In this stimulating book for players of all ages, Garry Kasparov selects the best chess combination from recent grandmaster play and presents them in a test-yourself format that everyone will enjoy. Whether you are a beginner discovering chess tactics for the first time or a master seeking to brush up on your skills, this book is sure to be a useful addition to your chess armoury. The cream of recent chess combinations . Dozens of fascinating chess positions . Suitable for novice and master alike. Written by the world's finest attacking player Since defeatingAnatoly Karpov for the world championship in 1985 Garry Kasparov has successfully defended his title on no less than five occasions, thereby establishing himself as the greatest player of all his generation, if not of all time.

The French Defence is one of the most popular and reliable responses to 1.e4. This book introduces the Winawer Variation after the opening moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4, and provides expert recommendations against all of Whites major possibilities, with the exception of the 7.Qg4 line.

Leonid Stein was a three-time Soviet Chess Champion and one of the World's strongest players during his career, which was tragically cut short at its peak by his premature death in 1973. Stein was a fierce competitor who defeated virtually all of his closest rivals and enjoyed excellent results even against World Champions. Stein possessed a unique creative attacking style, and his legacy includes a number of wonderful attacking games. In this book, International Master Thomas Engqvist invites readers to join him in a study of his favorite Stein games, and shows how we can all improve by learning from Stein's masterpieces. 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.

Alexander Alekhine was a two-time World Chess Champion and is widely regarded to be one of the greatest chess players of all time. During his best years he dominated tournaments, and in 1927 he defeated his great rival Jose Raul Capablanca to win the world title. Alekhine was renowned both for his fierce competitive nature and his dazzling combinative play. He had a phenomenal ability to unleash combinations even from seemingly harmless positions, and he is undeniably one of the best attackers the game has ever seen. In this book, FIDE Master Steve Giddins invites you to join him in a study of his favorite Alekhine games, and shows us how we can all learn and improve our chess by examining Alekhine's masterpieces. 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

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, Starting Out: The Nimzo Indian by Chris Ward and Starting Out: The Queen's Indian by John Emms, brought together in one volume. The Nimzo-Indian is one of the soundest and most popular defences against 1 d4, offering Black the chance to unbalance the game early on and play for a win without undue risk. Advocates include virtually all of the world's top players, including Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand and Anatoly Karpov. In this revolutionary book, Grandmaster Chris Ward revisits the basic principles behind the Nimzo-Indian and its many variations. Throughout this easy-to-read guide the reader is helped along by a wealth of notes, tips and warnings from the author, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. This book is ideal for the improving player. The Queens Indian is one of Black's most dependable and respected defences to the queen's pawn opening. It is an established favourite amongst world-class Grandmasters such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and Judit Polgar, not to mention Anatoly Karpov, who has been a loyal Queens Indian supporter and theory developer for over three decades. Rather than classically occupying the central squares with pawns, Black adopts a hypermodern approach and endeavours to control this key area with pieces. This procedure leads to rich and varied positions that will appeal to players who like complex play. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and Queens Indian expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Queens Indian and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

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.

The French Defence is a classical opening that has featured in the repertoire of many elite grandmasters. Black generally concedes a slight spacial disadvantage early but in return gains a sound structure and middlegame opportunities to undermine the white centre. A close study of the French Defence can be very rewarding for all players as the structures and themes that arise are found in numerous other openings. In this book grandmaster Damian Lemos guides the reader through the complexities of this dynamic opening and explores all the important variations. 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. * Essential guidance and training in the French Defence * Analyses all key variations * Utilizes an ideal Q+A approach to chess study

There's no denying that the opening is one of the most daunting phases of the game for newcomers to chess. There are literally hundreds of different opening lines, many with unusual sounding names, and some of these go up to twenty or so moves of theory. What is a chess player supposed to do: memorise countless variations? Don't panic In Discovering Chess Openings, John Emms argues that studying openings doesn't have to be hard work at all - indeed, it can be both enjoyable and enlightening. The key to successful opening play is not simply learning lines off by heart; instead it's the understanding of the basic principles, and here the reader is guided through the vital themes: swift development, central control and king safety. An appreciation of these principles and their many offshoots will actually allow readers to recreate and discover opening theory, giving them the opportunity to choose the most suitable lines to play in their games.

