The French Defence is one of the most solid and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. Many chess opening lines have been analysed to death by computer, but the French is relatively resistant to this growing trend, as the characteristic blocked pawn centre leads to situations where a player with superior understanding can overcome an opponent whose expertise lies in computer-assisted preparation. Acclaimed authors Ntirlis and Aagaard present a complete repertoire for Black based on 3.Nc3 Nf6 and 3.Nd2 c5. With many new discoveries and detailed explanations of positional and strategic motifs, this book is essential reading for those playing this complex opening with either colour.

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The King's Indian has always been one of the sharpest, most complex and popular openings that Black can play; it still provides the setting for many encounters at the elite level of Grandmaster chess. Straight from the start, Black fights for the initiative and in many variations, while White pursues material gains, it is Black who has the psychological advantage of trying checkmate the opponent's king.
Despite its many advantages, some prospective King's Indian players are put off by the seemingly endless amount of theory one is supposed to learn. In Play the King's Indian, however, Grandmaster and life-long King's Indian devotee Joe Gallagher has produced a comprehensive and yet workable black repertoire against all of White's most dangerous possibilities.
*Written by a renowned King's Indian expert
*Includes up-to-date theory on a fascinating opening
*Covers all of White's replies

Around 1860 a wave of talented youth intensified the Berlin chess scene. Within a short time Berthold Suhle, Philipp Hirschfeld and Gustav Neumann ranked among the best players in the world. After a few years, Suhle went on to become an authority in ancient Greek, and Hirschfeld proved a successful businessman (while remaining a sparring partner of Johannes Hermann Zukertort). Neumann retained a fascination for the game and grew into one of the world's strongest players. Despite their achievements little has been known about their lives and games. Drawing on a range of sources, the authors fill this gap, providing games with both old and new analyses. An introductory chapter on Berlin chess before 1860 and an appendix on Bernhard von Guretzky-Cornitz complete the book.

This gambit guide is no mere opening book, but also a tactical battle manual. Sharpen your tactics and learn to play dynamic attacking chess while studying the most entertaining gambits. This volume deals with various openings after 1.d4 and 1.c4, and lines covered include: Benko Gambit, Blumenfeld Gambit, Vaganian Gambit and more.

The Ruy Lopez (also known as the Spanish Game) is an extremely popular opening and one of the oldest in the history of chess. It has been played by virtually all the greats of the game, providing the battle scene for many world championship clashes involving the likes of Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik. Now, for the first time in many years, Grandmaster Glenn Flear investigates the main line of the Lopez, outlining the crucial ideas and tactics for both White and Black. Using illustrative games, Flear studies the fashionable and theoretical variations, plus the tricky sidelines. This book is perfect for those wishing to play the positions with either color.
*Written by a Ruy Lopez expert
*Up-to-date theory on the sharpest lines
*Ideal for club and tournament players

Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov: Part II is the second volume in a major three-volume series made unique by the fact that it records the greatest chess battles played by the greatest chessplayer of all-time. Kasparov's series of historical volumes have received great critical and public acclaim for their rigorous analysis and comprehensive detail regarding the developments in chess that occurred both on and off the board. Part I of this series saw Kasparov emerging as a huge talent and eventually toppling his great rival Anatoly Karpov to gain the world title. This volume focuses on the period from 1985-1993 which witnessed three title defences against Karpov as well as a number of shorter matches against elite players including Hubner, Anderssen, Timman and Miles. This period also saw Kasparov achieve spectacular results in both individual and team events. Kasparov won the board gold medal in three Olympiads (Dubai 1986, Thessaloniki 1988 and Manila 1992). The late 1980s also saw the emergence of the World Cup series which Kasparov utterly dominated, finishing either clear first or equal first at Belfort 1988 (111/2/15), Reykjavik 1988 (11/17), Barcelona 1989 (11/16) and Skelleftea 1989 (91/2/15). Other major tournament victories include Brussels 1987 (81/2/11), Amsterdam 1988 (9/12), Tilburg 1989 (12/14), Belgrade 1989 (91/211) and Linares 1990 (8/11). During the late 1980s and early 1990s Kasparov emphasized his huge superiority over his rivals. Despite generally adopting an uncompromising, double-edged attacking style he almost never lost. The games in this volume feature many masterpieces of controlled aggression played against the world's absolute best.

In this highly original book, Grandmaster Ipatov shares the chess philosophy that helped him become a top chess grandmaster. Contrary to the generally accepted norms that permeate the modern chess world, he argues that spending most of one's training time on studying opening theory and memorizing trending lines until move 30 is wrong. However, this is exactly how most beginners start learning chess nowadays. Some strong grandmasters also fall into this trap when they prioritize opening theory amongst other aspects of the game. This often leads to fundamental gaps in one's chess understanding which is really hard to fix, especially for young players. Ipatov's ideology lies in that one should work on enhancing his general chess understanding and take on a surprise-first approach when it comes to playing openings in order to avoid opponents' preparation in the mainstream theory and take them out of book in the early stage of the game. Most of the book is comprised of Alexander Ipatov's original analyses covering a variety of offbeat opening lines from both White and Black's perspective. His recent match against the 2018 US Chess Champion Sam Shankland, where Ipatov implemented a novelty on move two - something unheard of in the modern era with millions of games being played to date - serves as a good illustration that the philosophy deserves more attention and research than it currently has. This book serves to fill in this gap and welcome more debate on the subject.

