Chess was invented more than 1,500 years ago, and is played in every country in the world. Stephen Moss sets out to master its mysteries, and unlock the secret of its enduring appeal. What, he asks, is the essence of chess? And what will it reveal about his own character along the way? In a witty, accessible style that will delight newcomers and irritate purists, Moss imagines the world as a board and marches across it, offering a mordant report on the world of chess in 64 chapters - 64 of course being the number of squares on the chessboard. He alternates between "black" chapters - where he plays, largely uncomprehendingly, in tournaments - and "white" chapters, where he seeks advice from the current crop of grandmasters and delves into the lives of great players of the past. It is both a history of the game and a kind of "Zen and the Art of Chess"; a practical guide and a self-help book: Moss's quest to understand chess and become a better player is really an attempt to escape a lifetime of dilettantism. He wants to become an expert at one thing. What will be the consequences when he realises he is doomed to fail? Moss travels to Russia and the US - hotbeds of chess throughout the 20th century; meets people who knew Bobby Fischer when he was growing up and tries to unravel the enigma of that tortured genius who died in 2008 at the inevitable age of 64; meets Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, world champions past and present; and keeps bumping into Armenian superstar Levon Aronian in the gents at tournaments. He becomes champion of Surrey, wins tournaments in Chester and Bury St Edmunds, and holds his own at the famous event in the Dutch seaside resort of Wijk aan Zee (until a last-round meltdown), but too often he is beaten by precocious 10-year-olds and finds it hard to resist the urge to punch them. He looks for spiritual fulfilment in the game, but mostly finds mental torture.

This is a chess book for everyone, from eight to eighty, beginner to master. In a clear, easy-to-follow format it explains how the best way to beat a stronger opponent in the opening stage of the game. Delightful and instructive games of famous players are used to show the 50 most effective opening traps that chess masters use to win their games.

Former world champion Jose Capablanca's introduction to chess, available for the first time in English in algebraic notation, 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. Topics covered include: . The game, the pieces, their moves and object . Improving your game . Elementary opening principles...and much more 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.

The chess world has witnessed a great number of wonderfully gifted attacking players, geniuses who have dazzled the chess public with their brilliant masterpieces. Everyone has their own favourites, and in "Chess Secrets: Great Attackers," Colin Crouch chooses three of his own: Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Tal and Leonid Stein. World Champions Kasparov and Tal need no introduction, while Stein was a highly creative and intuitive player with the ability to destroy the world's best players with his vicious attacks.Crouch examines their differing approaches and styles, and highlights some crucial themes, including the idea of controlled risk - in some sacrificial attacks even the greatest players can't always see everything to the end. A study of this book will help you to enhance your skills in one of the most crucial elements of the game. *An entertaining and instructive guide to attacking chess*Learn from the greats of the game*Discover how famous chess minds work "Chess Secrets" is" "a new series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess study: strategy, attacking play, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author chooses and deeply studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have genuinely influenced their descendants. Dr Colin Crouch is an International Master, an extremely experienced tournament player and a highly regarded chess writer. His previous books for Everyman Chess include "Queens"" Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4!," which has been highly acclaimed for its thoroughness and originality, with one reviewer describing it as 'the opening bookof the year'. He has been a regular columnist for "British Chess Magazine" and "CHESS."

One of the best ways to improve is to study the games of a top Grandmaster, and Ivan Sokolov's uncompromising style and tactical flair make him a perfect role model. In this book Sokolov demonstrates the deadly effectiveness of his systems against openings such as The Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Gambit, Slav and King's Indian. Contains 50 deeply annotated games with introductions . Brilliant and inventive opening play will both instruct and entertain . Includes many spectacular miniatures of under 30 moves Ivan Sokolov is one of the most outstanding talents to emerge in the 1990's, and many of his victims in this book- Anand, Adams, Topalov, and Lautier - hail from the cream of the younger generation. As a key member of the Bosnia- Herzegovina Olympiad team he won a solver medal in Moscow in 1994, and was ranked 12th equal in the world in December 1996. Sokolov is resident in the Netherlands, and tied with Jan Timman in the 1996 Dutch Championship.

