Chess Book Review of "Formation Attacks" by Joel Johnson

Let's talk about the book that is all the rage. Especially since my co-author Brian Wall and his nutty "fishing pole" attack is in it. And guess what else. U.S. Senior Champion Joel Johnson, the author, used to play chess with Brian in good times and bad, from nice homes with two car garages to homeless shelters, examining attacking chess ideas and eating double decker sandwiches. Ok I threw in the double decker sandwiches. Joel Johnson's idea to examine the weaknesses in the various pawn structures and how to rip them to shreds could almost be called the antidote to Andrew Soltis's fantastic "Pawn Stucture Chess." Because now that I think about it, Soltis leaves those structures too much alone, standing in awe of them as though they were cathedrals. I like the idea of figuring out how to blow them up instead. But that's the overly aggressive chess player in me talking, let's see what this book actually shows, and if the plans work.

When Soltis looks at the pawn structure he thinks about how to play it. When Johnson looks at a pawn structure he becomes like a pirate with an eye patch and three teeth missing and a sword in one hand and says "How can I attack it." That is the essense of the book "Formation Attacks." He has no respect what-so-ever for any pawn structure, any pawn formation, any formation at all. He sees no sacred cows. I really find his approach to chess quite refreshing and enlightening. Another thing I like is that he doesn't go on and on with meaningless variation after variation to have to pour over. He shows you the principle first, then a game to illustrate it and a simple idea becomes very concrete. One by one he goes through the skills needed to attack, assuming nothing. Many of the key concepts he discusses are ideas I have already heard, because my co-author Brian Wall has been saying these things for years, things like, "Patzers can't defend, they break psychologically under the pressure, so turn up the pressure," or "Weak players think they have to automatically recapture," or "a bodyguard is worth a piece," etc. He's been saying this stuff to me for years. So it is neat to see his friend Joel saying many of these same ideas, knowing that they were all roomates, including Dave Vigorito (International Master) were discovering ideas together, batting ideas back and forth, all approaching chess from different angles and influencing one another. This book reflects that, and I am certain that going through this book, and playing through the games used to illustrate the ideas would raise anyone's rating at least a hundred points if not more.

How to attack the structure is the focus of the diagram shown when it is presented in this book. He points out the weaknesses of the position, the strengths, and how to attack if you have this formation, and how to attack this formation if your opponent has it. So for example here, (from page 139). The dark squared bishop, Johnson says here, is key to keeping that structure safe for Black. So of course White wants to eliminate it. Black wants to keep it, and attack with the wedge formation of pawns often on f5 and e4. The games are shown from both perspectives, with mistakes made by both, and why they were mistakes, specifically. All types of possible formations are explored thoroughly. Joel Johnson went to a lot of work, picking out just the right games to show the concepts, pouring over what must have been hundreds of them to find the right ones. What a tremendously helpful book if you want to become an attacking chess player, and according to him, you should. Draws, he points out, keep players from achieving higher ratings. The attacking stance, he says early on, is the signal of all high achieving predatory animals and chess players should take this stance too.

Section by section "Formation Attacks" lists and then explores the methods of attack, including misguided attacks and attacking mistakes, concepts such as checking, chasing pieces to better squares, attacking and getting rid of defenders (ruthlessly), the role of pawns, trojan pawns (what we sometimes call poison pawns, but I like his description better since it conjurs up ancient warfare not poisoned apples as in "Snow White," (too passive).

Checking pieces is something kids start doing as soon as they begin to understand it as a threat of some sort. The problem, as he points out, is that though they seem to attack, unless they do something useful to move the attack forward they are a waste of time or worse, can sometimes help your opponent position his pieces to better squares. Make sure you don't do that.

Removing defenders can be absolutely essential, even if it takes the sacrifice of the exchange or even a piece for a pawn. If there is a piece that seems to be standing guard and stopping your attack, he says, look for a way to get rid of it.

In the Epic Greek Story of the Trojan War, the Iliad, the Greeks loaded themselves into a giant wooden horse and offered it as a gift. The acceptors of the gift quickly realized their mistake as hundreds of Greeks came out at night to attack them, but of course it was too late. This is of course a recurring theme in attacking chess, with great examples to help concretize the ideas.

I like the fact as well that Johnson includes psychology as part of the game and the attacking stance. Bobby Fischer once said "I don't believe in psychology, I believe in good moves." Well, that was all just part of his use of psychology to say that. No one I can think of used it more in his chess carreer. And talk about an attacking player! So including this weapon in your arsenal is not only essential but fun. Brings out the river boat gambler in all of us.

In the end you have to ask yourself, do you want to play chess like you are at a tea party with the queen? Or do you want to play chess like... well like an animal? If the later, "Formation Attacks" is for you.

Of course we here in Colorado are all very familar with "The Fishing Pole" because we have Brian Wall here catching us all on fish hooks for years now. So it is fun to see it examined in "Formation attacks." To see it taken seriously is rare, actually... that is until after they lose to it. I once saw some chess player tell Brian at a tournament in Kansas that he had already solved the Fishing Pole, and knew how to refute it. Brian smiled and nodded and then played it anyway against him. Then this chess player thought for two hours on move 5 and lost to Brian's "Fishing Pole" on time!