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 Queen's Indian enjoys a deserved reputation as a reliable opening choice for Black against 1 d4. Black's opening system involves an early queenside fianchetto with the hypermodern approach of controlling the center with pieces, and the resulting positions are rich in dynamic and strategic possibilities for both sides. The Queen's Indian is a popular choice at all levels of chess, and many of the World's top players have employed it as part of their opening repertoires. In this book, International Master and chess coach Lorin D'Costa invites you to join him in studying the Queen's Indian. He highlights the typical plans and tactics for both sides, constructs a practical repertoire for Black and provides answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training with the Queen's Indian *Includes repertoire options for Black *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

1...e5 enjoys an excellent reputation as a reliable defense against White's most popular opening choice, 1 e4. However, anyone who is primed to face the Ruy Lopez must also be prepared to face a number of White alternatives. This collection of variations make up the Open Games and include not only popular choices such as the Italian Game, Scotch Game, Bishop's Opening, King's Gambit, Vienna Game and Four Knights, but also many tricky sidelines and some wild and wacky gambits. Many of these might not be theoretically strong but can be both daunting and dangerous for the uninformed player. In this book, FIDE Master Martin Lokander tackles all these lines head on and presents a practical repertoire for Black in the Open Games. This book tells you everything you need to know about facing the Open Games when White avoids the Ruy Lopez. *Essential reading for 1...e5 players *Every opening bar the Ruy Lopez is covered *Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

Alekhine's Defence is a sharp and often underrated counter to 1 e4. Black immediately challenges the white e-pawn and tries to lure White into constructing a big central position. Black's hope is that White's central installations will become unwieldy and vulnerable to a middlegame counterattack. However, Alekhine enthusiasts must always be careful -- get it wrong and White will come crashing through Whether you want to play the Alekhine, or want to know what to do against it as White, this book will be an essential addition to your armory.
-- Up-to-date coverage of a dynamic counterattacking opening
-- Written by one of England's leading chess coaches
-- An ideal battle manual for club and tournament players

In this highly original and instructive test-yourself book, Chris Ward presents a selection of 50 carefully chosen puzzles for you to solve. In a welcome departure from the usual 'White to play and mate in three' scenarios, he focuses on the type of critical situations that occur in nearly every game. The reader is given a choice of five plausible plans for each position and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The puzzles aren't easy - but then chess isn't a simple game! (5 7/8 x 8 1/4, 144 pages, diagrams)

Grandmaster Simon Williams has played the Classical Dutch for over twenty years. It remains his favourite opening and has featured in some of his greatest individual results, including a win over World Championship finalist Boris Gelfand. In this book, Williams examines the Classical Dutch in great depth. He also presents a complete repertoire for Black with the Dutch Defense, which is based on his own repertoire he has used successfully at grandmaster level for many years. As well as presenting the latest theory and revealing his new ideas in the key lines, Williams highlights the main tactical and strategic ideas for both sides and covers important issues such as move orders. Each chapter includes a series of tests at the end, so that readers are able to assess how well they have understood the main concepts. This books tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing the Classical Dutch. *A Dutch repertoire against 1 d4, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3*Written by a world-renowned Classical Dutch expert *Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

One of the finest chess books ever written, the Art of Attack has been transcribed into algebraic notation for the first time. In this revised edition of the great classic, the author expounds both the basic principles and the most complex forms of attack on the king. A study of this masterpiece will add power and brilliance to any chess enthusiast's play. (5 3/4' X 8 1/4', 352 pages, illustrations, index)

The Catalan is one of the most popular openings and a favorite of many of the world's leading players. Its rich tactical and positional subtleties provide an excellent platform for players wishing to improve their overall understanding of the game. In this groundbreaking book, Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik provide a comprehensive coverage of this opening, outlining the most common plans and tactics for both White and Black, and studying the latest theoretical developments in the most important variations. This book is a must for die-hard Catalan fans and those wishing to take up this fashionable opening.
*Played by the world's top Grandmasters
*Written by leading openings theoreticians
*Ideas, strategies and tactics discussed for both sides

Do you relish the prospect of setting your opponent awkward problems from the early start of the game? If so, you should just continue reading, for in the Mar Del Plata and King's Indian, it's every man for himself, and only the best informed and most creative resourceful player survive. This variation gives both colors very dangerous attacking ideas, and you really needs to know a precise defense to come out of this variation alive. This book provides weapons that are ideal choices for those who revel in forcing opponents into chaotic and uncomfortable positions.

