In the unusual Queen's Gambit, grandmaster Chris Ward covers three offbeat but nevertheless important defences to this ancient opening. The Chigorin Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6) creates dynamic imbalance in the position. White often ends up with a big centre but Black's active pieces can create havoc. The Albin Counter Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5) is a tricky tactical line which can be deadly against an unprepared White player. The final variation (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Bf5) is an interesting way to try to sovle immediately the age old problem of how to develop the queen's bishop in the Queen's Gambit Declined. * Provides detailed coverage of unusual but dangerous counters to the Queen's Gambit * Full coverage of all recent developments

Hex: The Full Story is for anyone - hobbyist, professional, student, teacher - who enjoys board games, game theory, discrete math, computing, or history. hex was discovered twice, in 1942 by Piet Hein and again in 1949 by John F. nash. How did this happen? Who created the puzzle for Hein's Danish newspaper column? How are Martin Gardner, David Gale, Claude Shannon, and Claude Berge involved? What is the secret to playing Hex well? The answers are inside... Features New documents on Hein's creation of Hex, the complete set of Danish puzzles, and the identity of their composer Chapters on Gale's game Bridg-it, the game Rex, computer Hex, open Hex problems, and more Dozens of new puzzles and solutions Study guide for Hex players Supplemenetary text for a course in game theory, discrete math, computer science, or science history

This instructive book for competitive players, based on Edmar Mednis' classic Practical Endgame Lessons, provides the reader with a wealth of useful instruction in endgame play, reinforced by a a series of tests presented as simulations of tournament play. Explains the fundamental principles of endgame play . Deals with all standard types of endgame: pawn endings, bishop endings, rook endings, etc . Contains more that twenty test endings to help develop your skills . Uses many examples by the world's leading endgame exponents: Smyslov, Karpov, Korchnoi, etc. Grandmaster Edmar Mednis is one of the world's leading endgame exerts.He is a regular contributor to Chess Life magazine and is author of How to be a complete Tournament Player, From Opening to the Endgame and From the Middlegame into the Endgame. International Master Colin Crouch is one of England's most highly regarded analysts and writers.

Bent Larsen was one of the most influential chess players of the 20th century. He was a four-time Candidate for the World Championship and the first westerner to seriously challenge the Soviet Union's post-war dominance of the game. Larsen was admired by fans for his creative and combative style. He was a risk-taker who always sought complex positions. He felt completely at home in defense and was an opportunistic attacker. While other grandmasters would shy away from offbeat openings, Larsen would embrace and develop them. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala studies his favourite Larsen games and examines Larsen's skills in the key areas of attack and defense, initiative, exploiting imbalances, accumulating advantages and endgame play. He demonstrates clearly how we can all improve by learning from Larsen'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 Tarrasch Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined is a fierce counter-attacking line arising after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5. In this variation Black gains free and easy piece play but in return usually has to accept the structural weakness of an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP). In the early development of chess theory this line was somewhat frowned upon due to the vulnerability of the IQP. However, Siegbert Tarrasch, after whom the opening is named, famously declared that, "he who fears an Isolated Queen's Pawn should give up chess". The Tarrasch has had many powerful adherents over the years including the legendary Garry Kasparov who made much use of it in the early part of his career. In this book Cyrus Lakdawala guides the reader through the complexities of the Tarrasch and carves out a repertoire for Black, based on a modern treatment popularised by the Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov. He examines all aspects of this highly complex opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A complete repertoire for Black to counter 1 d4. * The question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.

A huge amount was published about chess in the United Kingdom before the First World War. The growing popularity of chess in Victorian Britain was reflected in an increasingly competitive market of books and periodicals aimed at players from beginner to expert. The author combines new information about the early history of the game with advice for researchers into chess history and traces the further development of chess literature well into the 20th century. Topics include today's leading chess libraries and the use of digitized chess texts and research on the Web. Special attention is given to the columns that appeared in newspapers (national and provincial) and magazines from 1813 onwards. These articles, usually weekly, provide a wealth of information on early chess, much of which is not to be found elsewhere. The lengthy first appendix, an A to Z of almost 600 chess columns, constitutes a detailed research aid. Other appendices include corrections and supplements to standard works of reference on chess.

