Philip Orbanes, master of all things Monopoliana, traces the remarkable story of the world's most famous board game, from its origins as a collegiate teaching tool in the early twentieth century through Monopoly's explosive growth in the postwar decades, to the game's current status as a fixture in homes across the globe. Along the way, Orbanes includes memorable Monopoly personality portraits, surprising Monopoly legends and lore, and an extraordinary tour of the ingenious advertising that contributed to the game's rise in popularity. This is the first and only book to cover comprehensively the origin, growth, and global reach of the game that has become a universal and everyday cultural icon.

Mikhail Botvinnik was a three-time World Chess Champion and is widely regarded as one of the World's greatest ever chess players. Botvinnik possessed a universal, all-round style with an iron grasp of logic and strategy. He loved to attack, but most of his attacks were systematically built, step by step, on strategic gains. Botvinnik's games include an abundance of instructive masterpieces, and studying his games is essential for any aspiring chess player. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala invites you to join him in a study of his favourite Botvinnik games. Lakdawala examines Botvinnik's renowned skills in the key areas of attack and defence, initiative, exploiting imbalances, accumulating advantages and endgame play, and shows how we can all improve by learning from Botvinnik'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 practising 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

Building and maintaining a chess opening repertoire can be a demanding task - for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to chooses from. There's a strong temptation amongst aspiring players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this approach has only short term value. As you progress and your opponents become stronger, very often these line don't stand up to close scrutiny and suddenly you are back to square one with no suitable opening weapons. ----- In these two books, brought together now for the first time in one volume, John Cox and Neil McDonald solve the perennial problems by providing the reader with strong and trusty repertoires with white pieces based on the popular opening moves of 1d4 and 1e4. ----- The recommended lines given here have stood the test of time and are regularly employed by Grandmasters. ----These books are written in Everyman Chess's distinctive Starting Out style, with plenty of notes, tips and warnings throughout to help the reader to absorb ideas.

Brought together for the first time in one volume are three books by the titan of chess, Jose Capablanca. ----- One of the greatest chess prodigies of all time, he evolved the most perfect chess technique seen on a chessboard. A former World champion, and one of the most successful tournament players in the history of the game, Capablanca's uncanny position judgment empowered him to produce games that were masterful pieces of position play, and that culminated often in combinations of startling brilliancy. ----- My Chess Career. Written one year before he became chess champion of the world, this book relives in Capablanca's own words 35 of his greatest games and those events of his life relevant to his chess career. The seminal work of the Cuban genius who repeated the exploits of Morphy, suddenly bursting onto the European scene and annihilating the great masters who had hitherto dominated the international arena. This book captures the magic of Capablanca's early victory at San Sebastian 1911 and his second place - bowing only to Lasker - at St Petersburg 1914. ----- Chess Fundamentals.Capablanca's classic instructional manual first appeared in 1921, the year he defeated Emanuel Lasker for the world championship title. This handbook is packed with timeless advice on different aspects of practical play and illustrated by Capablanca's own games. ----- A Primer of Chess. Capablanca's introduction to chess is an ideal first chess book for players of all ages. In systematic fashion, Capablanca lucidly explains the rules and basic principles of this fascinating game, and illustrates these with a wide range of practical examples. ----- After capturing the world championship in in 1921, Capablanca was for a time regarded as practically invincible. Although he surprisingly lost his title to Alexander Alekhine in 1927, Capablanca remained a leading player until his death in New York in 1942.

When chess masters Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell met at London's Westminster Chess Club in 1834, the occasion was notable for a number of reasons. Hard-earned reputations were zealously protected, and masters of equal standing seldom faced each other on even terms. The chess world was watching closely, but it was the actions of bystander William Greenwood Walker, who carefully recorded each move of the 85 games, that would have the greatest impact on the future of chess. The recording and publication of game scores from a series of matches between masters was a first in chess history. The event irrevocably altered the game, giving birth to modern chess theory. Once based upon composed, abstract exercises, studied in isolation, theory now became concrete and measurable. Practice replaced contrivance, and tactics could be studied and honed in light of the avalanche of match records that followed. Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell played six chess matches in 1834. Biographies of the combatants illuminate their place in the game's history, and their historic venue is examined. The 85 games are analyzed using modern theory; there are numerous diagrams and previously published commentary. The merits of the openings, middle- and endgame maneuvers of the two are weighed. Nine appendices present selected games against other opponents; excerpt a contemporary account of the games' ambience; provide other interesting documents; present statistics; and provide a schematic of mistakes made by both contestants. Bibliography, notes, indexes.

This thoroughly updated and revised edition of the highly acclaimed 1986 reference work provides a definitive history of all championship events in the United States through April, 2011. Both the games and the occasions are covered in depth, including biographical details, descriptive settings, anecdotes, tournament drama, unusual games, and grandmaster analysis. Included in this edition are 13 new tournaments, 40 new diagrams and 13 additional crosstables.

