Goethe once wrote, "Everything is both simpler than we can imagine, and more complicated than we can conceive." He could well have had chess endgames in mind. Endgames have fewer pieces on the board than middlegames but this does not necessarily make them "easier" to play or understand. Tactical expertise is, understandably, generally associated with middlegame (and sometimes opening) positions. However, tactics are also crucial in endgames - a point that is sometimes overlooked. Even some quite simple looking pawn endgames can feature complex tactical ideas. Tactics in endgames also tend to be very different to middlegame tactics. As well as the familiar themes of pins, skewers and forks, endgames also feature unique concepts that rarely occur in middlegames such as pawn breakthroughs, manoeuvring for zugzwang and active use of the king as an aggressive unit. In this book the highly experienced chess author and coach Cyrus Lakdawala guides the reader through the complexities of endgame tactical play. Lakdawala assembles positions that are most effective to improve tactical ability. Work your way through this book and you will undoubtedly see the results in your own games.

Grandmaster Daniel King explains the basic elements, strategies and tactics of the popular English Defence, on which he is a renowned expert. This book, the first on the English Defence for many years, provides everything you need to know to start playing the opening straightaway. It focuses on explaining the key themes and provides a backbone of essential theoretical knowledge. This is an ideal battle manual for club and tournament players. (6 1/8' x 9 1/8', 144 pages, illustrations)

The barrier between worlds has shattered. Now, the Dark Judges have returned to exact judgement on Mega-City One. The city is guilty. The crime is life. The sentence is death. The Dark Judges can be played as a team in any game of Helter Skelter, or one player can face off against them in a solo game. Requires a copy of Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter to play. Number of players: 1-4 Ages: 14+ Playing time: 30-60 minutes Components: 4 miniatures, 5 oversized cards, 39 playing cards, tokens

The 1999 World Championship in Las Vegas produced a surprise winner - after a month-long battle, the Russian grandmaster Alexander Khalifman emerged from this grueling knock-out event to become the 14th FIDE World Champion. Alexander Khalifman has been competing in the higher echelons of world chess for many years. He is a player with a broad opening repertoire and a distinctive style, one of his favorite stratagems being the sacrifice of material for long-term positional compensation. A former European Junior Champion and a winner of numerous Russian and international tournaments, he has recently founded a grandmaster chess school in his native St. Petersburg. (6 3/4 x 9 3/4, 208 pages, diagrams)

Alekhine's Defence is a sharp and often underrated counter to 1 e4. Black immediately challenges the white e-pawn and tries to lure White into constructing a big central position. Black's hope is that White's central installations will become unwieldy and vulnerable to a middlegame counterattack. However, Alekhine enthusiasts must always be careful -- get it wrong and White will come crashing through Whether you want to play the Alekhine, or want to know what to do against it as White, this book will be an essential addition to your armory.
-- Up-to-date coverage of a dynamic counterattacking opening
-- Written by one of England's leading chess coaches
-- An ideal battle manual for club and tournament players

Introduce a macabre yet groovy edge to your next card game with these 54 playing cards featuring the bright, quirky and eye-catching illustrations of Ricardo Cavolo. Day of the Dead imagery is increasingly popular outside of Mexico. Swap your poker face for a smiling skull!

This book is the first in a brand new series that follows on from My Great Predecessors and sees chess legend Garry Kasparov reflecting on a pivotal time in chess history. Bobby Fischer's spurt towards the chess summit (1970-1972) marked the approach of a new era affecting all aspects of the game and opening theory in particular. Fischer demonstrated the need for deep preparation with both colours, expanded the range of openings knowledge, and laid the foundations for present-day professional chess. The leader of the new generation, Anatoly Karpov, fully reaped the benefits of the Fischer revolution by mastering the lessons of his great predecessor. Of the players of the older generation, only Victor Korchnoi was able to achieve such a high level of professionalism. Alas, Fischer then left the chess stage. However, the tectonic shifts he had brought about led to the beginning of a genuine revolution in opening theory and a revolution that overturned traditional impressions about many typical positions. Between 1972 and 1975 alone, progress in the field of opening theory was more significant than in the entire preceding decade! Under Fischer's influence chess was radically regenerated, a process which then continued to accelerate. As a result, from the 1972 Fischer-Spassky world championship match to 1984 and the Kasparov-Karpov matches, the overall picture of chess openings changed almost beyond recognition. This fascinating book tells the story of this opening revolution. This story is told not only with the insight of Garry Kasparov, but also as seen through the eyes of the leading players who were at the forefront of the development of chess theory during those key years. The reader will witness at first hand how rapidly and inexorably chess development approached the coming computer era.

Chronicle every step of your RPG and record details about your characters, party, quest, and more with this customizable gaming journal for all your adventures. The Ultimate RPG Quest Keeper is an essential tool for all tabletop RPG players to record their characters and adventures, with easy-to-use templates for keeping track of all vital details. From your characters' personality traits and history to important clues and characters for ongoing quests, this comprehensive journal will keep you organized no matter what the adventure. Featuring space to record character information, including their background and abilities, party details, notable NPCs, money and resources, loot and belongings, useful gear, spells, weapons, skills and proficiencies, quests and mysteries, and more, this journal is the only RPG notebook you'll ever need. Now you can spend more time playing the games you love!