It is generally agreed that one of the best ways for a chess-player to improve is by constant practice and testing. The puzzles in this book provide a wealth of positions to test every facet of the reader's tactical skills, and have been selected by analyzing games new and old in search of original puzzle positions (rather than simply trawling through previous puzzle books as is all too often the case). It is therefore very unlikely that even seasoned solvers will recognize many of these positions!

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor presents weapons for Black against the hugely popular Spanish Opening, basing his repertoire on the Modern Steinitz Defence. This opening can lead to razor-sharp lines, such as the Siesta Variation, where one slip by either player could prove to be fatal. But a major attraction of the Modern Steinitz is its flexibility, as Black can also choose to play in a more positional manner. Taylor studies in depth the critical main lines, and also what to do if White avoids these. Read this book and be ready to slay the Spanish!

Many historical chess books focus on individual 19th century masters and tournaments yet little is written covering the full scope of competitive chess through the era. This volume provides a comprehensive overview, with more than a third of the 300 annotated games analyzed by past masters and checked by powerful engines. Players such as Max Lange and Cochrane, known to the chess public only by the name given to a fierce attack or gambit, are brought to life. Fifty masters are each given their own chapter, with brief biographies, results and anecdotes and an endgame section for most chapters.

Viktor Korchnoi is a chess legend. In a career which has spanned over 60 years, he won countless grandmaster tournaments, was a four-time Soviet Champion, a multi-time World Championship Candidate, and twice fought for the World Championship in famous battles with his adversary Anatoly Karpov. Throughout his career Korchnoi continually refined his style and he was as comfortable in defence as he was in attack. He was happy to provoke opponents, accept sacrifices, defend precisely and then ruthlessly exploit weaknesses. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala studies his favourite Korchnoi games and examines Korchnoi's skills in the key areas of attack and defence, initiative, exploiting imbalances, accumulating advantages and endgame play. He demonstrates clearly how we can all improve by learning from Korchnoi'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

What are the greatest opening ideas in chess history? This is a fascinating question that would undoubtedly spark endless debate and discussion amongst all the experts and enthusiasts of the game. From the invention and development of openings which are now considered to be mainline, to the wealth of stunning one-move novelties which have convincingly overturned previous expert assessments, there is certainly a plethora of brilliant ideas to choose from - everyone will have their own opinion on this subject!In this book, Christoph Scheerer looks back though chess history and at modern times in order to create his own list of favourites. Selecting from hundreds of candidates, Scheerer examines factors such as creativity, shock value, effectiveness and endurance in order to decide which ideas are most worthy of inclusion. Read this book and discover the stories behind the most powerful opening ideas of all time, and how you can utilize and learn from these ideas to improve your chess. *An entertaining guide to the best ever opening ideas*Written by an opening expert*Ideal for players of all levels

In this highly original and instructive test yourself book, grandmaster Chris Ward invites readers to solve a selection of carefully chosen puzzles. In this, the second book in the 'It's Your Move' series, the positions are aimed at club players who are looking to hone their skills in order to climb further up the chess ladder. 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 answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. (5 3/4 x 8 1/4, 144 pages, diagrams)

A 21st-Century Edition of a Great Checkmate Collection Ask most chessplayers from the "baby boomer" generation how they acquired and sharpened their tactical skills, and chances are a Fred Reinfeld tactics collection will be part of their answer. And now, for the first time, 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate is available in modern algebraic notation. This may be the all-time great checkmate collection, with forced checkmate positions culled mainly from actual play. And Reinfeld's selection is simply marvelous, touching on all the important tactical themes. In short, this is an outstanding book to hone your tactical abilities. It will help you recognize mating patterns, develop visualization skills, enhance imagination, and improve tactical sharpness. And now, with a modern 21st-century edition of this great checkmate collection finally available, there is no excuse for not only improving your tactical skills, but also enjoying yourself along the way.

