The King's Indian is a hugely popular opening at all levels of chess. Rather than attempting to secure early equality, Black is fighting for the initiative from the very first moves. White is allowed to build up an early central advantage but Black relies on the middlegame, hoping that the central installations that White has constructed will become unwieldy and vulnerable to a devastating counterattack. In many variations, White pursues material or strategic gains but in return Black has tactical and attacking opportunities. The King's Indian Defence appeals to players who arrive at the board prepared for a fight. ----- The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions - a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess 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 chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt. ----- * Everything you need to know about the King's Indian Defence. --- * The Q and A approach emphasizes plans and strategies. --- * Written by an expert on the opening.

Which opening does better in practice: the wild, unsound" and refuted" Latvian Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5) or the solid Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6)? As James Schuyler points out, referring to the definitive Megabase, the Latvian Gambit scores higher. How can such a discredited opening (and the same story is repeated with other unsound" openings) do so well? The point is that playing like this throws the opponent off balance, makes them anxious and induces mistakes. Even the very best players recognize the value of discomforting the opponent. Historically, Emanuel Lasker was the master of this approach and his modern day equivalent is world champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen frequently employs offbeat openings and his opponents invariably fail to counter them correctly. This is the key theme of this book. Schuyler covers all phases of the game and discusses other vital subjects such as harassment, material imbalance, time management, surprise moves, unusual ideas, provocative play, manoeuvres and recovering from bad positions. *Includes methods to improve practical play*Develops a win-oriented attitude*Examines ways to induce mistakes

By concentrating on the basic principles the average player is not only given a working knowledge of the endgame but also a firm foundation on which to further develop his or her interest and technique in this fascinating stage of a chess game. The author, a Russian Grandmaster and endgame expert, takes the reader from the most elementary checkmates, through the exploitation of positional and material advantage, right up to the analysis of actual endings from master play.

'And the rest is a matter of technique' is an annoyingly common phrase used in chess literature. The implication from the author is that the task of converting a typically winning position into a full point or converting a drawing position into half-a-point is relatively straightforward. However, as all of us practical players realize, it's not always as simple as this, and many hard-earned points are wasted through 'a lack of technique'.
In this valuable book Jacob Aagaard aims to solve this perennial problem. He arms the reader with several endgame weapons that every strong technical player has in his toolbox. These include important skills such as schematic thinking, domination, preventing counterplay, building fortresses and utilizing zugzwang. These tools are illustrated in deeply analyzed games containing numerous different themes. A serious study of this book will ensure that the reader no longer need fear the word 'technique'!
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Includes all the principal tools of technique
*Written by an experienced endgames expert

No one likes to make mistakes, but all chess players, even those belonging to the world's elite, are prone to blundering. How can this problem be eradicated or, at the very least, kept to a minimum? Read this book and find out!
Experienced chess player and writer Angus Dunnington takes a look at why the good, the bad and the indifferent all make errors, from small positional misjudgments to simply leaving a queen en prise. Dunnington explores the reasons for oversights and the habits one needs to develop in order to banish these problems. This book is crucial reading for those plagued by chess disasters!
*Offers help to blunder-prone players
*Explains techniques to avoid errors
*Written by an experienced competitor

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, play 1...b6! a dynamic and hypermodern opening system for Black by Christian Bauer and Nimzo Larsen Attack by Byron Jacobs and Jonathan Tait, brought together in one volume. ----- Fed up with getting difficult positions with the black pieces? Tired of always having to keep up with all the latest developments. Take a break from the mountains of opening theory and play 1...b6! With the move, preparing a bishop fianchetto, Black immediately directs the game into relatively uncharted territory, one where White players are not able to sit back and rely on their 'opening book' knowledge. ----- The real beauty of 1...b6 is that it can be played against virtually every single first move by White, so it is a perfect choice for Black players with neither the time nor inclination to memorise a multitude of different defences. Despite being relatively unexplored, 1...b6 has been the weapon of some dynamic and uncompromising world-class players, including Britain's first Grandmaster, the late Tony Miles. ----- In this revolutionary book, Christian Bauer reveals for the first time the secrets of how to play 1...b6 with success. He takes an in-depth look at both the main lines and White's more offbeat tries, creating a comprehensive repertoire for the Black player and highlighting the tactical and positional ideas for both players. ----- In Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Byron Jacobs and Jonathan Tait explain how you can use this dynamic opening to attack your opponent from move one. The Nimzo-Larsen Attack has been unfairly neglected in recent times, and this book aims to redress the balance.

