When was the last time you won a perfect game? A game that was not tainted by inferior moves? Every chess player knows that smooth wins are the exception, that play is often chaotic and positions are frequently irrational. The road to victory is generally full of bumps and misadventures. Welcome to the world of imperfection! Chess books usually feature superbly played games. In this book you will see games where weird moves are rewarded. Cyrus Lakdawala knows that playing good chess is all very well, but that beating your opponent is better. He demonstrates the fine art of winning undeserved victories by: miraculously surviving chaos; throwing vile cheapos; refusing to resign in lost positions; getting lucky breaks; provoking unforced errors, and other ways to land on your feet after a roller-coaster ride. Lakdawala shows how you can make sure that it is your opponent, not you, who makes the last blunder. If youd rather win a bad game than lose a good one, then this your ideal guide. The next time the wrong player wins, you will be that player!

Emanuel Lasker was world champion for a remarkable 27 years (1894-1921) and is generally regarded as having been way ahead of his time in his understanding of chess. He primarily regarded chess as a fight and considered that the strongest move in a position was the one that created greatest problems for the opponent and not necessarily the one that was objectively "best". His strengths included: ----- * His skill at accumulating small advantages with quiet manoeuvring. --- * His astonishing ability to find tactical resources in defence. --- * His uncanny knack of provoking errors in balanced positions. ----- Lasker was, essentially, a complete chessplayer and his games feel thoroughly modern. Indeed many contemporary elite players (the most obvious one being the current world champion Magnus Carlsen) exhibit a very similar style. ----- The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions - a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.

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."

In the modern classic" Secrets of Spectacular Chess," Jonathan Levitt and David Friedgood shared their joy and appreciation of chess beauty, engulfing readers with a wealth of amazing and magnificent examples from the aesthetic side of the game. Moreover, they also showed how this fascinating subject could actually be analysed, and how this could help players to improve the practical side of their game.Now the authors have produced a much awaited and largely expanded second edition, in which they present further ideas and opinions, provide many new mesmerizing examples of games, studies and problems, and revisit previous material to explain how the theory has developed over recent years. This book really captures the imagination; read it and become hypnotized by the power and beauty of chess! *A new expanded edition, with 50% new material*An enthralling guide to the artistry of chess*Ideal for players of all levels

Chess and bridge have been two of the world's most popular games for centuries, and this superb instructional book will tell you everything you need to know about them, from their intriguing histories to how to play and win. Biographies of the most well-known players are included, from famous bridge players such as Terence Reese and Omar Sharif to world-class chess players such as Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.With stepby-step guidance and over 1200 photographs and illustrations, this easy-to-follow book will show players how to play and increase their enjoyment of two of the most tactical and complex games around today.

Everyman Chess are delighted to present two further offerings from their original and best-selling Starting Out opening series. The Classical Sicilian is one of Black's most popular and highly regarded opening choices against 1 e4, and it's been a favourite of such greats as Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Vishy Anand. White has a number of aggressive ways to battle against the Classical: the fashionable Richter-Rauzer Attack; Bobby Fischer's favourite, the Sozin Attack; and finally the wild Velimirovic Attack, and no work on the Classical would be complete without a study of these fascinating variations. The Grand Prix Attack is one of White's most aggressive ways of fighting the Sicilian. It leads to a sharp, complex battle from the very beginning, and White's play is characterized by its lightning attacks against the black king. The opening became a powerful weapon to use in the cut and thrust of weekend tournament chess, where victory is everything and draws are not enough. It steadily became more popular and even gained the seal of approval from some of the world's elite such as the UK's top two Grandmasters, Nigel Short and Michael Adams, who have both utilized it with success. Everyman Chess's 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. *User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the fundamental principles of the openings *Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players

There is much published on chess tactics, strategy, openings and endings, but little on how to come up with imaginative solutions through logical thinking and evaluation. This book is dedicated to that task and provides over 700 'fresh' positions, incorporating a variety of schemes of thought for the reader to solve. The examples emphasise the power of logical and resourceful thinking, quick wit and imagination. In each chapter the author presents little-explored concepts, such as progressive and reciprocal thinking, to help the reader achieve decisive results and to make fewer mistakes in calculation. The material has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer and will be of great benefit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.

