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CJS Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation Vol 4 C.J.S Purdy £14.99 Purdy was a teaching genius, an original thinker, explorer and discoverer. He wrote about chess' best games,its best players, and was not averse to disagreeing with established 'authority'. This last volume of Purdy's classic series contains 100 annotated high level games. |
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Chess Results 1921-1930 Di Felice £19.99 This comprehensive chronological reference lists the results of men’s chess competitions all over the world. From the famous to the lesser known, both individual and team matches from 1921 through 1930 are remembered here. Entries record location and, when available, the group that sponsored the event. Both first and last names of players are included whenever possible and are standardized for easy reference. Compiled from contemporary sources such as newspapers, periodicals, tournament records and match books, this work contains 940 tournament crosstables and 210 match scores. It is indexed by events and players. |
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Informator 96 |
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Caro-Kann Defence: Advance Variation and Gambit System Karpov & Podgaets £15.99 It is therefore parodoxical that the Advance Variation 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5, presently at the cutting edge of chess theory and practice, has become one of the most wildly exciting variations in the whole realm of opening theory. At times the positions obtained are almost surreal and bear no resemblance to any other chess opening. Pawns on either flank are thrust forward furiously, both kings are left in the centre to look after themselves, sacrifices of pawns and pieces are aplenty. Unusual material balances and strange mating patterns are characteristic of these variations. In addition to the Advance Variation the authors cover the Gambit System (which many of you know as the Fantasy Variation - 3 f3), making this a stand alone volume for players of the White pieces and an essential reference source for Caro-Kann adherents. |
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Practical Chess Defence Aagaard £15.99 Chess is developing faster now than ever before in history, and the appearance of strong chess computers has changed the way players think. In the past many positions would have been rejected on principle as impossible to defend, and even the best players would shy away from capturing material if it meant that they would have to face a difficult defense. This attitude has changed, and today’s top players are not afraid of walking a very fine line in defense. Here's practical advice on various methods of defense, offering readers the chance to test and train with 200 challenging examples. While not for the fainthearted, this book will help the reader greatly improve in this vital part of the game. |
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Opening for White According to Kramnik 1b Alexander Khalifman £15.99 The concept of the series "Opening for White according to Kramnik" is as simple as innovative. Former FIDE world champion Khalifman helps you building a complete repertoire for White, using as a model the repertoire of Vladimir Kramnik – the only chessplayer who has beaten Kasparov in a match. The author guides you through the deep of variations, relying on Kramnik's choice and taste whenever possible. This approach proves extremely rewarding nowadays with databases of millions of games, offering you numerous continuations virtually on every move. Khalifman not only makes the choice for you, but also explains the ideas behind the moves and adds in his own analyses. |
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Chess Openings for White, Explained Alburt £19.99 Every chess player needs a set of openings he can trust. Chess Openings for White, Explained gives you a complete repertoire of carefully selected, interrelated openings to show you how to win with White using Bobby Fischer’s favorite first move, 1 e4. Additionally, you get an informative review of every opening from White’s point of view, even the ones not part of the book’s repertoire. This book, together with its companion volume, gives you the most thorough explanation of chess opening moves and ideas available. Here’s what Grandmaster Glenn Flear had to say about Chess Openings for Black, Explained “It’s exactly what many have been looking for but don’t even realize it: a great book for really learning openings without just memorizing variations. |
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Starting Out: 1 e4 Neil McDonald £14.99 Struggling to find a suitable repertoire with white? Clueless on how to play against the Sicilian, unprepared for the Pirc or Caro-Kann? Neil McDonald has the answer. McDonald’s solid repertoire recommends: - Playing the Scotch against 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 - Tackling the Sicilian with the main lines - Meeting the Caro-Kann with the exchange variation - Unleashing the Tarrasch variation against the French Defence. |
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Starting Out: 1 d4 John Cox £14.99 A reliable repertoire for the improving player. Building and maintaining an opening repertoire can be a demanding task – for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to choose from. There’s a strong temptation amongst beginners and improving players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this approach has only short-term value. As you improve and your opponents become stronger, very often these crafty lines don’t stand up to close scrutiny, and suddenly you’re back to square one with no suitable opening weapons. |
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Harry Nelson Pillsbury: Genius Ahead of His Time Cherniaev £15.99 Harry Nelson Pillsbury shot to fame at the age of 22 when he won outright the incredibly strong Hastings 1895 tournament ahead of such luminaries as Steinitz, Chigorin and Lasker. Had it not been for his untimely death at the age of 33 he may well have gone on to challenge for the World Championship. In the only book on Pillsbury currently in print Grandmaster Alexander Cherniaev presents 50 of his best games and shows why he ranks alongside Morphy and Fischer as one of the greatest ever American players. |
