Positional chess remains a mystery to many and yet an understanding of the finer points of the game so often makes the difference between two equally matched players. Improve your positional play and you will see chess in a totally new dimension
In this unique book, International Master Jacob Aagaard selects many original examples of positional chess, the creme de la creme of those that he uses for training and study. Aagaard also delves deeply into the ideas of positional evaluation and analysis.
* Teaches how to mix calculation with evaluation
* Contains many original exercises
* Written by a battle-hardened expert

This is the first book fully devoted to the double fianchetto for both colors, White and Black. GM Daniel Hausrath draws upon his vast experience to provide guidance on how to use the different kinds of set-ups the double fianchetto has available for White and Black. In a clear manner, Daniel explains the many subtle move orders, the critical resulting middle game structures and typical endgame positions. His guidance through the presented games will bring you an immediate gain in the understanding of the benefits of the 'Double Fianchetto'. This is an ideal book for all club players and is written by one of the leading experts on the 'Double Fianchetto'.

The Sicilian Kan is one of the most flexible and easy-to-play variations of the entire Sicilian complex. In contrast to opening monsters such as the infamous Dragon and Najdorf Variations, Black players are not forced to memorize massive chunks of opening theory. Success in the Sicilian Kan is more dependent on understanding certain principles and a system of development. Another point in its favor is that even more experienced White players are often flummoxed by Blacks elastic approach. Recently the Kan has received a seal of approval from the highest places, with both Kasparov and Kramnik employing it in the last couple of years.
In this book, Grandmaster John Emms considers both the popular main lines and the tricky sidelines of the Sicilian Kan. Using illustrative games, Emms guides the reader through the positional and tactical intricacies of this modern opening.
*Written by a leading openings expert
*Includes games from world class grandmasters
*An ideal weapon at all levels

Some players become good at chess, some very good, while others excel at the game. In this book Jacob Aagaard identifies the key factors that separate the very strong players from the rest. In Excelling at Chess, he includes chapters on when to calculate, how to evaluate positions, how to study theory, how to study the endgame and when to force the position. Anyone who follows the advice in this book cannot fail to improve their feel for the game.
-- Ideal for players who are serious about improving
-- Discusses all phases and aspects of the game
-- Packed with useful practical tips

David Rudel's debut book, Zuke 'Em -the Colle- Zukertort Revolutionized, brought a fresh voice to chess in the summer of 2008. His clarity wooed class players while stronger readers applauded his creativity and determination in finding new tries for an advantage in lines long thought dead. Rudel now presents a work aimed at all chess players. Bxh7+ is not so much a book but a training kit demystifying Greco's sacrifice. Any serious player can now attain a fluency with this tactic exceeding that held by most masters. Five easy lessons present essential guidelines, tools, and tips for both attackers and defenders.

The Hippopotamus Defence is just what a club player needs. Its a straightforward and clear-cut chess opening that avoids the ever growing body of mainline theory. Its universal: Black can use the Hippo against virtually all of Whites choices (1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, 1.f4, the Colle, London, Trompowsky, Reti and others). Its not very well known and will surprise many opponents. On top of all that, the Hippo is seriously underestimated: with its characteristic double fianchetto it may look quiet, but inside there lurks a very dangerous animal. FIDE Master Alessio de Santis is one of the worlds greatest experts on the Hippo and has written a practical, well-structured and accessible manual. His book can be studied on three levels: after a first flash of 3 to 4 hours you will be familiar with the Hippos basic moves and key variations, its strategic themes and recurring manoeuvres. In the second and third stage De Santis leads you through the most important concrete lines and introduces the Semi-Hippopotamus to counter some specific White ideas. You can use the Hippo as a surprise weapon or as your main repertoire. The extensive explanations and clear conclusions make this book an easy-to-navigate manual for all club players. If you like to confront your opponents with some unexpected counter-attacks, then you need not look any further.

Why are football and chess 'beautiful games'? Do top football coaches read the pitch as a chess player reads the board? What is the connection between Jose Mourinho's defensive cunning and Grandmaster Wilhelm Steinitz's 'principles of defence'? The global popularity of football and chess remains unmatched by any other game. In this book, Adam Wells argues that stereotypical views of the games have concealed a deep connection between them. The first study of its kind, this book explores a rich world of tactics, psychology and aesthetics. Structural principles are analysed using real life examples to show how these connections play out on the board and in the field. This book is accessible to fans of either game, including football fans with no previous knowledge of chess. Readers will see how chess can be a pulsating, dynamic game, whilst appreciating that football shares much of the mystery and structural beauty of the world's greatest board game.

