Best of
Chess

2016

Checkmate: Bobby Fischer's Boys' Life Columns


Bobby Fischer - 2016
    Now, for the first time, all of these columns have been collected in one volume. It is an eclectic mix, a fascinating look at Fischer's writing and thinking as he reached his prime, maturing into the strongest player in the world. In these columns, he answers many readers' questions - from basic to sophisticated. His answers provide a unique glimpse into Fischer's thinking at the chessboard. The time period covered in these columns was one of the most critical in Fischer's career. It was during this time period that his opus magnum, My Sixty Memorable Games, was released. And as player, he grew from one of a few super-grandmasters to the best player in the world. The only thing missing was an actual title match. That of course would soon come. These columns are a diverse collection of tips for players, comments on playing, annotated games and casual observations. The games and annotations are presented in modern English algebraic notation. As Andy Soltis notes in his foreword, -You read [Fischer's Boys' Life columns] to see what was going on in that remarkable mind. As quirky as Checkmate was, these columns tell us a lot.-

My System & Chess Praxis: His Landmark Classics in One Edition


Aron Nimzowitsch - 2016
    In the sequel Chess Praxis, Nimzowitsch demonstrated how he had successfully tested his theories in his games.Without reading Nimzowitsch your chess education cannot be complete. Perhaps not all of his convictions have stood the test of time, but even today, any chess student will deepen his understanding while enjoying the author’s insights and witticisms. Part of the charm of Nimzowitsch’s prose was his idiosyncratic use of the German language, which has been very carefully preserved in Robert Sherwood’s new translation. Added in this edition are the influential essays The Blockade and On the History of the Chess Revolution 1911-1914.

Learn Chess the Right Way!: Book 1: Must-know Checkmates


Susan Polgar - 2016
    It introduces the most important checkmate and material-winning tactics, as well as defensive techniques to the new chess player. Each of the five volumes will consist of 500 puzzles. In Book 1, the focus is on one-move checkmate exercises. In each of the first five chapters, a specific piece delivers checkmate (in Chapter 1 – the queen, Chapter 2 – the rook, and so on). In Chapters 6-8, checkmates which involve special tactics (such as pins, discovered attacks, etc.) are introduced. Chapter 9 has a mixed collection of puzzles, without any hint about which piece is to deliver checkmate. Chapter 10 builds on the previous 9 chapters, and introduces basic patterns of checkmate in two moves. With over 40 years of experience as a world-class player and coach, international grandmaster Susan Polgar has developed the most effective way to help young players and beginners – Learn Chess the Right Way. Let her show you the way to understanding the most common and critical patterns and let her show you the way to becoming a better player. SUSAN POLGAR is a winner of four Women’s World Championships and the top-ranked woman chess player in the United States. She became the #1 woman player in the world at 15 and remained in the top 3 for over 20 years. In 2013, she received the U.S. Coach of the Year Award and the following year, she was named the Chess Trainer of the Year by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). She thus became the first person in history to be accorded both honors. Under her guidance, SPICE chess teams at both Texas Tech University and Webster University have won a combined five consecutive National Division I Collegiate Chess Championships.

Chess for Life


Matthew Sadler - 2016
    The conventional wisdom is that greater experience should compensate for a loss of youthful energy, but with so many of the world elite currently in their twenties, chess is increasingly looking like a young man’s game. By making a number of case studies and interviewing players who have stayed strong into their forties, fifties and beyond, the authors show in detail how players can steer their games towards positions where their experience can shine through. Interviewees include:•GM John Nunn•GM Yasser Seirawan•GM Nigel Short•GM Judit Polgar•GM Keith Arkell•GM Pia Cramling•FM Terry Chapman•GM Jon Speelman•GM Sergei Tiviakov•WIM Ingrid LauterbachBy examining so many aspects of chess, the authors have written a work that ends up transcending its subject-matter, and becomes a text on how and why we love chess, the means by which we can play successfully whatever our age and level of play, and how chess is truly a game for life.Matthew Sadler is one of the strongest British players of recent decades. Having become a GM in his teens, he twice won the British Championship and was awarded an individual gold medal at the 1996 Olympiad. After concentrating on an IT career for more than a decade, he returned to high-level chess in 2010 and quickly regained a spot in the world top 100. Matthew’s struggles to bring his game back up to speed after his long break were part of the inspiration for this book. Natasha Regan is a Women’s International Master from England who achieved a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University. While pursuing a successful career as an actuary in the insurance industry, she has raised a family and maintained a strong interest in chess and other board games, including Go.

