The Complete Chess Swindler

About This Book

The Complete Chess Swindler by Grandmaster David Smerdon is one of the most unique and entertaining chess books published in recent years. Released in 2020, this groundbreaking work explores the art of saving lost positions - a topic that virtually every chess player needs to understand but that few books have addressed systematically. Smerdon combines psychology, practical advice, and hilarious storytelling to create a book that is both instructive and genuinely fun to read. Smerdon, an Australian Grandmaster with a PhD in economics, brings an analytical and scientific approach to the study of swindling. He defines a swindle as saving a game from a lost position through practical means - not by playing the objectively best moves, but by creating maximum problems for the opponent. This distinction is crucial: in a lost position, the goal is not to find the computer's top choice but to find the move that gives your opponent the best chance to go wrong. The book begins by establishing why swindling matters. Smerdon presents statistical evidence showing that a significant percentage of lost positions are actually saved in practice, even at the grandmaster level. This data is encouraging for readers: knowing that lost positions are frequently saved motivates players to fight on rather than resign prematurely. Smerdon identifies and categorizes different types of swindles. He covers stalemate tricks, perpetual check resources, fortress constructions, time trouble exploitation, and psychological traps. For each type, he provides numerous examples from real games, showing how strong players have escaped from seemingly hopeless positions. The chapter on psychological swindling is particularly fascinating. Smerdon explains how to exploit common human weaknesses: overconfidence in winning positions, the tendency to relax when ahead, and the difficulty of maintaining concentration over long periods. He provides practical advice on how to create complications that test your opponent's resolve and technique. The stalemate chapter is a revelation for many readers. Smerdon shows that stalemate resources exist in far more positions than most players realize. By understanding the patterns that lead to stalemate, players can steer losing positions toward drawing possibilities that their opponents may not anticipate. Smerdon's writing style is one of the book's greatest assets. He is genuinely funny, and his personal anecdotes about his own swindling attempts (both successful and failed) are entertaining and relatable. The humor makes the book a pleasure to read and helps the instructional content stick in the reader's mind. The book also addresses the ethical dimension of swindling. Smerdon argues convincingly that fighting on in lost positions is not unsportsmanlike but is actually a fundamental part of competitive chess. The ability to create practical problems in difficult positions is a legitimate skill that deserves respect and development. Each chapter includes exercises where readers must find the best practical try in a lost position. These exercises develop a different kind of chess thinking: instead of looking for the objectively best move, readers must find the move that creates the most practical difficulties. This shift in perspective is valuable and applicable to many game situations. The Complete Chess Swindler fills a genuine gap in chess literature. While countless books teach you how to win, very few teach you how to avoid losing. For any competitive chess player, the ability to save lost positions is an invaluable skill that can add hundreds of rating points over a career.