The Modernized Dutch Defense leads to unbalanced structures and dynamic play. White must be well prepared to understand this most aggressive defense which we might even call an 'attack'. Adrien Demuth delivered a fighting repertoire for Black starting from move one!

All too often chess openings books consist of reams of variations and sub-variations and bracketed sub-sub-variations, with no apparent explanation for why a move is chosen or why one path deserves precedence over another. Golombek fought tenaciously against this denigration of his art, for he considered chess an art form. The Grandmaster Emeritus always sought to explain the ideas behind the moves and give the strategic justification for any course of action. For this reason alone Golombek's chief openings manual, reprinted here, will outlive the ephemera which largely characterise rival efforts to explain the entire gamut of openings available to the ambitious player. Armed with Golombek you will understand what you are doing -not just become a performing monkey which apes the movements of the masters!

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.
>Written by well-known opening theoretician
>A useful guide for club and tournament players alike
>All main lines are covered

In 1966 and 1969 Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky contested two epic battles for the world crown. In the first of these Petrosian became the only world champion to actually win a title defence for 32 years when his inspired defensive technique thwarted all of Spassky's aggressive intentions. In the second of these two ferocious fights Spassky eventually broke through to seize the world title. En route the two great players created some of the most beautiful chess ever witnessed at this high level, sparkling with numerous sacrifices of rook for bishop or knight, piece sacrifices to inaugurate enduring attacks and even a stunning queen sacrifice by Petrosian in game 10 of the first encounter.

London 1932 is one of the lesser known books from the pen of the prolific Russian genius, Alekhine. In 1932 Alekhine was still revelling in the blinding nimbus of invincibility which had surrounded him ever since his match victory against Capablanca in 1927. The new champion duly won the London tournament and furnished some equally fine notes to explain his victory, which Hardinge Simpole are proud and privileged to revive here.

The return in 1992 of American Grandmaster Bobby Fischer against his old rival Boris Spassky has reawakened interest in the games of one of the most determined World Champions of all time. To Fischer, chess is a highly competitive sport which requires not only meticulous opening preparation, a high state of tactical alertness and perfect technique, but also a constant striving for the initiative, immense will to win and even calculated risk-taking. In 1972, when he won the supreme crown, he was years ahead of his time in his chess understanding and he influenced the way competitive chess is played today. Now he is back, all chess enthusiasts will be able to compare Fischer with the younger generation such as Kasparov and Short, neither of whom has played a single competitive game against the enigmatic American. By studying the deeply researched and thematically arranged material in this book, players of all strengths will change their attitude towards the game and improve their own play.

To lose a game of chess in the opening or the early middlegame is especially annoying. However, this is something that happens not only to novices, but also to experienced masters. A knowledge of opening disasters and of the correct replies to sharp continuations is imperative, if a player is to master this difficult phase of the game, in which much is still shrouded in mist. Time and again unexpected combinative themes occur, striking the opponent like a bolt from the blue. A player who has studied the material here can hope for some quick and pretty victories, and it will also spare his nerves, if the opponent should wildly attack. With its clear explanations and recommendations, this book provides an excellent grounding in chess opening theory.

The Nimzo-Indian Defence continues to be one of Black's most popular and respected defenses to queen's pawn openings and finding an antidote for White has proved to be a difficult task for even the strongest players in the world. One of the most straightforward replies is the Rubinstein Variation (4 e3), in which White ignores Black's 'threats' and instead simply gets on with the process of developing his remaining pieces. This plan has found favor with many top players; indeed, World Champion Vladimir Kramnik used it to defeat Garry Kasparov in just 25 moves in their 2000 match in London.
In this book, renowned openings theoretician Angus Dunnington explains the ideas and strategies for both white and black players. All the major variations are covered and Dunnington brings the reader up-to-date with the ever developing theory.
This guide is written by a leading openings expert and includes full coverage of all the major variations while dealing with one of the most fashionable lines of the Nimzo.

At the height of the British Empire, the chess loving Indian servant, Sultan Khan, arrived in the imperial capital as part of the feudal retinue of Sir Umar, his high caste master. While Sir Umar deliberated in the rarefied atmosphere of London conferences, with British panjandra, on the future of the Raj, his retainer started to take on the British elite at chess. Sweeping all before him, the Indian genius entered the international arena where, playing top board for the British Empire team, he defeated grandmasters, such as Rubinstein.

Profoundly original discussion of pawn play isolates its elements and elaborates on various aspects. Basic relationships of one or two pawns constitute winning strategy. Multitude of examples demonstrate paramount significance of elements of pawn manipulation. "One of the few books...which, at a glance, one can recognize as an immortal."-Chess. 182 diagrams. Index of games.

This book is not a pure (auto)biography, rather a games collection. It consists mainly of interesting high-class games played by me, including many losses. Most of the games are preceded by accompanying texts, which vary from essays to tournament reports. The title of the book might seem presumptuous, but I wanted to show how I see or experience the competitions without denying the chess worlds of others. While the texts are mostly light and subjective, at the same time I tried hard to stick to the facts and provide some food for thought. GM David Navara May 2020.

Ray Keene selects and annotates his most interesting games against such giants as Anatoly Karpov, Mikhail Botvinik, Mikhail Tal, Jan Timman, John Nunn, Tony Miles and Svetozar Gligoric. Originally published as a private limited edition.

A first hand account of the strengths and weaknesses, of the genius and foibles, of the world's elite, graced by the most elegant prose, courtesy of Stahlberg, improved, if anything, by Harry Golombek's superb translation. The book is full of telling and memorable phrases.

The Scotch Game is an ideal opening weapon for White. It's ambitious, totally sound and leads to a wide variety of strategically complex positions. This book provides thorough coverage of the critical main lines, recommend the best options for both sides, and outline the key tactical and positional ideas.

The Slav Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6) has been one of Black's most reliable defences to the queen's pawn since its adoption by World Champions Alekhine and Euwe in the 1930s. Nowadays it is very popular both at grandmaster level (it is used regularly by Ivanchuk, Lautier and Short) and with club players. In this book Grandmaster Matthew Sadler explains the strategy and tactics of this perennial favourite. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently start to use the Slav in their own games. Also included is a survey of the trendy new 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 variation.

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, Mastering the Opening by Byron Jacobs and Mastering the Middlegame by Angus Dunnington in one volume. These books are ideal for keen club players who want to improve and are seeking to better their understanding of these key stages of a chess game: the opening, when the battle lines are drawn and the middlegame when the armies commence hand to hand combat. Both books are written in a user-friendly style with plenty of notes, tips and warnings to illustrate key points. The authors are experienced at writing for players of all levels and are particularly noted for their ability to explain ideas in a clear and straightforward fashion. The books are particularly useful for those players who honed their skills with the earlier Everyman Chess books Improve Your Opening Play and Improve Your Middlegame Play.