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.

How does one determine the "best" chess games? What one may see as brilliant, another may see as simply necessary. Like some art lovers, chess fans claim that they know a good game when they see it, and that they know better from good. But "best"? How is this articulated? This book, itself a work of art, is brought together by the use of five criteria: the overall aesthetics (clever and relentless are insufficient qualities); the originality (e.g., not yet another white knight sacrifice in a Sicilian); the level of opposition (the loser played very well); the soundness (i.e., Are the moves refutable with perfect play?), accuracy (few of the moves are second-best), and difficulty (the winner overcame major obstacles) of the game; and finally the overall breadth and depth (one wants a series of sparkling ideas, with no dry patches). The 100 best games were taken from an initial field of about 7,000 played from 1900 through 1999 that had already gained some attention in magazines, books and periodicals. Three hundred games were then selected that appeared to have features consistent with the criteria. The 300 games were evaluated with scores - points given for each category of criteria. The games were then ranked, one to 100, by the score they received. No attempt was made to balance the selection according to period, nationality of players or opening. Also included is a chapter on the most overrated games of the twentieth century and one on games that would have made the list if...It includes 335 diagrams, an index of players and an index of openings by ECO codes.

In the summer of 1972, with a presidential crisis stirring in the United States and the cold war at a pivotal point, the Soviet world chess champion, Boris Spassky, and his American challenger, Bobby Fischer, met in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the most notorious chess match of all time. Their showdown, played against the backdrop of superpower politics, held the world spellbound for two months with reports of psychological warfare, ultimatums, political intrigue, cliffhangers, and farce to rival a Marx Brothers film. Thirty years later, David Edmonds and John Eidinow have set out to reexamine the story we recollect as the quintessential cold war clash between a lone American star and the Soviet chess machine. A mesmerizing narrative of brilliance and triumph, hubris and despair, Bobby Fischer Goes to War is a biting deconstruction of the Bobby Fischer myth, a nuanced study on the art of brinkmanship, and a revelatory cold war tragicomedy.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Number of Players: 1-2 Ages: 12+ Playing time: 10-20 minutes Components: 22 oversized story tiles, 2 scoring tiles A solo and cooperative tile-laying game. Players will help Shahrazad tell stories to pass another night by playing tiles featuring unique takes on iconic fairy-tales to construct the best story. Each turn players will play a single tile, then draw a tile, building a folk-tale tableau. With 24 oversized, fully illustrated tiles in a deluxe package Shahrazad is a beautiful gift package for couples, or parents and children. Placing certain story types together will grant players more points, but telling a story in the wrong order will drastically limit their options.

"You need this Millennial Loteria for your next game night." -Latina Magazine "Loteria cards got a genius millennial makeover." -The Chicago Tribune OMG, can you even? Millennial Loteria is a hilarious and insightful parody of the classic "Mexican Bingo" game called Loteria, but this time, it's like way more millennial. Born from the viral Instagram account @MillennialLoteria, this game reimagines La Dama as La Feminist, El Catrin as El Hipster, and Las Jaras as La Hashtag. Filled with nostalgia and ironic humor, it's guaranteed to make your next fiesta be lit AF. So grab your bitcoins, get a couple of your fave followers together, and prepare to yell "Yaaaaasssssssssss, Millennial Loteria!" Each set includes: - 46 cards - 10 boards - 80 bitcoin tokens - and a collectible Millennial Loteria pin!

Are you tired of constantly following the same old opening moves? Fed up with always having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or perhaps you simply wish to try something new and exciting, but cannot decide between the numerous choices available? We have the answer! In this book, John Emms, Chris Ward and Richard Palliser team up to examine one of the most popular and respected openings at all levels of chess: the Nimzo-Indian. Instead of pursuing the well-trodden paths, they choose an original approach, concentrating on fresh or little-explored variations of the Nimzo, and 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 brand-new 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 subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, Josh Waitzkin has long been the top-ranked player for his age in the United States and a role model for chess-playing kids everywhere. Now, for the first time, Waitzkin reveals the aggressive tactics and psychological techniques that have propelled him to the forefront of the chess world. His unique introduction to the game combines solid instruction with stories about his personal experiences that capture all the excitement and tension of playing chess at the championship level.

Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess presents nineteen different offensive strategies, progressing from the most elementary, including forks, pins, skewers, and double threats, to the more advanced and sophisticated moves used by the world's best players. Chapters such as Minor Traps, The Seventh Rank and the Pig, Mating Nets, and Quiet Moves in Attack show how anyone can develop a more aggressive and creative style of play. Each strategy is illustrated with examples taken from actual games Waitzkin has played, described with all the gusto and competitive intensity this young master brings to his craft. You can feel the heat of battle throughout this action-packed manual -- it's guaranteed to entertain and inspire all students of chess who want to learn how to emerge victorious from the black and white jungle.

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess, such as strategy, attack, defence, opening play, endgames, off-board preparation and mental attitude. In each book the author studies a number of great players who have excelled in such aspects of the game, greatly influenced their peers and inspired all of us. In Great Chess Romantics, Craig Pritchett selects five players, whose artistic spirit expresses a personal commitment to the discovery and revelation of great new truths and beauty on the chessboard. Anderssen defined romanticism's inherently dramatic and correct combinational core. Chigorin championed this essence in splendid opposition to an emerging new classical consensus. Reti revealed the extraordinary power of new flank openings. Larsen confounded the overly sober, scientific Soviet school at innumerable turns. In the computer age, Morozevich constantly discovers new depths to chess, while simply oozing exquisite strokes in his best games.

If you have just picked up this book, the chances are that you are the proud owner of a piece of chess software. Whether this is the latest release of a sophisticated database package or a playing program that came free with a magazine, then this book will help you make the most of it.
Even basic chess software packages now usually have numerous interesting features and working out how to use these effectively is no easy task. Many players simply use a playing program to practice against and a database program just for storing and replaying games. Yet there is much more that can be achieved with such packages and this book will show you how the experts do it.
With this book you can: learn powerful techniques for organizing and managing your chess data; discover proven, effective methods to study the middlegame and endgame; learn how to most effectively harness the power of a chess engine; efficiently analyze your own strengths and weaknesses.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes the best chess drill book for beginners of all ages. From ever-popular chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini comes this entertaining, interactive, and effective book for teaching young chess players and other newcomers to the game. Filled with hundreds of questions and answers, fill-in-the-blanks, and true-or-false posers, Square One combines traditional chess drills with diverting games and problems to stimulate the analytical skills of beginners of all ages. Besides covering the basics-the board, moves, rules, and notation-Square One goes on to include information on attacks, checkmate, draws, and special rules, giving the beginner a broad overview of the game. With more than 200 instructional diagrams, and answers to all questions and problems, it is a complete workbook for chess players starting at square one.

So you're a fairly decent chess player. You compete in tournaments, you play on the Internet. But you would love to make that leap to become a chess master. What do you need to know, how much do you have to practise, and how much of the success of the masters is simply a matter of innate talent, superior brainpower or just good luck? This useful book, aimed at all chess players who aspire to become chess masters, shows you what the masters know and you don't. Written by one of our biggest-selling and best-loved chess authors, in his trademark chatty, accessible but always informative style, this book is filled with practical exercises and test games that will reveal the secrets of how to join chess's elite ranks.

What is the best way to improve your opening knowledge? Memorizing variations? Not really. In the first volume of Dariusz' trilogy, the author helps you to understand the instructive patterns that arise from the immensely popular Nimzo-Indian Defense. Packed with plenty new ideas, his methods consider the different ways White has at his disposal. His unique approach shows Black has nothing to fear, on the contrary! Thinkers is convinced you will enjoy the read!

First published in 1942, the late B.H. Wood's classic Easy Guide to Chess has been successfully used by thousands of chess players around the world. Topics covered include: the men, their moves, starting the game, the importance of pawns, how to record the moves, standard openings, and much more. This introductory book has been substantially revised for the first algebraic edition, which will bring the game to a new generation of young players.