The Kan is an ideal choice as an opening weapon against 1 e4, as it is one of the easiest variations of the Sicilian to learn and play. This is because, unlike some variations of the Sicilian, you don't need to memorize loads of opening theory in order to be successful. The Kan is relatively theory free in the traditional sense, and success is more likely to occur through the understanding of development systems and a deep study of the tactical and positional ideas for both sides.In this book Johan Hellsten draws upon his vast experience in the Sicilian Kan, revealing his secrets and showing how Black can adopt this opening and play it with confidence. He provides the reader with a dependable repertoire, demonstrating what to do in the main lines as well as how to deal with White's tricky alternatives. *Detailed coverage of an easy-to-play Sicilian*Includes answers to all of White's main options*Written by a renowned Kan expert Johan Hellsten is a Grandmaster and a former Swedish Champion who has represented his country in numerous Olympiads and team tournaments. He has enjoyed many tournament successes and has won individual gold and bronze medals at the European Team Championships. He is currently employed as the chess teacher at the Universidad de Tarapaca in Arica, Chile. This is his first book for Everyman Chess.

Magnus Carlsen: A Life in Pictures tells the story of the reigning World Chess Champion. Magnus Carlsen, born in 1990 in Oslo, Norway, became a Grandmaster by 13. Carlsen was crowned World Champion in 2013, when he defeated Anand and has successfully defended his title three times. He currently plays again for the title in Dubai. Carlsen is a family man, often surrounded by his father, mother and sisters. As a sports fanatic he plays and follows football and basketball. He doesnt shy away from his celebrity status, and was both a G-Star model and a Real Madrid VIPguest. But his most genuine smile breaks through when he talks chess with his youngest fans, the kids in a chess tournament. For this book, publisher New In Chess, part of the Play Magnus Group, had access to pictures of the Carlsen family archive and to all pictures of the best chess photographers.

It was the chess legend Philidor who wrote: 'The pawns are the soul of chess', and yet it is these modest infantrymen who are always the first to die for the cause. Pawn sacrifices are incredibly common in chess games, and yet for some unknown reason they have been rather neglected in chess literature... until now.In this pioneering work, Timothy Taylor carries out an in-depth study of this significant subject. Using an abundance of instructive examples, Taylor uncovers the secrets of pawn sacrifices, highlighting the many reasons for their success, indicating the ideal situations in which pawn sacrifices work, as well as showing positions in which they are not so effective. The ability to handle pawn sacrifices is one of the most important skills in chess, and enhancing this skill will undoubtedly improve your understanding and results. This book will show you how to do this. *An enlightening and entertaining guide to pawn sacrifices*Covers essential tactical and positional ideas*Written by a battle-hardened professional player

The definitive work on practical endgame tactics

This exceptional book continues the unique project where one of the greatest chess players of our time transforms her personal journey to the top into a roadmap for everyone who ever wanted to better themselves in the game of chess. In this volume, Judit tells the story of her rise from teenage grandmaster to Top Ten superstar.

One of the greatest rivalries in sports history. On 10 September 1984, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov started their match for the World Chess Championship in Moscow. The clash between the reigning champion and his brazen young challenger was highly anticipated, but no one could have foreseen what was in store. In the next six years they would play five matches for the highest title and create one of the fiercest rivalries in sports history. The matches lasted a staggering total of 14 months, and the two Ks played 5540 moves in 144 games. The first match became front-page news when after five months FIDE President Florencio Campomanes stepped in to stop the match for reasons that still remain mysterious. A new match was staged and 22-year-old Garry Kasparov became the youngest World Chess Champion in history. His win was not only hailed as a triumph of imaginative attacking chess, but also as a political victory. The representative of perestroika had beaten the old champion, a symbol of Soviet stagnation. Kasparov defended his title in three more matches, all of them full of drama. In The Longest Game Jan Timman chronicles the many twists and turns of this fascinating saga. He includes his behind-the scenes impressions and takes a fresh look at the games.

The definitive work on practical endgame tactics

The Rules of Winning Chess provides you with the key fundamentals of the game, principles that you can easily learn and remember, and that will help you to achieve both greater understanding and enjoyment of chess.