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Chess College 1: Strategy Grivas £12.99 Chess College is a new series of books to take intermediate players to new levels of chess understanding. New ideas are introduced and immediately illustrated by a number of entertaining and instructive examples, many drawn from the author's own practice. Volume 1: Strategy introduces a variety of topics, including: "Why do we lose?", Attack on the King, Two Bishops, Passed Pawn, Exchange Sacrifice, Positional Sacrifice, and Outpost. By drawing extensively upon his own games, Grivas is able to explain exactly what was going on over the board, and avoids the pitfall of providing overly familiar, clichéd examples. This is part of a three-volume series that provides a wealth of instruction on many aspects of chess middlegames. |
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Chess College 2: Pawn Play Grivas £12.99 Volume 2: Pawn Play discusses aspects of pawn play that are vital to successful chess, such as: Semi-open File, Isolated Pawn, Doubled Pawns, Backward Pawn, Hanging Pawns, Pawn Majority, Pawn Minority, Central Break. |
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Chess College 3: Technique Grivas £12.99 Volume 3: Technique features topics including the central break, bishop vs. knight, standard sacrifices against the castled position, opposite-coloured bishops, and immobilization, and discussions on topics such as how to handle won positions and lost positions, and positions with small advantages, together with a wealth of training tips. |
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How to Calculate Chess Tactics Beim £15.99 Thinking methods are at the heart of the chess struggle, yet most players devote little conscious effort to improving their calculating ability. Much of the previous literature on the subject has presented idealized models that have limited relevance to the hurly-burly of practical chess, or else provide little more than ad hoc suggestions. Here, experienced trainer Valeri Beim strikes a balance by explaining how to use intuition and logic together to solve tactical problems in a methodical way. He also offers advice on when it is best to calculate 'like a machine', and when it is better to rely on intuitive assessment. |
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Beating the Fianchetto Defences Grivas £15.99 Grivas provides a full and detailed repertoire for White against five important openings: the Grünfeld, King's Indian, Benoni, Benko and Modern. In each case, he has recommended a line in which he has a wealth of experience, and has played a significant personal role in developing over many years. The recommendations are geared towards posing Black unconventional problems: your opponents will not be able to churn out lengthy memorized variations, but will need to solve problems at the board in positions that are somewhat different in character from those normally reached in these openings. Grivas has also chosen the repertoire so that it forms a seamless whole, and will fit alongside an English or Réti move-order, in addition to a standard 1 d4 repertoire. |
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Kasparov's Fighting Chess 1993-1998 Károlyi & Aplin £15.99 Garry Kasparov has dominated the world of competitive chess for longer than any world champion. The period 1993-1998 represents one of the richest phases in his career. With the announcement of his retirement, it is only appropriate that the games should now be appreciated in the greatest depth possible. Earlier games are analyzed with computer assistance for the first time - sometimes revealing blemishes in existing analysis - showing the richness of thought and the supreme versatility of the player many consider to be the greatest of all time. Particular emphasis is placed on evaluations of the openings chosen and statistics on the champion's record against his most fiercely competitive rivals. |
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Secrets of Opening Surprises Volume 5 Bosch £12.99 The highly acclaimed SOS series provides intermediate chess players with perfectly playable, easily digestible opening ideas: deviations from main line opening theory in a very early stage of the game (usually before move six). Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the chess opening will be able to apply these SOS-ideas in an actual game. There is no need to study large quantities of stuffy theory, but there is an almost immediate return on the investment of a limited amount of time. Readers of SOS will baffle their opponents, gain crucial time, and stand a good chance to get an advantage in the game. |
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Chess for Kids and Parents
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Chess Monthly More details on how to subscribe click here. Or Click here for more information |
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Understanding Chess Tactics Weteschnik £13.99 "Chess is 99% tactics" is an old saying. This may be an exaggeration, but even the remaining 1% still depends on tactics. When Martin Weteschnik started working as a trainer in his local chess club, he quickly realized that even the stronger club players had great weaknesses in their tactical play. He also discovered that simply asking them to solve a huge number of puzzles did not fix the problem. These players clearly needed a good book, but when Weteschnik looked for it he found nothing suitable, so he decided to write it himself. |
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Test Your Chess (Part 2) Reitstein £8.99 240 puzzles taken from games played in South Africa. Nicely presented and with excellent selection of positions this is a real joy to work through. Suitable for players of upwards of 100 BCF / 1400 elo. |
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Tactics in the Chess Openings (Part 4) Nijboer & van der Stricht £13.95 Part 4 of the successful series introducing opening tactics for casual chess players and club players. It teaches how to recognize opportunities to attack early in the game, and how to avoid standard pitfalls in the opening. This book explains in more than 230 carefully selected and annotated games, all the tactical themes and typical traps of all the main lines in the Queen’s Gambit, Slav, Tarrasch, Trompowsky, Torre and Colle. After studying these brilliant surprise attacks, or just enjoying them, the adventurous player will win more games. |