Endgames with bishops versus knights are one of the most frequently occurring in chess. In his first volume international master and trainer Boroljub Zlatanovic, highlighted in his usual methodological way the concepts that can be mastered with a little effort. The book shows the key elements and different themes. By identifying mistakes made by even the best players, the author indicates the need for correct endgame technique with the light pieces. After practicing his conclusions, you soon will discover you are becoming a far more effective endgame player. This is Boroljub's second book, after the highly acclaimed 'Fundamental Chess Strategy in 100 Games'.

Have you ever wondered why you do well in certain tournaments and not in others? If your opening choices are the right ones? If your attacking play is good, bad, or Tinder swipe left ugly? In this entertaining account, the author explains how to achieve success in chess we need to understand our what works for us, but to achieve true mastery we should prepare to go beyond our zone of comfort. Along the way he takes us on a journey through his own world of discovery and explains how he became one of the best chess players in England. It's a deeply honest and at times tragicomic memoir as he also reveals his strategy for taking on his biggest rivals and how best to use computers to improve your chess.

Set in a mirror of our own world, Sigil & Shadow is a roleplaying game of urban fantasy and occult horror in which players take on the roles of illuminated heroes and shadowed monsters to face the rising tide of supernatural forces. Ancient nightmares lurk behind the closed doors of board rooms, entities from beyond time prowl the city streets, forgotten rituals are reborn as viral memes. Do you take a stand against the encroaching shadows? Or do you seek their power for yourself? Powered by the highly accessible d00Lite system, Sigil & Shadow focuses squarely on the story rather than the mechanics - who the characters are and what they do, not how they do it. Easy to adopt to any mythos, campaigns can be built around a wide range of plots, with players taking the role of anything from paranormal investigators and monster hunters to members of occult cabals or secret societies. The setting offered sees a modern world buffeted by the tides of supernatural power, where beings of myth wake from their slumber while modern cults sacrifice to pop-culture gods and ancient cabals pursue their age-old schemes into the digital age.

Do you relish the prospect of setting your opponent awkward problems from the early start of the game? If so, you should just continue reading, for in the Bg5 Najdorf, it's every man for himself, and only the best informed and most creative resourceful player survive. The Bg5 variation gives White very dangerous attacking ideas, and Blacks really needs to know a precise defense to come out of this variation alive. This book provides weapons that are ideal choices for those who revel in forcing opponents into chaotic and uncomfortable positions. Lukasz Jarmula, a player and writer of international caliber, will be your truthful guide!

You can just hear Chandler ask, "Could this deck be any kitschier?" These unofficial playing cards pay homage to the iconic and beloved '90s sitcom, Friends. In these Friends Playing Cards, the sextuplet is (more or less) coupled off and assigned to the four suits. Ross and Rachel are (on- and off-again) hearts. Monica and Chandler are diamonds, because Monica asked to be diamonds and who's going to argue with her? Then the ever-quirky Phoebe takes spades, leaving the loveable Joey as clubs. Who else could be the Joker but - "oh, my, GOD!" - the inimitable Janice? As 2019 marks 25 years since the first episode of Friends aired, there's never been a better time to deal these cards and whittle away some time with the very best of your friends.

This majestically illustrated bingo game features portraits of 64 royal icons from around the world. Spot famous faces like William and Kate, or meet some less familiar figures such as the playboy prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein. Royal Bingo brings a fun twist to the traditional game, with all the European royal families represented, along with some more exotic courts such as Jordan, Brunei and Malaysia. Each royal is further brought to life in the accompanying booklet, which details their personalities, foibles, gaffes and romances. Who will reign supreme?

The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand. In "Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Accepted" Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik take a fresh look at this famous opening. The early moves and ideas are introduced and care is taken to explain the reasoning behind them - something that is often neglected or taken for granted. As with previous works in the popular "Everyman Chess Starting Out" series, the reader is helped throughout with a plethora of notes, tips and warnings highlighting the vital characteristics of the QGA and of opening play in general. Written by opening experts, this book covers the all the main lines and is ideal for the improving player.

