Chess Developments is a series which provides state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trendsconcentrating on critical lines, theoretical novelties and powerful new ideas. It offers players of all levels the opportunity to keep up-to-date with current opening theory whilst also expanding and improving their repertoires. The Sicilian Najdorf is undoubtedly one of the most popular chess openings. It was played with great success by world champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and today it remains a favourite defense at all levels from grandmaster to beginner. 6 Bg5 is widely acknowledged as a critical test of the Sicilian Najdorf. It leads to razor-sharp positions and hotly debated lines such as the fascinating Poisoned Pawn, where one small slip by either side can be fatal. In this book, International Master Kevin Goh Wei Ming examines the most theoretically important and instructive games in recent years, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Whether playing White or Black, this book provides you with essential knowledge of an important opening. *Essential coverage of the Sicilian Najdorf 6 Bg5.* Packed with key new ideas and critical analysis*User-friendly design to help readers absorb information

It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. The artificial intelligence system AlphaZero had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the worlds strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength? For Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers at DeepMind and were offered a unique look under the bonnet to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZeros search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero. Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZeros stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more. The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence. Not just in solving games, but in providing solutions for a wide variety of challenges in society. With a Foreword by former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and an Introduction by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

Despite his relatively young age, Magnus Carlsen has already secured his place in chess history as a legend of the game. In a short space of time his accomplishments have been extraordinary. In December 2012 he broke Garry Kasparov's record to become the highest-rated chess player of all time. He followed up this achievement in 2013 by defeating Vishy Anand to become World Chess Champion. Carlsen's universal style, positional mastery and incredible mental strength add up to make him a formidable opponent. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala invites you to join him in a study of his favourite Carlsen games. Lakdawala examines Carlsen's skills in attack and defence, exploiting imbalances, accumulating advantages and endgame play, and shows us how we can all improve by learning from Carlsen'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 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

Grandmaster Simon Williams was taught the English Opening at the age of six and 1 c4 was his weapon of choice until long after he became an International Master. For this new work, he teamed up with acclaimed theoretician International Master Richard Palliser to explore his old favourite. 1 c4 remains an excellent choice for the club and tournament player. This book focuses on the set-up popularised by the sixth world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, the so-called Botvinnik formation with 2 Nc3, 3 g3, 4 Bg2, 5 e4 and 6 Nge2. This system is compact but still aggressive and rewards an understanding of plans and strategies rather than rote memorisation of moves. In Opening Repertoire: The Iron English leading chess authors Simon Williams and Richard Palliser guide the reader through the complexities of this dynamic variation and carves out a repertoire for White. They examine all aspects of this highly complex opening and provide 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 dynamic and easy-to-play repertoire for White * Complete coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!

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.

Italian-American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana is the perfect role model for any aspiring player. Already a very strong grandmaster, he announced his presence as a leading contender for the world title in 2014 when he scored an incredible 81/2/10 (including seven straight wins from the first seven games) in the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis. This was an elite event where he finished an astonishing three points clear of Magnus Carlsen, whom he will challenge for the world title in late 2018. Caruana earned this right thanks to his fine victory in the Berlin Candidates where he scored 9/13 and finished a point clear of a world class field. ----- Caruana's style is universal. He is a very dangerous attacking player who is also equally at home in quiet strategic positions or manoeuvring in an endgame. In this respect he is the epitome of the modern grandmaster, being a hard-working and determined fighter who prepares thoroughly and plays with great determination and accuracy.----- The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions - a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess 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 chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.

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 Panov-Botvinnik Attack is an aggressive and ambitious way of meeting the popular Caro-Kann Defence. White develops rapidly and attacks the centre, putting immediate pressure on Black's position. In this book, International Master and chess coach Lorin D'Costa takes an in-depth look at the Panov-Botvinnik Attack and also the closely related 2 c4 variation. Using illustrative games, D'Costa highlights the typical plans and tactics for both sides, presents repertoire options for White and provides answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the Panov-Botvinnik *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study *Includes repertoire options for White

This book, the fifth in Garry Kasparov's magnificent history of the World Chess Championship, catalogues the post-Fischer period in the 1970's and early 1980's This period was dominated by Anatoly Karpov (world champion from 1975-1985) and his three-time challenger, Viktor Korchnoi. Anatoly Karpov gained the right to challenge Bobby Fischer for the world title by winning through the Candidates series in 1974. As is well known, Fischer refused to defend the title and in 1975 Karpov became champion by default. Although he did not have to contest a Championship match to gain the title, Karpov proved that he was a worthy champion by winning virtually every major tournament over the next decade. In this book, a must for all serious chessplayers, Kasparov analyses deeply Karpov's greatest games and assesses the legacy of this great Russian genius. Also under the microscope are the games of Viktor Korchnoi, who was at his peak during this period and twice challenged Karpov for his world title.

The Semi-Slav defence has been one of Black's most reliable defences to the queen's pawn since the 1920's. Now, it is fashionable both at grandmaster level and with club and tournament players. Here, Grandmaster Matthew Sadler explains the strategy and tactics of this dynamic opening. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas.

Winning Chess is a truly classic chess book, beloved of chess-mad teenagers since it was first published in 1970, updated and repackaged in algebraic format. Written in lively, conversational style by two prolific and popular chess authors, it is aimed at players who have gone past the beginner stage and want to take their game to a whole new level. Its imaginative themes and instructional method are timeless, and the whole book is shot through with fun and humour.