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Chess Explained: Queens Indian Wells £12.99 Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have. The Queen's Indian is an important and popular opening at all levels of play. Black's flexible stance allows him to choose between a range of solid and dynamic structures. In turn, White can play flexibly, opposing Black's fianchetto, or can try to force the pace in the centre and start a hand-to-hand fight. It is an opening rich in nuances, and many of the modern main lines involve moves that look extravagant, but are backed up by a deep underlying logic. |
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New in Chess Yearbook 79 £16.95 The chess players guide to opening news, this issue contains articles on: ‘Black is not OK against Magnus in the Paulsen’; Topalov catches Nisipeanu with his own Rauzer novelty; Does Aronian really know nothing about the Slav and the English? Spanish aggression in the French, by Matamoros and Moskalenko; Richard Palliser presents the spine-tingling Tamianov Benoni and dozens of other opening secrets and surprise weapons. |
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Botvinnik’s Secret Games Timman £16.95 Mikhail Botvinnik was the ultimate boy scout of chess - always prepared! Indeed, his advance preparation for his key matches was feared by the greatest. It even involved the radio blaring while he was playing training games as well as having nicotine-puffing opponents blow smoke in his eyes during practice games, in order to acclimatise himself for the real thing. Botvinnik’s training games were a well guarded secret only shared by a few trusty colleagues, such as the Grandmasters Ragozin, Averbakh and Furman. The Soviet state was a monument to paranoia at the best of times, but suspicion multiplied when world titles hinged on secrecy, and these games have lain hidden for decades after they were played. Botvinnik was World Champion three times, from 1948-1957, 1958 -1960 and 1961 -1963. His final championship victory against Tal in the 1961 revenge match counts as one of the highest scoring rating performances in the history of chess. It was of course based on the most meticulous preparation, not least in the psychological sphere of seeking to find and play positions which were not to Tal’s taste. |
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Secrets of Chess Endgame Strategy Hansen £15.99 A large proportion of chess games are decided in the endgame or in the transition to the endgame, but chess literature has provided relatively little guidance for players seeking to improve their skill in making the vital decisions in these phases of the game. Building on the ideas introduced in his ground-breaking work Foundations of Chess Strategy, Lars Bo Hansen provides a thought-provoking and convincing treatise on how players can maximize the practical problems for their opponents while emphasizing the strengths of their own position. Under his guidance, chess-players will more easily focus on the key elements in the position, and devise plans for exploiting them to the full, and develop a better understanding of which pieces need to be exchanged, and which weaknesses really matter. |
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GM-RAM Ziyatdinov £14.99 Over 250 challenging positions to solve from the middlegame and endgame, many containing valuable tricks that recur time and time again. The positions are made even more challenging by the fact that no solutions are given, so you've got to work them out all by yourself! |
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Search for Chess Perfection II Purdy £17.99 The 400 page "The Search for Chess Perfection II" is a book everyone has been waiting and clamouring for since the first edition came out in 1997 and completely sold out within 18 months. There have been a number of additional features and improvements in this edition: 2 additional articles on combinations have been added, additional diagrams to games and many new footnotes have been put in and some superb chess art of the late Bill Morey have been included. Many have described this as perhaps the best "teaching" chess book of all time because the author, a world champion himself, was able to explain and annotate even complicated subjects with unsurpassed clarity. |
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Quarterly for Chess History 11/2004 £21.95 Another fine collection of games from chess' yesteryear. This volume covers Olbrich Duras’ games from 1905, the forgotten tournament of Barmen 1905, two matches of David Janowski whilst a plethora of chess-related material, great players and little-known games also appear. |
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Chess Christmas Whyld £29.95 Contains articles (17 in total) written by the late Ken Whyld and distributed with his Christmas cards between 1985 and 2002 with topics including: ‘Blackburne’s matches 1887’, ‘Development of the Chess Problem’ and the ‘Worst Chess problem in the world’. |
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French Advance (2nd edition) Collins £14.99 The Advance Variation is a popular and direct way of meeting the ultra-solid French Defence. Very early on in the game White opts to fix the pawn structure and establishes a genuine space advantage, upon which he later hopes to mount a serious attack. This method of playing against the French Defence has become a firm favourite amongst uncompromising Grandmasters such as Alexei Shirov, England’s Nigel Short and the rising star in Russia, Alexander Grischuk. In this book openings expert Sam Collins explains the strategy and tactics of this dynamic opening, studying both the main lines as well as the more offbeat variations. Through the use of model games for both White and Black, he provides a thorough grounding in the key plans and ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently begin to use the French Advance in their own games. |