1.e4 vs the Sicilian II


Parimarjan Negi - 2016
    Building on a foundation of critical main lines, Negi reveals an arsenal of new ideas, making this an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player. Reviews of the previous volumes: It s so good! It shows everything that you need to produce world-class preparation... Negi s book is absolutely stunning. My jaw kept dropping at the attacking ideas that Negi exposes in this book. GM Matthew Sadler, New in Chess Every now and then, every once-in-a-FIDE-cycle, a book comes along that seriously impresses me. And recently, I received another of these rare, pleasant shocks. Indian GM Parimarjan Negi s first book of his 1.e4 repertoire series is a real stand-out, an excellent piece of chess authorship. GM David Smerdon, Chess.com"

Morphy: Move by Move


Zenon Franco - 2016
    His understanding of the game was years ahead of his time and in his era he was easily the best player in the world. His chess career was brief but brilliant and he influenced all the great champions who came after him. His legacy includes a treasure trove of wonderful strategic and attacking games which are highly instructive for all aspiring chess players. In this book, Grandmaster Zenón Franco examines in detail Morphy’s chess style, selects and studies his favourite Morphy games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Morphy’s masterpieces. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of 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 improve your chess skills and knowledge. *Learn from the games of a chess legend *Important ideas absorbed by continued practice *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Maneuvering: The Art of Piece Play


Mark Dvoretsky - 2016
    FIND THE BEST SQUARES FOR YOUR PIECES To a large extent, the level of any chessplayer s skill depen....

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White: A Turn-key Package for Ambitious Beginners


Vincent Moret - 2016
    But where do you start? The risk of drowning in the turbulent sea of opening theory is only too real for beginning amateurs.Often your goals and ambitions will be misguided. If you are trying to win in 20 moves, copy what’s in fashion among top-GM’s or memorize variations, you are wasting your time. Most likely you will never get to play your ‘preparation’ and end up aimlessly switching from one opening to the other.Experienced French chess trainer Vincent Moret provides a complete, ready-to-go chess opening repertoire for White with a sound set of lines that do not outdate rapidly, do not require memorization and are easy to digest for beginners and post-beginners.To show the typical plans and the underlying ideas in the various lines of his repertoire, Moret not only selected games of grandmasters. He mainly uses games of young, improving players to highlight the errors they tend to make.With many exercises to test your understanding of the ideas behind the repertoire.

Mikhail Chigorin, the Creative Genius: New, Greatly


Jimmy Adams - 2016
    The defining moment for Chigorin came when he blundered away a completely winning position in the decisive final game of his second title match against Steinitz. Chigorin remains universally admired for his creative and courageous style of play. He was not guided by Dr. Tarrasch s general principles, prevalent at the time, but by the specific characteristics of each individual position. He would always play to win, not only by his famed dashing attacks but also by precise calculation of variations, purposeful manoeuvring and exploitation of positional weaknesses, artful defence and refined endgame play. Today Chigorin is best remembered for his contributions to opening theory. He was the finest gambit player of his generation, but it is his pioneering work in defences to the Spanish Game and Queen s Gambit as well as various King s Indian formations that has been the most enduring. The present book is a hugely expanded second edition of that published in 1987. Over two hundred extra games have been included, annotated by Chigorin and his contemporaries in addition to more modern grandmasters. The biographical part has been extended with hundreds of pages of material depicting Chigorin s turbulent life."

Under the Surface


Ján Markoš - 2016
    This book invites you beneath the surface, where you can learn to navigate the depths of chess. Jan Markos shows how a strong player perceives chess, which features of a position he focuses on, and how he thinks at the board. The author’s philosophy is that understanding chess brings pure happiness, and he would like to share this happiness with you.

