An informative and accessible new book by Thomas Engqvist, the practical follow up to his previous two authoritative chess books: 300 Most Important Chess Positions and 300 Most Important Tactical Chess Positions.Filled with 300 engaging chess exercises and complete solutions in the end of the book, this book will allow you to apply and consolidate your newfound knowledge. The book is divided into four key sections: *75 exercises practising positional ideas in the opening/middlegame *75 exercises covering the endgame *75 tactical exercises in the opening/middlegame *75 tactical endgames.The exercises featured in the book are taken from real game positions from various renowned chess players, including Capablanca and Magnus Carlsen. Word count: 116,000

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, French Classical by Byron Jacobs and French Winawer by Neil McDonald, brought together in one volume. In French Classical International Master Byron Jacobs offers a fresh look at the Classical variation of the French Defence, which has been popular for nearly a century and is championed by such fighting players as Victor Korchnoi and Alexander Morozevich. All of the important variations are considered in detail with particular emphasis on those which are most fashionable. A modern look at the highly fashionable French Winawer, which remains the sharpest variation of the French Defence. It leads to the kind of dynamic positions in which the better prepared and more aggressive player will invariably prevail. Leading expert Neil McDonald explains the strategy and tactics of this exciting opening in a clear and concise manner.

The family of board games by Christian Lacroix welcomes a new addition this season: Backgammon. The House offers its interpretation of this famous classic. Features: The set's hard case is decorated with the diamonds of the Mascarade pattern and the Fleurs Cannibales hybrid flowers. The embossed, varnished and hot-stamped details come together in a game that combines elegance and entertainment. The case folds out to reveal the game board, decorated in two-tone shading. The same pink and blue shading is also used on the 30 wooden checkers and dice.

In chess the Spanish opening, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, is so respected that many Black players immediately start to defend. Sabino Brunello shows that Black can fight right from the start. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.00 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 00 8.c3 d5 The Marshall Attack is sound and aggressive, so it is no surprise that it is favoured by the world's best. The theory is so complex that an expert guide is required, and Brunello is well suited to the task. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 The Schliemann, with its reversed King's Gambit flair, has always been popular with club players, but grandmasters knew it was unsound. Then Teimour Radjabov started playing it successfully against the elite and sparked a revival. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.00 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 00 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5 The Gajewski variation is brand new. The position after White's tenth move had been reached a thousand times with 10...c5 universally played, before the Polish grandmaster Gajewski revealed that Black has a fascinating gambit at his disposal.

One of the main reasons the Sicilian is the most popular opening is that is it promotes such bold and aggressive chess. This work introduces, categorizes and analyses the 'Seven Deadly Sacrifices' White has at his disposal. It covers main lines of the Sicilian.

In December 2012 Magnus Carlsen won the prestigious London Chess Classic and in doing so he became the highest-rated chess player in the history of the game, beating Garry Kasparov's 13-year-old record. Carlsen followed up this performance with another phenomenal tournament win at Wijk aan Zee, pushing his peak rating to an astronomical 2872. He didn't lose a single game in either tournament. What is Carlsen's secret? How did an already world-class player succeed in reaching this unprecedented level where he was regularly beating the world's strongest grandmasters? In this book, International Master Colin Crouch provides answers to these questions. Crouch studies Carlsen's progress in recent years and demonstrates how he learned lessons from previous setbacks, turned weaknesses into strengths, losses into draws, and draws into wins. By doing so Carlsen was able to elevate his play to a stratospheric level, but any aspiring chess player can use similar methods to improve their game. *The story of Carlsen's record-breaking performances *In-depth analysis of Carlsen's games *Learn from the World's number one player

Boris Spassky is one of the greatest chess players in the history of the game. He was the World Champion for three years, after winning the title by beating Tigran Petrosian. His name is forever linked with his great rival Bobby Fischer and their epic 1972 'Match of the Century', which did so much to popularize the game throughout the world. Over the board, Spassky is renowned for his universal style, as he was equally skilled in all phases on the game. In Spassky's best games his pieces seemed to combine together in perfect harmony, and he produced a number of memorable masterpieces. In this book, Grandmaster Zenon Franco examines in detail Spassky's chess style, selects and studies his favorite Spassky games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Spassky's play. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. 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 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 improve your chess skills and knowledge. *Learn from the games of a chess legend *Important ideas absorbed by continued practice *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

The Ruy Lopez is incredibly common at all levels of chess, and everyone who plays 1 e4 e5 as Black needs to have a reliable antidote to this powerful opening. In this book, Milos Pavlovic provides the answer, devising a sound and yet ambitious repertoire for Black, the basis of which is provided by the legendary and ever-popular Marshall Attack. The Marshall is a perfect weapon for Black, as it avoids passive positions and the so-called 'Spanish torture' of many other variations. In contrast, with the Marshall Black's objectives are clear-cut and often involve a direct mating attack against the white king!