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Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual (2nd edition) Dvoretsky £19.95 The first edition of Endgame Manual was a huge success, selling its entire print run in next to no time and winning many awards along the way. This new edition has seen many revisions and additions which now has over 400 pages - covering all the aspects of the endgame. A synopsis of the first edition: Russian International Master Mark Dvoretsky is perhaps the most respected chess instructor in the world today. His latest work, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, is sure to become a classic on one of the most difficult and subtle phases in chess. It covers all the most important positions required for endgame mastery, from elementary king-and pawn endings to complex rook or queen endgames that have baffled even top grandmasters. Artur Yusupov: "I am sure that those who study this work carefully will not only play the endgame better, but overall, their play will improve. One of the secrets of the Russian chess school is now before you, dear reader!" Jacob Aagaard: "Going through this book will certainly improve your endgame knowledge, but just as important, it will also greatly improve your ability to calculate variations ... What really impresses me is the deep level of analysis in the book ... All I can say is: This is a great book. I hope it will bring you as much pleasure as it has me." |
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Fearsome Four Pawns Attack Konikowski & Soszynski £16.95 Ever fancied playing the most aggressive system imaginable against one of Black’s most popular defenses? Suiting the type of player that concerns himself only with full points and thinks ‘draw’ is a type of poker. The aim of the system is clear; white is claiming as much central space as possible and aims to suffocate black before a powerful central pawn thrust. Uncomfortable for the black player to meet this opening puts the defense back into the King’s Indian Defense. An excellent book with thorough research and detailed annotations covering a much neglected variation. |
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Garry Kasparov’s Greatest Games of Chess (Vol 2) Stohl £22.50 Garry Kasparov has dominated the chess world for more than twenty years. His dynamism and preparation have set an example that is followed by most ambitious players. Igor Stohl has selected the best and most instructive games from Kasparov's later years, and annotated them in great detail. The emphasis is on explaining the thoughts behind Kasparov's decisions, and the principles and concepts embodied by his moves. Stohl provides a wealth of fresh insights into these landmark games, together with many new analytical points. This makes the book outstanding study material for all chess enthusiasts. |
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Anti-Anti-Sizilianisch Gegengift £13.99 Fantasticly detailed coverage of the highly unusual opening 1.e4 c5 2.c3 b6!? Currently available in GERMAN only. |
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Informator 95 £20.95 Chess Informant 95 contains 406 annotated games and 493 game fragments with contributions from Anand, Svidler, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Ponomariov, Morozevich, Grischuk, Adams and many others. Covering events such as Stepanakert, Skanderborg, Hoogeveen, Barcelona, Bastia, Beer-Sheva, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (ch), Pamplona, etc. Plus all of the usual sections like the ten best games and the ten most important theoretical novelties from the previous issue, theoretical survey in ECO format, the most interesting recent combinations, endings and studies, tournament standings and crosstables, and the best of Alexei Shirov’s creative output. |
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Kingpin # 38 |
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Play the Queen's Gambit |
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Starting Out: Sicilian Najdorf |
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Starting Out: Closed Sicilian |
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The Masters: Rudolf Spielmann Master of Invention |
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An Experts Guide to the 7.Bc4 Gruenfeld |
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The Art of Planning |
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The King |
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My Great Predecessors Part V - NOW SHIPPING For more information and to read an extract from the book please click here This book, the fifth in Garry Kasparov's magnificent history of the World Chess Championship, catalogues the "post-Fischer" period in the 1970's and early 1980's This period was dominated by Anatoly Karpov (world champion from 1975-1985) and his three-time challenger, Viktor Korchnoi. |
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Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics Van Perlo £18.95 Enjoying endgame tactics is the all-important (but oft-forgotten) first step in mastering this important phase of the game. Endgames are actually fun. Why is it that most amateur chess players love opening and middle game tactics but hate endgames? Why do they usually look at only a couple of pages in any chess endgame theory book they own? Working through theoretical endgame ssons can seem like a chore if you don't see the fun of it. ENDGAME TACTICS is an affordable guide that reduces the psychological burden of endgame instruction by showing that endgames are actually quite enjoyable - because of the tactics! here is no substitute for hard work in getting better at chess, but the fact of the matter is that we always work harder at something we love. By enjoying the entertainment of real life endgame tactics, and (at least for the moment) forgetting about theoretical positions that seem distant from everyday practice, the amateur player learns to love the endgame. Endgames are fun, and ENDGAME TACTICS proves it. |
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Smart Chip from St.Petersburg (and other tales of a bygone era) Genna Sosonko £14.95 Smart Chip from St.Petersburg contains portraits of players, both famous and forgotten, from the golden age of Soviet chess, as well as highly personal views on the psychology of the game and its players. It radiates the author's love and devotion to chess, yet is tempered by objectivity and detachment. It will enchant not only chess players, but all who recognize the cultural value of chess. |
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Chess World Championships 2 (3rd edition) James H. Gelo £19.99 Volume 2: 1937-1998. With six new chapters, this expanded edition contains every move (algebraic notation) of every game played in world championship competition, including all official such titles since 1886 and all decisive matches by the world's leading players for the 50 years before that date. A diagram of the critical or most interesting moment accompanies every game. All games are dated, with playing locations noted. All source material discrepancies have been researched and resolved. Charts or crosstables showing overall results precede each match or tournament. A lengthy bibliography and a detailed openings index complete the work. |
