Every chess player, from club level up, can improve their game by using engines. That is the message of Matthew Sadlers thought-provoking new book, based on many years of experience with the worlds best chess software. You may not be able to replicate their dazzling-deep calculations, but there is so much more your engine can do for you than just checking variations! Matthew Sadler, co-author of the ground-breaking bestseller Game Changer, presents some unique methods to improve by using your engine. He explains how in your opening preparation, instead of sifting through masses of computer analysis you should play training games against your engine. He also shows how to train your early middlegame play, the conversion of advantages, your positional play, and your defensive skills. And, of course: how to analyse your own games. These generic training methods Sadler supplements with concrete techniques. He explains how the top engines tackle crucial middlegame themes such as entrenched pieces, whole board play, attacking rhythm, exchanging pieces, the march of the Rooks pawn, queen versus pieces, and many others. He also opens your eyes to typical strategies that the engines found and fine-tuned in popular openings such as the Kings Indian, the Grunfeld, the Slav, the French and the Sicilian. Sadler illustrates his lessons with a collection of fantastic games, explained with his trademark enthusiasm. For the first time, the superhuman powers of the chess engine have been decoded to the benefit of all players, in a rich and highly instructive book.

Seven years after his acclaimed and bestselling The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White, Grandmaster Larry Kaufman is back with his new repertoire book, covering the entire scope of chess openings for both White and Black, in one volume. Two important developments made this new book necessary. Larry Kaufman, who himself routinely plays the lines he advocates to others, discovered that after 1.d4 (the recommendation in his previous book) it became nearly impossible to show a consistent advantage for White, especially against the Grunfeld and Nimzo/Ragozin defenses. The other factor was that chess engines have become so much stronger. Larry Kaufman presents a completely new White repertoire with 1.e4 aiming for an objective advantage in the simplest practical manner. You are presented with two options, while you dont have to play the sharpest lines. The Black repertoire has been thoroughly revised and updated, and three new chapters have been added. Kaufmans New Repertoire for Black and White is the first opening book that is primarily based on Monte Carlo search. The highly original analysis has resulted in loads of improvements on existing theory. This is a lucidly explained, ready-to-go and easy-to-digest repertoire with sound, practical lines that do not outdate rapidly and are suitable for masters while perfectly accessible for amateurs.

The Game of the Goose is one of the oldest printed board games, dating back 400 years. It has spawned thousands of derivatives: simple race games, played with dice, on themes that mirror much of human activity. Its legacy can be traced in games of education, advertising and polemic, as well as in those of amusement and gambling - and games on new themes are still being developed. This book, by the leading international collector of the genre, is devoted to showing why the Game of the Goose is special and why it can lay claim to being the most influential of any printed game in the cultural history of Europe. Detailed study of the games reveals their historical provenance and - reversing the process - gives unusual insights into the cultures which produced them. They therefore provide rich sources for the cultural historian. This book is beautifully illustrated with more than 90 illustrations, many in color, which are integrated throughout the text.

The French Classical (1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6) leads to the type of dynamic, unbalanced positions which appeal to grandmaster and club player alike. Black is prepared to concede space in the center with a view to striking back at his opponent at the earliest opportunity.This book considers every important variation, with particular emphasis on those that readers are likely to encounter in their own games.This book contains full coverage of all the latest variations; explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides; provides everything you need to start playing the French Classical straightaway; is an ideal battle manual for competitive players. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 176 pages, diagrams)

Scrabble may be truly called America's game. But for every group of "living-room players" there is someone who is "at one with the board." In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis introduces readers to those few, exploring the underground world of colorful characters for which the Scrabble game is life-playing competitively in tournaments across the country. It is also the story of how the Scrabble game was invented by an unemployed architect during the Great Depression and how it has grown into the hugely successful, challenging, and beloved game it is today. Along the way, Fatsis chronicles his own obsession with the game and his development as a player from novice to expert. More than a book about hardcore Scrabble players, Word Freak is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition, and the mind that celebrates the uncanny creative powers in us all.

A Book Sense 76 pick.

The return in 1992 of American Grandmaster Bobby Fischer against his old rival Boris Spassky has reawakened interest in the games of one of the most determined World Champions of all time. To Fischer, chess is a highly competitive sport which requires not only meticulous opening preparation, a high state of tactical alertness and perfect technique, but also a constant striving for the initiative, immense will to win and even calculated risk-taking. In 1972, when he won the supreme crown, he was years ahead of his time in his chess understanding and he influenced the way competitive chess is played today. Now he is back, all chess enthusiasts will be able to compare Fischer with the younger generation such as Kasparov and Short, neither of whom has played a single competitive game against the enigmatic American. By studying the deeply researched and thematically arranged material in this book, players of all strengths will change their attitude towards the game and improve their own play.

