The definitive work on practical endgame tactics

The Open Ruy Lopez (also known as the Open Spanish) has always been a popular choice both at club level and at grandmaster level, where it has withstood the test of time after decades of close scrutiny. It offers both sides the opportunity for a sharp clash of forces in which the better prepared player will often come out on top. It is therefore no surprise that such fighting players as Victor Korchnoi and Jan Timman have always used the Open Ruy Lopez as an important weapon in their armory. Written by leading author Grandmaster Glenn Flear, this book explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides and offers an accessible, digestible blend of explanatory and theoretical material. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 160 pages, b&w illustrations)

The Grunfeld Defence is is a combative reply to 1 d4 which has been favoured by many world champions including those two legends of the game, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. It is an opening in the hypermodern style, in that Black generally allows White to build a strong centre early on in the expectation of being able to undermine it in the middlegame play. Opening Repetoire: The Grunfeld Defence book cuts through the dense theory that surrounds this opening and establishes a straightforward repertoire is based around consistent strategies and concepts. It has all the information necessary to enable the reader to begin playing the Grunfeld with confidence. There are also "Grunfeld-type" suggestions to counter White systems based on the English and Reti openings. In Opening Repertoire: The Grunfeld Defence, Nigel Davies guides the reader through the complexities of the Grunfeld and carves out a repertoire for Black. He examines all aspects of this highly complex opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A complete repertoire for Black against 1 d4. * A question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.

Players: 2-4
Ages: 14+
Playing Time: 30-60 minutes
Contents: Double-Sided Playing Board

Travel into the further reaches of the Wildlands with this new set of maps. Introduce further wrinkles to your game via magical portals which help you rush around the map, or fissures which will slow your progress. Players will have to adapt to their new surroundings if they ever hope to get ahead.

This map expansion for Wildlands adds a new double-sided board to the game, featuring new opportunities and obstacles, and can be used in conjunction with the faction expansions.

This map pack requires a copy of Wildlands to play.

A set of wargames rules covering heroic adventure and dastardly villains during the early 20th Century. Enter a world of perilous adventure and explore steaming jungles, desert canyons, and arctic wastes! Brave the perils of nature and discover lost ruins, ancient treasures, and the secrets of forgotten civilizations! Race against rival adventurers and face off against diabolical villains! Take to the city streets and fight back against gangsters, spies, and sinister cults! Pulp! is a scenario-driven skirmish wargame set during the interwar years of the early 20th Century. Players build teams of bold explorers, daring archaeologists, hardboiled detectives, and costumed avengers - or criminal masterminds and evil geniuses - and dive into a world of fortune, glory... and menace. Pulp! contains all the rules needed to game globetrotting escapades in this rip-roaring era.

This book explores video games as important cultural artifacts and as sources of powerful, compelling storytelling. It begins by considering the fundamental structures of video games-including immersion and player agency-and deepens the exploration of such elements by considering how each plays a role in storytelling. The book moves from the theoretical to the practical by considering numerous modern games and the stories they tell through careful, considered analysis of each title's story. Games considered at length include the Mass Effect series, BioShock, The Last of Us and many more. The book also explores genres like the visual novel, which are less frequently considered in video game study. What emerges from this book, which appeals to academics, game enthusiasts, and the general public, is the importance of considering video games as serious and important sources of storytelling exploring complex thematic subjects like identity, morality, and the impact of player choice.

A supplement for Jackals, introducing new rites, talents, and virtues for players as well as an exploration of the history and cultures of the Zaharets. Jackals: Travellers on the War Road is a supplement exploring the regions of the Zaharets and the cultures established in Jackals. It expands the lore for each of the four cultures introduced in the core book - Luathi, Gerwa, Melkoni, and Trauj - describing their various tribes, clans, and city-states, their beliefs, strongholds, and day-to-day lives, adding more nuance and depth to the world and giving players more ways to personalize their characters. New rites, virtues, and talents provide further customization options, while adventure hooks scattered throughout the book hint at new menaces to be battled, new challenges to be overcome... and new glories to be won!

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s there's a good chance you've played Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. More than 30 years after its release in 1985 the side-scrolling platformer remains one of the best-selling video games of all time. Maybe you can hum the theme song, and you've found the secret warp pipe in World 1-2, but have you ever actually beaten the game? If so, how long did it take you? Hours? Days? Weeks? In late 2016, an American gamer known online as "darbian" rescued the Princess Peach in 4 minutes and 56 seconds. This is video game "speedrunning" and darbian is one of the best speedrunners around. Speedrunners use their knowledge of the game and quick reflexes in an attempt to complete video games in the fastest time possible. In this book you'll learn about the history of speedrunning, the techniques involved, and what it takes to play games fast in ten interviews with star speedrunners like darbian.

This collection of essays is devoted to the philosophical examination of the aesthetics of videogames. Videogames represent one of the most significant developments in the modern popular arts, and it is a topic that is attracting much attention among philosophers of art and aestheticians. As a burgeoning medium of artistic expression, videogames raise entirely new aesthetic concerns, particularly concerning their ontology, interactivity, and aesthetic value. The essays in this volume address a number of pressing theoretical issues related to these areas, including but not limited to: the nature of performance and identity in videogames; their status as an interactive form of art; the ethical problems raised by violence in videogames; and the representation of women in videogames and the gaming community. The Aesthetics of Videogames is an important contribution to analytic aesthetics that deals with an important and growing art form.

