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Books > Sport & Leisure > Hobbies, quizzes & games > Indoor games > Board games > Chess
Looking for a new opening? The Veresov could be the one for you!
It's a surprisingly tricky system that, in the right hands, can be
forged into a powerful attacking weapon. White forgoes the normal
queen's pawn opening ideas in favor of speedy development of the
queenside pieces. One advantage of this underrated line is that
players with the black pieces are less likely to be familiar with
all the subtleties here than in a more mainstream opening.
In this book, Grandmaster Nigel Davies arms the reader with a
complete repertoire with the white pieces, with the Veresov being
the central line. Davies delves into the secrets of the opening,
explaining tactical and positional ideas, and highlighting the main
plans for both sides.
The Veresov is an aggressive opening repertoire for White; is ideal
for club and tournament players; provides a full explanation of the
latest theory
Every chess player wants to improve, but many, if not most, lack
the tools or the discipline to study in a structured and effective
way. With so much material on offer, the eternal question is: How
can I study chess without wasting my time and energy? Davorin
Kuljasevic provides the full and ultimate answer, as he presents a
structured study approach that has long-term improvement value. He
explains how to study and what to study, offers specific advice for
the various stages of the game and points out how to integrate all
elements in an actionable study plan. How do you optimize your
learning process? How do you develop good study habits and get rid
of useless ones? What study resources are appropriate for players
of different levels? Many self-improvement guides are essentially
little more than a collection of exercises. Davorin Kuljasevic
reflects on learning techniques and priorities in a fundamental
way. And although this is not an exercise book, it is full of
instructive examples looked at from unusual angles. To provide a
solid self-study framework, Kuljasevic categorizes lots of
important aspects of chess study in a guide that is rich in
illustrative tables, figures and bullet points. Anyone, from casual
player to chess professional, will take away a multitude of
original learning methods and valuable practical improvement ideas.
Many of the classics of Soviet chess literature have struggled to
see the light of day, but none more so than Soviet Middlegame
Technique by Peter Romanovsky. The original version of this famous
guide to the middlegame was published in 1929 when Romanovsky was
Soviet Champion. Romanovsky later decided to update and improve his
work. As he finished his work in 1942, World War II was underway
and Romanovsky was trapped in the notorious siege of Leningrad. The
author barely survived and his manuscript was lost. Romanovsky was
undeterred and finally recreated his improved book in 1960. His
writing was later translated into English and published in two
titles -- one on Planning and the other on Combinations. In this
fresh translation we have included both works to create the
ultimate version of a classic of Soviet chess literature.
Do you need to be a genius to be good at chess? What does it take to become a Grandmaster? Can computer programmes beat human intuition in gameplay?
The Psychology of Chess is an insightful overview of the roles of intelligence, expertise, and human intuition in playing this complex and ancient game. The book explores the idea of ‘practice makes perfect’, alongside accounts of why men perform better than women in international rankings, and why chess has become synonymous with extreme intelligence as well as madness.
When artificial intelligence researchers are increasingly studying chess to develop machine learning, The Psychology of Chess shows us how much it has already taught us about the human mind.
Table of Contents
1. Opening 2. The eye of the master 3. Chunks! 4. The best move 5. Practice makes (almost) perfect 6. Men vs. women 7. Style and intuition 8. Errare humanum est 9. Psychological warfare and training techniques 10. The magic bullet? 11. Costs of playing chess 12. Endgame
In this highly original book, Grandmaster Ipatov shares the chess
philosophy that helped him become a top chess grandmaster. Contrary
to the generally accepted norms that permeate the modern chess
world, he argues that spending most of one's training time on
studying opening theory and memorizing trending lines until move 30
is wrong. However, this is exactly how most beginners start
learning chess nowadays. Some strong grandmasters also fall into
this trap when they prioritize opening theory amongst other aspects
of the game. This often leads to fundamental gaps in one's chess
understanding which is really hard to fix, especially for young
players. Ipatov's ideology lies in that one should work on
enhancing his general chess understanding and take on a
surprise-first approach when it comes to playing openings in order
to avoid opponents' preparation in the mainstream theory and take
them out of book in the early stage of the game. Most of the book
is comprised of Alexander Ipatov's original analyses covering a
variety of offbeat opening lines from both White and Black's
perspective. His recent match against the 2018 US Chess Champion
Sam Shankland, where Ipatov implemented a novelty on move two -
something unheard of in the modern era with millions of games being
played to date - serves as a good illustration that the philosophy
deserves more attention and research than it currently has. This
book serves to fill in this gap and welcome more debate on the
subject.
