Clinch it!

How good are you at bringing in the full point when you hold a clear advantage or are just plain winning? An honest response to this question is likely to evoke some painful memories. Perhaps the single greatest frustration for clublevel chess players is that time and again they see wins turn into draws or even losses.

The reasons for messing up a won position are by no means just technical. And the rest is a matter of technique? Not likely, in the real world. Recklessness, collapsing nerves, relaxing instead of preparing yourself for a long and arduous fight, the inability to cope with a small setback or with a busted opponent who has turned into a fearless desperado: based on four decades of teaching chess Cyrus Lakdawala has identified dozens of thoughtprovoking reasons why we are throwing away games that should be ours.

Lakdawala teaches how to efficiently exploit a development lead, capitalize on an attack, identify and convert favourable imbalances, accumulate strategic advantages and other tools to increase your conversion rate. His examples are compelling, his explanations are captivating and often funny. A recurring theme in this stimulating, instructive and entertaining book is: don’t burden yourself with the toxic task to prove that you are a genius. Just try to win.