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Chess World Championships 1 (3rd edition) James H. Gelo £19.99 Volume 1: 1834-1936. With six new chapters, this expanded edition contains every move (algebraic notation) of every game played in world championship competition, including all official such titles since 1886 and all decisive matches by the world's leading players for the 50 years before that date. A diagram of the critical or most interesting moment accompanies every game. All games are dated, with playing locations noted. All source material discrepancies have been researched and resolved. Charts or crosstables showing overall results precede each match or tournament. A lengthy bibliography and a detailed openings index complete the work. |
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100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked Andrew Soltis £19.99 Originally published in 2000 in hardback and now resurfacing as a large-format paperback. How does one determine the "best" chess games? After all, one man's meat is another mans poison. Andy Soltis has used five criteria: the overall aesthetics (clever and relentless are insufficient qualities); the originality (e.g., not yet another white knight sacrifice in a Sicilian); the level of opposition (the loser played very well); the soundness (i.e., are the moves refutable with perfect play?), accuracy (few of the moves are second-best), and difficulty (the winner overcame major obstacles) of the game; and finally the overall breadth and depth (one wants a series of sparkling ideas, with no dry patches). The 100 best games were taken from an initial field of about 7,000 played from 1900 through 1999 that had already gained some attention in magazines, books and periodicals. Three hundred games were then selected that appeared to have features consistent with the criteria. The 300 games were evaluated with scores-points given for each category of criteria. The games were then ranked, one to 100, by the score they received. No attempt was made to balance the selection according to period, nationality of players or opening. Also included is a chapter on the most overrated games of the twentieth century and one on games that would have made the list if... Includes 335 diagrams, an index of players and an index of openings by ECO codes. |
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Devious Chess |
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Opening for White 1. e4 according to Anand Volume 6 |
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Opening for White 1.e4 according to Anand Vol 7
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New In Chess Yearbook 78 |
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Chess Explained: The Classical Sicilian Yermolinsky £12.99 The first in a new series from Gambit dedicated to openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with that particular opening. The idea is to gain a better understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. The Classical Sicilian is one of the most popular and respected systems of the Sicilian, and has been used frequently by players such as Anand, Kramnik and Shirov. Black develops his pieces more quickly than in many Sicilian systems, and intricate piece-play often results. White's most popular and critical response is the Richter-Rauzer Attack, and recent years have seen a diversification in the plans for both sides in this fashionable line. Against White's alternatives to the Rauzer, Yermolinsky covers lines that retain the independent significance of the Classical move-order, such as 6 Bc4 Qb6 - a line in which he is a leading specialist. |
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Safest Sicilian. A Black Repertoire with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 Delchev & Semkov £14.99 GM Delchev proposes a sound yet aggressive Black Sicilian repertoire, based on the Taimanov system: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7. As Black, it is extremely difficult to get a playable position without accepting extreme risks. This book deals with reliable positional systems which will serve you for many years, without having to update your opening knowledge every two weeks. This setup is especially effective against the dreaded English attack. The author is one of the world’s leading experts in that field and his recommendations are based mostly on his own games. Without hiding back his secrets, Delchev reveals many new ideas and novelties in his pet line. The authors pay also attention to White’s deviations from the Open Sicilian. There are chapters about 3.c3, 3.d3, 3.Nc3, 3.b3, 3.c4 and other rare lines. The book features a new form of presentation. Every system is examined in a separate part which contains three chapters. |
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Understanding the King's Indian Golubev £15.99 Despite its sharp and aggressive nature, the King's Indian is an opening that lends itself well to discussion in terms of plans, ideas and pawn-structures. Those who are familiar with these underlying themes will enjoy an enormous practical advantage when facing those who lack this understanding, even if they are theoretically well-prepared. Golubev is ideally qualified to provide a realistic and informative guide to the King's Indian: he has played it for the whole of his chess career, scoring many devastating victories. He draws upon this extensive experience to choose the most instructive games and positions, and to provide a wealth of insightful tips. |
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Why Lasker Matters |
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Logical Chess: Move by Move
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Chess Results 1901-1920 |
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Chess School 1a £9.95 144 pages (semi-rigid cover) The book is a new edition of a bestseller by an experienced coach Sergey Ivashchenko. Over 200,000 copies of his books were sold in the Soviet Union in the late 1980's! This book is intended for beginners, both children and adults. The themes are: Mate in one, Mate in two, Win a queen, Win a rook, Win a piece, etc. The book designed for chess players with ELO 600-1500 (BCF 50-110). Includes more than 700 tactical problems classified according to themes and difficulty. |
