Study brings wisdom. Practice brings perfection. This book is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Johan Hellsten's acclaimed Mastering Chess Strategy. In this new book Hellsten focuses exclusively on opening play. He examines a wide variety of key subjects, including development, the centre, gambit play and punishing opponents' mistakes, providing the reader with a vital foundation in opening strategy. Just like his previous book, Mastering Chess Openings is a product of Hellsten's many years' work as a full-time chess teacher, and is specifically designed as part of a structured training programme to improve strategic thinking. In addition to the many examples there's an abundance of carefully selected exercises which allow readers to monitor their progress and put into practice what they have just learned. Following such a course is an ideal way for players of all standards to improve. Although designed mainly for students, this book is also an excellent resource for chess teachers and trainers. *An essential course in opening strategy *Includes many exercise games *Ideal for both chess study and practice

Prominent opening specialists take a revolutionary look at the Pirc and Modern Defences and select a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both White and Black.

Prominent opening specialists take a revolutionary look at the ever-popular King's Indian and select a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both White and Black.

The legendary Estonian player Paul Keres was one of the strongest players never to win the World Chess Championship. The 'Crown Prince of Chess' was universally admired for his clear-cut style of play and chivalrous personality. This biography of the three-times Soviet Champion contains a superb selection of 170 annotated games opening 1 d4 and the English/Reti complex. A companion volume, which deals with the open game, is also available for Everyman Chess

In this new book, Romain examines the latest aspect of his chess career - being the second of a world-class player. He worked with Veselin Topalov from 2010 until 2014, notably helping him win the 2012-13 Grand Prix series and become a World Championship candidate. Romain tells you everything about his 'magic' experience in this book. Going through the tournaments where he assisted GM Topalov, the author not only analyses beautiful games, but also explains how they managed to invent new ideas and even reveals some that haven't been played yet. He also answers questions most chess fans will be curious about: How do you become the second of a top player? What does the job involve? How do you work together? How do you prepare for an important game or important tournament? What is a chess genius like in real life? If you enjoy fascinating games and unexpected opening ideas, and would like to know what goes on behind the scenes, this book is for you!

John Healy's The Grass Arena describes with unflinching honesty his experiences of addiction, his escape through learning to play chess in prison, and his ongoing search for peace of mind. This Penguin Classics edition includes an afterword by Colin MacCabe. In his searing autobiography Healy describes his fifteen years living rough in London without state aid, when begging carried an automatic three-year prison sentence and vagrant alcoholics prowled the parks and streets in search of drink or prey. When not united in their common aim of acquiring alcohol, winos sometimes murdered one another over prostitutes or a bottle, or the begging of money. Few modern writers have managed to match Healy's power to refine from the brutal destructive condition of the chronic alcoholic a story so compelling it is beyond comparison. John Healy (b. 1943) was born into an impoverished, Irish immigrant family, in the slums of Kentish Town, North London. Out of school by 14, pressed into the army and intermittently in prison, Healy became an alcoholic early on in life. Despite these obstacles Healy achieved remarkable, indeed phenomenal expertise in both writing and chess, as outlined in the autobiographical The Grass Arena. If you enjoyed The Grass Arena, you might like Last Exit to Brooklyn, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Sober and precise, grotesque, violent, sad, charming and hilarious all at once' Literary Review 'Beside it, a book like Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London seems a rather inaccurate tourist guide' Colin MacCabe

The game of chess was wildly popular in the Middle Ages, so much so that it became an important thought paradigm for thinkers and writers who utilized its vocabulary and imagery for commentaries on war, politics, love, and the social order. In this collection of essays, scholars investigate chess texts from numerous traditions - English, French, German, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Swedish, and Catalan - and argue that knowledge of chess is essential to understanding medieval culture. Such knowledge, however, cannot rely on the modern game, for today's rules were not developed until the late fifteenth century. Only through familiarity with earlier incarnations of the game can one fully appreciate the full import of chess to medieval society. The careful scholarship contained in this volume provides not only insight into the significance of chess in medieval European culture but also opens up avenues of inquiry for future work in this rich field.