It's been said that "tactics are 99% of chess." This third volume of the Comprehensive Chess Course teaches you the basic tools of winning chess with instructive and memorable examples. Grandmasters Alburt and Palatnik thoroughly explain hundreds of key positions arranged by difficulty and designed to sharpen tactical recognition and vision in your own games. Nothing is left to chance in this work. All materials have already shown their worth in Russian chess instruction.

GM Alburt's Comprehensive Chess Course brings English readers the once strictly guarded and time-tested Russian training methods, the key to the 50-year Russian dominance of world chess. Comprehensive Chess Course takes you from beginner to master.

Test tactical and positional chess skills with these quiz books with a difference Two leading experts have carefully assembled an abundance of chess puzzles to test players of all levels. At the beginning of each chapter the puzzles are relatively easy, worth five points for a correct solution. However as you move on they become more and more difficult, soon becoming worth ten points and eventually 15. If players get stuck, help is at hand Readers can 'ask a grandmaster' to obtain the guidance they need to help solve the puzzles. However, they have to use this option carefully, as it will cost them some of their hard-earned points. Either on their own or with friends, this book will provide hours of brain-teasing enjoyment.
-- Both books include puzzles for all levels
-- Grandmaster hints to help readers through the most taxing puzzles
-- Unique scoring system enables players to monitor their progress through the book

International Master and experienced chess teacher Angus Dunnington has carefully assembled an abundance of positional chess puzzles to test players of all levels.

When should we exchange a piece in the endgame and when should we keep it? Why is it so important? How to make a right choice? Different types of endings and guidance on how to make the correct decision were the subject of my book The Correct Exchange in the Endgame. Two editions were very well accepted by chess players of different levels. I am especially happy that many chess coaches and teachers found it useful for their training programs. The book was announced as a silver winner of the Boleslavsky Award 2016 by the FIDE Trainer's Commission. Many readers and coaches expressed a wish to see more instructive exercises, so together with Thinkers Publishing we decided to make an exercise book. It can be widely used by chess teachers in schools, coaches in chess clubs and all chess players. Trying to solve 120 instructive exercises and then going through the correct solutions, you will certainly improve your decision-making ability and analyzing skills, as well as enrich your knowledge and understanding of the final stage of the chess game.

With more than 400 illustrations, and detailed maps, this immense and deeply researched account of the history of chess covers not only the Persian and Arab game familiar to most Westerners for the past 500 years, but also variants going back 1500 years that are still being played in some parts of the world. The evolution of strategic board games, especially in India, China and Japan, is discussed in detail. The many more recent chess variants (board sizes, new pieces, 3-D etc.) are fully covered. Instructions for play are provided, with historical context, for every form of the game.

Boost your Chess 2 continues Yusupovs Beyond the Basics series. The Fundamentals series shows players the basic ideas they should know, then the Beyond the Basics series sets off on the road to mastery. Yusupov guides the reader towards a higher level of chess understanding using carefully selected positions and advice. This new understanding is then tested by a series of puzzles.

Many players, of all levels, use their chess study time to concentrate almost exclusively on the openings. Very few players spend much time at all studying endgames and this is almost certainly a mistake. Making a poor move in the opening might leave you with a slightly uncomfortable position. Making a poor move in the endgame can easily transform a win into a draw or even a loss. ----- If you want to make any sort of serious progress at chess it is vital to understand fundamental endgame play. Having an instinctive understanding of which positions are winning, drawing and losing is essential as it enables you to plan your endgame strategies with great confidence, knowing that you are heading for positions that are favourable to you. ----- In this book, Cyrus Lakdawala analyses all the fundamental endgame positions and carefully explains the methods needed to win the favourable ones and draw the unfavourable ones. ----- First Steps is a new series and is ideal for improving players who want simple and straightforward explanations. First Steps emphasizes: -----* the basic principles --- * the basic strategies --- * the key tricks and traps

Nimzowitschs ideas about how to play better chess have had a profound influence on modern chess thinking. It is commonly agreed that almost every chess master in the world has studied Nimzowitschs work.

