Steve Giddins has chosen 50 supremely instructive games - some old， some new， and including many that few readers will have seen before。 He has annotated these games in detail from a modern perspective， explaining the useful lessons that can be learnt from them， while avoiding the harmful dogma that characterized many older works of this type。 Topics include: Attacking the King， Defence， Piece Power， and Endgame Themes。 Each game is followed by a recap of the main lessons to be learned。

Giddins writes in a highly accessible down-to-earth style that appeals to club players seeking to improve their understanding of practical chess。 His knowledge of Russian-language chess literature has enabled him to find many excellent examples that have not appeared in previous western literature。