Do you need to be a genius to be good at chess? What does it take to become a Grandmaster? Can computer programmes beat human intuition in gameplay? The Psychology of Chess is an insightful overview of the roles of intelligence, expertise, and human intuition in playing this complex and ancient game. The book explores the idea of 'practice makes perfect', alongside accounts of why men perform better than women in international rankings, and why chess has become synonymous with extreme intelligence as well as madness. When artificial intelligence researchers are increasingly studying chess to develop machine learning, The Psychology of Chess shows us how much it has already taught us about the human mind.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practicing of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening 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 any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. Bird's Opening, 1 f4, is an ideal choice for freethinking chess players who prefer to rely on their general chess knowledge and intuition rather than having to memorize and keep up to date with mainline opening theory. Bird's Opening is essentially the Dutch Defense with an extra move, and White can choose between a number of different set-ups, including the reversed Leningrad, Classical and Stonewall variations, depending on mood and opponents' responses. In this book, International Master Cyrus Lakdawala examines all the important variations of Bird's Opening, including the sharp From's Gambit. Using illustrative games, he explains the main positional and tactical ideas for both sides, provides answers to all the key questions and tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing 1 f4. *Essential guidance and training with 1 f4*Provides a repertoire options for White*Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Board games have long fascinated as mirrors of intelligence, skill, cunning, and wisdom. While board games have been the topic of many scientific studies, and have been studied for more than a century by psychologists, there was until now no single volume summarizing psychological research into board games. This book, which is the first systematic study of psychology and board games, covers topics such as perception, memory, problem solving and decision making, development, intelligence, emotions, motivation, education, and neuroscience. It also briefly summarizes current research in artificial intelligence aiming at developing computers playing board games, and critically discusses how current theories of expertise fare with board games. Finally, it shows that the information provided by board game research, both data and theories, have a wider relevance for the understanding of human psychology in general.

Designed to revive The Art of Conversation(R), TAOC(R) is a fabulous way to make all get-togethers of families and friends memorable. This All Ages Edition is fun and easy to use, and as with all TAOC(R) games, all that's required is your own life experience, interests and ideas. Contains over 300 communication development areas distributed over 104 business-sized playing cards, plus instruction booklet. TAOC(R) is a simple yet effective way to have balanced, interesting and meaningful communications between two or more people of all age groups, promoting the development of stronger relationships and improving communication skills. TAOC(R) works well in a variety of settings on various levels, encouraging individual development and insight into oneself as well as others. TAOC(R) also teaches that differences need not create conflicts, and helps clear pathways and emotional blocks to learning and understanding.

Show off your best animal-tracking skills in this brilliant matching game. The task is to match 25 tracks to their animal owners. Has an elephant just crossed your path or was it an echidna? Can you track down a coyote, make out the trail of a peacock and recognise the paw print of a panda? Beat your opponents by making as many matches as you can!

This book is the definitive volume on the history of chess in Singapore. Covering 1945-1990, it covers the post-war emergence of a truly 'local' chess scene out of the colonial period, then taking the story up to the modern era. Contained within these pages are tributes to the modern founding fathers of Singapore chess. Also chronicled within are the careers of Singapore's top players and their achievements. This includes fine team performances (belying Singapore's seeming status in the chess world as a tiny red dot) and spectacular individual successes on the international stage.In documenting chess development in Singapore for the period in question, this book also provides glimpses of a wider social history. Personal stories (based on fresh interviews) are provided that give a sense of the chessplaying milieu of the time. Stalwarts in the chess scene, featured in this book, went on to be notable figures in the wider social and political landscape.A selection of 139 annotated games played by top Singapore-based players and Singapore masters between 1949 and 1990 is matched by a rich collection of more than 200 rare illustrations. This volume is a wonderful resource for chess aficionados, interested amateurs, collectors and historians.