The Caro-Kann Defence remains a very popular option for Black at
all levels of chess. It has always enjoyed a solid reputation, but
if anything its popularity has increased in recent years with the
realization that the Caro-Kann can also be employed with the
intention of reaching sharp dynamic positions, rich in
possibilities for both sides and with a guarantee of genuine
counterplay for Black. In this book, International Master Jovanka
Houska presents the reader with a complete Caro-Kann repertoire,
which is based primarily on her own repertoire she has used with
success over many years at international level. Houska provides a
comprehensive update on her popular 2007 book Play the Caro-Kann
and focuses on key new developments since then. She offers
solutions against all of White's main options and efficient methods
to deal with tricky sidelines. She examines important tactical and
strategic plans for both sides and deals with key move order
issues. This book tells you everything you need to know about
playing the Caro-Kann. *An complete repertoire to 1 e4 *Packed with
new ideas and analysis *Written by a Caro-Kann expert
The computer has changed the way top players think about chess. The
silicon mind has no psychological barriers. It is "willing" to
check moves that most humans, including top players, consider
absurd and reject instantly. Thus this brave, new computer era
inevitably leads to a reassessment of old axioms, principles and
evaluations. In Play Unconventional Chess, the reader will discover
the incredible power unconventional moves can have. These moves
contradict the most fundamental principles of the "old chess", and
yet most of them played by leading grandmasters. At first sight
these moves look so strange that the reader can not avoid asking,
"Was this grandmaster was inspired or drunk?" The answer will
definitely surprise you. As we progress as chess players we quickly
learn a set of guidelines which help us to formulate plans, develop
typical strategies and recognize key tactics. However, chess is not
an easy game, with fixed 'rules' that can be applied to every
single position. In fact, blindly following such rules proves to be
counterproductive and prevents a player from moving on to the next
level, whereas knowing when to 'break' these rules is precisely the
skill which separates the best from the rest. In Break the Rules!,
Grandmaster Neil McDonald studies in depth the key components of
successful rule-breaking in chess. Drawing upon his own experience
and using illuminating examples from modern grandmaster chess,
McDonald examines how to avoid stereotypical thinking, how to
exploit typical thinking patterns, and how to confuse and beat
opponents with surprising ideas.
The Bb5 Sicilian is a logical and practical weapon against Black's
most popular defense to 1 e4 and is an excellent choice for White
players who are fed up of constantly trying to keep abreast of the
latest developments in the Open Sicilian.
The early bishop move signals White intention to develop rapidly
and it can lead to both wild gambit play and calmer positional
waters. Significantly, this opening weapon has the seal of approval
from many of today's elite Grandmasters, including Vishy Anand,
Mickey Adams and Peter Leko, while Garry Kasparov utilized it
successfully in his famous Internet game versus 'the rest of the
world'.
Now, for the first time in many years, Richard Palliser provides a
comprehensive study of the Bb5 Sicilian and its many variations.
Using illustrative games, he examines both the crucial main lines
and the more unusual tries for White and Black, highlighting
tactical and positional ideas as well as move order nuances. A
study of this book will allow the reader to play both sides of this
opening with confidence.
*A complete and up-to-date coverage of one of the most important
Anti-Sicilian lines
*Covers both the Rossolimo and Moscow (3 Bb5+) Variations
*Written by a Bb5 Sicilian expert
The Ruy Lopez (also known as the Spanish Game) is an extremely
popular opening and one of the oldest in the history of chess. It
has been played by virtually all the greats of the game, providing
the battle scene for many world championship clashes involving the
likes of Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik. Now, for the first
time in many years, Grandmaster Glenn Flear investigates the main
line of the Lopez, outlining the crucial ideas and tactics for both
White and Black. Using illustrative games, Flear studies the
fashionable and theoretical variations, plus the tricky sidelines.
This book is perfect for those wishing to play the positions with
either color.
