"Mr. Silman has become the leading chess writer in America. My students swear by his work". -- John Watson, International Chess Master, author of Play the French

"The Amateur's Mind is eminently readable and instruction-rich. Jeremy Silman never disappoints those who seriously wish to improve their game". -- Joel Benjamin, International Grand Master, 1987 U.S. champion

Most amateurs possess erroneous thinking processes that, elusive and difficult to eradicate, remain with them throughout their lives. These chinks in their mental armor bring about stinging defeats and reversals.

To address the most common of these problems, Mr. Silman has recorded the thoughts of his students while they play actual games, analyzed these thoughts, and catalogued the most typical misconceptions that arise. He then dispels these misconceptions and repairs the chinks in the player's armor with sage advice, rules of conduct and strategy, and psychological insights.

The Amateur's Mind takes the student on a journey through his or her own mind, gathering newfound knowledge and strength along the way. It's a mind-opening guide for all beginning and intermediate tournament-level players.

One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende.
Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream: to empower kids in the Katwe slum through chess--a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying a chess-board in the dirt, Robert began to teach. At first children came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love the game that--like their daily lives--requires persevering against great obstacles. Of these kids, one girl stood out as an immense talent: Phiona.
By the age of eleven Phiona was her country's junior champion, and at fifteen, the national champion. Now a Woman Candidate Master--the first female titled player in her country's history--Phiona dreams of becoming a Grandmaster, the most elite level in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable coun-tries. "The Queen of Katwe" is a "remarkable" (NPR) and "riveting" ("New York Post") book that shows how "Phiona's story transcends the limitations of the chessboard" (Robert Hess, US Grandmaster).

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.

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

Is the ability to make combinations something you are born with or can it be acquired by practice? Russian chess trainer Livshitz, who has had extensive experience teaching a wide range of players from novices to masters, presents here a course for developing your combinational skill, based on the recognition of tactical motifs. As you work your way through this carefully graced series of tests, themes such as 'diversion, ' 'interference, ' 'X-Ray, ' and many more will become an integral part of your chess armoury, to be employed in your own games. Solving these positions will not only provide many hours of pleasure but will also enable you to test - and improve! - your chess IQ. This is book two in a three-volume series. Also available are: 'Test Your Chess IQ: First Challenge' and 'Test Your Chess IQ: Grandmaster Challenge.' (6 3/4' X 9 3/4', 122 pages, illustrations)

What exactly makes the greatest players of all time, such as Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer, and Garry Kasparov stand out from the rest? The basic aspects of chess (calculation, study of opening theory, and technical endgame ability) are of course of great importance. However, the more mysterious part of chess ability lies within the thought process. In particular: * How does one evaluate certain moves to be better than others? * How does one improve their feel of the game? This book will tackle this woefully underexplored aspect of chess: the logic behind the game. It will explain how chess works at a fundamental level. Topics include: * What to think about when evaluating a position. * How to formulate and execute plans. * How to generate and make use of the initiative. The reader also has plenty of opportunities to test their decision-making by attempting 270 practical exercises. These are mostly designed to develop understanding, as the justification of the moves is more important than the actual correct answer.

There is no better way to improve your tactical ability than by working out winning combinations in positions taken from Grandmaster games. In this final - and most challenging! - part of his best-selling three-volume course in chess tactics, Russian chess teacher Livshitz provides a wealth of test-yourself positions identified under recurring combinational themes such as diversion, interference, X-ray attack and many more! Solving these positions will stretch your imagination to the full and enable you to test and assess your Chess IQ. (6 7/8' X 9 3/4', 133 pages, illustrations)

The Sicilian Defence is by far the most popular chess opening. If you play 1 e4 as White, on average you are likely to meet the Sicilian in virtually every other game! You need to be prepared to face the Sicilian at all times, and a ready-to-use repertoire against it is an indispensible weapon.In this book, Gawain Jones confronts the challenge of meeting the Sicilian head on. He has constructed a comprehensive Anti-Sicilian repertoire for White, which is based on lines he has successfully employed at grandmaster level. These are sound, reliable options for White, but don't be fooled - they also contain more than a drop of poison. Variations covered include the popular King's Indian Attack, various Bb5 systems and weapons against Black's offbeat tries.

• A Grandmaster's repertoire against the Sicilian
• Packed with new ideas and critical analysis
• Highlights key tactical and positional ideas

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.

