation puzzles and positions and never lets up. There's very little theory or flowery text like in the works of Seirawan or Waitzkin. It is puzzle after puzzle after puzzle of interesting and formidable positions.