How to learn strategy? Can it be learned? It can be, of course. And these volumes are the perfect guide to learn (or, more precisely, to learn to understand) strategy. Our idea is to throw light on all the strategic concepts in these volumes. To help you navigate more simply, we have divided all the material into two volumes. This first one is exploring the elements of strategy, explaining typical and essential principles in detail. The second one is about pawn structures. Of course, structures themselves actually mean nothing without recognizing patterns and principles from the elements (because pawn structures are used to determine the values of pieces, for instance). That is why volume two can be considered as an advanced level of strategy. Generally, examples will be based on material adopted from volume one and upgraded. Volume one is divided into nine chapters and the titles suggest the topic explained in detail. Examples are arranged from less to more complex and I recommend that the reader not skip examples inside the chapters. Moreover, I would ask the reader to go through the chapters in the order in which they are presented in the book, because the most important topics come first. For instance, centralization is the leading principle and it must be kept in mind while working on other topics!

Chess Opening preparation is probably the most difficult aspect of chess training, as the possibilities are endless. There is an abundance of training material, and especially adult improvers and regular club players find it challenging to study openings efficiently. International Master Jeroen Bosch gives them all the tools they need to dominate the opening phase of the game. He presents a structured approach to the study of openings and the preparation for a club match or tournament game. Every time-strapped chess improver will love his advice on opening preparation. Instead of studying more hours or memorizing more lines, they will have to start making smart choices.

Feeling up to a challenge?
In this highly original and instructive test yourself book, Grandmaster Chris Ward presents a selection of carefully chosen puzzles for you to solve. Hot on the heels of his very successful It's Your Move and Improvers It's Your Move, comes It's Your Move: Tough Puzzles, which this time aims to rack the brains of even the most experienced chess players.
The puzzles might be a bit more difficult this time but, in the same style of the previous two books, the reader is once again helped by the choice of five plausible plans and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. Instead of opting for the traditional 'check, check, mate ... mate!' type of puzzles, Ward concentrates on situations which are much more likely to occur in practical games.

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

The Chigorin Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6) is a dynamic and provocative response to White's 1 d4. Rather than set out a defensive stall with systems based on moves such as ...e6 and ...c6, Black prefers to initiative immediate piece play in the centre. The benefits of this strategy are that Black's queenside pieces, which are often difficult to develop in the Queen's Gambit, participate in the struggle at once. The queen's knight emerges immediately onto an active square and the path is left free for the c8-bishop to develop freely. Naturally there are also drawbacks as Black will not find it easy to establish a foothold in the centre in the early play. The Chigorin is a perfect counterattacking weapon and will appeal to players who like to throw opponents onto their own resources at an early stage. Jimmy Liew identifies and analyses the precise moments when specific theoretical knowledge is required and also discussed plans and strategies in the quieter variations. * Everything you need to know to play the Chigorin with confidence * Emphasis on plans and strategies * Written by an expert in the opening

Emanuel Lasker was world champion for a remarkable 27 years (1894-1921) and is generally regarded as having been way ahead of his time in his understanding of chess. He primarily regarded chess as a fight and considered that the strongest move in a position was the one that created greatest problems for the opponent and not necessarily the one that was objectively "best". His strengths included: ----- * His skill at accumulating small advantages with quiet manoeuvring. --- * His astonishing ability to find tactical resources in defence. --- * His uncanny knack of provoking errors in balanced positions. ----- Lasker was, essentially, a complete chessplayer and his games feel thoroughly modern. Indeed many contemporary elite players (the most obvious one being the current world champion Magnus Carlsen) exhibit a very similar style. ----- The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions - a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess 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 chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.

Das Schachspiel verdankt den Bauern seine aussergewohnliche strategische Tiefgrundigkeit. Diese bescheidenen Figuren konnen im Schachkampf viele verschiedene Funktionen annehmen. Sie konnen Blockadefiguren sein, Rammbocke, Helden, die bereit sind, sich selbst zu opfern und sie konnen sogar in die koniglichen Range aufsteigen. Wenn man sie allerdings falsch behandelt, konnen sie schwach werden und fur den gegnerischen Angriff eine Zielscheibe darstellen. In diesem Buch erlautert der erfahrene Grossmeister und Trainer Drazen Marovic die facettenreiche Natur des Bauern. Dieses Buch enthalt Kapitel uber Isolierte Bauern, Hangende Bauern, Freibauern, Doppelbauern, Bauernketten und Bauerninseln.