'Timely... wonderfully entertaining' - The Wall Street Journal In It's All A Game renowned games expert Tristan Donovan opens the box on the incredible and often surprising history and psychology of board games. He traces the evolution of the game across cultures, time periods, and continents, from the paranoid Chicago toy genius behind classics like Operation and Mouse Trap, to the role of Monopoly in helping prisoners of war escape the Nazis, and even the scientific use of board games today to teach artificial intelligence how to reason and how to win. With these compelling stories and characters, Donovan ultimately reveals why board games have captured hearts and minds all over the world for generations.

Chess Developments is a brand new series providing state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trends - concentrating 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 Pirc is an ambitious counter-attacking weapon against 1 e4. Black allows White to build an imposing centre before striking back and attacking it with pieces and pawns. If Black's strategy is successful White's centre can be blown away, but if Black fails he runs the risk of being overrun. In this book, James Vigus examines the most theoretically important and instructive Pirc games since the publication of his highly acclaimed The Pirc in Black and White, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Studying this book will provide you with essential information on a popular opening. *Essential coverage of the Pirc Defence *Packed with key new ideas and critical analysis *User-friendly design to help readers absorb information

Do you need to be a genius to be good at chess? What does it take to become a Grandmaster? Can computer programmes beat human intuition in gameplay? The Psychology of Chess is an insightful overview of the roles of intelligence, expertise, and human intuition in playing this complex and ancient game. The book explores the idea of 'practice makes perfect', alongside accounts of why men perform better than women in international rankings, and why chess has become synonymous with extreme intelligence as well as madness. When artificial intelligence researchers are increasingly studying chess to develop machine learning, The Psychology of Chess shows us how much it has already taught us about the human mind.

Grandmaster and renowned chess coach Zenon Franco provides a training course designed to help all aspiring players to improve their chess. During each lesson, you are invited to play a 'game' in which you try to find the best moves at all the important moments. Points are awarded for selecting the best moves - and are deducted for selecting blunders! At the end of each lesson there is a points scale to indicate how well you have 'played'. This means you are able to accurately measure your progress as you work through the book. Readers are tested in all aspects of chess: attack, defence, counterattack, tactics, structures, strategy, endgames and so on. Following this interactive course of lessons is an ideal way to improve your game. *A structured course of chess training *Includes 40 deeply annotated exercise games *Ideal for both chess students and trainers

How can you improve at chess? This is the eternal question asked by players of all levels. Which part of the game should you focus on? How often should you play? Should you change your opening repertoire? What's the best way to learn from your defeats? So many questions ...and yet direct answers are hard to find. It's no wonder aspiring players are left bewildered and in need of direction. In this book grandmaster Nigel Davies provides that direction. He examines the methods used by a number of players who were looking to improve their game, and how they went about achieving their goal. He has drawn heavily on the games and thoughts of players who have been his students over the years and experienced a clear improvement in their play. Finding the path towards improvement can prove difficult without the right guidance. This book will demonstrate the route to take. *A major study of chess improvement *Written by a renowned chess trainer *Tackles all areas of the game

Aelin Galathynius has given up her freedom for the sake of her people. Held captive by the Queen of the Fae and tortured for information, her only companions are a silent prisoner and her own mind. The image of her mother, her lover, her friends. The embers of her memory, and a voice, deep inside...

"You will not yield."

Embers of Memory: A Throne of Glass Game is a two-player co-operative card game set during the events of Kingdom of Ash, the epic climax to Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series. Working together, you must delve into the memories of the young queen and help her face her inner demons before she is overwhelmed. Be warned - each challenge you face is more complex than the last, testing the bond between you and your partner to its limit.

Players: 2
Ages: 14+
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Contents: 97 oversized cards, rulebook

Are you tired of playing the same old openings time and time again? This book takes revolutionary look at Flank Openings. It focuses on little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours.

