'The fifth step' consists of a manual and workbooks:
■ Manual for chess trainers Step 5
Download excerpts of each book: Samples
The manual for Step 5 is the last one in the row. Unfortunately, the percentage of students who reach step 5 level is not high. In this step, the attention for tactics is reduced compared to previous steps; however, tactics still plays a main part in the games of the students. The positional aspects begin to play a more important role. The lessons about the pawn structure, the seventh rank, strong square and open file contain many strategic aspects.
In chess, playing according to a plan is essential, that's why it is discussed in some lessons about the endgame. They demonstrate the importance of cooperation and how the value of the pieces can be relative. The lesson 'Defence' pays attention to some aspects which are often insufficiently used by all the students.
Contents:
Introductory articles about:
The fifth step consists of 16 lessons:
1: Material and time
2: Mate
3: Breakthrough
4: How to use pawns?
5: Pawn race
6: The seventh rank
7: Discovered attack
8: The pin
9: The opening
10: Rook against pawn
11: Strong square
12: Defending
13: Rook ending
14: Attacking the king
15: Open file
16: Draws
Step 5 plus
Furthermore 10 lessons for the plus section:
The 11 reminders are no longer in the workbook. These brief summaries of the lessons from the manual can be downloaded for the students: Reminders Step 5.
Over 100 new exercises have been added to vacant pages, bringing the total to over 600.
Have a try? Pawn ending
The topics of the exercises are the same as in the manual.
See Manual for chesstrainers.
Read more about the Extra books in info.
This workbook is a 4 language version and is available for the English market. The workbook now has 112 pages.
In the extra workbook there are 109 pages with exercises (1271 positions). Additionally, there is one page with breakthrough patterns and a reminder with guidelines to solve the mixed pages.
First of all there are exercises with well-known topics from Step 5 as well as some examples from the lower steps on a higher level.
The last 26 pages contain tests.
Test your skills! Test
The reminders are no longer in the workbook. These brief summaries of the lessons from the manual can be downloaded for the students: Reminders Step 5 plus.
Read more about the plus books in the info.
The contents of workbook step 5 plus:
More or less new topics:
Elaborating the already introduced material:
Read more about the mix books in info.
In the mix workbook are 62 pages with exercises, which means as many as 62x12=648-16 (drawings e.o) = 728 puzzles.
The theme's are known from Step 5, Step 5 plus and the lower Steps. A workbook containing exercises with one ‘simple’ assignment: play the best move. Just like in a real game, you do not know whether you can win or whether you have to defend. First, look at what’s going on? Which targets can you exploit? What is the opponent threatening? Is it time to draw? In short, all kinds of stuff.
Two kinds of puzzles are different: on each page you will find a multiple choice question and a position with a line below the diagram. Only on the last 8 pages there is an indication of the theme: mate in two problems.