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Chess School 1b £9.95 112 pages (semi-rigid cover) The book is a new edition of a bestseller by an experienced coach Sergey Ivashchenko. Over 200,000 copies of his books were sold in the Soviet Union in the late 1400-1800 (BCF 100-150). Includes more than 600 tactical problems classified according to themes and difficulty. |
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Play the Nimzo-Indian Edward Dearing £14.99 224 pages The Nimzo-Indian is one of Black's most universally popular and respectable answers to 1 d4. It could be said that no other opening allows Black to play for a win from such a sound positional basis, while its flexibility gives rise to a multitude of different positions rich in tactical and positional play. The list of Nimzo-Indian admirers runs like a who's who of the chess world: Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Karpov are just a handful of top Grandmasters who have utilised it with great effect. With the Nimzo-Indian being such a fashionable opening, some Black players are put off by the possibility of having to learn a labyrinth of different variations. Edward Dearing solves this problem by constructing a concise and workable repertoire for Black, offering a solution against each of White's tries, whether it's a critical main line or a tricky side variation. After reading this book, you will have the necessary knowledge and confidence to begin playing the Nimzo-Indian in your games. |
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Chess Terminators Raymond Keene £10.95 134 pages From being little more than toys, in the late 1970's, chess computers have risen to challenge the mightiest grandmasters on the planet. Kasparov himself narrowly succumbed to Deep Blue in 1997, but since then champions such as Kasparov and Kramnik have held their own against the best silicon monsters. Then, in mid-2005, GM Michael Adams, a world title contender, was swept away by the all-devouring Hydra in a match which may well mark the advent of machine supremacy in the ultimate thinking game. |
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Carpathian Warrior Bogdan Lalic & Vladimir Okhotnik £19.99 370 pages A new series dedicated to aquainting readers with new discoveries in opening theory. The first volume is devoted to the Philidor and Pirc and is unique in that the authors outline a new, ultra-aggressive systems; called the 'Left-Hook' based on the Austrian Attack: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.a3!? and the 'Spike Anti-Pirc': 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 0-0 5.g4!?; 5.e5!? - a huge amount amount of original analysis makes this both a fascinating and surprising book. The book is intended for highly skilled chess-players. |
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50 Essential Chess Lessons |
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Dealing with d4 Deviations: Fighting the Trompowsky, Torre, Blackmar-Diemer, Stonewall, Colle and other problem openings John Cox, 144 pages £14.99 This book fills an enormous void in chess literature. There are a countless number of players who are very happy to defend the black side of the Queen's Gambit or play the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, Bogo-Indian or Benoni. However, more often than not they have been forced to muddle their way through a whole variety of annoying sidelines White has at his or her disposal, including the dreaded Trompowsky, the tricky Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and the tiresome Colle Variation. Now finally help is at hand! In this unique book John Cox reveals everything Black players need to know about all of White's offbeat tries, presenting Black with no-nonsense answers to every white option. Read this book and you will be fully armed to deal with anything that White can throw at you. In fact, you'll have all the White players running back to the main lines! |
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Bird's Opening: Detailed coverage of an underrated and dynamic choice for White Timothy Taylor, 224 pages £14.99 Bird's Opening is an underrated and dynamic choice for White that immediately directs the game into relatively unexplored territory, setting Black players early problems and forcing them to think for themselves rather than having the luxury of relying on the theory of more mainstream openings. It's also a very flexible option that can lead to both sharp gambit play, such as the notorious From's Gambit, as well as quieter positional lines. Using illustrative games, Taylor examines tactical and positional ideas for both colours and recommends the best paths in both the 'main lines' and the lesser-trodden paths. |
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Chess Facts and Fables Edward Winter, 395 pages (paperback) £29.95 Chess has developed such a large body of myth and folklore that sorting fact from fiction is not easy. As with Edward Winter’s previous volumes in his “Chess Notes” series—Chess Explorations (1996), Kings, Commoners and Knaves (1999) and A Chess Omnibus (2003)—this work (from a new publisher) features in-depth research into chess lore, corrections of popular misconceptions, biographical notes on famous players, and authenticated quotations. There is a rich selection of forgotten games, and many items include contributions from the author’s correspondents worldwide. Written for the general chess enthusiast and the devotee of chess history, the book is illustrated with 219 rare photographs and 210 diagrams of chess positions. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography and indexes of players, games and openings, illustrations, and general subjects. |
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The Day Kasparov Quit and other chess interviews |
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Secrets of Opening Surprises Volume 4 |
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Informator 94 |
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The Tragic Life and Short Chess Career of James A. Leonard, 1841–1862 |
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New in Chess Yearbook 77 |
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Chess is my Life |
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December Issue Chess Monthly Click here for more details. |