This book saves you years of hit-and-miss reading and sporadic improvement because it gathers together the crucial, game-winning knowledge in one easy-to-carry volume. Each position gives you an important piece of practical chess knowledge. This time-efficient approach leads to the deepest understanding of the game. This is the sixth but stand-alone volume of the Comprehensive Chess Course.

Grandmaster Damian Lemos presents a repertoire for White against both the King's Indian and Grunfeld defences. Many players struggle to find suitable lines to challenge these two popular and dynamic openings, or find the masses of theory in the main lines difficult to digest. Lemos solves this perennial problem by advocating a solid system of development based on the fianchetto system, where understanding ideas is more important than move memorization. By playing a very early g3 and Bg2, White protects his kingside, denies Black much of the counterplay typically associated with the King's Indian and Grunfeld, and creates long-term pressure on the queenside. Lemos's choices in this book are largely based on his own repertoire he used on the way to becoming a Grandmaster. Using illustrative games, Lemos examines the typical tactics and strategies for both sides and highlights key move order issues. This book tells you everything you need to know about playing the Fianchetto System against the King's Indian and Grunfeld. *A repertoire for White after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 *Includes the King's Indian, Grunfeld and Symmetrical English. *Examines the key tactical and positional ideas

In "American Grandmaster," " "Joel Benjamin takes the reader on a journey through chess adventures spanning more than thirty years. Tracing through his own career, from being a prodigy in the 'Fischer boom' era thorough to an experienced Grandmaster with many titles, Benjamin is in a unique position to highlight the major changes that have occurred both in US and international chess throughout the last four decades.

Questions of Modern Chess Theory is the lost masterpiece of Soviet chess literature. It was written by a double Ukrainian Champion, and published in the Soviet Union in 1956. Russian experts say it is one of the most influential chess books of the 20th century, yet it was never published in English.It has been edited to make it useful for the 21st century and is now accessible for the first time to an English-speaking audience.

In this collection of his best games, former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik demonstrates the deep strategic style that took him to the title . Written by one of the greatest players of all time . Contains 90 annotated games from Botvinnik's career . Includes victories over Capablanca, Alekhine, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian . Incorporates background material on key personalities and events Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) made a unique impression on chess history. After victories at Moscow 1935 (shared with Flohr) and Nottingham 193 (shared with Capablanca), Botvinnik won the 'absolute championship' of the USSR in 1941 before the war interrupted all chess activity. After winning the match/tournament of 1948 to decide Alekhine's successor, Botvinnik held the world championship (apart form two brief interludes) until 1963 and retired from active play in 1970, after which he devoted himself to coaching young players 9his list of former pupils include Garry Kasparov) and developing a chess-playing computer program.

It's no secret why the London System is such a popular opening, especially at club level. White's development plan is very easy to learn, and it can be employed against virtually any defence. What's more, depending on mood, style or opponent, White can choose either to attack directly or to instigate a more positional strategy. Many players admit they hate facing the London System, which is surely another good reason to play it! In this book, Cyrus Lakdawala presents a reliable repertoire for White with the London System. Using illustrative games and drawing upon his vast experience in the opening, Lakdawala reveals all his secrets and explains in detail the typical plans and tactics for both sides. This book tells you everything you need to know about the London System. *A repertoire for White with the London System *Covers both the main lines and tricky sidelines *Includes game summaries with key points to remember

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess: strategy, attack, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have undeniably influenced those who have followed. In The Giants of Power Play, Neil McDonald selects five players who have excelled in the field of 'power play' - the art of putting opponents under constant pressure. The methods of doing so are numerous, including gaining rapid development in return for material to build up an initiative, preparing powerful opening ideas in advance, or even developing completely new opening systems. McDonald examines the contributions made by each player, their differences in approach and style, and from Morphy to Topalov, how they followed in each other's footsteps. A study of this book will help you to enhance your skills in one of the most crucial elements of the game. *An entertaining and instructive guide to power play *Learn from the greats of the game *Discover how famous chess minds work