Chessplayers wishing to improve their performance typically seek to deepen their middlegame understanding or to increase their endgame knowledge. Often, however, the real key to improvement lies not in learning additional ideas and positions, but in developing a more effective thinking process at the board. In The Improving Chess Thinker, acclaimed chess instructor Dan Heisman compares how chessplayers of different strengths ranging from beginner to International Master approach analytical positions. From this, he draws lessons that will help players at each level to avoid typical flaws in their thought process and to move up to the next level. Basing his work on more than four decades of testing volunteers, Heisman offers solutions to difficult practical issues such as deciding how much time to spend on a move; what to do while the opponent s clock is running; and when to stop analyzing a line. In this book, ambitious players will find insight into what s been holding them back, while coaches will find powerful new teaching tools."

The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand. In "Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Accepted" Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik take a fresh look at this famous opening. The early moves and ideas are introduced and care is taken to explain the reasoning behind them - something that is often neglected or taken for granted. As with previous works in the popular "Everyman Chess Starting Out" series, the reader is helped throughout with a plethora of notes, tips and warnings highlighting the vital characteristics of the QGA and of opening play in general. Written by opening experts, this book covers the all the main lines and is ideal for the improving player.

Grandmaster and renowned chess trainer Michal Krasenkow presents a treasure chest of puzzles designed to stretch the minds of all players. Imagination and calculation are two of the most important qualities of a chess player, and they are qualities which, with purposeful practice, can be developed significantly. As you analyse and solve more and more positions, your brain functions more efficiently, you are able to recognize and master additional tactical methods and patterns, and it becomes increasingly easier to solve similar types of positions. The exercises in this book are a 'collection of jewels' that Krasenkow has picked up during his career as a chess player, commentator and trainer. Solutions to the puzzles are often hidden, spectacular and unexpected, and are specifically designed to improve imagination and calculation. Many of the puzzles are taken from Krasenkow's own games, and this allows him to give the reader a unique psychological insight as to how and why solutions were or were not found during battle. *Over 220 mind-stretching chess puzzles *Includes detailed analysis in the solutions *Contains grandmaster advice on problem solving

The Ultimate Fischer Collection The Chess Publishing Event of the Decade The years after the Second World War saw international chess dominated by the Soviets Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian and then Spassky held the world crown, treating it as if it were almost an integral part of their country s heritage. There were occasional flashes of brilliance in the West Reshevsky, Najdorf, and later Larsen but no one really mounted a serious challenge to the Russian hegemony. Then, in the mid-1950s, a lone genius from Brooklyn emerged. Obsessed with chess, all his waking hours became devoted to finding truth on the 64 squares. It was an unrelenting, sometimes frustrating quest, but he persevered, eventually emerging as perhaps the greatest natural chess talent ever. It was clear from his early years as a gifted prodigy through his stormy ascent of the Chess Olympus, no one had ever rocked the chess world quite like Bobby Fischer. His raw genius for the royal game, combined with an indefatigable will to win, made him one of the most feared chessplayers of all time a genuine living legend. Now, for the first time, every single one of his tournament and match games is presented with insightful explanations and analysis. Best-selling chess author, German International Grandmaster Karsten Mueller, annotates each game of the player many believe to be the greatest of all time. All 736 serious tournament games are supplemented by crosstables of every major tournament and match in which Fischer participated, dozens of archival photographs, along with brief comments and observations putting the play of the great champion into historical perspective.

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 Tarrasch is an ambitious defence to the Queen's Gambit. Black's concept is an aggressive one - he willingly accepts an isolated queen's pawn but in return seizes space in the centre and gains freedom of development for all his pieces. In this book, International Master and Tarrasch expert Sam Collins takes an in-depth look at this popular opening and its many variations. Using illustrative games, Collins highlights the typical plans and tactics for both sides, presents repertoire options for Black and provides answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the Tarrasch Defence *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study *Includes repertoire options for Black