Improve your ability to take calculated risks! In order to win a game of chess you very often have to sacrifice material. Gathering the courage to do so while accurately assessing the potential benefits is a real challenge. The big question is always: whats my compensation? Generations of chess players grew up with the idea that a sacrifice was correct if the material was swiftly returned, with interest. Almost by reflex, they spent lots of time counting, quantifying the static value of their pieces. But is that really the best way to determine the correctness of a sacrifice? In this book, Grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic teaches you how to look beyond the material balance when you evaluate positions. With loads of instructive examples he shows how the actual value of your pieces fluctuates during the game, depending on many non-material factors. Some of those factors are space-related, such as mobility, harmony, outposts, structures, files and diagonals. Other factors are related to time, and to the way the moves unfold: tempo, initiative, a threat, an attack. Modern chess players need to be able to suppress their need for immediate gratification. In order to gain the upper hand you often have to live with uncertain compensation. With many fascinating examples, Kuljasevic teaches you the essential skill of taking calculated risks. After studying Beyond Material, winning games by sacrificing material will become second nature to you.

Do you need a well-deserved break from your normal chess openings? Are you tired of constantly having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or perhaps you simply wish to try out something new and inspiring, but cannot decide amongst the embarrassment of choices available? Look no further for the answer! In "Dangerous Weapons: 1 e4 e5", renowned opening experts John Emms, Glenn Flear and Andrew Greet take a revolutionary look at one of the most famous and widely-played chess openings. Instead of travelling down well-trodden and analysed paths, the authors concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover! "Dangerous Weapons" is an exciting series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. Many of the carefully chosen weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced opponent off balance. It discusses Open Games in a whole new light. It is packed with original ideas and analysis. It is ideal for ambitious and adventurous players.

Batsford's Chess Bible is a landmark, full-colour chess instruction book, ideal for both beginners and more experienced players wanting to improve their game. The book takes the form of a course, with quick-start guides to help to retain the information you've learned and puzzle sections for you to test yourself as you go. To illustrate more advanced strategy and tactics, author Sean Marsh uses world-class chess 'heroes', such as Anatoly Karpov and Mikhail Tal, to bring the concepts to life. Essential topics include: *Pieces and Moves: the very basics, covering the chessboard, notation, the names of the pieces and how they move, plus an overview of chess etiquette *What Chess is All About: an exploration of chess culture and history *Winning, Drawing and Losing: Covers the various ways of winning at chess, and how games are drawn *Six Openings for Life: Coverage of six of the best chess openings, each illustrated by a different 'chess hero' *Tactical Weapons: An examination of forks, pins, skewers and other tactical devices, followed by illustrative games from Tactical Hero Mikhail Tal *Positional Play: Looks at good and bad positions, plus the art of planning, seen through the games of Positional Hero Tigran Petrosian *Human Factors: Typical mistakes and blunders to avoidEasy to follow, yet thorough and challenging, this book is an essential companion for all budding chess champions.

An International Master's to essential tactical strategies and positions in chess.

A comprehensive book from the Swedish International Master Thomas Engqvist for understanding the most important tactical chess positions in the opening of a game, the middle game and the endgame. It cuts to the chase on the must useful tactical positions at each stage of the game. Knowing the positions is one thing but this experienced coach shows you how to create them, even out of nothing, in the spirit of Tal and Alekhine.

It covers other important facets of tactical play, including calculation (how to calculate with the help of stepping stones), attacking play such as defence and counter attack, and even psychological tactics. It focuses on the most important tactical devices to give you the edge, all explored in depth through real players games.

An essential strategy book by a Swedish International Master.

Every chessplayer, from beginner to world champion, loves to win a game with a brilliant attacking display. However many, if not most, attacks that end in victory do so due to inaccurate defence. This may be due to simple tactical miscalculation or perhaps a more fundamental misunderstanding of the important principles of defence. Furthermore, many attacks that are launched are simply unsound but succeed because many players feel uncomfortable when forced to defend, get flustered and make mistakes. In this book, highly experienced chess author and coach, Neil McDonald addresses these issues. Defensive skill is crucial in chess. Good, accurate defence can win a game just as well as a fine attacking display can, so expertise in this department is essential for any player wishing to improve their game. With thorough explanations, questions, and exercises, this book provides fascinating material to enable you to hone your defensive skill and not feel intimidated when your opponent hurls pieces at your king.

