The very closely linked Slav and Semi-Slav Defences are two of the most popular and combative openings that Black can play against the Queen's Gambit. They have provided the battleground for thousands of exciting encounters between the world's chess elite, including Garry Kasparov, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Alexander Morozevich. Players of all levels are attracted to the Slav and the Semi-Slav because they are solid, dependable defenses that do, however, promise abundant possibilities for dynamic counterplay.
In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and openings expert Glenn Flear goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Slav and Semi-Slav Defences and their numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.
*User-friendly layout to help readers absorb ideas
*Concentrates on the key principles of the Slav and Semi-Slav
*Ideal for the improving player

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor presents an attacking repertoire for White against the most popular opening in chess - the Sicilian Defence. His repertoire is based first and foremost on the Open Sicilian, which is generally regarded as White's most aggressive and challenging response. Taylor constructs an armoury which contains a potent mix of mainline and offbeat weapons. He examines the most important games, studies in depth the main plans and tactics for both sides, and highlights key practical issues. Read this book and you will be ready to slay the Sicilian! *Presents a Sicilian repertoire for White *Covers all the main variations *Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players

Grandmaster Ruslan Scherbakov presents an opening system for Black based on the Semi-Slav Triangle - an ambitious way to fight the ever-popular Queen's Gambit. Black's weapons include the Noteboom Variation - a dynamic counterattack which takes White out of his comfort zone and offers Black the chance to dictate the game from the outset. Scherbakov also examines options for Black against the aggressive Semi-Slav Marshall Gambit, as well as White's quieter tries such as the Exchange Variation, various defences of the c4-pawn and the Catalan approach. Scherbakov has over 20 years of experience studying and playing these opening variations, which have been tried and tested successfully at grandmaster level and are ideally designed for players who want to challenge White in the opening. This title is written by a renowned Semi-Slav Triangle expert. It is packed with new ideas and critical analysis. It explains typical plans and tactics for both sides.

From a theoretical backwater to a fully blown main line opening, the rise of the Scandinavian Defence (1 e4 d5) has been nothing short of meteoric. Over the past fifteen years the Scandinavian has become more and more popular both at club and Grandmaster level. It even managed to obtain an ultimate seal of approval when Vishy Anand employed it in his World Championship match with Garry Kasparov!
In this book Grandmaster John Emms explains the strategies and tactics of this dynamic and fashionable opening. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas, so that players of all standards can quickly and confidently begin to use the Scandinavian in their own games.
This book provides a complete update of Emms's original and best-selling edition of The Scandinavian, published in 1997. Since then there have been many new and important discoveries from both sides of the board, and these are included here.
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides
*Written by a leading expert on the Scandinavian
*Provides everything you need to know to start playing the opening straightaway

The Semi-Slav defence has been one of Black's most reliable defences to the queen's pawn since the 1920's. Now, it is fashionable both at grandmaster level and with club and tournament players. Here, Grandmaster Matthew Sadler explains the strategy and tactics of this dynamic opening. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas.

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

'Move by Move' is a brand new series which provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, 'Move by Move' greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening 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 study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general opening skills and knowledge. In this book, Grandmaster John Emms revisits the Nimzo-Indian, an opening which is highly popular at all levels of chess. The Nimzo-Indian has been his favourite defence to 1 d4 for over 30 years. Here he shares his experience and knowledge, examines the opening from both sides of the board and offers answers to the all key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the Nimzo-Indian *Written by a renowned Nimzo-Indian expert *Incorporates an ideal approach to opening study