To lose a game of chess in the opening or the early middlegame is especially annoying. However, this is something that happens not only to novices, but also to experienced masters. A knowledge of opening disasters and of the correct replies to sharp continuations is imperative, if a player is to master this difficult phase of the game, in which much is still shrouded in mist. Time and again unexpected combinative themes occur, striking the opponent like a bolt from the blue. A player who has studied the material here can hope for some quick and pretty victories, and it will also spare his nerves, if the opponent should wildly attack. With its clear explanations and recommendations, this book provides an excellent grounding in chess opening theory.

The Nimzo-Indian Defence continues to be one of Black's most popular and respected defenses to queen's pawn openings and finding an antidote for White has proved to be a difficult task for even the strongest players in the world. One of the most straightforward replies is the Rubinstein Variation (4 e3), in which White ignores Black's 'threats' and instead simply gets on with the process of developing his remaining pieces. This plan has found favor with many top players; indeed, World Champion Vladimir Kramnik used it to defeat Garry Kasparov in just 25 moves in their 2000 match in London.
In this book, renowned openings theoretician Angus Dunnington explains the ideas and strategies for both white and black players. All the major variations are covered and Dunnington brings the reader up-to-date with the ever developing theory.
This guide is written by a leading openings expert and includes full coverage of all the major variations while dealing with one of the most fashionable lines of the Nimzo.

There are many differing opinions among the top players in the world of chess, but there is one thing upon which World Champions, Grandmasters, and other experts all agree: the art of chess calculation is the absolute key to the success of a player. Master this discipline and chess players can surely expect their results to improve dramatically. And yet there have been very few serious attempts in the past by chess authors to delve into this delicate topic, perhaps not surprisingly given its complexity and difficulty. In Excelling at Chess Calculation, Jacob Aagaard tackles the subject matter head on, unravelling the many secrets behind chess calculation and arming readers with the necessary tools to be able to calculate effectively at the chessboard. Aagaard pays particular attention to the searching practical questions like when should players calculate?, how can players discover candidate moves?, and how long should players spend on critical moves?. A thorough study of this book will enable them to calculate with confidence in future games.
Highlights include:
*A crucial guide to the skill of chess calculation
*Ideal for both club and tournament players
*Written by a renowned chess coach and author

Chess Developments is a series which provides state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trendsconcentrating on critical lines, theoretical novelties and powerful new ideas. It offers players of all levels the opportunity to keep up-to-date with current opening theory whilst also expanding and improving their repertoires. The Sicilian Najdorf is undoubtedly one of the most popular chess openings. It was played with great success by world champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and today it remains a favourite defense at all levels from grandmaster to beginner. 6 Bg5 is widely acknowledged as a critical test of the Sicilian Najdorf. It leads to razor-sharp positions and hotly debated lines such as the fascinating Poisoned Pawn, where one small slip by either side can be fatal. In this book, International Master Kevin Goh Wei Ming examines the most theoretically important and instructive games in recent years, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Whether playing White or Black, this book provides you with essential knowledge of an important opening. *Essential coverage of the Sicilian Najdorf 6 Bg5.* Packed with key new ideas and critical analysis*User-friendly design to help readers absorb information

Who's safe when there are cannibals hiding among you? That's the question at the heart of this fast-paced game of social deduction in which cannibals and pioneers face off in a fight for survival. Set in the winter of 1846, players are members of the ill-fated Donner Party wagon train, stranded atop a mountain with no food. Who will avoid becoming tonight's dinner and make it off the mountain alive? And who are the suspicious scoundrels hungry for human flesh? Rowdy, outrageous, and full of playful deception, this party game packs a delightfully wicked twist!

The Scotch Game is an ideal opening weapon for White. It's ambitious, totally sound and leads to a wide variety of strategically complex positions. This book provides thorough coverage of the critical main lines, recommend the best options for both sides, and outline the key tactical and positional ideas.

The Slav Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6) has been one of Black's most reliable defences to the queen's pawn since its adoption by World Champions Alekhine and Euwe in the 1930s. Nowadays it is very popular both at grandmaster level (it is used regularly by Ivanchuk, Lautier and Short) and with club players. In this book Grandmaster Matthew Sadler explains the strategy and tactics of this perennial favourite. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently start to use the Slav in their own games. Also included is a survey of the trendy new 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 variation.