There is much published on chess tactics, strategy, openings and endings, but little on how to come up with imaginative solutions through logical thinking and evaluation. This book is dedicated to that task and provides over 700 'fresh' positions, incorporating a variety of schemes of thought for the reader to solve. The examples emphasise the power of logical and resourceful thinking, quick wit and imagination. In each chapter the author presents little-explored concepts, such as progressive and reciprocal thinking, to help the reader achieve decisive results and to make fewer mistakes in calculation. The material has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer and will be of great benefit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.

Are you one of those e4-players who absolutely hate to face the French Defence? And when it occurs, do you get the feeling that black has all the fun, whether he's pressuring your d-pawn, breaking down your pawn centre, rounding up your a-pawn or boring you to tears with the Rubinstein? - Then the Reti Gambit may be the solution for you too! After having written two popular books on the King's Gambit for white (The King's Gambit for the Creative Aggressor in 1998 and The Fascinating King's Gambit in 2004/5) Thomas Johansson devotes his third chess opening book to a little known gambit that definitely spices up the French Defence! I can't guarantee that white always gets an advantage in the RG - after all, even the theoretical main lines after 2.d4 tend to end up equal after about 20 moves - but the positions that arise are usually so interesting and fun that once you've learned how to play it, I think you will soon be looking forward to your next encounter with the French Defence!

In "More Unbeatable Chess Lessons," chess coach Robert Snyder takes his "Unbeatable Chess Lessons" book a step further by covering twenty-four additional games with commentary on every move in each game. Games arranged by opening with original analysis.
Detailed analysis of critical lines.
Important tactical and positional themes allow players to improve pattern recognition and planning ability.
Games played by the author as well as world famous players such as Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi and Tal.
Challenges at various points to find the best move.
Written for intermediate to advanced players.

Is the ability to make combinations something you are born with or can it be acquired by practice? Russian chess trainer Livshitz, who has had extensive experience teaching a wide range of players from novices to masters, presents here a course for developing your combinational skill, based on the recognition of tactical motifs. As you work your way through this carefully graced series of tests, themes such as 'diversion, ' 'interference, ' 'X-Ray, ' and many more will become an integral part of your chess armoury, to be employed in your own games. Solving these positions will not only provide many hours of pleasure but will also enable you to test - and improve! - your chess IQ. This is book two in a three-volume series, carefully graduated in order of difficulty. Move on to: 'Test Your Chess IQ: Master Challenge' and 'Test Your Chess IQ: Grandmaster Challenge.' (6 3/4' X 9 3/4', 124 pages, illustrations)

Tony Miles was a phenomenon in English chess. From an early age it was apparent that he had no respect whatsoever for the vaunted Soviet School of chess and held their grandmasters in scant esteem. At the very start of his career victories came in quick succession against such renowned opposition as Bronstein, Geller, Smyslov and Spassky. The culmination was a victory at the head of the British Chess Federation team in the European Team Championship at snow bound Skara in Sweden against the reigning world champion Anatoly Karpov. For the very first time in any anthology of Tony Miles' games this win appears here with Tony's own profound notes. This was an historic win with Miles using the iconoclastic 1...a6 to defeat the champion's habitual 1e4. Amongst Tony's exploits were winning the Junior World Championship, becoming the UK's first FIDE grandmaster in over the board play and leading the BCF team to silver medals behind only the USSR in the prestigious Chess Olympiads. Miles also won numerous first prizes in international tournaments. He feared no-one and his will to win was legendary, as exemplified by the front jacket photograph of this book. Taken at the Tilburg 1985 tournament, this shows Miles in play on a form of stretcher against grandmaster Djinjihashvili. Although suffering from terrible back pain, Miles insisted on competing, even from this unorthodox position, the only one in which the pain subsided. Characteristically Miles went on to win shared first prize in the event. Tony Miles died tragically early in November 2001. This book is a memorial to him, written by a Grandmaster rival who faced him many times over the board. Raymond Keene is a British Chess Champion, and the first British Player to achieve a FIDE (World Chess Federation) Grandmaster norm. He was awarded the OBE for services to chess in 1985. He is Chess Correspondent of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The International Herald Tribune. He is a prolific author of chess books, several of which are classics of the genre. He has organised three World Chess Championships