'And the rest is a matter of technique' is an annoyingly common phrase used in chess literature. The implication from the author is that the task of converting a typically winning position into a full point or converting a drawing position into half-a-point is relatively straightforward. However, as all of us practical players realize, it's not always as simple as this, and many hard-earned points are wasted through 'a lack of technique'.
In this valuable book Jacob Aagaard aims to solve this perennial problem. He arms the reader with several endgame weapons that every strong technical player has in his toolbox. These include important skills such as schematic thinking, domination, preventing counterplay, building fortresses and utilizing zugzwang. These tools are illustrated in deeply analyzed games containing numerous different themes. A serious study of this book will ensure that the reader no longer need fear the word 'technique'!
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Includes all the principal tools of technique
*Written by an experienced endgames expert

As a chess player, Aron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) belonged to the very best. In his peak years the Latvian-born maestro was ranked third in the world behind Capablanca and Alekhine. His greatest successes were first place in Dresden in 1926 (81/2/9, one and a half points ahead of Alekhine) and Carlsbad 1929 (15/21, ahead of Capablanca, Spielmann and Rubinstein). However, Nimzowitsch will first and foremost be remembered as the founder of the Hypermodern movement and the author of the undisputed classics My System and Chess Praxis. In his first book, he expounded his theories of prophylaxis, blockades and much more, while providing ground-breaking insights in pawn-structures. In the sequel Nimzowitsch demonstrated how he had successfully tested his theories in his games. Nimzowitschs masterpieces are unique landmarks in the history of chess. Without reading Nimzowitsch your chess education cannot be complete. Perhaps not all of his convictions have stood the test of time, but even today, any chess student will deepen his understanding and broaden his play while enjoying the author s insights and witticisms. Part of the charm of Nimzowitschs prose was his idiosyncratic use of the German language, which has carefully been preserved in Robert Sherwoods new translation. Bonus: Added are the influential essays The Blockade and On the History of the Chess Revolution 1911-1914. This edition gives the reader access to Nimzowitschs four major works!

Do you need to freshen up your chess openings? Stun your opponents with new and exciting ideas! Dangerous Weapons is a series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. In this book, three opening experts team up and take a contemporary look at the Ruy Lopez, one of the most popular chess openings. Instead of analysing the well-trodden main lines they concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover! *A modern study of the Ruy Lopez *Packed with original ideas and analysis *Ideal weapons to shock your opponents

Surprise yourself and reach higher! This book is based on real amateur games and shows you how an average club player can proceed through the ranks and reach Candidate Master level. Its a hard struggle, nothing comes for free and your path will be strewn with setbacks and disappointments. Just like in real life. Alex Dunne guides you in the more than 50 games that you will be playing and offers lots of practical, straightforward and effective advice. Slowly but surely, you will improve in all phases of the game: the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. Dunne explains when and how to activate your pieces and how to recognize and punish the errors your opponents are bound to make. At the end of the book, having absorbed these lessons, your experience, technique and confidence will have improved in such a way that your first win against a master will not come as a big surprise.

Exploring a bygone aspect of intellectual sport, this book details the history of British and Irish correspondence chess from the first formal match between Edinburgh and London in 1824 through the 1980s, the most successful period in British correspondence chess. It traces the development of postal chess, including the growth of regional and national chess associations after World War I; the dawn of game-changing technologies such as telegraphs, the telephone, radio, and fax machines; the earliest transatlantic matches between the U.S. and the U.K.; the founding of the International Correspondence Chess Association in 1945; and the breaking of the Soviet monopoly on the world team championship in 1982, the final act of the joint Great Britain team before Scotland and Wales obtained separate membership in the International Correspondence Chess Federation. Appendices list tournament champions; I.C.C.F. title holders; known club matches; and excerpts from rules and other primary documents.

The Queen's Gambit is one of the great classical openings. All the world champions and elite players have played this opening - most of them for both sides. In this book the highly experienced coach international master Andrew Martin explains the basic ideas behind all the different variations you can encounter after 1 d4 d5 2 c4. This includes the classical defences (such as the Orthodox, the Lasker and the Slav) as well as the weird and wonderful (such as the Albin Counter-Gambit, the Hennig-Schara Gambit and Marshall's Defence). First Steps is a new opening 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 First Steps books are based around carefully selected instructive games which demonstrate exactly what both sides are trying to achieve. There is enough theory to enable the improving player to get to grips with the opening without feeling overwhelmed. If you want to take up a new opening, First Steps is the ideal place to start.

