This book is part of a series from Quality Chess examining the cutting edge of opening theory. The idea is to identify the most important theoretical battlegrounds and then analyse as deeply as possible in search of improvements. Thus the reader will be ahead of the current state-of-the-art, rather than lagging behind trying to memorise old games. The book considers the Sicilian Najdorf - a favourite opening of ambitious players at every level. This book concentrates on lines where White chooses 6.Be3, heading for the English Attack. The variations covered are: Topalov: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4 Nbd7; Topalov: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 b4 10.Nce2 e5; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 e5 8.Nf5; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 h6 8.Bg2; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 h5 8.g5 Ng4 9.Bc1 Qb6 10.h3 Ne5 11.Nb3; Main line: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.GBPd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.h4 b4 12.Na4 Qa5 13.b3 Nc5 14.a3; Main line: 6...e6 7.f3 Nbd7 8.GBPd2 b5 9.g4 Nb6 10.a4; Scheveningen: 5...Nc6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.f3 d5 10.Be2; 6...e5: Positional line: 7.Nf3; and, 6...e5: Vallejo Pons variation: 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g 4 b5 12.g5 b4 13.Ne2 Ne8 14.f4 a5 15.f5; 6...e 5: line with 10...a5: 7.Nb3 Be7 8.f3 Be6 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a5; 6...e5: Topalov variation: 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.Qd2 h5.

Are you looking to attack with 1 d4? Then look no further...In this book Richard Palliser provides in-depth coverage of three of the most dangerous attacking set-ups available to White: the Colle-Zukertort, the Barry, and the 150 attacks. In recent years these three opening weapons have considerably gained in popularity, especially at club level, and it's easy to see why. They are fun to learn, and easy to play; they take Black away from the comfort zone of established theory; and they can all lead to devastating mating attacks against the black king. What more can you ask from an opening? Whether you are playing the White or Black side, this book tells all you need to know.The Everyman Chess "Starting Out" series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming players. These" "books are distinguished by their easy-to-read layout, the lucid explanations of the fundamentals, and the abundance of notes, tips and warnings to help the reader absorb vital ideas. "Starting Out" opening books are ideal for enthusiastic chess players who have little experience of the openings in question and who wish to appreciate the essential principles behind them. *An essential guide to d4 attacks*All the main lines are covered*Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players Richard Palliser is an International Master with numerous tournament successes to his name, and in 2006 he became Joint British Rapidplay Champion. He has already established a reputation as a skilled and prolific chess writer. Previous works for Everyman Chess include "Starting Out: The Colle "and "The Complete Chess Workout."

Most chess games of beginners and post-beginners are decided by fairly straightforward tactics. Anyone who wants to progress beyond this level and become a strong club player or a candidate master, needs to understand that somewhat mysterious-looking resource, the positional sacrifice. International Master Merijn van Delft has studied and loved positional sacrifices for as long as he can remember. This non-forcing tool is not just a surprising and highly effective way of creating a decisive advantage during a game. Positional sacrifices are also instruments of superior beauty. Van Delft has created a unique thematic structure for all types of positional sacrifices. He shows the early historical examples, explains which long-term goals are typical for each fundamental theme and presents lots of instructive modern examples. He then concentrates on those sacrifices that have become standard features of positional play. Solving the exercises he has added will further enhance your skills. Playing a positional sacrifice will always require courage. Merijn van Delft takes you by the hand and not only teaches the essential technical know-how, he also helps you to recognize the opportunities when to take the plunge. Mastering Positional Sacrifices is bound to become a modern-day classic.

Three classic titles from the Everyman Chess Starting Out Series in one volume. Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Accepted by Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Declined by Neil McDonald Starting: Slav Semi Slav by Glenn Flear The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand. The Queen's Gambit Declined is an opening of great historical importance and Black's fundamental answer to 1 d4. From the very first move Black obtains a firm foothold in the centre, something that White finds extremely hard to undermine. Indeed, Black often bases his entire strategy around this control. The soundness of the Queen's Gambit Declined has never been in question, and its supporters at the highest level include a long list of Grandmasters headed by Kasparov, Kramnik, Karpov and Short, as well as many World Champions from the past. The very closely linked Slav and Semi-Slav Defences are two of the most popular and combative openings that Black can play against the Queen's Gambit. They have provided the battleground for thousands of exciting encounters between the world's chess elite, including Garry Kasparov, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Alexander Morozevich. Players of all levels are attracted to the Slav and the Semi-Slav because they are solid, dependable defences that do, however, promise abundant possibilities for dynamic counterplay.

I was lucky enough to play against six world champions and several top players in my modest chess career, but the greatest player I feel privileged to have known, to have spent time with him, was Miguel Najdorf, "El Viejo". This is a chess book, with 275 commented games, it covers all his chess career, but it has also many stories. Najdorf was the most important Argentinean chess player, and he was an exceptional person. Oscar Panno said that Najdorf reminded him of Don Quixote, in the part of the book where he tells Sancho Panza, "Wherever I am, that is where the head of the table is going to be". He successfully overcame the most terrible setbacks, as few are capable of doing. Writing about Miguel Najdorf is one of my greatest pleasures as a chess journalist and writer! Zenon Franco Ocampos, April 2021.

The interviews in this book span over twenty years, over two decades. For years I went with my recording device to tournaments like Wijk aan Zee, Frankfurt Chess Classic, Hoogeveen... often to interview the interesting player of the moment in some hotel bar or quiet interview room. 31 out of the 35 interviews came about this way. That is... until March 2020, when out of nowhere, covid broke out. Suddenly chess tournaments were no longer held and a live interview with chess players was no longer possible.