Mikhail Botvinnik was the ultimate boy scout of chess - always prepared Indeed, his advance preparation for his key matches was feared by the greatest. It even involved the radio blaring while he was playing training games as well as having nicotine-puffing opponents blow smoke in his eyes during practice games, in order to acclimatise himself for the real thing. Of course, this was before the days of modern political correctness when smoking in public is regarded by the powersthat- be as a heinous crime and is, unlike licking the highway clean with your tongue, now generally banned by law on health and safety grounds. Botvinnik's training games were a well guarded secret only shared by a few trusty colleagues, such as the Grandmasters Ragozin, Averbakh and Furman. The Soviet state was a monument to paranoia at the best of times, but suspicion multiplied when world titles hinged on secrecy, and these games have lain hidden for decades after they were played. Botvinnik was World Champion three times, from 1948- 1957, 1958 -1960 and 1961 -1963. His final championship victory against Tal in the 1961 revenge match counts as one of the highest scoring rating performances in the history of chess. It was of course based on the most meticulous preparation, not least in the psychological sphere of seeking to find and play positions which were not to Tal's taste. Grandmaster Jan Timman is one of the most popular and colourful players on the modern scene. A finalist in the FIDE-World Chess Federation-World Chess Championship in 1993, Timman has been the second dominating force in Dutch chess after world champion Dr Max Euwe. Here Timman presents every Botvinnik training game which could be foundand subjects the most important to typically close analytical and explanatory scrutiny.

David Janowski was one of the grandest of grandmasters at the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries. Victories in individual games against Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine, a phenomenal run of successes in major tournaments and a universally acknowledged elegance of style, combined to make him one of the most feared and respected exponents of the game. Janowski, however, has not been rewarded in English language chess literature with the accolades he deserves. In this book, the first collection in English of his best games and results, the authors introduce us to a great fighter and a great artist, knowledge of whose games will enrich the experience of any chess aficionado. Alexander Cherniaev is a Russian Grandmaster, journalist and author, now - after the collapse of the USSR - based in Guildford, England. He has been a silver medallist in the Moscow championship and is a well known figure in the Four Nations Chess League. He has also scored fine results in tournaments at St Petersburg, Wijk aan Zee, Davos and Hastings where he has come second in the challengers and competed in the premier. Alexander Meynell is the grandson of Lord Killearn, top board player in his day for the House of Lords chess team. Continuing the family tradition for excellence at chess, Alexander Meynell is official coach of the Hammersmith Chess Club, maintains one of Britain's most extensive chess libraries and has won First Prize in the Major Tournament at Hastings.

The St. Petersburg Grand International Masters' Tournament of 1914 was undoubtedly the most important tournament since the first San Sebastian Tournament, when Capablanca won his spurs, or, as some will have it, since the St. Petersburg Quadrangular Tournament of 1895. It would be noteworthy even if for no other reason than that the World's Champion, Dr. Emanuel Lasker, took part - the first occasion since the last International Tournament in St. Petersburg in 1909. On that occasion, however he tied for the first place with Akuba K. Rubinstein instead of winning outright, as on this occasion and in 1895. It is a remarkable circumstance that this time Rubinstein did not even attain so high as fifth place, which would have enabled him to play in the second section for the allocation of the prizes, the more extraordinary in view of his almost unbroken success of late years. The St. Petersburg Chess Society was responsible for the initiation, organization, and conduct of the Tournament, the Tsar himself subscribing 1,000 roubles towards the prize fund. With notes by Lasker, Burn, Gunsberg, Yates and other prominent analysts of the day

Winning Chess is a truly classic chess book, beloved of chess-mad teenagers since it was first published in 1970, updated and repackaged in algebraic format. Written in lively, conversational style by two prolific and popular chess authors, it is aimed at players who have gone past the beginner stage and want to take their game to a whole new level. Its imaginative themes and instructional method are timeless, and the whole book is shot through with fun and humour.

The French Classical (1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6) leads to the type of dynamic, unbalanced positions which appeal to grandmaster and club player alike. Black is prepared to concede space in the center with a view to striking back at his opponent at the earliest opportunity.This book considers every important variation, with particular emphasis on those that readers are likely to encounter in their own games.This book contains full coverage of all the latest variations; explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides; provides everything you need to start playing the French Classical straightaway; is an ideal battle manual for competitive players. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 176 pages, diagrams)

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!

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.