Learn sure-fire tactics and combinations from one of the world's top chess players
Attack? Defend? Swap pieces? Tactics are the watchdogs of strategy that take advantage of short-term opportunities to trap or ambush your opponent and quite possibly change the course of a game in a single move. Why play in a fog, only hoping that your opponent will blunder when International Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan can show you how to put the tactics of the world's chess legends to work for you. Choose from the double attack, the pin, the skewer, deflection, the decor, x-rays, windmills and many more time-tested tactics.
Using classic board situations arranged in chapters by tactical themes, Seirawan teaches you how to:
Plan your entire game from the very first move
Think ahead, step-by-step, anticipating every obstacle your opponent can throw your way
Position yourself for the smashing combination and endgame you've always dreamed of
Board positions from actual games played by history's great chess tacticians are provided throughout. Review tests for each topic let you track your improvement. In no time you'll be playing better, with more confidence than you ever thought possible.

From America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit comes a collection of 200 brand-new openings, drills, and skills for players of all levels. The opening is one of the most important parts of the chess game. Weaken your pawns by mistake, and they're taken. Attack wildly and haphazardly, and your pieces are picked off. Misuse your queen, and it's trapped. Carelessly neglect development, and you're mated. You've scarcely begun, and the game is over. But with this handy guide, you can avoid these perils and pitfalls. Including over 200 traps and 200 zaps, More Chess Openings presents everyday errors in openings and their immediate refutations. With detailed instruction and his usual precise explanation, Pandolfini teaches the defenses necessary to ward off the toughest opponents, including: *Sicilian Defense *Caro-Kann Defense *Modern Defense *Alekhine Defense *French Defense *Pirc Defense *Center Counter Defense

Attacking your opponents king is not just a shortcut to victory, its also one of the most enjoyable and gratifying experiences in chess. If you want to win more games you should become a better attacker. Studying typical attacking motifs and ideas easily brings dividends while you are having a good time. Michael Prusikin presents the prerequisites and the rules for a King attack in a lucid and attractive manner. In 15 thematic chapters he teaches you how to assess the nature of the position, identify the appropriate offensive patterns, find the preliminary moves and conduct your attack in a clear and effective way. Battering rams, obstructive sacrifices, pawn storms, striking at the castled position, sacrificing a knight on f5, Prusikin demonstrates the most important patterns of attack with lots of clear and well-chosen examples. Next, Prusikin tests your newly acquired insights and your attacking intuition with exercises covering all the themes and motifs. You will find that studying ATTACKING STRATEGIES FOR CLUB PLAYERS is both entertaining and rewarding.

I look one move ahead...the best!A", Siegbert Tarrasch Chess is a wonderfully rich and complex game, but ultimately the goal can be simply defined as finding the best move, time after time. If you are able to do this, you will win your games. However, the million dollar question is: how can we give ourselves the very best chance of doing so? Per Ostman is convinced that there are three key elements that we require: first and foremost, a structured move-by-move thinking process; second, the desired skills to execute this process; and finally, traditional chess knowledge we can build upon. Ostman examines these three vital building blocks which form the basis of what we need to master. He describes in detail a clear thinking process he has developed over several years as a chess teacher, a process to guide us in our ultimate search to find the best move. *Improve your chess by structured move selection *Numerous examples to illustrate clear thinking processes *Covers calculation, planning and attacking skills *Includes opening, middlegame and endgame play

The perfect and necessary addition to any personal chess library from America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. In this comprehensive, accessible reference, National Master Bruce Pandolfini covers every aspect of the game, from chessboard and pieces to history and strategy, and addresses virtually any possible question or situation that may arise. From algebra notation to zugzwang, Pandolfini has created the chess bible for players of all levels. And in addition to answers to over 500 questions, he has included his terrific short chess course plus tournament tips and endgame maxims. You'll learn the difference between a mating attack and a mating net, the best way to gain control of the center in the opening, why the Russians are so successful at chess, what happened to Bobby Fischer, and more! For an edge up on the competition, look no further than Pandolfini's Chess Complete.