*Written by a Ruy Lopez expert
*Up-to-date theory on the sharpest lines
*Ideal for club and tournament players
The opening phase of the game throws up difficult questions for
those keen to study and improve their chess. Should I open with 1
d4, 1 e4, or something else? What is the best strategy as Black -
immediate counter-attack or solid development? Should I learn
numerous different systems or concentrate on a few specialist
lines? In Mastering the Opening, international master Byron Jacobs
asnwers these and other key questions. * Deals with every major
opening * Numerous test positions enables readers to guage their
progress * Revolutionary layout allows readers to absorb the key
ideas
Ian Nepomniachtchi, challenger to Magnus Carlsen's World
Championship title in 2021, is an outstanding chess talent. "Nepo"
as he is universally known is a fascinating player and this book
assesses his career and analyses his original and creative style in
great depth with numerous deeply annotated games. Nepo is one of
the very few players in the world to hold (at least prior to the
match) a plus score (four wins to one with six draws) against
Carlsen in classical chess. Nepo and Carlsen are peers and first
started playing each other in the Under-12 category of the World
Youth Championship in 2002. In that event, Nepo edged out Carlsen
on tie-break. At that time he out-rated Carlsen by 100 points and
was generally considered to be the more promising of the two
prodigies. Nepo is a fascinating player who loves open and
irrational positions and excels when on the attack. Unsurprisingly,
he cites Mikhail Tal as his all-time favorite player and says Tal
is the player who has exerted the greatest influence on him. As
with that great Latvian genius, Nepo thrives on anarchy and chaos
and has frequently got the better of Carlsen in games with
mind-boggling complications. He is also lethal when he has the
initiative. Nepo has steadily climbed the world rankings and his
finest achievement was his victory in the 2020/2021 Candidates'
tournament with 81/2/14 points (+5-2=7) which gave him the right to
challenge Carlsen for the world title.
The Advance Variation is a popular and direct way of meeting the
ultra-solid French Defence. Very early on in the game White opts to
fix the pawn structure and establishes a genuine space advantage,
upon which he later hopes to mount a serious attack. This method of
playing against the French Defence has become a firm FAVORITE
amongst uncompromising Grandmasters such as Alexei Shirov,
England's Nigel Short and the rising star in Russia, Alexander
Grischuk.
In this book openings expert Sam Collins explains the strategy and
tactics of this dynamic opening, studying both the main lines as
well as the more offbeat variations. Through the use of model games
for both White and Black, he provides a thorough grounding in the
key plans and ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently
begin to use the French Advance in their own games.
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both
sides
*Provides everything you need to know to start playing the opening
straight away
Sam Collins is a former Irish Champion who has represented his
country at various team tournaments around the world, winning the
individual gold medal at the 2002 Bled Chess Olympiad. Despite his
young age, he already has a wealth of writing experience, being a
regular columnist for CHESS, Chess Mail and Chess Today, while he
has also coached some of Ireland's top junior players. This is his
first book for Everyman Chess.
"Playing at Chess is the most ancient and the most universal game
among men, for its original is beyond the memory of history."
Benjamin Franklin penned these words as an introduction to his
famous essay "The Morals of Chess." Franklin's approach to the game
was in distinct contrast to his predecessors, who seriously
advocated all the subtle treacheries of the art of poor
sportsmanship with the sole end of attaining victory. To Franklin,
however, the game of chess was not mere idle amusement but a sport
reflective of life itself-"for life is a kind of chess, in which we
have often points to gain and competitors or adversaries to contend
with"-which requires the utilization of all the finest mental and
moral qualities of which man is capable. This volume reproduces
Franklin's celebrated essay and includes an analysis of everything
Franklin ever had to say about chess. The second part of the book
contains an extensive bibliography of chess in America to the year
1859. The two sections of the volume combine to form an essential
sourcebook for the historian of American chess.
Brought together in one volume as part of Everyman Chess's series
of compilation books: Play the Najdorf: Scheveningen Style by John
Emms and Play the King's Indian: A complete Repertoire for Black in
this most dynamic of openings by Joe Gallagher. The Najdorf
Sicilian is one of the most sharp, dynamic and popular openings
that Black can play and is a firm favourite amongst the world's
elite players, including world number one Garry Kasparov. From very
early on, Black unbalances the game to a reach a position in which
one can play for the win without exceptional risk. The soundness of
the Najdorf has never been questioned, but some players can be put
off by the ever-spiralling amount of theory amassed on this great
opening. In Play the Najdorf, however, Grandmaster and openings
expert John Emms condenses this mountain to produce a workable
black repertoire against all of White's possible options. The
King's Indian has always been one of the sharpest, most complex and
popular openings that Black can play; it still provides the setting
for many encounters at the elite level of Grandmaster chess.
