The four-volume Marovic series on middlegames and pawn structures is well-regarded by those in the know. This latest book, following on from Secrets of Positional Chess, deals with arguably the most important topic of all. The concept of how to transfer one sort of advantage into another is not generally well-grasped by club or tournament players. Yet the cashing in of one sort of advantage (say giving back the bishop pair to damage the opponent's pawn structure) is a key element to success in chess. It is also an area in which masters seem to excel effortlessly.

One thing which surprises me about this book was how much it deals with sacrifices. Not that I am complaining (the examples that Marovic selects are always of interest) but the first six chapters are pretty much devoted to sacrifices in differing shapes and forms. There are pseudo-sacrifices, counter-sacrifices, sacrifices that simplify the position, and "real" sacrifices.

My favorite Marovic book remains Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess, but this book on transformations is instructrive and can be warmly recommended as well.