This book is partly designed as an autobiographical experience focusing on the processes that arise in the life of a chess player that have be translated into everyday life. In part, the book incorporates psychological theories that generally explain these processes, but overall it can be seen as a guide on how to use any activity to learn skills that will enrich your life. There are several activities in life which can be seen in the same way if we know where and how to exploit the opportunities. The truth is that all aspirations are interconnected when we keep an eye on the thematic links. I believe that this book will give you a new insight into how any ability can be transferred from a particular activity to the universal wisdom of life. It will awaken your networking skills and teach you how to turn life activities into lifelong skills that will improve your well-being. The course of the book follows the typical process of playing chess, starting with training, followed by the tournament situation, the course of the game, the time after the game and the tournament. Since I am not a poet, I have often borrowed some quotations from famous, imaginative and clever people from all over the world. I believe that these valuable thoughts have enriched the book. One thing I ask you to do while reading this book is to open your mind and enjoy the inner journey. So let us go and try to become aware of the processes behind our life activities. Let us find out what and why we do what we do in our daily lives.

The English is a sophisticated opening which is very popular at all levels of chess: from up-and-coming players to World Champions such as Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. It has many attractions, including flexibility and diversity: White can play either aggressively or quietly, and positions are rich in both strategy and tactics.In Play the English, Craig Pritchett provides an active repertoire for White, offering answers to Black's key defences both in the main lines and sidelines. Drawing upon his wealth of experience in this opening from both sides of the board, Pritchett highlights the positional and tactical ideas for White and Black, and the subtle move-order nuances so important in the modern game. This book contains all you need to know to play the English with confidence in your own games.

With Weapons of Chess, National Master and highly acclaimed teacher Bruce Pandolfini brings us the most accessible and easy-to-use chess strategy book ever.

Written for beginning and intermediate players, Weapons of Chess is the first encyclopedia of chess strategies that doesn't rely on the usual baffling chess notation. There are no symbolic chess moves, no charts or sequences in chess notation: every move is explained in words.

Arranged alphabetically for easy use and based mainly on pawn formation, the incredibly detailed and thorough entries in this book talk a player through dozens of common strategic dilemmas, such as "doubled pawn," "bishops vs. knights," and "hanging pawn pair." Diagrams illustrate the terms, first showing the basic position and then strategically moving to more complicated versions of it. Players will learn how to formulate plans once they have reached a middlegame, enabling them to make wiser strategic decisions after the first few moves of the game.

Designed for use as a ready reference during actual practice games, and usable without a chess board, Weapons of Chess is a unique and invaluable resource for any developing chess player.

Fireside Chess Library

In the first completely instructional book ever written on chess openings, National Master Bruce Pandolfini teaches players how to take charge of the game's crucial opening phase.

Of the three traditional phases of chess play -- the opening, the middle-game and the endgame -- the opening is the phase average players confront most often. Unfortunately, though, many openings are not completed successfully, partly because until now most opening instruction has consisted of tables of tournament level moves that offer no explanations for the reasons behind them. Consequently, these classical opening patterns can serve as little more than references to the average player.

In Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps, Bruce Pandolfini uses his unique "crime and punishment" approach to provide all the previously missing explanation, instruction, practical analyses, and much, much more. The book consists of 202 short "openers" typical of average players, arranged according to the classical opening variations and by level of difficulty. Each example includes:

* the name of the overriding tactic
* the name of the opening
* a scenario that sets up the tactic to be learned
* an interpretation that explains why the loser went wrong, how he could have avoided the trap, and what he should have done instead
* a review of important principles and useful guidelines to reinforce each lesson.

Also included are a glossary of openings that lists all the classical "textbook" variations for comparison and reference and a tactical index. Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps is a powerful, pragmatic entry into a heretofore remote area of chess theory that will have a profound influence on every player's game.

Based on his private course for students, America's foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix's The Queen's Gambit presents an easy-to-use guide that explains invaluable "inner circle" endgame concepts for players of any level. The endgame has always been a particularly instructive phase of chess play. It provides the perfect opportunity for understanding the potential power of each chess piece in every chess situation-from opening move to checkmate. But the endgame is often viewed as an inaccessible area of play by most players whose experience is limited to watching championship games. Now, Pandolfini changes all of that. With one endgame example per page and covering every endgame category in order of difficulty, Paldolfini walks you through all the basic concepts including: --square of the pawn --critical squares --corresponding squares --other new approaches not mentioned in classic references Featuring a glossary of concepts and diagrams throughout, this volume is the not-so-secret password to a whole new realm of chess play and entertainment for the average player.