Feeling up to a challenge?
In this highly original and instructive test yourself book, Grandmaster Chris Ward presents a selection of carefully chosen puzzles for you to solve. Hot on the heels of his very successful It's Your Move and Improvers It's Your Move, comes It's Your Move: Tough Puzzles, which this time aims to rack the brains of even the most experienced chess players.
The puzzles might be a bit more difficult this time but, in the same style of the previous two books, the reader is once again helped by the choice of five plausible plans and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. Instead of opting for the traditional 'check, check, mate ... mate!' type of puzzles, Ward concentrates on situations which are much more likely to occur in practical games.

The Samisch variation is a powerful method to counter the popular King's Indian Defence. The key move is the advance f2-f3, consolidating White's central space advantage and limiting Black's options for counterplay. In the traditional Samisch White develops the queen's bishop on e3 but in the modern version, as explored in this book, the move Bg5 is preferred. This creates further problems for Black as the natural King's Indian counter ... e7-e5 allows White a potentially strong pin against the f6-knight, while chasing the bishop with ... h6 and ... g5 creates kingside weaknesses. ----- * Learn to play the Modern Samisch with confidence --- * Emphasis on plans and strategies * Written by an expert on the Modern Samisch

Magnus Carlsen is arguably the strongest player of all time. His dominance is such that every loss comes as a shock. They remind us that even he has his weak moments. In fact, identifying the root causes of his losses holds valuable lessons for all players. Cyrus Lakdawalas search starts with a series of Magnus wins and draws to give the reader a feel for how incredibly difficult it is to beat him. The World Champions arsenal is awesome: a superlative ability to calculate, near-perfect intuition, probably the best endgame technique ever, a wide and creative opening repertoire, a willingness to unbalance the position almost anytime, and last but not least: his unparalleled will to win. How to Beat Magnus Carlsen has a thematic structure, which, together with Lakdawalas uniquely accessible style, makes its lessons easy to digest. Sometimes even Magnus gets outplayed, sometimes he over-presses and goes over the cliffs edge, and sometimes he fails to find the correct plan. And yes, even Magnus Carlsen commits straightforward blunders. Lakdawala explains the how and the why. Its wonderful to have a World Champion who is not just incredibly strong, but who is also happy to experiment and take risks. Thats what makes Magnus Carlsen such a fascinating chess player. And thats why he is the hero of this book. There is no doubt that Carlsen has examined all his losses under a microscope. If he benefits from this process, then so will we.

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 English Opening is a popular choice, from club level all the way through to world champions. Its flexibility allows players to choose from a number of different set-ups - positional or aggressive, classical or hypermodern. It also appeals to those who prefer learning opening ideas to memorizing reams of theory. In this book, Steve Giddins invites you to join him in studying the English and its many variations. He examines instructive games, covers the most important lines and provides answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the English Opening *Important ideas absorbed by continued practice *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Jose Raul Capablanca was a chess legend, world champion and quite simply one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His achievements and seemingly effortless style of play won many admirers, and his legacy includes a treasure of instructive games. Studying Capablanca's play is a must for any aspiring chess player. For Cyrus Lakdawala, it was a key factor in his chess development and improvement, and in this book he revisits many of his favourite Capablanca games. Lakdawala examines Capablanca's skills in the key areas of attack, defence, counter-attack, exploiting imbalances, accumulating advantages and, of course, his legendary endgame 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

The Hippopotamus Defence is just what a club player needs. Its a straightforward and clear-cut chess opening that avoids the ever growing body of mainline theory. Its universal: Black can use the Hippo against virtually all of Whites choices (1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, 1.f4, the Colle, London, Trompowsky, Reti and others). Its not very well known and will surprise many opponents. On top of all that, the Hippo is seriously underestimated: with its characteristic double fianchetto it may look quiet, but inside there lurks a very dangerous animal. FIDE Master Alessio de Santis is one of the worlds greatest experts on the Hippo and has written a practical, well-structured and accessible manual. His book can be studied on three levels: after a first flash of 3 to 4 hours you will be familiar with the Hippos basic moves and key variations, its strategic themes and recurring manoeuvres. In the second and third stage De Santis leads you through the most important concrete lines and introduces the Semi-Hippopotamus to counter some specific White ideas. You can use the Hippo as a surprise weapon or as your main repertoire. The extensive explanations and clear conclusions make this book an easy-to-navigate manual for all club players. If you like to confront your opponents with some unexpected counter-attacks, then you need not look any further.

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

The Philidor is a dynamic and underrated answer to White's most popular opening move, 1 e4. Recently it has acquired something of a cult following amongst certain Grandmasters; its supporters include the French number one Etienne Bacrot and the former European Champion Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu. One of its major selling points is its flexibility - Black even has a choice of two opening moves. It also suits a wide variety of playing styles; games can lead to sharp, tactical duels as well as strategic, positional battles.
In this book Christian Bauer, himself a renowned Philidor expert, uncovers the secrets behind this intriguing opening. Using his own experience and other top-class Philidor games, Bauer identifies both the critical main lines and the tricky sidelines. He also examines the key tactical and strategic ideas for both White and Black, while highlighting crucial issues such as move-order options - a major weapon for the modern Grandmaster.
*Comprehensive coverage of a provocative opening
*Packed with original analysis
*Ideal for club and tournament players
Christian Bauer is a young Grandmaster from France who has a string of tournament successes to his name. He is a former national champion and has represented France in numerous team tournaments, playing top board at the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad. He is a regular columnist for the renowned French chess magazine "Europe Echecs,"" "while this is his second book for Everyman Chess; his first was "Play 1...b6!."