Inspired by both Daniel Defoe's 'A Journal of the Plague Year' (1722) and 'The King', an anthology of the witty and provocative chess columns of the Dutch Grandmaster, Jan Hein Donner, Ray Keene here collects his thoughts and writings on the year 2020 - both in chess and the wider world. His reflections include the impact of Covid-19 on the popularity of chess, the remarkable influence of the Netflix series 'The Queen's Gambit', the growing army of teenage Grandmasters, the online pivot of chess competition and the emergence of chess entrepreneurs, such as World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.. Like Donner, Ray uses chess as a metaphor for observations on art, culture and civilisation.

Frustrated with studying endgames that never seem to occur in your own games? Finally, help is here Essential Endgames Every Tournament Player Must Know is a carefully selected compilation of the most frequently encountered endgames occuring in practice. This book contains vital lessons for every tournament chessplayer involving those endgames which can be defined by clear and concise rules, summarized by the most important themes and require the application of specific technical principles to solve them.

In "Chess for Everyone," national chess master and coach Robert M. Snyder introduces chess to the beginner in twenty graduated lessons. Mr. Snyder teaches the basic principles and then builds the student's knowledge in a clear and consistent manner. The reader is given a solid foundation in:

Basic rules(piece movements, checkmate, castling, en passant, drawn game and more). Opening principles, traps and a basic opening system. Middlegame strategy (checkmate patterns and tactics). Basic endgame strategy including basic checkmates and King and Pawn endings. Upon completing "Chess for Everyone" students can continue to expand their knowledge in all areas of the game by reading the other volumes in the "Chess for Everyone" series.

For over 100 years, the world's leading chess players and teachers have told their students to study the endgame. Now, for the first time, a revolutionary, richly instructive endgame book has been designed for players of all levels. This is the one and only endgame book youll need as you move up the ladder from beginner to tournament player and master. Designed to "speak" to a player in a very personal way, Silman's book teaches the student everything he or she needs to know at his or her current rating level, and builds on that knowledge for each subsequent phase of the players development. Starting at the beginners level, all basic mates are clearly and painstakingly explained. After that, the critical building blocks that form the endgame foundation for all tournament hopefuls and experienced tournament competitors are explored in detail. Finally, advanced endgame secrets, based on concepts rather than memorization, are presented in a way that makes them easy to master. The basic keys to a well-rounded endgame education -- Opposition, the Lucena and Philidor Positions, Cat and Mouse, Trebuchet, Fox in the Chicken Coup, Triangulation, Building a Box, Square of a Pawn, Outflanking, the Principle of Two Weaknesses -- are vital. But equally important is creating a love of the endgame, which is addressed at the end of the book with a look at chess tactics, minor piece domination, and a discussion of the five greatest endgame players of all time -- all things that every fan of chess at every level can enjoy. If you have found the endgame to be a mystery, if you have found that your confidence plummets once you reach an endgame, if you have searched for an instructive endgame book that will turn your weakest link -- your endgame -- into your personal field of power, your search is over. The book is the key to a world of essential ideas, startling beauty, and stunning creativity.