Clinch it! | Cyrus Lakdawala

How good are you at bringing in the full point when you hold a clear advantage or are just plain winning? Pondering this question may well evoke some painful memories. Perhaps the single greatest frustration for club-level chess players is that time and again they see wins turn into draws or even losses.

The reasons for messing up a winning 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 thought-provoking reasons why we are throwing away points that should be ours.

Lakdawala teaches how to:
-- efficiently exploit a development lead
-- capitalize on an attack
-- identify and convert favorable 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.

Who should read this book? This book is significant for all players looking to convert a favorable advantage to a win. 

Perfectly executed, fascinating and above all, very well written. What a delicious book to work with. It reads like a conversation while exercises keep you alert and it offers food for thought throughout. A pocket-sized goldmine. Daniel Zevenhuizen, Schaaksite