Book picks similar to
The Modern Scandinavian: Themes, Structures & Plans in an Increasingly Popular Chess Opening by Matthias Wahls
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The Promise
Emily Shiner - 2022
That’s why he secretly installs a tracking app on her phone and watches her through hidden cameras in their home.When he learns there’s a chance one of Erin’s kidneys will fail, he vows to shield her from the truth and find a donor for her at any cost.That’s how he meets Kathleen. She is the answer to his dreams, a perfect match for Erin. There’s only one problem – Kathleen has no intention of becoming a donor. That doesn’t bother Scott – he is confident he can manipulate her into giving him what he wants.But Kathleen isn’t as innocent as she looks, she has her own agenda. And she doesn’t care who she hurts as long as she gets what she needs.As lives hang in the balance, Erin and Kathleen are bound together by a terrible promise. But when that promise is broken, who will pay the ultimate price?The Promise – the stunning psychological thriller perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, Cathryn Grant, Daniel Hurst.
The Girl Inside
Karyn Masters - 2017
Her husband, Jax, owns an established psychiatry practice. Happily married and successful, you could say they have a bright future ahead of them. Of course, some things aren't always as they appear. Jax has a patient, Evangeline, who is obsessed with him. She can't decide whether she wants to love him, kill him, or destroy his life. Evangeline has a tumultuous personality. She is unpredictable and only has one thing on her mind, abolishing anything that threatens her happiness. As Jax's patient, she does more than confide in him, she falls under his spell, and they have secrets they'll do anything to protect. Is there more than meets the eye between doctor and patient? Is Jax living a lie? This psychological thriller, with its numerous twists and turns, raises constant questions throughout the story, such as: Who is this mysterious woman? Where did she come from? Is she dangerous? How is she tied to Jax? Is Greta a pawn in their game, or is she the queen?
Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess
Fred Waitzkin - 1988
When Fisher disappeared from public view, Waitzkin's interest waned--until his own son Josh emerged as a chess prodigy.Searching for Bobby Fischer is the story of Fred Waitzkin and his son, from the moment six-year-old Josh first sits down at a chessboard until he competes for the national championship. Drawn into the insular, international network of chess, they must also navigate the difficult waters of their own relationship. All the while, Waitzskin searches for the elusive Bobby Fischer, whose myth still dominates the chess world and profoundly affects Waitzkin's dreams for his son.
The Mammoth Book of Chess
Graham Burgess - 2009
It includes: sections on online chess, computers and openings; courses in tactics and attacking strategy; analysis of some of the greatest games ever played; and, information and advice on club, national, and international tournaments.
Nothing is Real: The Beatles Were Underrated And Other Sweeping Statements About Pop
David Hepworth - 2018
Is it catchy? Can you dance to it? Do you fancy the singer?
What’s fascinating about pop is our relationship with it. This relationship gets more complicated the longer it goes on. It’s been going on now for 50 years.David Hepworth is interested in the human side of pop. He’s interested in how people make the stuff and, more importantly, what it means to us. In this wide-ranging collection of essays, he shows how it is possible to take music seriously and, at the same time, not drain the life out of it. From the legacy of the Beatles to the dramatic decline of the record shop, from top tips for bands starting out to the bewildering nomenclature of musical genres, with characteristic insight and humour, he explores the highways and byways of this vast multiverse where Nothing Is Real and yet it is, emphatically and intrinsically so. Along the way he asks some essential questions about music and about life: is it all about the drummer; are band managers misunderstood; and is it appropriate to play ‘Angels’ at funerals?
As Pope John Paul II said ‘of all the unimportant things, football is the most important’. David Hepworth believes the same to be true of music and this selection of his best writing, covering the music of last fifty years, shows you precisely why.
Casualties
Elizabeth Marro - 2016
Some come back broken. Some just never come back... As an executive for one of the most successful military defense contractors in the country, Ruth Nolan should have been thrilled when her troubled son, Robbie, chose to join the marines. But she wasn’t. She was terrified. So, when he returns home to San Diego after his second tour in Iraq, apparently unscathed, it feels like a chance to start over and make things right—until a scandal at work tears her away from their reunion. By the next morning, Robbie is gone. A note arrives for Ruth in the mail a few days later saying, “I’m sorry for everything. It’s not your fault. I love you.” Without a backward glance, Ruth packs up Robbie’s ashes and drives east, heading away from her guilt and regret. But the closer she gets to the coast she was born on, the more evident it becomes that she won’t outrun her demons—eventually, she’ll have to face them and confront the painful truth about her past, her choices, the war, and her son.