The tragic last years of world chess champion Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946), 45 of his match and tournament games in Spain and Portugal from 1943 to 1946 and 100 other late exhibition games are covered. A definitive biographical sketch emerges of Alekhine in his final phase, covering his marriages, alcoholism and murky involvement with the Nazis.

It's hard to believe that it's been over a decade since One Jump Ahead: Challenging Human Supremacy at Checkers was published. I'm delighted to have the oppor- nity to update and expand the book. The ?rst edition ended on a sad note and that was re?ected in the writing. It is now eleven years later and the project has come to a satisfying conclusion. Since its inception, the checkers project has consumed eighteen years of my life- twenty if you count the pre-CHINOOK and post-solving work. It's hard for me to believe that I actually stuck with it for that long. My wife, Steph, would probably have something witty to say about my obsessive behavior. Rereading the book after a decade was dif?cult for me. When I originally wrote One Jump Ahead, I vowed to be candid in my telling of the story. That meant being honest about what went right and what went wrong. I have been criticized for being hard on some of the characters. That may be so, but I hope everyone will agree that the person receiving the most criticism was, justi?ably, me. I tried to be balanced in the storytelling, re?ecting things as they really happened and not as some sanitized everyone-lived-happily-ever-after tale.

This accessible how-to guide for parents and teachers on the best way to teach chess to children, from international chess expert Richard James, is linked to both his bestselling book, Chess for Kids, and his website chessKIDS academy. James, who taught grandmasters Luke McShane and Jonathan Rowson, shows how learning chess is interesting and fun. It can also help children develop life skills, such as decision-making and social skills, and be a springboard to other subjects in the school curriculum, such as maths, science, history and even languages. In an easy-to-follow, fun way, James explains how to structure short lessons with worksheets and other activities to introduce the chess pieces, chess notation and chess-board dynamics - so that children can understand the thinking behind the moves and start playing and enjoying this fascinating game.

The French Defence is one of the most solid and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. Many chess opening lines have been analysed to death by computer, but the French is relatively resistant to this growing trend, as the characteristic blocked pawn centre leads to situations where a player with superior understanding can overcome an opponent whose expertise lies in computer-assisted preparation. Acclaimed authors Ntirlis and Aagaard present a complete repertoire for Black based on 3.Nc3 Nf6 and 3.Nd2 c5. With many new discoveries and detailed explanations of positional and strategic motifs, this book is essential reading for those playing this complex opening with either colour.

Focusing on the recovery of chess in Spain and Europe after World War II, this book traces the development of the International Chess Tournaments in Gijon from 1944 to 1965. The author covers the decline of world champion Alekhine and the rise of the child prodigy Arturo Pomar, along with the great chess of Euwe, Rossolimo, Prins, Medina, Larsen and others. Drawing on primary sources and testimonies of former players and organizers, chapters feature the tournament tables, winner's biographies, historical commentaries and 213 of the best games. Appendices with biographical notes and tables of participants for each year are included.

Lessons, motivation and coaching to make you a better chess player. In an ideal world, any aspiring chess player, at almost any level, would get better with a coach. If that's not possible, having chess champion coach Thomas Engqvist's book at your side is the next best thing. In his series of lessons, Engqvist guides you through not only the most important elements of chess to master but also the psychology, how to marry knowledge with imagination, and how to stay motivated. Suitable for older children through to adults, the lessons are drawn from chess games through history, from the 16th century to Magnus Carlsen and latest Alpha Zero computer chess. It features a range of key players, including Steinitz, Lasker, Nimzowistch, Botvinnik (Soviet chess school), and Fischer. With clear and accessible annotations to give clarity, the games highlight the most important lessons to learn and, just as importantly, how to 'practise' chess. International Master Thomas Engqvist has travelled the world teaching and coaching chess to a very high level for decades - and with this book, he can be your coach too.

Are you tired of playing the same old openings time and time again? Perhaps it's time for a change, but you cannot decide between the numerous options available? Here's the answer: choose "Dangerous Weapons" and amaze your opponents with new and exciting opening ideas!In this book," "four renowned opening experts get together to take a revolutionary look at the Benoni, the Benko and all their associated variations. Instead of travelling down well-trodden and analysed paths, they concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover!"Dangerous Weapons" is a series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. Many of the carefully chosen weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced opponent off balance. *The Benoni and Benko in a whole new light*Packed with original ideas and analysis*Ideal lines to shock your opponents

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 practising 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 Winawer is a very popular choice amongst French Defence players. It enjoys a sound reputation and reaches positions rich in possibilities for both players. It offers Black the opportunity to enter sharp, dynamic lines, such as the notorious Poisoned Pawn Variation, as well as lines which are more strategic in nature. In this book, FIDE Master Steve Giddins invites you to join him in studying the French Winawer, an opening which he has played for over 25 years, and its many variations. He examines instructive games, covers the most important lines and provides answers to all the key questions.