The Italian Game (sometimes referred to as the Giuoco Piano) is one of the oldest openings around, and also one of the first lines a player learns when he or she is introduced to chess. It leads to play that is easy to understand: both sides develop their pieces logically and begin attacks on the opposing kings. The Italian Game gives both White and Black the opportunity to play either aggressively and in gambit fashion, or in a restrained and positional manner. One of White's most exciting and attacking options is the legendary Evans Gambit, which has been brought back into the limelight in this modern era by such uncompromising players as World number one Garry Kasparov, Alexander Morozevich and England's Nigel Short. In this book, openings expert Jan Pinski investigates the different strategies and tactics in the Italian Game and Evans Gambit. Using model games for both White and Black, Pinski provides crucial coverage of both the main lines and offbeat variations. This book arms the reader with enough knowledge to play the Italian Game and Evans Gambit with confidence. Pinski delves into the secrets of the Four Knights for the first time in this other book, studying the strategic ideas for both white and black players. He covers both the fashionable main lines and the tricky sidelines, bringing the reader up to date with the expanding theory.

'Move by Move' is a brand new series which provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, 'Move by Move' greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening 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 study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general opening skills and knowledge. In this book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald studies one of the most important openings of all, the Ruy Lopez, which is still regarded as White's strongest choice after 1 e4 e5. Also known as the Spanish Opening, the Ruy Lopez has a long and distinguished history. It's sufficient to say that it has been played by virtually every single great player! McDonald shares his experience and knowledge, examines the opening from both sides of the board, and offers answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the Ruy Lopez *Written by an opening expert and renowned coach *Key ideas absorbed by continued practice

The King's Indian remains a hugely popular opening at all levels of chess - unsurprising given the attacking opportunities it offers. In many of the ultra-sharp main lines, both sides can fight for the initiative. White frequently wins the queenside battle but this often turns out to be a Pyrrhic victory as Black wins the war by checkmating on the kingside! Black is hunting the enemy king and this gives him a psychological edge in practical play. Here David Vigorito presents an aggressive repertoire for Black based on the main lines. Vigorito is renowned for his attention to detail and creativity, and his repertoire is full of innovative ideas. What's more, his lucid explanations of the key plans and tactics will benefit all players. Volume 2 of his work deals with the Four Pawns Attack, the Fianchetto Variation, the Averbakh Variation and many other lines. Attacking Chess is a series of opening repertoire books which focus on traditional attacking openings, as well as creative and forceful ways to play openings that are not always associated with attacking chess. It provides ambitious repertoires designed for players of all levels. *A King's Indian repertoire for Black *Packed with original ideas and critical analysis *Written by a distinguished opening expert

The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure, while at the top it's played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich. With his first two moves Black obtains a substantial foothold in the centre, and a structure that is incredibly difficult to break down. In this user-friendly book, International Master Byron Jacobs revisits the basic principles behind the French Defence and all of its variations. Throughout the reader is helped along by a wealth of notes, tips, warnings and exercises. This book is ideal for the improving player. The Caro-Kann Defence has a well-deserved and established reputation as an incredibly solid and, at the same time, dynamic defence to 1 e4. The Caro-Kann appeals to all types of players, but is especially useful to black players who prefer a sound platform on which to build and who are resourceful in both defence and counter-attack. Star players who enjoy using the Caro-Kann include Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and the legendary Anatoly Karpov. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster Joe Gallagher goes back to the basics of the Caro-Kann, studying the key principles of its many variations. Throughout the book there is an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while important strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. 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 opening 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 study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. In this book, International Master Cyrus Lakdawala examines the Trompowsky Attack. Originally a favourite among club players, in recent years the Trompowsky has been transformed into a powerful weapon even at grandmaster level. It particularly appeals to bold, ambitious players and leads to positions which are rich in possibilities for both sides. Using illustrative games and drawing on his own experience with the opening, Lakdawala provides a repertoire for White, covers the main positional and tactical ideas for both sides, provides answers to all the key questions and tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing the Trompowsky Attack. *Essential guidance and training in the Trompowsky Attack *Also covers the Pseudo-Trompowsky 1 d4 d5 2 Bg5 *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

The Dutch Defence is one of Black's most enterprising answers to 1 d4. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating an asymmetrical pawn structure on the very first move, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset. In this book, Neil McDonald tells you everything you need to know in order to play this opening successfully. He provides the reader with a comprehensive repertoire against 1 d4, with the dynamic Leningrad Variation as Black's main weapon. Read this book and play the Dutch with confidence!