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The French: Tarrasch Variation Pedersen £16.99 This book continues the coverage of the French Defence that was begun by Pedersen in The Main Line French: 3 Nc3. It is essential reading for all those who play the French, and for those who meet it with the popular and flexible Tarrasch Variation. The Tarrasch Variation provides a stern test for the French Defence, and has always been a favourite of strategically minded players, such as Adams and Karpov. By putting his knight on d2, White seeks to give his opponent little scope for counterplay, and in many of the traditional lines ends up with a slight positional advantage that can prove extremely difficult to neutralize. This has led to Black developing various sharper approaches, which complicate the play considerably at the cost of greater risk. Notable among these lines are systems with 3...Nf6 where Black sacrifices material to gain the initiative, and the modern main line 3...c5 4 exd5 Qxd5, where Black keeps his pawn-structure healthy at the cost of some tempi. To get the most out of these lines as either colour, thorough up-to-date knowledge is essential, and this book supplies it in abundance. |
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French: Advance Variation and Other Lines Pedersen £14.99 In the third and final volume of his series on the French Defence, Steffen Pedersen covers all of White's alternatives to 3 Nc3 and 3 Nd2. These include the aggressive Advance, the quiet Exchange, and side-variations such as the Two Knights, King's Indian Attack and the Wing Gambit. In these lines, it is White who determines the central structure and sets the pace of the game. With the Advance Variation, White establishes a space advantage, and will often seek to exploit this by creating attacking chances on the kingside, or a bind on the queenside. Both sides have a variety of systems at their disposal, and the player who is better acquainted with the intricacies of these lines will tend to come out on top. It is a perennial favourite among players with a direct aggressive style: Shirov has played the Advance many times in recent years, while it has been employed by Sveshnikov and Kupreichik throughout their careers. The Exchange Variation leads to open and generally symmetrical positions. Pedersen carefully examines White's attempts to seize the initiative, and also recommends ways for Black to create play if White adopts a more stolid approach. |
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Grandmaster Chess: Move by Move Nunn £15.99 A collection of John Nunn's best games from 1993 to the present day, annotated in detail in the same style as the best-selling Understanding Chess Move by Move. Throughout, the emphasis is on what the reader can learn from each game, so the book is ideal study material for those seeking to progress to a higher level of chess understanding. There is also entertainment in abundance: Nunn has a direct aggressive style, and many of his opponents in these games are ambitious young grandmasters from the generation inspired by Kasparov's dynamic chess. The book also includes all of John Nunn's compositions - problems and studies - with full solutions. |
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Chess School Mirkovic £14.99 A new tactics book from renowned Yugoslav coach GM Slobodan Mirkovic. Taken from examples he has used when training with fellows GMs Sedlak, Perunovic and Vukovic. Excellent material abounds over 16 chapters covering themes such as rook sacrifices, weak back ranks and king evacuation. |
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Play 1 e4 e5!: A complete repertoire for Black in the Open Games Nigel Davies £14.99 / $23.95 192 pages It's true that some Black players are put off playing e5 by the seemingly endless number of variations they can be faced with, as White can choose a between the King's Gambit, Vienna Game, Scotch Opening, Bishop's Opening and a number of wild and offbeat gambits. However, in Play 1 e4 e5! Nigel Davies provides a complete answer to this problem by offering a concise and practical repertoire for the Black player, whilst crucially including a dependable defence to the Ruy Lopez – White's most popular attacking try in the Open Games. Davies is the perfect choice for this subject, having been battle-hardened by years of international competition in these openings. |
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Fifty Great Games of Modern Chess (A selection of games from 1900 to 1940) Harry Golombek £9.95 92 pages (descriptive notation) A companion volume to Larry Evans's selection from the 1960's, this book takes the story of the best games of the top players from the beginnning of the 20th century up to 1940. This volume is arranged chronologically and reaches the period of the Second World War. The games by such immortals as Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasker, Botvinnik, Nimzowitsch and Rubinstein are annotated with the customary lucidity, authority and elegance synonymous with Golombek. |
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Ostende 1906 International Chess Tournament Edited by AJ Gillam £27.50 446 pages (Hard cover) With 36 competitors and 326 games played, Ostende 1906 was one of the biggest chess tournaments of all time. Only Lasker and Tarrasch opted not to play, making it also an immensely powerful event that saw the introduction of several new young players on to the international scene. This book contains not only all of the available games from the tournament but also annotations by many of the great players of the day. |
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The Hippopotamus Rises Andrew Martin £14.99/$21.99 140 pages In these days of huge databases and long forcing lines, the Hippopotamus chess opening stands out, offering everyone the chance to play chess in an original and interesting way. Black plays his pawns up to the third rank (lying low in the water like the hippopotamus himself), perhaps fianchettos both Bishops and bides his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. |
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Chess Bitch (Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport)
Jennifer Shahade
£19.99 320 pages (Hardback) Chess Bitch, written by the 2004 U.S. Woman’s Champion, is an eye-opening account of how today’s young female players are successfully knocking down the doors to this traditionally male game, infiltrating the male-owned sporting subculture of international chess, and giving the phrase "play like a girl" a whole new meaning.