Wurden Sie nicht auch gerne einmal wie ein Weltmeister spielen? Es ist einfacher als Sie denken. Sie brauchen nur zwei Voraussetzungen: Ihr Gegenuber sollte mit 1. d4 eroeffnen und Sie sollten zuvor dieses Buch gelesen haben. Fast alle Weltmeister der Schachgeschichte haben immer wieder mit Erfolg Slawisch gespielt. Slawisch ist eine erstklassige Eroeffnung, denn sie verbindet solide Zuverlassigkeit mit der Aussicht auf dynamisches Gegenspiel. Dem Autor verdanken wir eine ebenso umfassende wie hochaktuelle Studie. Der gesamte Kenntnisstand der Literatur und jahrelange Turniererfahrung finden hier ihren Niederschlag. Alle wichtigen Ideen fur Schwarz und Weiss werden hervorgehoben und in ihren zentralen taktischen Wendungen ausfuhrlich analysiert. Dr. James Vigus ist FIDE-Meister und ehemaliger Britischer Jugendmeister. Er schreibt und rezensiert regelmassig fur das British Chess Magazine. Sein erstes Buch "Pirc fur Schwarz und Weiss" (englische Ausgabe: "The Pirc in Black and White") wurde in der Fachpresse als exzellentes neues Standardwerk gefeiert.

Most chess biographies present the games of famous players--but not their writings. Filling that gap, this book begins with Syrian master and author of chess studies Philip Stamma, and finishes with the first world champion William Steinitz. The main novelties in opening, middlegame and endgame theory in the 160 year period are examined and biographical sketches put the contributions of more than 30 masters into context. The author presents many new insights--for example, regarding the origins of the Ponziani Opening, the Dutch Defense and the Petroff Defense. French star La Bourdonnais used other sources for almost every part of his Nouveau Traite. Morphy's analysis of the Philidor Defense was faulty and Anderssen's play included many positional ideas. Harrwitz and Neumann published modern treatises long before Steinitz came out with his Modern Chess Instructor. Many ending themes belong to less well-known authors, such as Cozio, Chapais, van Zuylen van Nyevelt, Sarratt, Kling and Horwitz, Berger and Salvio.

The Scotch Game is one of the oldest openings in chess and has a great history, but more recently it was catapulted back into the limelight due to the enterprise of World number one Garry Kasparov, who completely rejuvenated the opening with an abundance of original ideas for White. He utilized the opening in World Championship matches and other elite events, with very successful results. As a direct result of this, the Scotch Game, a dynamic and sharp opening, has once again become popular at all levels of chess.
In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and openings expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Scotch Opening and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.
"User-friendly layout to help readers absorb ideas
"Concentrates on the key principles of the Scotch Opening
"Ideal for the improving player

Endgames involving only kings and pawns are the most fundamental of all chess positions, and a firm understanding of them is required in order to become confident of tackling more complex endings that preceded them. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and distinguished endgames expert Glenn Flear focuses on the very basics of pawn endings. Beginning with the simplest of positions and only gradually working through to more challenging material, Flear outlines the key principles and rules, and demonstrates how these work in practical examples. As one of the priorities of such endings is to promote pawns to queens, Flear additionally deals with queen endings that arise naturally from the simpler form. As is commonplace with the renowned Starting Out series, there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings throughout the book to help improving players. Starting Out: Pawn Endgames is perfect for those who have previously honed their chess skills with the earlier books Starting Out in Chess, Tips for Young Players and Improve Your Endgame Play. Highlights include: *Covers all crucial pawn endings *Easy step-by-step guide to better endgame play *Ideal for improving players *User-friendly layout to help readers absorb the key ideas

Estonian grandmaster Paul Keres is one of the greatest players in chess history. Along with Viktor Korchnoi he is one of the best never to have gained the ultimate title of world champion. He was numbered among the very top players in the world for more than three decades. He was an unusually well-rounded chessplayer, writing numerous books and, additionally, also composing problems and endgame studies. Paraguay grandmaster, Zenon Franco has long been a fan of Paul Keres and has now collected together 38 of his finest games, along with numerous extracts from other encounters. ----- The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions - a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.