Brought together in one volume as part of Everyman Chess's new series of compilation books: Play the Caro-Kann and Play the Slav. ----- In Play the Caro-Kann, International Master Jovanka Houska presents the reader with a concise and trustworthy repertoire within this move, providing a solution against all of White's main options, and efficient methods to deal with tricky sidelines. Houska examines the important tactical and strategic plans for both sides, arming the reader with enough information to begin playing the Caro-Kann with confidence in his or her own games. ----- The Slav has a well-deserved reputation as one of Black's strongest answers to 1 d4, and it's no coincidence that it has been used by almost all the World Champions in chess history. Put simply, the Slav is a classy opening, one which combines reliability with the promise of dynamic counterplay. ----- In Play the Slav, James Vigus presents a comprehensive and trustworthy repertoire for Black. He outlines the main ideas for both sides and highlights the tactics to watch out for. This book will provide you with enough knowledge and skill to play the Slav with confidence in your own games.

This beautifully illustrated deck of playing cards is perfect for round after round of gin or Gin Rummy – or any other card game. Featuring illustrations of 40 gins from around the world, plus 12 gin-based cocktails, the deck is accompanied by a booklet giving detailed background to the world's favourite juniper-based spirit, the 40 gins themselves and recipes for all the cocktails. Perfect for a hand of cards or a handy refresher on how to mix a Tom Collins or Twisted Gin Fizz.

1...e5 enjoys an excellent reputation as a reliable defense against White's most popular opening choice, 1 e4. However, anyone who is primed to face the Ruy Lopez must also be prepared to face a number of White alternatives. This collection of variations make up the Open Games and include not only popular choices such as the Italian Game, Scotch Game, Bishop's Opening, King's Gambit, Vienna Game and Four Knights, but also many tricky sidelines and some wild and wacky gambits. Many of these might not be theoretically strong but can be both daunting and dangerous for the uninformed player. In this book, FIDE Master Martin Lokander tackles all these lines head on and presents a practical repertoire for Black in the Open Games. This book tells you everything you need to know about facing the Open Games when White avoids the Ruy Lopez. *Essential reading for 1...e5 players *Every opening bar the Ruy Lopez is covered *Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

Hold a galaxy of science-fantasy worlds in your fingertips with the Starfinder Deck of Many Worlds!

Arriving in a new system and curious about who (and what) lives there? Want a unique home planet for your player character?

Simply combine a few random cards from this 110-card deck to generate one of millions of possible worlds, complete with physical statistics, resident creatures, and much more—including intriguing story hooks that spur countless science-fantasy adventures!

These books are perfect for enthusiastic chess players who are starting out in the game, and who are seeking to understand the basic principles behind these important openings: the Ruy Lopez and the English. Both books are written in a user-friendly style with an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings scattered throughout, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.The authors of these books are very skilled and experienced chess writers, who are used to writing for players of all levels and are renowned for their ability to explain ideas in a lucid and straightforward manner.These books will be especially beneficial to those players who have previously sharpened their chess skills with the earlier books Starting Out in Chess, Tips for Young Players, and Improve Your Opening Play.In this revolutionary book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald revisits the basic principles behind the English and its many variations. Throughout this easy-to-read guide readers are aided by a wealth of notes, tips, and warnings from the author, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for Doth sides are clearly illustrated. This book is ideal for the improving players.

It's spring, and a young bunny's fancy turns to love. And good thing his best friend, the lamb, is there to help him woo his beloved. Straight from the collection of John Derian, the artist and designer whose work with printed images of the past transports the viewer to another time and place, Easter Greeting is a nineteenth-century chromolithographic postcard imbued with the sweetness and sentimentality that makes Victoriana so appealing. As you piece it together, you might just find yourself in a newly lifted mood, wondering if our innocence isn't irretrievably lost after all. Featuring: 1,000 full-color interlocking pieces Art print with puzzle image Finished puzzle is 18 7/8 x 26 3/8"

Jan Timman is one of the greatest chess players never to win the world title. For many years the Best of the West belonged to the chess elite, collecting quite a few super tournament victories. Three times Timman was a Candidate for the World Championship and his peak in the world rankings was second place, in 1982. For this definitive collection, Timman has revisited his career and subjected his finest efforts to fresh analysis supported by modern technology. The result is startling and fascinating. From the games that he chose for his Timmans Selected Games (1994, also published as Chess the Adventurous Way), only 10(!) made the cut. Some games that he had been proud of turned out to be flawed, others that he remembered as messy were actually well played. Timmans Triumphs includes wins against great players such as Karpov, Kasparov, Kortchnoi, Smyslov, Tal, Spassky, Bronstein, Larsen and Topalov. The annotations are in the authors trademark lucid style, a happy mix of colourful background information and sharp, crystal-clear explanations. Once again Jan Timman shows that he is not only one of the best players the game has seen, but also as one of the best chess analysts and writers.

Grandmaster John Emms presents a repertoire for White after 1 e4 e5, based on the Italian Game and the Bishop's Opening. The lines he recommends are built upon a sound yet aggressive system of development which can be deployed against virtually every Black defence. The emphasis is firmly on understanding and executing key positional and tactical ideas, rather than the arduous process of memorizing theory. Emms covers both the main variations and the tricky sidelines, and highlights crucial move-order subtleties. This book provides everything you need to know about playing the Italian Game and the Bishop's Opening. It is a Grandmaster's repertoire after 1 e4 e5. It is packed with new ideas and analysis. It is ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players.

Everything you need to to host your own escape room with added murder mystery twist