It is difficult to know what is important and what is not, and when specific knowledge is vital, or when a more general understanding is sufficient. Tragically often, once the opening is over, a player won't know what plan to follow, or even understand why his pieces are on the squares on which they sit. John Watson seeks to help chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. In his previous books on chess strategy, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy and Chess Strategy in Action, he explained vital concepts that had previously been the domain only of top-class players. Moreover, he did so in ways that have enabled them to enter the general chess consciousness of club players. Here he does likewise for the openings, explaining how flexible thinking and notions such as 'rule-independence' can apply to the opening.In this major four-volume work, Watson presents a wide-ranging view of the way in which top-class players really handle the opening, rather than an idealized and simplified model. This volume, focusing on king's pawn openings, is a book that will make chess-players think hard about how they begin their games, while offering both entertainment and challenging material for study in openings such as the Sicilian and Ruy Lopez.

    The American Civil War rages on, neither side able to establish a clear advantage. Most of California has fallen into the sea. The Sioux Nations have reclaimed the Dakotas. And the dead walk among us. In Deadlands: The Weird West Roleplaying Game, players take on the roles of hexslinging hucksters, mad scientists armed with weird, steampunk gizmos, deadly gunfighters, fearless Indian braves, and wizened shamans. In 1863, a vengeful warband called the Last Sons unleashed the manitous upon humanity, and nothing has been the same since.

    Now they bring that ambition to bear on a world they would claim for themselves. With vast wealth, the ability to command the spirits of the dead, and a strict familial hierarchy, the greatest enemy to stand against Clan Giovanni is itself.The Curse of Caine StolenAs the next entry in the revised lineup of clanbooks, Giovanni takes one of the classic Vampire sourcebooks and brings it into a modern context. All-new information accompanies revised material, inviting you to add as much depth to your character as you like. The sheer volume of information contained in the new clanbooks (each with 32 more pages than the first-edition books) permits Storytellers to round out their chronicles.

    Pull up a chair and watch the world's most exciting chess endings. Then become an endgame master!Winning Chess Endings explains how to:*Relentlessly find checkmates, from easy to hard, in all basic endgame patterns*Master the intricacies of King and Pawn Endings*Win consistently in the most common endgame--the Rook ending*Master the pros and cons of Bishop vs. Knight Endgames*Seize the advantage in Rook Pawn and Queen Pawn endings*Play like a grandmaster in solitaire endings

    THRILLER - the music, the videos, the looks and the dance moves that changed music forever. February 12th, 2008 saw the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller album in a special 25th anniversary edition featuring all classic Thriller hits digitally remastered, a bonus DVD with Jackson's electrifying appearances and dance moves from the Thriller era PLUS brand-new tracks and remixes of Thriller's biggest hits with guest stars such as Akon, Fergie, Kanye West, and will.i.am. Now, the party continues: THRILLER 25th Anniversary - The Book celebrates the iconic King of Pop and the world's biggest selling album of all time. More than 180 exclusive, high quality, digitally remastered and glossy photographs make this book a visual journey back to the iconic times of Thriller: Behind the scenes in the studio recording THRILLER, making the revolutionary short films, being on a victorious tour, Grammy's most glorious night, and much more. FEAT. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS: Quincy Jones (Executive Producer, Thriller); Rod Temperton (Songwriter, Thriller); John Landis (Director, Thriller - The Short Film); Tamara Conniff (Editiorial Director, BILLBOARD); Matt Forger (Sound Engineer, Thriller); Bruce Swedien (Sound Engineer, Thriller); Bob Giraldi (Director, Beat It); and many more. ALSO: The stories behind the Thriller songs, unreleased songs from the Thriller recording sessions, hand-written lyrics by Michael Jackson, hand-written notes from the studio sessions, poems by Michael Jackson, and much more.

    Poker's biggest players, such as Phil Ivey (2009 WSOP Main Event Finalist), Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson and Daniel Negreanu give first-person accounts of their personal journeys and the key moments in their rise to the top of the poker pantheon. These stories will teach, inspire and make you laugh. Deal Me In humanizes the larger-than-life personalities, allowing the reader to understand more about poker strategy through the trials and errors of the best players in the game. Each poker legend tells his or her own story in the book including: Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan, Chris Jesus Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Chau Giang, Jennifer Harman, Allen Cunningham, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Chad Brown, David Devilfish Ulliott, Layne Flack, Scotty Nguyen, Annette Obrestad, Tom Dwan and the 2008 Main Event winner Peter Eastgate.

    Slim and portable, it offers concise summaries of a wide variety of bids and coordinates with Grant's Bridge Basics books. A color-coded Bidding Ladder indicates the meaning of bids, and tabs grant quick access to any of the topics. This revision adds four pages, providing expanded information and a handy new scoring chart.

    Another thing that makes Japan unique in the gaming world is the prevalence of game arcades. While the game arcade scene has died in the U.S., there are 9,500 "game centers" in Japan with more than 445,000 game machines. Arcade Mania introduces overseas readers to the fascinating world of the Japanese gemu senta. Organized as a guided tour of a typical game center, the book is divided into nine chapters, each of which deals with a different kind of game, starting with the UFO catchers and print club machines at the entrance and continuing through rhythm games, fighting games, shooting games, retro games, gambling games, card-based games, and only-in-Japan games. Covering classic games from Space Invaders to Street Fighter, games that are familiar to Americans in their home console versions (Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Dance, Dance Revolution), as well as the unique, quirky games found only in Japan, Arcade Mania is crammed full of interviews with game makers and star players, and packed with facts about the history, background and characteristics of each game, all lavishly illustrated with photographs and game graphics. This book is a must-have for gamers everywhere.