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain
David Shenk - 2006
Its rules and pieces have served as a metaphor for society including military strategy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, literature, and the arts. It has been condemned as the devil’s game by popes, rabbis, and imams, and lauded as a guide to proper living by different popes, rabbis, and imams. In his wide-ranging and ever fascinating examination of chess, David Shenk gleefully unearths the hidden history of a game that seems so simple yet contains infinity. From its invention somewhere in India around 500 A.D., to its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its remarkable use as a moral guide in the Middle Ages and its political utility in the Enlightenment, to its crucial importance in the birth of cognitive science and its key role in the new aesthetic of modernism in 20th century art, to its 21st century importance to the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a remarkably omnipresent factor in the development of civilization. Indeed as Shenk shows, some neuroscientists believe that playing chess may actually alter the structure of the brain, that it may for individuals be what it has been for civilization: a virus that makes us smarter.From the Hardcover edition.
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
Murray Chandler - 1998
Each mating motif is carefully and simply explained, and several illustrative examples are given. A final test enables the reader to grade his pattern recognition abilities, and the last chapter explains what to do if your Dad is Garry Kasparov. Fun, instructive - and guaranteed to improve your game.
The Chess Player's Bible
James Eade - 2004
Here's an entertaining and informative manual for beginners, but it's filled with tips and techniques learners will retain and successfully employ as their skill develops and they match themselves against experienced players. With annotated illustrations and more than 300 examples, this fascinating manual demonstrates*Openings used by international masters, including the Ruy Lopez, the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Sicilian Defense, and others*Basic and advanced strategies, tactics, sacrifices, and pawn structure to help learners master the chess middle game*End game, with emphasis on use of rooks and pawnsIt's a comprehensive and compact reference that will find a ready place in school and private chess clubs. This book will also be a favorite among individuals who wish to discover chess as a pleasurable way to spend a social evening.
Game Changer: AlphaZero's Groundbreaking Chess Strategies and the Promise of AI
Matthew Sadler - 2019
The artificial intelligence system, created by DeepMind, had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the world’s strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength?For Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers and were offered a unique look ‘under the bonnet’ to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZero’s search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero.Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZero’s stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more.The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence. Not just in solving games, but in providing solutions for a wide variety of challenges in society.With a foreword by former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and an introduction by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.Matthew Sadler (1974) is a Grandmaster who twice won the British Championship and was awarded an individual Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympiad. He has authored several highly acclaimed books on chess and has been writing the famous ‘Sadler on Books’ column for New In Chess magazine for many years. Natasha Regan is a Women’s International Master from England who achieved a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University. Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan won the English Chess Federation 2016 Book of the Award for their book Chess for Life.
She
H.C. Warner - 2020
Sexy, impulsive and intelligent, Bella is everything he ever wanted. And Bella wants him. All to herself.In fact, Bella decides that everything is better when it is just the two of them, making it harder for Ben’s friends and family to stay in touch. And then a sudden tragedy triggers a chain of events which throws Ben headlong into a nightmare.Secrets, lies, vengeance and betrayal are at the heart of this utterly twisted story about a family that is destroyed when SHE becomes part of it…
Should Have Known Better
A.J. McDine - 2020
He could be the perfect catch – if it wasn’t for his clingy son.Because Ben has a crush on Chloe. A crush that is fast becoming an obsession.Flattered by the attention, Chloe is happy to string him along – for now at least.But Kate can see the danger signs, even if her daughter can't.And when Chloe’s life begins spiraling out of control, Kate must make a choice - trust her instincts or lose her daughter forever…
Ms Wiz Spells Trouble
Terence Blacker - 1988
"Wherever things need livening up." Things are certainly livened up at St Barnabas School when Class Three's new teacher arrives. She has a magic rat, a rather rude owl, and some very special powers. But when Podge's dad is turned into a warthog and the School Inspector loses his trousers, Class Three has to admit—Ms Wiz spells trouble!
You Are Mine
Miranda Rijks - 2019
Now he’s found her. Her name is Charlotte Aldridge and she’s wonderful. A talented artist, modest and beautiful, she’s everything he ever dreamed of. Her hair, her eyes, her mouth - every little detail is perfect.Rupert is confident that when they meet, she’ll fall in love with him just as he has with her. After all, he’s a wealthy British aristocrat. And he’s handsome – the relentless gym workouts and extensive plastic surgery have seen to that.But what if Charlotte can’t see that they’re a perfect fit, that they’re meant for each other? Well, Rupert can be very persuasive. His father taught him certain methods which are extremely effective. Methods that can turn the most determined, ‘I don’t’ into a meek and submissive, ‘I do’....A chilling, up-all-night psychological thriller, You Are Mine is perfect for fans of Mark Edwards and K. L. Slater
'Broadsword Calling Danny Boy': On Where Eagles Dare
Geoff Dyer - 2018
'Broadsword Calling Danny Boy' is Geoff Dyer's tribute to the film he has loved since childhood: an analysis taking us from its snowy, Teutonic opening credits to its vertigo-inducing climax. For those who have not even seen Where Eagles Dare, this book is a comic tour-de-force of criticism. But for the film's legions of fans, whose hearts will always belong to Ron Goodwin's theme tune, it will be the fulfilment of a dream.