Liberty London is known for its floral and graphic prints and the offering of innovative and eclectic designs. The Liberty Anita Peggable Chess Set from Galison highlights Liberty's classic floral themes, perfect for any game enthusiast. This set features a peggable chess construction with pops of red and blue for the 32 chess pieces. Makes a perfect gift. * Box: 7.8 x 7.8 x 2.8", 198 x 198 x 71 mm * 32 Wood Chess Pieces * 1 Portable Chess Board * Instructions are included * Perfect for playing on the go!

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

In "Champions of the New Millennium" three accomplished authors present the eighteen best chess players in the world today. Each player is introduced with an illuminating profile, and then four of his or her finest games are explained in depth. These players are: The current top ten: Anand, Kramnik, Topalov, Morozevich, Svidler, Mamedyarov, Shirov, Leko, Ivanchuk, Aronian. The stars likely to dominate the next decade: Karjakin, Carlsen, Radjabov, Wang Yue, Ponomariov and Grischuk. The best female player ever, Judit Polgar. And finally, World Championship finalist and comeback kid, American star Gata Kamsky. This is the ideal guide to who's who in modern chess.

Very few chess books are able to make an original contribution about the strategic side of chess, but that is the aim of this remarkable book. The dogmas of chess, which have been established for over a century, are rarely questioned despite the clear evolution in the style of top-class chess. Chess grandmaster Lluis Comas Fabrego takes on the challenging task of separating the truth from the lies in traditional advice on how to play better chess. By taking an irreverent look at the supposed absolute truths of chess, Comas Fabrego judges the validity of established rules and strategic concepts. Accompanied by many practical examples and good advice, readers learn how to reduce the complexity of chess towards the essential features of each position, and so improve their play.

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.

Grandmaster Johan Hellsten believes that mastering chess strategy - just like chess tactics - requires practice, practice and more practice This book provides a basic foundation of strategy in all three phases of the game - the opening, middlegame and endgame. It includes more than 350 training exercises.

What is it that makes Magnus Carlsen the strongest chess player in the world? Why do Carlsens opponents, the best players around, fail to see his moves coming? Moves that, when you replay his games, look natural and self-evident? Emmanuel Neiman has been studying Carlsens games and style of play for many years. His findings will surprise, delight and educate every player, regardless of their level. He explains a key element in the World Champions play: instead of the absolute best move he often plays the move that is likely to give him the better chances. Carlsens singular ability to win positions that are equal or only very slightly favourable comes down to this: he doesnt let his opponents get what they hope for while offering them the maximum amount of chances to go wrong. In areas such as pawn play, piece play, exchanges as a positional weapon and breaking the rules in endgames, Neiman shows that Magnus Carlsen has brought a new understanding to the game. Neiman also looks at Carlsens key qualities that are not directly related to technique. Such as his unparalleled fighting spirit and his ability to objectively evaluate any kind of position and situation. Carlsen is extremely widely read and knows basically everything about chess. Whats more, as the most versatile player in the history of the game he is totally unpredictable. THE MAGNUS METHOD presents a complete analysis of the skills that make the difference. With lots of surprising and instructive examples and quizzes. Examining Carlsens abilities together with Emmanuel Neiman is a delightful way to unlock you own potential.

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.

What separates the greatest chess players from mere mortals? Grandmaster Danny Gormally believes that understanding, preparation and will to win are three crucial factors. In Play Chess Like the Pros he examines these key aspects and attempts to bridge the gap between the best and the rest. He believes that a player's capacity to improve is limitless, and in this age of computer-assisted learning the opportunity to do so is greater than ever before. But are you prepared to stretch yourself, to take yourself out of the comfort zone? However, this is more than a self-improvement book. Nearly 15 years of experience as a chess professional makes the author ideally placed to tell the stories, not just behind the moves but also the characters who play them, giving the reader an insider's view of professional chess in the modern age.

All chess players know the impact of a surprising move in a game of chess. The victim is disoriented and often blunders in reply, while the player landing the surprise feels invigorated, lusting for the battle ahead. It is thus quite a surprise in itself that this is the first book devoted to this important practical aspect of chess psychology. Avni, a highly experienced and respected chess writer, provides a detailed understanding of the many ways of surprising the opponent. This is far more than a list of tips for how to find startling moves. Avni explains a whole theory of surprise, which the reader can absorb and make a fundamental part of his approach to chess. The book includes games where surprise played a major role, annotated by Grandmasters Ronen Har-Zvi, Gad Rechlis, Eran Liss, Ilan Manor, Ram Soffer and International master Artur Kogan. FIDE Master Amatzia Avni is a psychologist. He has written several acclaimed works on chess, including 'Creative Chess' and 'Danger in Chess, ' both published by Cadogan. (5 11/16' X 8 1/4', 112 pages, index, illustrations)

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.