Board games are flat out fun! They continue to fascinate players and collectors alike, long after their lives on toy store shelves, and their appeal is rapidly growing. Demand for games has only increased worldwide with the growth of the Internet fueling the collector market. From Monopoly to Battleship, Annie Oakley to Magilla Gorilla, this completely new book presents over 1,000 color photographs of board games, from current favorites to great classics dating back to the 1920s. It includes an informative text, vintage advertisements, and current market prices. There is a special chapter on Remco Industries, which had a small but sought after output of games in the 1950s and 1960s. More Board Games** continues where the author's first book, Board Games**, left off. It is sure to satisfy the game-playing appetites of collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts everywhere.

Everyone knows that the queen is the most dominant piece in chess, but few people know that the game existed for five hundred years without her. It wasn't until chess became a popular pastime for European royals during the Middle Ages that the queen was born and was gradually empowered to become the king's fierce warrior and protector.

"Birth of the Chess Queen" examines the five centuries between the chess queen's timid emergence in the early days of the Holy Roman Empire to her elevation during the reign of Isabel of Castile. Marilyn Yalom, inspired by a handful of surviving medieval chess queens, traces their origin and spread from Spain, Italy, and Germany to France, England, Scandinavia, and Russia. In a lively and engaging historical investigation, Yalom draws parallels between the rise of the chess queen and the ascent of female sovereigns in Europe, presenting a layered, fascinating history of medieval courts and internal struggles for power.

The Najdorf Sicilian is one of the most sharp, dynamic and popular openings that Black can play and is a firm favorite amongst the worlds elite players, including world number one Garry Kasparov. From very early on, Black unbalances the game to a reach a position in which one can play for the win without exceptional risk.
The soundness of the Najdorf has never been seriously doubted, but some players can be put off by the ever-spiraling amount of theory amassed on this great opening. In Play the Najdorf: Scheveningen Style, however, Grandmaster and openings expert John Emms condenses this mountain to produce a workable black repertoire against all of Whites possible options. Emms concentrates on lines where Black adopts a very early ..e7-e6, thus establishing the well-known Scheveningen pawn structure.
Play the Najdorf explains an opening championed by Garry Kasparov; is written by a renowned openings theoretician; covers all of Whites main replies.

Batsford's Chess Bible is a landmark, full-colour chess instruction book, ideal for both beginners and more experienced players wanting to improve their game. The book takes the form of a course, with quick-start guides to help to retain the information you've learned and puzzle sections for you to test yourself as you go. To illustrate more advanced strategy and tactics, author Sean Marsh uses world-class chess 'heroes', such as Anatoly Karpov and Mikhail Tal, to bring the concepts to life. Essential topics include: *Pieces and Moves: the very basics, covering the chessboard, notation, the names of the pieces and how they move, plus an overview of chess etiquette *What Chess is All About: an exploration of chess culture and history *Winning, Drawing and Losing: Covers the various ways of winning at chess, and how games are drawn *Six Openings for Life: Coverage of six of the best chess openings, each illustrated by a different 'chess hero' *Tactical Weapons: An examination of forks, pins, skewers and other tactical devices, followed by illustrative games from Tactical Hero Mikhail Tal *Positional Play: Looks at good and bad positions, plus the art of planning, seen through the games of Positional Hero Tigran Petrosian *Human Factors: Typical mistakes and blunders to avoidEasy to follow, yet thorough and challenging, this book is an essential companion for all budding chess champions.

