After the great success of the first book (The Human Factor in Chess) on the model of the four
player types this follow-up volume contains not only specific tasks and exercises but also
general questions such as: Do you prefer to calculate concrete lines or do you make your
decisions more intuitively? Do you have a good sense of harmony and coordination? This approach
is intended to enable the reader to assign himself to one of the player types and find out
whether he belongs to the activists or rather to the pragmatists theorists or reflectors. The
result allows to draw conclusions in order to further expand the individual strengths or to
develop a more universal playing style overall. Because even if you usually win thanks to your
strengths it makes sense to work on your own weaknesses as well. Of course if there is only
one move in a position you should be able to find it. Playstyles are especially important in
positions where you have a great choice. However they also play a role when you choose the
type of position which you should strive for based on your style. Interestingly a playstyle
can also be imitated which may even be the appropriate strategy against certain opponents. For
example certain characteristics stand out clearly in activists and being able to adjust to
them as an opponent is of course very valuable. A good example is Kramnik's win over activist
Kasparov (at the London 2000 world championship match). Since Kramnik always managed to steer
the game in the direction appropriate to his style his big opponent never had the chance to
demonstrate his own strengths in positions with attack and initiative. While 'The Human Factor'
was about a clear distinction of the four playing styles this book aims to emphasize the
universality of each player. After solving the tasks tailored to the four player types it
becomes clear how your own competencies are distributed. Accordingly GM Vincent Keymer states
in his foreword: Even if the further development of one's own player personality to a universal
player who unites all player types may remain a utopia it's still worth pursuing.