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess, such as strategy, attack, defence, opening play, endgames, off-board preparation and mental attitude. In each book the author chooses and deeply studies a number of great players who have excelled in such aspects of the game, greatly influenced their peers and inspired all of us. ----- In Giants of Innovation, Craig Pritchett selects five chess legends whose play exemplifies outstandingly innovative attributes. Wilhelm Steinitz established the essential ground-rules for modern positional chess. Emanuel Lasker pioneered a new kind of total all-out battling chess. Mikhail Botvinnik taught us how to prepare and successfully play an entire range of complex modern opening systems. Viktor Korchnoi set particularly high standards in the art of defence and counter-attack. Vassily Ivanchuk, a modern byword for ingenuity and surprise, excels by constant creation. ----- n Great Chess Romantics, Craig Pritchett selects five players, whose chess artistry expresses a deeply personal commitment to the discovery and revelation of great new truths and beauty on the chessboard. Anderssen defined romanticism's inherently dramatic and correct combinational core. Chigorin championed this essence in splendid opposition to an emerging new classical consensus. Reti revealed the extraordinary power of new flank openings. Larsen confounded the overly sober, scientific Soviet schoolI at innumerable turns. In the computer age, Morozevich constantly discovers new depths to chess, while simply oozing exquisite strokes in his best games.

Our Albert Racinet Ancient Egypt art is a nod to vintage art and design that helped influence Art Deco of the early 20th century. Albert-Charles-Auguste-Racinet (1825-1893) was a French costume historian, painter, illustrator, and author. Racinet's publication L'Ornement Polychrome is a monumental collection of more than 100 richly-coloured lithographic plates depicting decorative artwork from ancient civilisations through the 18th century. Standard deck of 54 playing cards including 2x joker cards Full-colour, richly-printed artwork on embossed, blue-core card stock Giftable flip-top box with magnetic closure Box measures: 95 x 68 x 25mm

Are you fearless in your approach to chess openings? Do you like to attack your opponents from the very beginning? Are you happy to take calculated risks? Do you loathe trivial positional chess? Do you feel the need to sacrifice pawns early in the game? Are you a Gambiteer? If the answer to these questions is 'yes!' then this is the book for you!
In his two-volume "Gambiteer "series, opening expert Nigel Davies produces a complete opening repertoire which is certainly not for the faint-hearted: uncompromising and wild attacking ideas for both colours. Whilst the first volume dealt with a gambit-style approach for White, this second book concentrates on an ambitious Black repertoire. All of the opening lines Davies advocates lead to positions of open warfare, where sharp, tactical play completely dominates dreary, positional subtleties. Are you ready for the battle? Then cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!
*A complete opening repertoire for Black
*A feast of bloodthirsty chess
*Ideal for the attack-minded player

Choosing the subject wasn't easy at all, since the topic of defense requires a comprehensive analysis from different angles in order to give the chess player under pressure useful guidelines during a game. Of course, the technical part is a matter of finding challenging, new and interesting positions. I was struggling with describing the emotions that we have during the game, how they influence our decision-making process and what we can do about that. Hence, I tried the best I could to define the issues the defender encounters during a stressful game. Finally I am confidently sharing with you the lessons that I learned from sport psychologists and literature, and my experience as a player over 30 years. GM Jan Werle November 2021

One, and sometimes more engines, toil without rationing electricity, sometimes checking on their master's ideas or more oft en showing their own evaluations and recommendations on screen with each conclusion supplemented by an exact numeric equivalent. There is no arguing with such an expert. Is it even necessary? He, as the almighty judge, knows all and can answer any question. All that is needed is patience. During a mutual training session, a young player who is currently one of the top in the world, asked Garry Kasparov: "How did you evaluate positions in the past?" After all standard evaluations like "better" or "worse" are too vague and cannot begin to satisfy a modern professional. Th e very question feels like a giant gap between the approach to solving chess problems then and now. Intuition and improvisation are gradually phased out by exact knowledge and calculation. So far this has only become fully evident in the opening. More than anything else it has become opening preparation which has made the biggest fundamental change to professional chess. So now let us peer behind the curtain!

Brought together in one volume as part of Everyman Chess's series of compilation books: Play the Najdorf: Scheveningen Style by John Emms and Play the King's Indian: A complete Repertoire for Black in this most dynamic of openings by Joe Gallagher. The Najdorf Sicilian is one of the most sharp, dynamic and popular openings that Black can play and is a firm favourite amongst the world's elite players, including world number one Garry Kasparov. From very early on, Black unbalances the game to a reach a position in which one can play for the win without exceptional risk. The soundness of the Najdorf has never been questioned, but some players can be put off by the ever-spiralling amount of theory amassed on this great opening. In Play the Najdorf, however, Grandmaster and openings expert John Emms condenses this mountain to produce a workable black repertoire against all of White's possible options. The King's Indian has always been one of the sharpest, most complex and popular openings that Black can play; it still provides the setting for many encounters at the elite level of Grandmaster chess. Straight from the start, Black fights for the initiative and in many variations, while White pursues material gains, it is Black who has the psychological advantage of trying to checkmate the opponent's king. Despite its many advantages, some prospective Kings Indian players are put off by the seemingly endless amount of theory one is supposed to learn. In Play the Kings Indian, however, Grandmaster and life-long Kings Indian devotee Joe Gallagher has produced a comprehensive and yet workable black repertoire against all of Whites most dangerous possibilities.