An insightful new book that is perfect for newcomers to chess inspired by Netflix's Queen's Gambit. Written by one of the best chess communicators in the business, chess master and chess journalist Andy Soltis divulges practical advice and explains technical terms that chess books often overlook. From learning how to train your mind with chess information to choosing the best chess opening, dip in and out of this invaluable guide to improve your chess in a minutes.  Chess questions answered in this book include: Is there a best way to study chess? How do I know if I have a natural talent? How important is chess memory and how can I train mine? How long should I think before choosing a move?  Is there a proper way to think? Can I think like a chess computer? How do I develop chess intuition?  Don't try to swallow too much information in one sitting. Dip in and out of these great chess questions to better understand the game and let the improvement happen incrementally. 

In the unusual Queen's Gambit, grandmaster Chris Ward covers three offbeat but nevertheless important defences to this ancient opening. The Chigorin Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6) creates dynamic imbalance in the position. White often ends up with a big centre but Black's active pieces can create havoc. The Albin Counter Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5) is a tricky tactical line which can be deadly against an unprepared White player. The final variation (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Bf5) is an interesting way to try to sovle immediately the age old problem of how to develop the queen's bishop in the Queen's Gambit Declined. * Provides detailed coverage of unusual but dangerous counters to the Queen's Gambit * Full coverage of all recent developments

With more than 400 illustrations, and detailed maps, this immense and deeply researched account of the history of chess covers not only the Persian and Arab game familiar to most Westerners for the past 500 years, but also variants going back 1500 years that are still being played in some parts of the world. The evolution of strategic board games, especially in India, China and Japan, is discussed in detail. The many more recent chess variants (board sizes, new pieces, 3-D etc.) are fully covered. Instructions for play are provided, with historical context, for every form of the game.

Take the fight to the enemy with this new theatre book for Bolt Action. From the D-Day landings to the final battle for Berlin, this volume gives players everything they need to focus their gaming on these final campaigns in the European Theatre of Operations. Scenarios and special rules offer something for all Bolt Action players, regardless of the armies they collect.

Fortnite has re-emerged from the black hole for Chapter 2! The 100% Unofficial Fortnite Annual 2021 is the perfect Christmas gift for gamers. It includes the best skins, emotes and accessories, as well as a round-up of the most impressive vehicles, the best sports mini games, builds and escape rooms in Creative, plus tips for the best attack and defence strategies and much more.

Hex: The Full Story is for anyone - hobbyist, professional, student, teacher - who enjoys board games, game theory, discrete math, computing, or history. hex was discovered twice, in 1942 by Piet Hein and again in 1949 by John F. nash. How did this happen? Who created the puzzle for Hein's Danish newspaper column? How are Martin Gardner, David Gale, Claude Shannon, and Claude Berge involved? What is the secret to playing Hex well? The answers are inside... Features New documents on Hein's creation of Hex, the complete set of Danish puzzles, and the identity of their composer Chapters on Gale's game Bridg-it, the game Rex, computer Hex, open Hex problems, and more Dozens of new puzzles and solutions Study guide for Hex players Supplemenetary text for a course in game theory, discrete math, computer science, or science history

The 125 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British experts and illustrated with over 1,000 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and develop your own chess-playing skills - whatever your current standard. Instructive points at the end of each game highlight the lessons to be learned. First published in 1998, a second edition of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games in 2004 included an additional 12 games. This edition includes a further 13 games as well as some significant revisions to the analysis and information regarding other games in earlier editions of the book, facilitated by the use of a variety of chess software.

For those needing to grasp the fundamentals of sound bidding and play, Ron Klinger's BASIC BRIDGE is the answer. GUIDE TO BETTER ACOL BRIDGE is intended for the large majority who are ready to advance beyond the basics. While GUIDE TO BETTER ACOL BRIDGE emphasises better bidding, each chapter contains examples of play, which highlight areas of winning declarer technique and defence. At the end of each section, a revision test enables the reader to measure the rate of progress. The book can be used by teachers conducting courses, or as a self-teacher.

Take on the pirate fleets in this campaign for Stargrave, featuring full rules for playing the game solo or cooperatively. Since the end of the Last War, the great pirate fleets have roamed the ruins of the galaxy, pillaging, extorting, and enslaving. No one has had the power to stand against them, and the desperate few who have tried, have been quickly and brutally crushed. However, when the independent crews are hired for a simple hostage rescue, it leads to a dangerous opportunity to strike a blow against tyranny. Two of the largest and most vicious pirate fleets are meeting for a parlay near the ruins of an ancient research station... one that once experimented with 'supernova-level events'. If the crews can locate the station, slip past the pirates, and infiltrate the facility, it might be possible to release such an event just as the fleets have gathered... Hope Eternal is a solo and cooperative expansion for Stargrave. Along with full rules for playing the game in this new style, the book contains an intricate campaign of connected scenarios. Whether you brave the perils of the campaign alone, or enlist the aid of another independent crew, this is your chance to bring back a little hope to the ravaged galaxy!

This instructive book for competitive players, based on Edmar Mednis' classic Practical Endgame Lessons, provides the reader with a wealth of useful instruction in endgame play, reinforced by a a series of tests presented as simulations of tournament play. Explains the fundamental principles of endgame play . Deals with all standard types of endgame: pawn endings, bishop endings, rook endings, etc . Contains more that twenty test endings to help develop your skills . Uses many examples by the world's leading endgame exponents: Smyslov, Karpov, Korchnoi, etc. Grandmaster Edmar Mednis is one of the world's leading endgame exerts.He is a regular contributor to Chess Life magazine and is author of How to be a complete Tournament Player, From Opening to the Endgame and From the Middlegame into the Endgame. International Master Colin Crouch is one of England's most highly regarded analysts and writers.

Robot Memory Game gives an overview of the many areas robots appear in our society. All robot domains will get a description to explain the robot on the latest developments and reason they exist. The introduction faces the position of the robot in our human environment. All memory sets will contain two different examples.