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 checkmate the opponent's king.
Despite its many advantages, some prospective King's Indian players are put off by the seemingly endless amount of theory one is supposed to learn. In Play the King's Indian, however, Grandmaster and life-long King's Indian devotee Joe Gallagher has produced a comprehensive and yet workable black repertoire against all of White's most dangerous possibilities.
*Written by a renowned King's Indian expert
*Includes up-to-date theory on a fascinating opening
*Covers all of White's replies

Larry Kaufman can safely be called an exceptional chess grandmaster. Larry Kaufman started out as a prodigy, however not in chess but as a whizz kid in science and math. He excels at shogi (Japanese chess) and Go, and is also a world-famous computer programmer and a highly successful option trader. Remarkably, as a chess player he only peaked at the weirdly late age of fifty. Yet his victories in the chess arena are considerable. Over a career span of nearly sixty years Kaufman won the state championships of Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, D.C. and Pennsylvania. He was an American Open Champion and won the U.S. Senior Championship as well as the World Senior Championship. Never a great chess player himself (his words), he met or played chess greats such as Bobby Fischer, Bent Larsen, Walter Browne, Boris Spassky, Viktor Kortchnoi and many others. He worked as a second to legendary grandmaster Roman Dzindzichashvili, and coached three talented youngsters to become International Master, one of them his son Raymond. This engrossing memoir is rife with stories and anecdotes about dozens of famous and not-so-famous chess players. In one of the most remarkable chapters Larry Kaufman reveals that the American woman chess player that inspired Walter Tevis to create the Beth Harmon character of Netflixs The Queens Gambit fame, is his former girlfriend. You will learn about neural networks, material values and how being a chess master helps when trading options. And find lots of memorable but little-known annotated games.

A multinational array of top grandmasters explain the difference in thinking between professional and amateur chess players, and how the amateur can bridge the gap. It usually takes at least a decade of sustained effort for even the most talented player to reach the grandmaster level this book cannot guarantee to make the reader a chess grandmaster, but it is certainly a healthy nudge in the right direction. The editors, ex-British Champion GM Jacob Aagaard and three-time Scottish Champion GM John Shaw, have recruited a line-up of strong grandmasters to share their wisdom.

The Slav has a well-deserved reputation as one of Black's strongest answers to 1 d4. It is hugely respected by the top Grandmasters, and it's no coincidence that it has been used by almost all the World Champions in chess history. Put simply, the Slav is a classy opening, one which combines reliability with the promise of dynamic counterplay.In this book, opening expert James Vigus examines the Slav in detail and presents a comprehensive and trustworthy repertoire for Black. Drawing upon his playing experiences and years of study in this opening, Vigus outlines the main ideas for both sides and highlights the tactics to watch out for, as well as crucial practical issues such as move orders. This book will provide you with enough knowledge and skill to play the Slav with confidence in your own games. *Presents answers to all of White's options*Covers typical plans for both sides*Written by a Slav specialist

The Caro-Kann is a reliable yet at the same time dynamic answer to White's most popular opening move, 1 e4. It has the seal of approval of numerous leading Grandmasters including Vishy Anand, Evgeny Bareev and Alexey Dreev, as well as former World Champion Anatoly Karpov, who has utilized it with great success throughout his illustrious career. One of the attractions of the Caro-Kann is that it suits a variety of different styles; it can lead to wild tactical battles as well as quiet, positional play. In Play the Caro-Kann, Jovanka Houska presents the reader with a concise and trustworthy repertoire within the opening, providing a solution against all of White's main possibilities. Houska examines the important tactical and strategic plans for both sides, arming the reader with enough information to begin playing the Caro-Kann with confidence in his or her own games. *A complete repertoire against 1 e4 *Written by a Caro-Kann expert *Ideal for improvers, and club and tournament players

Everyman Chess present three new books in their highly praised and best-selling Starting Out series. The series continues with coverage of two very popular openings among club and tournament players: the Trompowsky Attack and the Torre Attack. Added to this, there's an updated and largely expanded edition of Starting Out: The Sicilian, the much acclaimed guide to the most popular opening in chess. The Starting Out series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming chess players. These books are ideal for enthusiastic players who have little experience of the openings in question and who wish to appreciate the essential principles behind them.