This is the first volume of the new series "Key Concepts of Chess". The idea is to deal with middlegames in which a certain structure or essential theme becomes central. The idea of starting this series is in line with the "Understanding before Moving" series because the aim, is to improve the understanding of club chess players. According to the author, playing an opening should be 'hung up' on stereotypical ideas and concepts belonging to this structure. The thorough exploration of middlegame structures is beyond the scope of opening books, hence it makes more sense to expose it in this complementary series. In this first volume, the "Hedgehog System" is discussed in detail. Apart from being part of the author's repertoire, this typical set-up deserves to be widely highlighted. Although in the second part of the trilogy on the Sicilian, the Hedgehog has already made its appearance, in this book the seemingly fragile, but oh so treacherous creature can reconsider its spines in an extensive way.

Grandmaster Grivas presents the reader an unique and massive amount of amazing puzzles including their historical background. All the most famous and rare tactical themes are covered, promising the read of the year!

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.

Building and maintaining an opening repertoire can be a demanding task - for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to choose from. There's a strong temptation amongst beginners and improving players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this approach has only short-term value. As you improve and your opponents become stronger, very often these crafty lines don't stand up to close scrutiny, and suddenly you're back to square one with no suitable opening weapons. In "Starting Out: 1 e4!" Neil McDonald solves this perennial problem by providing the reader with a strong and trustworthy repertoire with the white pieces based on the popular opening move 1 e4. The recommended lines given here have stood the test of time and are regularly employed by Grandmasters. Reading this book will give you the confidence to play these variations against all strengths of player and provide you with reliable opening armoury for years to come. This book is written in "Everyman Chess's" distinctive 'Starting Out' style, with plenty of notes, tips and warnings throughout to help the aspiring player. Presents a Grandmaster-style opening repertoire, written by a 1 e4 expert that is ideal for improving players.

The Hippopotamus Defence is just what a club player needs. Its a straightforward and clear-cut chess opening that avoids the ever growing body of mainline theory. Its universal: Black can use the Hippo against virtually all of Whites choices (1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, 1.f4, the Colle, London, Trompowsky, Reti and others). Its not very well known and will surprise many opponents. On top of all that, the Hippo is seriously underestimated: with its characteristic double fianchetto it may look quiet, but inside there lurks a very dangerous animal. FIDE Master Alessio de Santis is one of the worlds greatest experts on the Hippo and has written a practical, well-structured and accessible manual. His book can be studied on three levels: after a first flash of 3 to 4 hours you will be familiar with the Hippos basic moves and key variations, its strategic themes and recurring manoeuvres. In the second and third stage De Santis leads you through the most important concrete lines and introduces the Semi-Hippopotamus to counter some specific White ideas. You can use the Hippo as a surprise weapon or as your main repertoire. The extensive explanations and clear conclusions make this book an easy-to-navigate manual for all club players. If you like to confront your opponents with some unexpected counter-attacks, then you need not look any further.

This third volume in Mark Dvoretsky's course is devoted to questions of strategy, and is aimed at improving the reader's positional understanding. The author also examines a number of positions that lie on the boundary between the middlegame and endgame. As in the other books of the series, he uses examples from his own games and those of his pupils, together with original analyses of episodes from other player's games. "My books may or may not be liked, but it is unlikely that they could have been any different. I demonstrate examples that are memorable to me in the way that I myself see them, and I describe the chess and psychological mechanisms in the same way that I explain them in lessons to my pupils. I am sure that an attempt to deliberately correct, and artificially simplify the material would have led to a significant lowering of its quality, and a distortion of the chess patterns generated in the mind of the author, and, I hope, subsequently also in the mind of the reader ..." -- Mark Dvoretsky

Is the ability to make combinations something you are born with or can it be acquired by practice? Russian chess trainer Livshitz, who has had extensive experience teaching a wide range of players from novices to masters, presents here a course for developing your combinational skill, based on the recognition of tactical motifs. As you work your way through this carefully graced series of tests, themes such as 'diversion, ' 'interference, ' 'X-Ray, ' and many more will become an integral part of your chess armoury, to be employed in your own games. Solving these positions will not only provide many hours of pleasure but will also enable you to test - and improve! - your chess IQ. This is book two in a three-volume series, carefully graduated in order of difficulty. Move on to: 'Test Your Chess IQ: Master Challenge' and 'Test Your Chess IQ: Grandmaster Challenge.' (6 3/4' X 9 3/4', 124 pages, illustrations)

Alexei Shirov has dazzled and inspired a generation of chess fans with his unique brand of attacking chess. The Grandmaster, originally from Riga, Latvia, is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive and inventive chess players of the modern era, an argument backed up by his wealth of amazing games, rich in tactical fireworks and extraordinary moves. "Fire on Board" begins where the best-selling first edition left off in 1996. Shirov traces his progress at the top of the chess world since that year and presents a delightful collection of his favourite games, all explained in great detail to the reader. Shirov's best games, are unravelled and explained by the man himself. This is a compilation of violent, attacking and imaginative chess. It is written by one of the world's leading players.

To learn and to play endgames well the chess player must love endgames' - Lev Psakhis. Different kinds of endgames have specific characteristics and rules. Every serious player must know many typical positions and main principles of all types of endings. That knowledge should help us during the game, but it is not enough to become a good player, not yet. There just too many different endings, some of them with two or more pieces, some are very complex. To be comfortable and play well those complex endings require specific knowledge and specific ways of thinking. We will call it 'endgame thinking'. I chose to write a book on advanced rook endings as I simply did not wish to write another book that would be like the many already available. I have done my best to present analysis and articles I have written over the past 10-15 years. Th is work has been presented in my daily coaching sessions, seminars, workshops, etc. The material has helped a lot of trainees to develop into quite strong players gaining international titles and championships. Now, it is your turn to taste and enjoy it!