Collected Annotations and Articles by Bobby Fischer


John Donaldson - 2016
    This includes Bobby's first book (Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess), articles he wrote for his columns in Chess Life and Boys Life, his contributions to Chess Informant, co-authorship of Chess Meets of the Century, contributions to the American Chess Quarterly and much more. Much of this material appears for the first time in algebraic notation. The authors have taken a critical look at Fischer's writings and offer many new observations. Dozens of never before seen pictures of Fischer and his contemporaries round out this massive work which comes to over 450 pages in print form.

The Safest Scandinavian


Vassilios Kotronias - 2016
    

Tactics Training - Magnus Carlsen: How to improve your Chess with Magnus Carlsen and become a Chess Tactics Master


Frank Erwich - 2016
    

How to Play Chess


Claire Summerscale - 2016
    From the opening move to checkmate, How to Play Chess is an easy-to-follow guide to achieve grandmaster greatness. Perfect for children aged 8-13, this companion explains chess tactics and strategies in simple language supported by amazing 3-D images. Starting with basic terms and techniques, this book will make you a chess champion and teach you master tips to impress your opponents. The book begins with a short history of chess and also explains the basic rules and objectives of the game. It contains descriptions of popular moves and the reference section illustrates the moves of one of the most famous chess games - the Opera Game played by the Duke of Brunswick in 1858. Grab a copy of How to Play Chess and learn to solve the toughest of chess challenges.

Tal Move by Move


Cyrus Lakdawala - 2016
    He was the World Champion and also holds the world record for the longest unbeaten run in competitive chess. Tal is widely regarded to be the greatest attacking player of all time. Nicknamed ‘the magician from Riga’, Tal was a creative genius who made it look as though absolutely anything was possible over the chessboard. He excelled in confusing his opponents in chaotic positions, and even the best defenders of his time were unable to withstand his blistering attacks. Tal’s many brilliant games have inspired generations of chess players who admire his play without ever being able to convincingly reproduce it. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala selects and examines his favourite Tal games, from the beginning to the end of his exceptional career. Lakdawala shows how we can all improve our chess by learning from Tal’s masterpieces. Cyrus Lakdawala examines his favourite games of the chess legend Mikhail Tal, a World Champion who is widely regarded to be the greatest attacking player of all time. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of 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 improve your chess skills and knowledge. Learn from the games of a World Champion Important ideas absorbed by continued practice Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

The Fianchetto Solution: A Complete, Solid and Flexible Chess Opening Repertoire for Black & White - With the King's Fianchetto (New in Chess)


Emmanuel Neiman - 2016
    When experienced chess teacher Emmanuel Neiman learned that some of his pupils hesitated to play in....

What it Takes to Become a Grandmaster (Batsfor Chess)


Andrew Soltis - 2016
    Packed with tips, tricks and practical exercises aimed at players of all skill levels who aspire to greatness.Even an average chess player can find the same moves as a Grandmaster as much as 75 percent of the time. The difference is that only the Grandmaster can find the other 25 percent. This book identifies the kinds of moves and techniques that account for that 25 percent. Among the topics covered in the book are: Mysterious rook pawn moves, Tacking, Piece Nullification, “King Feeling,” and how to play for a win without risk. Written by one of our biggest-selling and best-loved chess authors, in his trademark chatty, accessible but always informative style, this book is filled with practical exercises and test games that will reveal the secrets of how to join chess's elite ranks.

Instructive Chess Miniatures


Alper Efe Ataman - 2016
    The author wants to teach you a lot about chess and improve the quality of your play!He has selected 50 miniatures from throughout chess history – the earliest are from the 1850s, while the most recent are from grandmaster events just a few months ago! A miniature is a decisive game, won in 25 moves or fewer. Most of these 50 games feature brilliant tactics, attacks on the king, and even a few outrageous king-hunts. In many, the winner had to overcome cunning defensive ploys and inventive counterattacks.But our aim in this book is not just to admire the players’ skill, but to learn how we can play like this in our own games. Chess coach Ataman is keenly focused on the instructive points, explaining which features of the position justified the attacks, and what prompted the critical decisions. Where analysis is given, it is restricted to what it would be realistic for a human to work out at the board.But why are miniatures so instructive, especially for younger players? It’s because we get to see an idea or plan implemented successfully, in full. Once we understand what players are trying to achieve, we can then appreciate how to oppose these ideas, and the cut-and-thrust typical in modern grandmaster play will make a lot more sense.Alper Efe Ataman is a FIDE Master from Turkey. He is a chess publisher, author and an experienced trainer, especially at the scholastic level.

