Hi Jon.
The famous 'bogus' puzzle (No.11) was deliberate (according to Dr. Mac)
and the proof readers did know not it but Mcpherson was actually
using them as guinea pigs.
The low quality of players (your polite term for weak players)
was
again done on purpose as the object of the exercise was to prove
that weaker players will learn nothing from monitors with regard to OTB play.
Stronger players who grew up with the book and board method
already have the patterns and came spot them on a monitor diagram.
Mcpherson proved that weaker players can soon solve low-level on a
monitor but fail completley when seeing the same combination OTB.
The fail rate when he showed the exact same position but with
colours reversed (No's. 17-20) was incredible.
My only contact with him was when I suggested that perhaps
these white to play and win positions are harder for weaker
players when it's Black to play (the combination is upside down).
Well I got my head bite off when he told me the players where
shown the OTB postions the correct way up from the Black side
but failed to solve them, though they did with White to play on a monitor.
Proof that the monitor stored pattern did not register at all - 19
scored 0 OTB and yet 76% on the monitor.
He then threatened me with all kinds of legal stuff if I carried out
my threat to quote him and his diagrams on The Corner.
(I asked if I could and should have just done it anyway. It was not 'a threat'
just a polite request.)
I replied but my email bounced back.
I totally agree with McPherson and we would probably hear more about
him but for his attitude to those who wish to support or question him.
For 35 years I have been gathering and printing under 2000 plyerers
in magazines, aricles, websites, entering major & minor games into database etc...
The rise in the blunder ratio in the past 10 years has been alarming.
Players missing simple tricks, leaving piece's hanging, missed mates in one
by both sides....
The rise in this and and the rise in players studying/playing a computer
without getting their bits out is not a coincidence.
You cannot hope to see any combination OTB if you have never
seen the position OTB.
Stay with the book Nick. I know it's a pain having the set up the
position on a board but the pain of playing over a loss in the analysis room
when a smart guy pops up and shows you within seconds a missed
tactcial shot is much worse.