You may be happy with your main openings - sorted with the Sicilian and content with the King's Indian - but are you afraid of the unknown? Do you fall to pieces if your opponent plays something strange in the opening? Here's some good news...Beating Unusual Chess Openings is a godsend to those chess players fed up with struggling against all opening moves other than White's main two: 1 e4 and 1 d4. From the respectable (English Opening, Reti and King's Indian Attack) through to the offbeat (Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Bird's Opening) and the totally bizarre (Orang-utan, Grob); everything Black needs to know about facing unusual openings is covered within these pages. Richard Palliser gets to grips with all of White's possibilities, examining their strengths and weaknesses and in turn organizing a reliable and practical repertoire for Black. He discusses the key strategies, tactics and move-order tricks for both sides, arming the reader with enough know-how to face this assortment of chess openings with renewed confidence. *Everything you need to know about facing unusual openings *Written by an openings expert *Ideal for improvers, and club and tournament players

The Queen's Gambit Declined is an opening of great historical importance and Black's fundamental answer to 1 d4. From the very first move Black obtains a firm foothold in the centre, something that White finds extremely hard to undermine. Indeed, Black often bases his entire strategy around this control. The soundness of the Queen's Gambit Declined has never been in question, and its supporters at the highest level include a long list of Grandmasters headed by Kasparov, Kramnik, Karpov and Short, as well as many World Champions from the past.
This book is a further addition to Everyman's best-selling "Starting Out" series, which has been acclaimed for its original approach to tackling chess openings. Neil McDonald goes back to the basics of the Queen's Gambit Declined, introducing the key moves and ideas, and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them - something that is often neglected or taken for granted in other texts. In this user-friendly guide, the reader is helped throughout by an abundance of notes, tips and warnings highlighting the vital characteristics of the Queen's Gambit Declined and of opening play in general. "Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Declined "is a perfect guide for improving players or for those new to this opening.
*Detailed coverage of a classic chess opening
*Written by a Queen's Gambit Declined expert
*All the main lines are covered
English Grandmaster Neil McDonald is an experienced and successful player on the international chess circuit. He is a respected chess coach, who has trained many of England's strongest junior players. McDonald is also a talented chess writer and has many outstanding works to his name. Earlier Everyman Chessbooks include "Concise Chess Openings "and "Starting Out: The English,"

In this book Grandmaster Sadler explains the ideas behind the Queen's Gambit Declined, one of Black's most dependable replies to the queen's pawn. He discusses all of the major variations in popular practice, explaining the key plans and ideas and highlighting important recent developments. Written by Grandmaster Matthew Sadler, one of the world's top young players, this book offers a full explanation of both the latest theory and important thematic ideas and covers the ever-popular Queen's Gambit Declined. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 176, pages, b&w illustrations)

In this book Grandmaster Neil McDonald takes a fresh look at the highly fashionable Winawer variation of the French Defence, a favorite of Nigel Short, Boris Gulko and numerous other grandmasters. This sharp opening leads to the kind of dynamic positions in which the better prepared and more aggressive player will invariably prevail. Leading expert Neil McDonald explains the strategy and tactics of this exciting opening in a clear and concise manner. (6 x 9, 144 pages, diagrams)

This reference work continues a comprehensive series chronicling men's chess competitions. Listed in this volume are the results of chess competitions from all over the world-including individual and team matches-from 1986 through 1990. Entries record location and, when available, the group that sponsored the event. First and last names of players are included whenever possible and are standardized for easy reference. Compiled from contemporary sources such as newspapers, periodicals, tournament records and match books, this work contains 1,419 tournament crosstables and 194 match scores, and is indexed by events and by players.