King's Indian Warfare


Ilya Smirin - 2016
    Learn to play the King s Indian like a world-class attacker from a life-long expert. Inside Smirin annotates his best games in the King s Indian, explaining his successes, including his mini-match of four games over a decade against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, which Smirin won 2.5 1.5. From sacrificial feasts to positional masterclasses, this book has it all.Grandmaster Ilya Smirin is three-time Israeli Champion, with a peak rating over 2700 and probably the most creative grandmaster of his generation.

1.e4 vs The Sicilian III


Parimarjan Negi - 2016
    Negi takes the established main lines and injects them with his own innovative ideas, making the repertoire a nightmare for Sicilian players and an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player. Reviews of the previous volumes: His books on the Sicilian are absolutely fabulous. GM Simen Agdestein, New in Chess It s so good! It shows everything that you need to produce world-class preparation... Negi s book is absolutely stunning. My jaw kept dropping at the attacking ideas that Negi exposes... Once again this is a work of the very highest quality. GM Matthew Sadler, New in Chess When I review a new book, I review HARD, and I go out of my way to look for holes. This makes it difficult for any author to meet my high expectations, but Negi continues to impress me... Another Negi book, another five stars. GM David Smerdon"

Tactics Training - Judit Polgar: How to improve your Chess with Judit Polgar and become a Chess Tactics Master


Frank Erwich - 2016
    One hundred training exercises are offered, in which the strongest female chess player in the world blows her opponents off the board with sparkling tactics. The puzzles start at a moderate level, and then gradually get more difficult. Are you up for the challenge? Judit Polgar (1976) is regarded as the strongest female chess player in history. For more than 25 years (1989-2015) she was ranked #1 in the Women's World Rankings. In 2005 Polgar became # 8 of the world, which was her highest ranking on the Men's Rating List.

Grandmaster Repertoire: 1.d4 The Queen's Gambit 1B


Boris Avrukh - 2016
    As GM Michael Adams said: The high-quality Grandmaster Repertoire series has taken this format to a completely different level. Or as GM Glenn Flear put it: This book represents nothing short of a technological advance in chess opening theory. Now Avrukh is back with an expanded, updated and revamped 1.d4 repertoire. Having covered the Catalan in the first instalment, Volume 1B supplies a top-class repertoire for White with the Queen s Gambit, covering defences such as the Slav, Queen s Gambit Accepted, Chigorin, Tarrasch and various others. The repertoire will be completed in Volumes 2A and 2B."

The Chess Endgame Study: A Comprehensive Introduction


A.J. Roycroft - 2016
    Unlike problems, studies do not stipulate the number of moves to the solution; they demand a greater knowledge of endgame theory, thus becoming useful tools for actual players while giving "studyists" self-contained epiphanies of compositional art. A. J. Roycroft, founder of the Chess Endgame Study Circle and editor of its magazine EG, presents this complete introduction to the endgame study. Roycroft writes the history of endgame study with its international roster of great theorists and composers; he directs an encyclopedic discourse to all varieties of chess lovers — casual solvers, composers and connoisseurs, analysts and judges; and he offers over 400 endgame studies dating from ninth-century Arabia to the present. All studies, from the transparent to the endlessly complex, are annotated with genial wit and spirit. Roycroft devotes much coverage to definition, classification, and retrieval of published endgame studies, providing his own modification of the Guy-Blandford system. He also investigates motivation and creativity, summing up with a grand apologia on chess as game, science, and art.