After the success of his award-winning book Keep it Simple 1.e4 International Master Christof Sielecki is back. His new repertoire based on 1.d4 has a similar profile: variations that are straightforward and easy to remember, and require little or no maintenance. Sielecki has created a reliable set of opening lines for chess players of almost all levels. The major objective is to dominate Black from the opening, by simple means. You dont need to sacrifice anything or memorize long tactical lines. His main concept is for White to play 1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.g3, 4.Bg2, 5.0-0 and in most cases 6.c4. Sielecki developed this repertoire while working with students who were looking for something that was easy to understand and easy to learn. This new 1.d4 repertoire may be even easier to master than his 1.e4 recommendations, because it is such a coherent system. Sielecki always clearly explains the plans and counterplans and keeps you focussed on what the position requires. Ambitious players rated 1500 or higher will get great value out of studying this extremely accessible book.

The Four Knights has the distinction of being one of the oldest openings in the history of chess. In a kings pawn opening, both players bring out their knights before contemplating further development. Despite its deceptively peaceful appearance, the Four Knights can lead to wild gambit play as well as calmer positional waters, while adherents include the renowned tactician from Latvia, Alexei Shirov.
In this new book, International Master Jan Pinski delves into the secrets of the Four Knights for the first time, studying the tactical and strategic ideas for both white and black players. Pinski covers both the fashionable main lines and the tricky sidelines, bringing the reader right up to date with the expanding theory.
This book is written by a leading openings expert and covers both Whites and Blacks main options. It is a popular choice for club and tournament players

This book describes the intense rivalry-and collaboration-of the four players who created the golden era when USSR chess players dominated the world. More than 200 annotated games are included, along with personal details-many for the first time in English. Mikhail Tal, the roguish, doomed Latvian who changed the way chess players think about attack and sacrifice; Tigran Petrosian, the brilliant, henpecked Armenian whose wife drove him to become the world's best player; Boris Spassky, the prodigy who survived near-starvation and later bouts of melancholia to succeed Petrosian-but is best remembered for losing to Bobby Fischer; and "Evil" Viktor Korchnoi, whose mixture of genius and jealousy helped him eventually surpass his three rivals (but fate denied him the title they achieved: world champion).

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. The Pirc Defense is a dynamic counter-attacking option for Black. The initial strategy is to allow White to construct an impressive-looking pawn center, but the plan is to attack this center later on with both pieces and pawns, with the ultimate aim of destroying it completely. This ambitious and provocative approach by Black carries some risk but it can often lead to rich rewards, and the Pirc has always been popular among players who are aiming for more than just dry equality. In this book, Grandmaster Nigel Davies invites you to join him in a study of the Pirc Defense and its many variations. He shares his experience and knowledge with the opening, provides repertoire options for Black, offers answers to all the key questions and tells you everything you need to know about playing the Pirc Defense. *Essential guidance and training in the Pirc *Written by a renowned Pirc expert *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Following on from the enduring success of one of the most important chess books ever written, Bobby Fischer: My 60 Memorable Games, and the recently released Magnus Carlsen: 50 Memorable Games, celebrated chess writer Andrew Soltis delivers a book on Fabiano Caruana, the Grandmaster set to rival current world champion Magnus Carlsen. This book details Caruana's remarkable rise from chess prodigy to one of the best chess player in the world, exploring how he acquired the skills of 21st-century grandmaster chess over such a short period of time. This book dives into how he wins by analysing 60 of the games that made him who he is, describing the intricacies behind his and his opponent's strategies, the tactical justification of moves and the psychological battle in each one.