The Architecture of Strategy: Boris Gelfand’s Positional Decision Making
The art of slowly depriving an opponent of any active counterplay until their position collapses under its own weight. Gelfand, Boris Positional Decision Making In ...
Boris Gelfand’s is widely considered a modern masterpiece of chess literature. Published by Quality Chess, the book offers a deep dive into the strategic thought processes of a World Championship challenger. A central pillar of the book is Gelfand’s
A central pillar of the book is Gelfand’s reverence for Akiba Rubinstein , the legendary grandmaster of the early 20th century. Gelfand argues that modern positional play is an evolution of Rubinstein’s techniques. By analyzing his own games alongside Rubinstein’s, Gelfand demonstrates that strategic concepts—such as the or the mastery of rook endgames—are timeless. This historical perspective teaches readers that positional mastery is a language learned through the study of the classics. 2. Key Themes: Space and Structure Gelfand, Boris Positional Decision Making In ...