Straight from the start, Black fights for the initiative and in
many variations, while White pursues material gains, it is Black
who has the psychological advantage of trying to checkmate the
opponent's king. Despite its many advantages, some prospective
Kings Indian players are put off by the seemingly endless amount of
theory one is supposed to learn. In Play the Kings Indian, however,
Grandmaster and life-long Kings Indian devotee Joe Gallagher has
produced a comprehensive and yet workable black repertoire against
all of Whites most dangerous possibilities.
Among the many treasures of the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, are
hundreds of chess and other games pieces dating from the 7th to the
19th centuries ce. Intricately crafted in a rich variety of
materials, including ivory, wood, ceramic, glass, jade and agate,
these tiny objects are of enormous historical and artistic
significance. They not only mark the evolution of familiar games
into their modern forms, but also evoke the imperial palaces,
military camps and herders' tents in which they were played over
many centuries, from the Sasanian period through the Islamic era in
Central Asia, Iran, present-day Iraq and northern India. The chess
pieces include both early figural sets and the more abstract forms
that later became popular throughout the Islamic world. Dice,
pachesi sets and a medieval Arabic treatise on chess complete the
collection.
The Sicilian Taimanov (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6) is a
very flexible Black system in the Sicilian Defence developed by
Mark Taimanov. It is characterised by the development of the
g8-knight on e7, often along with a quick ...b7-b5. The Taimanov
often leads to tense, dynamic position which are ripe in
counterattacking possibilities. In Opening Repertoire: The Sicilian
Taimanov, highly experienced chess author and coach Nigel Davies
guides the reader through the complexities of the Taimanov and
carves out a repertoire for Black. He examines all aspects of this
highly complex opening and provides 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. There are also
suggestions for countering White's "anti-Sicilian" tries thus
creating an entire repertoire to meet 1 e4. * A complete repertoire
for Black against 1 e4. * A question and answer approach provides
an excellent study method. * All key variations analysed in detail.
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.
In this book, International Master Byron Jacobs explains the basic
elements, strategies, and tactics of the Advance variation of the
Caro-Kann Defense. Although this variation has always been popular
with competitive players, it has lately received revived attention
following its recent adoption by Vishy Anand, Alexei Shirov, and
Veselin Topalov, who have used it to win several brilliant games.
Inspired by their example, several other leading players have added
the variation to their repertoires, and it is now perhaps the most
fashionable way of meeting the Caro-Kann at all levels of play.
This book in front of you assists all players in their efforts to
improve, and along their way, our young chess guns provided fresh
insights how to trap and trick your opponent in the opening and
early middlegame. With the many computer-assisted learning tools
available, the player's capacity to improve is limitless. This book
offers the reader an insider's candid view of how to unbalance the
game in the modern age of chess.
In this book Grandmaster Vladimir Tukmakov describes his
experiences as captain of national and club teams. He coached also
individuals players such as Karpov, Korchnoi, Eljanov, Giri and So,
to name some. To improve and grow, every chess player needs to
address the issues that prevent him from moving on to a higher
level. Collaboration with an experienced mentor can greatly
accelerate the player's creative growth and improve his results. In
this book the author give the reader a close-up opportunity to
witness his coaching experiences with the chess stars.
Many players are serious about their chess but become stuck at a
certain playing strength. It's rarely a lack of talent or practice
or opening knowledge that holds them back. Usually they get left
behind because they don't know how to make best use of the time
they have available to study chess. ----- This book addresses this
problem and is your self-improvement plan. It shows you how to work
on your own games to root out mistakes. It will sharpen your
calculation of variations. You will be challenged to find the best
middlegame strategy. Endgame technique is also covered in detail.
All topics are discussed with numerous examples and puzzles from
the games of modern players such as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana
and Viswanathan Anand. If you want your chess to leap forward it's
time to Coach Yourself! ----- * A complete self-improvement
programme. --- *All aspects of the game included. ---* Utilizes a
structured approach, making the most of your study time.
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