Coaching Kasparov Year by Year and Move by Move Volume I: The Whizz-Kid (1973-1981)

*****Short-listed for the English Chess Federation Book of the Year Award 2020*****In Coaching Kasparov Year by Year and Move by Move Garry Kasparovs long-term coach second and mentor Alexander Nikitin tells the story of how he trained Kasparov from a brilliant but raw junior into becoming and then remaining the world champion. Volume I the present work covers the period 1973-1981 until Kasparov reached the age of 18. The author goes to great lengths to describe his educational approach during the early period to raise Kasparovs theoretical knowledge and practical performance covering both play and psychological training.In Nikitins blow-by-blow tournament accounts he describes how he handled various unexpected situations to get the best out of Kasparov with detailed recipes. His numerous insights will be of great interest to todays chess coaches who wish to take a comprehensive approach to improving their pupils performances.The present volume contains 46 games fully annotated by Nikitin including all 14 games of a blitz match played between the 15-year old Kasparov and ex-world champion Mikhail Tal on 26 December 1978 in Tbilisi that have never before been published and which are provided specially for the 2019 edition of this book.Most of the other games are well known but Nikitin explains many of Kasparovs decisions in those games from the point of view of the future world champions coach providing the context of his young pupils thought process and mistakes and tracing his progress. He also uses these games to illustrate and expand upon his coaching advice. This makes his commentary quite unique and instructive of formidable practical use to budding players coaches and parents.