Learn Chess the Right Way: Book 3: Mastering Defensive Techniques


Susan Polgar - 2016
    It introduces the most important checkmate and material-winning tactics, as well as defensive techniques to the new chess player. Each of the five volumes will consist of over 500 puzzles. In Volume 3, you will be introduced to 500 must-know defensive techniques. Each chapter will start with a few introductory examples and explanation about to what to look for in the puzzles that follow. In chapter 1, the task is to move an attacked piece. In each puzzle, there is only one good solution by moving the attacked piece to a safe square. In chapter 2, one of the kings is in check. The goal is to find the correct response. In chapter 3, a piece is attacked, but has no good square to which to move. So, rather than moving the attacked piece(s), you will need to look for a way to protect it with another piece. In chapter 4, we focus on defensive ideas against a direct checkmate threat. In chapter 5, one side "defends" by counter-attacking. In chapters 6 and 7, you will be introduced to the game-saving techniques of drawing by stalemate or perpetual check. In chapter 8, the task is to catch a pawn that is about to promote. In chapter 9, a certain piece is about to get "trapped." The task is to prepare for the attack and avoid material loss. Finally, in chapter 10, you can practice solving a variety of defensive ideas, with the goal to avoid or minimize material losses or being checkmated. With over 40 years of experience as a world-class player and coach, international grandmaster Susan Polgar has developed the most effective way to help young players and beginners - Learn Chess the Right Way. Let her show you the way to understanding the most common and critical patterns and let her show you the way to becoming a better player. SUSAN POLGAR is a winner of four Women's World Championships and the top-ranked woman chess player in the United States. She became the #1 woman player in the world at 15 and remained in the top 3 for over 20 years. In 2013, she received the U.S. Coach of the Year Award and the following year, she was named the Chess Trainer of the Year by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). She thus became the first person in history to be accorded both honors. Under her guidance, SPICE chess t

The Agile London System: A Solid but Dynamic Chess Opening Choice for White


Alfonso Romero Holmes - 2016
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Attacking Chess for Club Players: Improve Your Skills to Overpower Your Opponent


Herman Grooten - 2016
    Your goal is clear, your thinking is concrete, your creativity is flowing and direct victory is just around the corner. Few things in life are better than successfully conducting a blistering attack on your opponent’s King!But how good are you actually at attacking? Have you ever analysed your efforts? Looked at calculation errors, missed opportunities and derailed efforts? After the immense success of his award-winning classic Chess Strategy for Club Players, Herman Grooten has now written an equally accessible follow-up primer on attacking chess. He teaches you how to spot opportunities, exploit weaknesses, bringing your forces to the frontline and striking at the right moment.Grooten concentrates on training the most valuable skills for this process: visualizing, structuring, anticipating, calculating, memorizing and other mental aspects. This is not just another collection of useful thematic moves and motifs but a complete and highly structured course of attacking techniques. And with fantastic new examples, clear explanations and many instructive exercises.

Beating the Anti-Sicilians


Vassilios Kotronias - 2016
    In Grandmaster Repertoire 6A Beating the Anti-Sicilians, grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias provides full coverage against White s many attempts to steer the game away from Open Sicilian territory. Beginning with sidelines on move 2, and extending all the way to variations tested at World Championship level, the author provides expert recommendations against all White s sensible deviations (as well as some not-so-sensible ones!) with specific advice tailored for 2...d6, 2...e6 and 2...Nc6 players.Be it tackling Wing and Morra Gambits head first, outmanoeuvring 2.c3 and Closed aficionados, bashing 3.Bb5 or ruining the Rossolimo, this book contains everything you need to make your opponents wish they had played 2.Nf3 and 3.d4!"

Chess Tactics For Intermediates: Know the basics stronger to become a better player!


Karthik P.M. - 2016
    Usually these tactics were learned by beginners, but the problem with most of the intermediate players that I’ve seen is not knowing these concepts clearly and that is the reason why I dedicate this book to intermediate players. After reading this book you’ll be able to: * Understand what tactics are * Understand different type of tactics * Understand the difference between similar tactics * Understand the types of specific tactic * Understand how tactics are used in real games * Understand how a player’s thinking process should be * Understand how to use these tactics *Understand much more.