Everyman Chess's Starting Out series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming players. These books are distinguished by their easy-to-read layout, the lucid explanations of the fundamentals, and the abundance of notes, tips and warnings to help the reader absorb vital ideas. Now brought together in one volume are...Starting Out: The Pirc/Modern by Joe Gallagher. The very closely linked Pirc and Modern Defences are dynamic systems that are favoured by ambitious, counter-attacking players. Black plays very much in a hypermodern fashion, allowing White to build an unopposed pawn centre with the idea of plotting its eventual downfall. In this revolutionary book, Grandmaster Joe Gallagher goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Pirc/Modern and its numerous variations. In this revolutionary book, Grandmaster Joe Gallagher goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Pirc/Modern and its numerous variations. Starting Out: The Modern by Nigel Davies.In this book, Davies studies the Modern by going back to basics, introducing the key moves and ideas, and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them - something that has often been neglected or taken for granted. The Modern Defence is a dynamic, ambitious and universal opening, one that can be used against virtually every system White can play. Black's provocative strategy is based upon allowing White to construct an imposing pawn centre in the anticipation that a well-timed strike will bring about its downfall. Both sides can play for high rewards, albeit at some risk: White can hope to succeed with a direct attack or to squash Black with a space advantage, while Black will aim to destroy White's centre and mop up the remains. All in all this can lead to intriguing battles in which one slip from either side is often fatal..

This book is part of a series from Quality Chess examining the cutting edge of opening theory. The idea is to identify the most important theoretical battlegrounds and then analyse as deeply as possible in search of improvements. Thus the reader will be ahead of the current state-of-the-art, rather than lagging behind trying to memorise old games. The book considers the Sicilian Najdorf - a favourite opening of ambitious players at every level. This book concentrates on lines where White chooses 6.Be3, heading for the English Attack. The variations covered are: Topalov: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4 Nbd7; Topalov: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 b4 10.Nce2 e5; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 e5 8.Nf5; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 h6 8.Bg2; Perenyi Attack: 6...e6 7.g4 h5 8.g5 Ng4 9.Bc1 Qb6 10.h3 Ne5 11.Nb3; Main line: 6...e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.GBPd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.h4 b4 12.Na4 Qa5 13.b3 Nc5 14.a3; Main line: 6...e6 7.f3 Nbd7 8.GBPd2 b5 9.g4 Nb6 10.a4; Scheveningen: 5...Nc6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.f3 d5 10.Be2; 6...e5: Positional line: 7.Nf3; and, 6...e5: Vallejo Pons variation: 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g 4 b5 12.g5 b4 13.Ne2 Ne8 14.f4 a5 15.f5; 6...e 5: line with 10...a5: 7.Nb3 Be7 8.f3 Be6 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a5; 6...e5: Topalov variation: 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.Qd2 h5.

Experts agree that regularly solving tactics is a vital component of chess training. However, it's also widely acknowledged that there is one drawback of traditional chess puzzleswhen solving them students know for sure that there is a genuine tactic in the position, whereas during a real game there is no such guarantee. In this workbook, Volker Schleputz and Grandmaster John Emms offer a unique framework to study chess tactics independent of themes, difficulty andmost importantlyeven the existence of an actual tactic in a given position. Analyzing carefully selected games, from beginner level through to club and tournament level, the reader assumes the role of a tactics detective, checking for mistakes and missed opportunities by both sides without the help of a chess engine. This training method resembles live play far more realistically than solving puzzles, because each move has to be analyzed with respect to tactical possibilitieswhether they exist or not. The same thinking processes used in the training can then be applied in real games. *A unique framework to practice chess tactics*Exercises resemble over-the-board situations*Ideal for beginners, intermediate and club players

Calculation is key to winning chess games. Converting your chess knowledge into concrete moves requires calculation and precise visualisation. The bad news: calculation is hard work. You cannot rely on feeling or intuition -- you will have to turn on your brainpower. The good news: you can improve your calculation skills by training.

Set up a position on a chessboard and try to solve exercises without moving the pieces! Grandmaster Ramesh RB is the perfect coach to awaken your chess brain and feed you precisely the right exercises.

Building and maintaining an opening repertoire can be a demanding task -- for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to choose from. There's a strong temptation amongst beginners and improving players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this approach has only short-term value. As players improve and their opponents become stronger, very often these crafty lines don't stand up to close scrutiny, and suddenly they back to square one with no suitable opening weapons.
In Starting Out with 1 e4! and Starting Out with 1 d4! Neil McDonald and John Cox solve this perennial problem by providing the reader with a strong and trustworthy repertoire with the white pieces based on the popular opening moves 1 e4 and 1 d4. The recommended lines given here have stood the test of time and are regularly employed by Grandmasters. Reading these books will give players the confidence to play these variations against all strengths of player and provides them with reliable opening armoury for years to come.
These books are written in Everyman Chess's distinctive Starting Out style, with plenty of notes, tips, and warnings throughout to help the aspiring player.
>Grandmaster-style opening repertoires
>Written by opening experts
>Ideal for improving players
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 Chess books include Concise Chess Openings and Starting Out: The Dutch Defence.
John Cox is a FIDE Master and a former junior international and British Junior Champion. Previous works for Everyman Chess include Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence and Dealing with d4 Deviations.
Other Books in Series
Starting Out with 1 d4!