    This campaign guide offers both players and Gamemasters a wide array of new options that can be used to craft a unique roleplaying game experience. As the galaxy plunges into one war after another, the forces of the Republic, along with their Jedi allies, struggle to protect themselves from hordes of invading Mandalorians, tyrannical Sith lords, and traitorous allies on every front. Featuring new game material drawn from a variety of sources, and including characters, weapons, vehicles, and droids, this book presents an entire campaign during the violent days of the Old Republic. This book also contains new Force powers, Force techniques, and Force secrets for Jedi and Sith characters, as well as new options for characters of all classes. Players can take advantage of new talents, feats, and other options to play a Mandalorian neo-crusader, a Republic soldier battling against the forces of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, or a Jedi in exile on the run from the Sith.

    BradyGames’ World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide includes the following: Complete coverage of each race, with strengths, weaknesses, and more.WEAPONS: Discover the awesome battery of weapons and armor, with detailed equipment listsNORTHREND EXPLORED: In-depth information on quests, bosses, and treasuresNEW DUNGEONS: Instances and Raid roles explained plus locations and strategyCOMPLETE CRAFTING COVERAGE: Every recipe for every crafting professionPlatform: PCGenre: Role-Playing Game

    But Were Afraid to Ask dives underneath the sheet music to bring the world of classical music to life.Perfect for beginners and intermediates alike – as well as revealing some hidden treasures that even experts will be surprised by – Darren Henley’s witty and knowledgeable writing offers insights into the composition of an orchestra, the workings of its instruments and the lives and creativity of composers both old and new.Charting the development of classical music through its composers and their eras, it is a perfect easy-to-pick-up-and-read gift or the self-purchase that means you need never fear getting your librettos and arias mixed up at the opera again.'Drawing from their vast experience in making classical music available, Mssrs. Henley and Jackson have crafted a thoroughly enjoyable work that is of value both to the newcomer to classical music as well as the more seasoned aficionado. They approach the subject with both a love of music and a strong awareness of the reluctance many people have to become involved with this musical form ... a relaxed, informative, and eminently enjoyable introduction to the field of classical music.' --Donald F Calbreath, New York Journal of Books

    Features new rules for creating heroes native to the domains, adapting magic to the demiplane, and dealing with fear and horror checks when the characters experience the true terror that dominates the Ravenloft "RM" campaign.Night is Falling. The Mists are RisingEmbrace the Darkness.Enter the dark and macabre world of Ravenloft.But beware -once you begin to walk among the mists and shadows,you can never leave.Domains of Dread is the core rulebook for the second edition of the award-winning RAVENLOFT campaign setting - the original fantasy horror role-playing game. Within the pages of this book, players and Dungeon Masters will discover the darkest secrets of the Land of the Mists, including many never-before-seen features:Detailed guidelines on designing anything from short-term horror adventures to long-running campaigns of twisted terror.Complete rules for generating player characters native to the Demiplane of Dread.Four new character classes specifically designed for use in RAVENLOFT campaigns - the avenger, the anchorite, the gypsy, and the arcanist!An all-new player character race - the half-Vistani!Updated and expanded descriptions of the Demiplane and the foul lords who rule its tortured domains!Revised fear, horror, and madness checks to enhance the terror.New rules for power checks, plus thirteen detailed steps that lead from grace to absolute corruption!Summary of content:1: The Demiplane of Dread: general description of Ravenloft, as well as a history and theories about the nature of the dark powers, and an overview of the technological levels in Ravenloft (from Stone Age to Renaissance)2: Domains of the Core3: Islands of Terror (Bluetspur, G´Henna, I´Cath, Kalidnay, Nosos, Odiare, Souragne and Vorostokov)4: Clusters (Amber Wastes (Har'Akir, Sebua and Pharazia), Zherisia (Paridon and Timor), the Burning Peaks (Vecna and Kas's domains) and Pockets (Davion, The House of Lament, The Nightmare Lands and Scaena)5: Secret Societies - short chapter on nine secret societies - Keepers of the Black Feather, Green Hand, Circle, Church of Ezra, Vistani, Carnival, Kargatane, Fraternity of Shadows, Unholy Order of the rave)6: Fear, Horror, and Madness rules7: Powers Checks rules8: The Path of the Priest - changes in the priest class9: The Way of the Wizard - changes for wizards.10: Mazes of the Mind - changes for psionics11: Forged of Darkness - changes for magical items12: The Whispered Evil - curses.13: Tenets of Terror - discussion about the general nature of Ravenloft adventures and campaignsAppendix: ability scores, character races, character classes (some new: Avengers (paladins), Arcanist (wizards), Anchorites (priest of Ezra), gypsy (bard)

    This Minecraft ULTIMATE Book of Secrets designed to help you discover secrets you couldn't imagine before! Become a pro in Minecraft! Master your game right now! * Extremely easy to read! * Tons of secrets! * Explore Minecraft features you never knew about ! All-in-one secrets book, 2014.

    NFT Guides detail everything residents take advantage of, placing a wealth of local services at their fingertips, in a convenient size.

    With insider info and tips from the experts at game-creator Mojang, this is the definitive, fully illustrated guide to farming in Minecraft.Learn the finer points of farming with Minecraft: Guide to Farming, and put theory into practice to create a sustainable flow of resources in Minecraft.