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. 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 opening 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 study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. The English Opening is a popular choice, from club level all the way through to world champions. Its flexibility allows players to choose from a number of different set-ups - positional or aggressive, classical or hypermodern. It also appeals to those who prefer learning opening ideas to memorizing reams of theory. In this book, Steve Giddins invites you to join him in studying the English and its many variations. He examines instructive games, covers the most important lines and provides answers to all the key questions. *Essential guidance and training in the English Opening *Important ideas absorbed by continued practice *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Reveals information on the Scandinavian, whether you are playing it as Black or facing it with White. This book concentrates on the fundamental principles of the openings. It is intended for improvers, club players, and tournament players.

The Old Indian Defence is considered to be a sound way for Black to meet 1 d4. Some might argue that it is steady rather than spectacular, but is this reputation totally deserved? Grandmaster Alexander Cherniaev disagrees, and in this book he has re-examined this ancient opening and the result is a "new" Old Indian. In this modern interpretation, he has introduced ambitious and aggressive ways for Black to play in the main lines. He constructs an improved version of a repertoire he has himself utilized with great success against grandmaster opposition. Using illustrative games, he studies the fundamental tactical and positional ideas for both sides, and also covers what to do if White avoids the Old Indian. This book tells you everything you need to know about playing the New Old Indian. * A Grandmaster's repertoire against 1 d4 * Full of new ideas and critical analysis * Illustrative games highlight key ideas

Endgames with kings, bishops, knights, and pawns are generally considered among the most complex and can seem quite bewildering to improving players. This is hardly surprising given that even Grandmasters have been known to struggle in some areas of these endgames, with some examples resulting in embarrassing failure to deliver elementary checkmates In this user-friendly book, Grandmaster and notable endgame authority John Emms begins with the absolute fundamentals of minor piece endings. This slowly but surely arms readers with the essential knowledge and confidence to move onto slightly trickier positions. Using examples from practical play, Emms highlights the correct procedures as well as the typical mistakes made by both attacker and defender. As is normal with the famed Starting Out series, there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings throughout the book to help improving players. Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames is perfect for those who have previously honed their chess skills with the earlier books Starting Out in Chess, Tips for Young Players and Improve Your Endgame Play.
Key features:
*Covers all crucial minor piece endings
*Easy step-by-step guide to better endgame play
*Ideal for improving players
*User-friendly layout to help readers absorb the key ideas

It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. The artificial intelligence system AlphaZero had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the worlds strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength? For Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers at DeepMind and were offered a unique look under the bonnet to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZeros search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero. Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZeros stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more. The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence. Not just in solving games, but in providing solutions for a wide variety of challenges in society. With a Foreword by former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and an Introduction by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

A game as complex as chess can be approached in an infinite number of ways. Nowadays, in the era of computer chess, GMs generally tend to focus their preparation on looking for playable ideas rather than outright refutations. In his second volume of work, Alex Ipatov once again shows his expertise and creative approach in this regard. The reader is presented with an abundance of interesting ideas for White which can pose real practical problems for Black.

Endgame theory teaches us two fundamental issues: First, how to extract the maximum from a basic theoretical position with little material, where the experts (from practice comprising thousands of games) have reached definite conclusions. Second, the way in which we can handle an endgame, depending on the material remaining on the board, and the ideas and plans we should employ. This second issue is significantly more difficult to master because, apart from making full use of the first one (we must be aware of the possible outcomes of the endgame in question) it is greatly influenced by our experience and understanding, which are basically derived from the images and impressions we have from related positions. A primary role is played here by the effort we have invested in studying. In middlegame theory, things are even tougher. We are obliged to study various types of positions with specific strategic and tactical attributes, so as to understand the underlying ideas and be able to employ them ourselves in similar situations. While players have studied these topics and acquired knowledge, it is the application of this knowledge in practice that helps differentiate between them. Chess is not a simple game. The purpose of this series is to introduce the reader to advanced training concepts, using the same methods of presentation and instruction that were taught to great players by famous trainers that they have worked with. The series will continue with the topic of "the Bishop Pair", the first volume handled 'bishop endings' and we will examine how to handle this "power of the sun" coupling.

