Test Your Chess IQ Vol. 1 & 2 (Very rare Hardbound First edition)

For sale is Test Your Chess IQ by August Livshitz is a classic tactical training workbook designed to sharpen a player’s combinational vision and analytical skill through a carefully graded series of chess problems. Originally published in hardcover by Pergamon Press in the early 1980s, the first edition quickly earned a reputation as one of the most challenging and rewarding calculation manuals available to ambitious players.Drawing on his extensive experience as a Soviet chess instructor, Livshitz organizes the material around recurring tactical themes such as interference, deflection, discovered attack, mating patterns, and x-ray combinations. Rather than simply presenting puzzles at random, the book develops pattern recognition systematically, helping readers absorb the tactical motifs that frequently arise in practical tournament play.The positions range from accessible combinations to deeply demanding calculations, making the book suitable for improving club players while still offering a serious challenge to experienced competitors. Readers are encouraged to solve the exercises under test conditions and compare their results against scoring systems included in the book, creating a structured method for measuring tactical progress and “chess IQ.” The emphasis is not only on finding the correct move, but also on disciplined calculation and accurate visualization.Unlike many lighter puzzle collections, Test Your Chess IQ reflects the rigorous training traditions of Soviet chess literature. The exercises are drawn largely from master games and are selected for their instructional value as much as their beauty. Over the years, the book has remained highly respected among serious students of tactics and calculation training, with many players and trainers continuing to recommend it as an excellent resource for developing practical tactical strength.

Condition: Very Good.

One available.