The definitive work on practical endgame tactics

One of the most challenging tasks in a chess game is to find the correct strategy. It is far easy to attack too randomly, to miss a vital opportunity, or even choose the wrong plan altogether. These are all mistakes frequently seen by even quite strong players. ----- Your Chess Battle Plan focuses on how Magnus Carlsen and other great masters decide on the best strategy in a position and then find the right ways to implement it. Clear advice shows you how to hone in on the most relevant features of a position in order to decide what your general plan needs to be. Factors that are addressed include when to exchange pieces, when to make long-range manoeuvres, when to offer sacrifices and how to identify and focus on key squares. Your Chess Battle Plan will get you thinking along the right strategic lines and using your pieces and pawns in a much more efficient and skilful manner. ----- * A complete self-improvement programme. --- * Advice to evaluate the current level of planning in your own games. --- * Utilizes a structured approach, making the most of your study time.

The Closed Sicilian has always been a great favorite with club and tournament players. Here, Grandmaster Daniel King explains the strategy and tactics of this dynamic opening variation, using model games for both sides to illustrate the important ideas. Armed with this book, readers will have everything they need to know to play the opening with either White or Black.

In his enlarged edition Grandmaster Rozentalis looks at some of the most important questions: the connection between the opening, middlegame and endgame. The book is the updated and enlarged version of the first edition published August of 2016. The author found new thrilling examples to prove his point once more: when to rely on your acquired knowledge or not. This book is highly recommended to all players as well as anyone who is coaching and cares for the pure understanding in the endgame.

'Learn from Michal Krasenkow' is a splendid walk through the games and life of the author. Michal presents his games in the most instructive way and gives the reader a deeper look of his own thinking. We are convinced you will find many fascinating games inspiring the reader to improve his game as well!

I would like to thank you for purchasing this book, I really appreciate it. It also means that you found an interest in my work of trying to crack the Ruy Lopez. As I said in the introduction to the first volume, I had no idea what I was signing up for when deciding to write a book on Ruy Lopez. This opening has such a rich history and good reputation that proving advantages in many lines is nearly impossible. Writing the first volume on this opening was a Herculean effort and I thought "it cannot be more difficult". After all, I was covering such solid variations as the Berlin and the Open Spanish. Well, I got surprised again! I am not exaggerating when I say that writing the second volume was at least as hard as writing the first one. This second volume on the Ruy Lopez consists of two parts. In the first part I focus on modern systems with ...Bc5, attempting to dissect both the Archangelsk and Moller Variations. These two variations have quite a rich history but in 2020 there have been several developments. If I had to name one person that contributed the most to the developments in those lines it is, without a doubt, Fabiano Caruana. His encounters in the Candidates Tournament in Ekaterinburg, then his theoretical discussion in those lines with Leinier Dominguez, revised my opinion on many of those lines and led to interesting discoveries that I analyze in this bookIn the subsequent part I discuss the Closed Ruy Lopez. It is easily one of the most popular openings throughout the history of chess with many games occuring as early as the 1800s. I suggest going for 9.h3 which usually leads to a positional battle. I present new trends and find new paths and ideas in such evergreen variations as the Zaitsev, Breyer, Chigorin and others. Additionally, I attempt to crack the Marshall Attack by suggesting the Anti-Marshall lines with 8.a4. I must admit that I thought that it would be a pretty easy task to analyze those openings having some prior analysis and experience with both colors. However, time after time I was encountering new challenges and new ideas from both sides that I had to resolve. My conclusions, based on careful analysis with the most powrful engines currently available is presented in this book. This book completes my series on the Ruy Lopez. I would like to take a moment and recall what I said in the introduction to the first volume. When both sides play very good and sound chess, it is normal that games end in a draw. It is especially true for such sound openings as Ruy Lopez. I do not attempt to dismiss one line or another because somewhere with best play Black can make a draw by force on move number 30, playing sometimes ridiculous moves that are only found during the analytical work. Over the board the reality is way different - practical aspect plays an important role in chess. Some positions are easier to play, some harder. Similarly to what I did in the first volume, I try to offer the most playable positions. I do not mind if the positions are equal, provided it is easier to paly with White or the chance of an error by Black is quite large. Sometimes I go into forced variations (e.g. in Moller Defense or Archangelsk Defense), sometimes into more positional battles (like in the Zaitsev) but I truly believe that the positions I aim to reach have potential and are tricky for Black. With proper knowledge I think White can put pressure on Black in the Ruy Lopez. I hope that you will find my approach to tackling the Ruy Lopez interesting. I am aware that there is only so much I can analyze and someone may say that I did not analyze some positions deeply enough but that is the nature of chess - possibilities are pretty much unlimited and there will always be theoretical debate!Finally, I wish you, dear Reader, good luck and I hope you can successfully use the ideas that I present in this book in your games. Dariusz Swiercz February 2021.