Viktor Moskalenko is one of the leading chess instructors of our time. Not only has he coached Masters and Grandmasters, including Ukrainian star Vassily Ivanchuk, he has also taught hundreds of classes for amateurs and his best-selling books have inspired thousands of ambitious club players all over the world. Moskalenkos previous and highly popular chess opening books were mainly written for the Black pieces. Now he presents an extremely powerful set of lines for White. The guiding principle of his 1.d4 repertoire is: be bold and put pressure on your opponent as early as possible. Moskalenko does not shower you with long computer-generated variations but has a keen eye for the essence of positions. His talent to find new resources in well-known lines results in a host of novelties, daring recommendations and cunning tricks. When you play his lines and follow his recommendations you will frequently surprise your opponent and build up positions full of swing. Studying An Attacking Repertoire for White with 1.d4 is a delight because this is a typical Moskalenko book: practical, accessible, original, entertaining and inspiring. Viktor Moskalenko (1960) is an International Grandmaster and a FIDE Senior Trainer. The former Ukrainian champions recent books include The Even More Flexible French, The Wonderful Winawer, Training with Moska and The Fabulous Budapest Gambit.

The Accelerated Dragon is a dynamic choice for Black and arguably the most natural way to play the Sicilian Defence: Black develops rapidly and chooses the most active squares to place his or her pieces. Unknowing white players looking for a direct attack similar to the one used against traditional Dragon are shocked by Black's increased options due to the flexible move order. Instead, White sometimes employs a more positional approach incorporating the famous Maroczy Bind, when the battle centres on White's impressive pawn structure against Black's lively pieces and the ability to create a pawn break. The Accelerated Dragon was brought to prominence by the Danish chess legend Bent Larsen, while in more recent years its advocates have included World Championship Candidate Sergey Tiviakov.
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. International Master Andrew Greet, an Accelerated Dragon expert, revisits the basics of the opening, elaborating on the crucial early moves and ideas for both sides in a way that is often neglected in other texts. The reader is helped throughout with a plethora of notes, tips and warnings highlighting the vital characteristics of the Accelerated Dragon and of opening play in general. "Starting Out: The Accelerated Dragon" is a perfect guide for improving players and those new to this opening.
*User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas
*Includes coverage of the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
*Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players
Andrew Greet is a young International Master, a former British Junior Champion, and is one of the UK's most rapidly improving players. In 2005 he scored a perfect 11/11 in the British National League, the first time any player had achieved this remarkable feat. He is also an experienced coach and writes regular articles for "CHESS,"

Are you fearless in your approach to chess openings? Do you like to attack your opponents from the very beginning? Are you happy to take calculated risks? Do you loathe trivial positional chess? Do you feel the need to sacrifice pawns early in the game? Are you a Gambiteer? If the answer to these questions is 'yes!' then this is the book for you!
In his two-volume "Gambiteer "series, opening expert Nigel Davies produces a complete opening repertoire which is certainly not for the feint-hearted: uncompromising and wild attacking ideas for both colours. This first volume deals with a gambit-style approach for White; the second volume will concentrate on an ambitious black repertoire. All of the opening lines Davies advocates in this book lead to positions of open warfare, where sharp, tactical play completely dominates dreary positional subtleties. Are you ready for the battle? Then cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!
*A complete opening repertoire for White
*A feast of blood-thirsty chess
*Ideal for the attack-minded player
Nigel Davies is both an experienced Grandmaster and chess trainer. A former British Open Quickplay Champion, Davies is the author of several successful chess books and is highly experienced in chess publishing. Previous works for Everyman Chess include "The Trompowsky "and the highly acclaimed "Play 1 e4 e5!."