The c3 Sicilian has been one of the most widely played openings among club and tournament players for more than a decade. It leads to dynamic play in which the better prepared player invariably comes out on top. In this handy battle manual, highly-regarded author Grandmaster Joe Gallagher offers a comprehensive survey of the state of current theory for both White and Black players, explaining the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides. (6 1/8' x 9 1/8', 176 pages, illustrations)

Which opening does better in practice: the wild, unsound" and refuted" Latvian Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5) or the solid Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6)? As James Schuyler points out, referring to the definitive Megabase, the Latvian Gambit scores higher. How can such a discredited opening (and the same story is repeated with other unsound" openings) do so well? The point is that playing like this throws the opponent off balance, makes them anxious and induces mistakes. Even the very best players recognize the value of discomforting the opponent. Historically, Emanuel Lasker was the master of this approach and his modern day equivalent is world champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen frequently employs offbeat openings and his opponents invariably fail to counter them correctly. This is the key theme of this book. Schuyler covers all phases of the game and discusses other vital subjects such as harassment, material imbalance, time management, surprise moves, unusual ideas, provocative play, manoeuvres and recovering from bad positions. *Includes methods to improve practical play*Develops a win-oriented attitude*Examines ways to induce mistakes

What exactly makes the greatest players of all time, such as Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer, and Garry Kasparov stand out from the rest? The basic aspects of chess (calculation, study of opening theory, and technical endgame ability) are of course of great importance. However, the more mysterious part of chess ability lies within the thought process. In particular: * How does one evaluate certain moves to be better than others? * How does one improve their feel of the game? This book will tackle this woefully underexplored aspect of chess: the logic behind the game. It will explain how chess works at a fundamental level. Topics include: * What to think about when evaluating a position. * How to formulate and execute plans. * How to generate and make use of the initiative. The reader also has plenty of opportunities to test their decision-making by attempting 270 practical exercises. These are mostly designed to develop understanding, as the justification of the moves is more important than the actual correct answer.

Put your shades on, because this special edition of Millennial Loteria is shiny AF! And now up to 20 people can play! Every single card and board in this premium edition got a glow-up to guarantee your party is more lit than ever. Born from the viral Instagram account @MillennialLoteria, this game is a modern twist on the popular "Mexican Bingo" and features extra boards, cards, and bitcoins for up to 20 players. Millennial Loteria Shiny AF features: 56 Iridescent Cards (a combo of our original favorites made shiny + new cards that are funny AF) 20 Game Boards 160 Bitcoins 1 Enamel Pin ...All in one Shiny Box No filter necessary, the Millennial Loteria La Shiny AF Edition already shines bright like a diamond! OMG IMPORTANT INFO: This Shiny AF version is a stand alone game, and is not an expansion pack to be combined with other game sets.

The Accelerated Dragon remains one of Black's most popular choices in the Sicilian, and the attractions are obvious. Black's opening strategy is easy to understand, and his pieces are quickly developed on active squares. Furthermore, White players hoping to attack in the same way as against the traditional Dragon will be shocked by the Accelerated Dragon's greater flexibility and possibilities for a swift counterattack. In this book, Peter Lalic presents a repertoire for Black based on this line. He outlines a reliable system of development with the aim of choosing clear, consistent plans. Firstly, he demonstrates why the Accelerated Dragon exponent need not fear the Yugoslav Attack. Secondly, if White chooses instead the Maroczy Bind approach he emphasizes that positional understanding is far more important than memorization of move sequences. He studies the thematic middlegame and endgame positions which may arise and answers all the frequently asked questions. This book tells you everything you need to know to play the Accelerated Dragon with confidence. *An Accelerated Dragon repertoire for Black *Packed with new ideas and critical analysis *Covers Black's key tactics and strategies

The chess world has witnessed a great number of wonderfully gifted attacking players, geniuses who have dazzled the chess public with their brilliant masterpieces. Everyone has their own favourites, and in "Chess Secrets: Great Attackers," Colin Crouch chooses three of his own: Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Tal and Leonid Stein. World Champions Kasparov and Tal need no introduction, while Stein was a highly creative and intuitive player with the ability to destroy the world's best players with his vicious attacks.Crouch examines their differing approaches and styles, and highlights some crucial themes, including the idea of controlled risk - in some sacrificial attacks even the greatest players can't always see everything to the end. 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 attacking chess*Learn from the greats of the game*Discover how famous chess minds work "Chess Secrets" is" "a new series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess study: strategy, attacking play, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author chooses and deeply studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have genuinely influenced their descendants. Dr Colin Crouch is an International Master, an extremely experienced tournament player and a highly regarded chess writer. His previous books for Everyman Chess include "Queens"" Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4!," which has been highly acclaimed for its thoroughness and originality, with one reviewer describing it as 'the opening bookof the year'. He has been a regular columnist for "British Chess Magazine" and "CHESS."