Through interviews with and observation of the young globetrotting women chess players who challenge male domination, Chess Bitch shines a harsh light on the game’s gender bias. Shahade begins by profiling the lives of great women players from history, starting with Vera Menchik, who defeated male professionals with incredible frequency and became the first woman’s World Champion. She then investigates women’s chess in Georgia and China. She interviews the Polgar sisters, who refused to play in separate women's tournaments. She details her own chess adventures—and introduces us to such lesser-known chess personalities as the flamboyant Zambian player Linda Nangwale and the transgendered Texan Angela Alston and the European female chess players who hop from one country to another, playing chess by day and partying long into the night. Shahade paints a colorful world that most chess fans never knew existed. |
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Starting Out: the Sicilian Dragon
Andrew Martin £13.99 208 pages Few would disagree that the Dragon is one of the most exciting and high profile chess openings, with Black choosing to unbalance the position, thus maximising his or her chances of playing for a win. The positions reached are dynamic and of a highly tactical nature, with both players very often going straight for each other's throats in search of a quick-fire knockout blow. In Starting Out: The Sicilian Dragon Andrew Martin studies this famous opening in a simplistic way, introducing the crucial initial moves and ideas and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them, something that has sometimes been 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 Sicilian Dragon and of opening play in general. |
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The Bb5 Sicilian
Richard Palliser
£14.99
208 pages The Bb5 Sicilian is a logical and practical weapon against Black's most popular defence to 1 e4 and is an excellent choice for White players who are fed up of constantly trying to keep abreast of the latest developments in the Open Sicilian. The early bishop move signals White intention to develop rapidly and it can lead to both wild gambit play and calmer positional waters. Significantly, this opening weapon has the seal of approval from many of today's elite Grandmasters, including Anand, Adams and Leko, while Kasparov utilised it successfully in his famous Internet game versus 'the rest of the world'.
Richard Palliser provides a comprehensive study of the Bb5 Sicilian and its many variations. Using illustrative games, he examines both the crucial main lines and the more unusual tries for White and Black, highlighting tactical and positional ideas as well as move order nuances. A study of this book will allow the reader to play both sides of this opening with confidence. |
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Play 1...b6! A dynamic and hypermodern opening system for Black
Christian Bauer
£14.99
222 pages Fed up with getting difficult positions with black? Tired of having to keep abreat of changes in theory? Just plain lazy? Play 1...b6!
With this move, preparing a bishop fianchetto, Black immediately directs the game into relatively uncharted territory, one where White players are not able to sit back and rely on their 'opening book' knowledge. The real beauty of 1...b6 is that it can be played against virtually every single first move by White, so it is a perfect choice for Black players with neither the time nor inclination to memorise a multitude of different defences. Despite being relatively unexplored, 1...b6 has been the weapon of some dynamic and uncompromising world-class players, including Britain's first Grandmaster, the late Tony Miles.
In this revolutionary book, Christian Bauer reveals for the first time the secrets of how to play 1...b6 with success. He takes an in-depth look at both the main lines and White's more offbeat tries, creating a comprehensive repertoire for the Black player and highlighting the tactical and positional ideas for both players. |
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Starting Out: the King's Indian Attack
John Emms
£13.99
160 pages The Kings Indian Attack has been a firm favourite of players like Fischer, Morozevich and Dvoretsky. Its great advantage over other openings is that is a thematic system that can be employed against many different lines, while the emphasis is on the understanding of ideas rather than the dry memorisation of moves. The Kings Indian Attack leads to rich middlegame positions that are full of dynamic possibilities for both sides. In this easy-to-use guide, Kings Indian Attack expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Kings Indian Attack and its numerous lines. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to help the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. |
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The History of Chess
Duncan Forbes
£24.95
Hardback
Very rare book on chess history written by prominent English chess historian in 1860 |
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Chess Bibliography 1850 - 1968
Douglas A. Betts
£29.95
Hardback
This books covers all facets of chess play, records of matches, tournaments and the games of individual players, works on, and collections of, chess problems., historical works, periodicals and othe serial publications, works on the games derived from chess and literary works in which reference to chess is made.
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Chess for Zebras
Jonathan Rowson
£17.99 256 pages (large-format) Jonathan Rowson, author of the highly acclaimed Seven Deadly Chess Sins, investigates three questions important to all chess-players:
1) Why is it so difficult, especially for adult players, to improve? 2) What kinds of mental attitudes are needed to find good moves in different phases of the game? 3) Is White's alleged first-move advantage a myth, and does it make a difference whether you are playing Black or White? In a strikingly original work, Rowson makes use of his academic background in philosophy and psychology to answer these questions in an entertaining and instructive way. This book assists all players in their efforts to improve, and provides fresh insights into the opening and early middlegame. Rowson presents many new ideas on how Black should best combat White's early initiative, and make use of the extra information that he gains as a result of moving second. For instance, he shows that in some cases a situation he calls 'Zugzwang Lite' can arise, where White finds himself lacking any constructive moves. He also takes a close look at the theories of two players who, in differing styles, have specialized in championing Black's cause: Mihai Suba and Andras Adorjan. Readers are also equipped with a 'mental toolkit' that will enable them to handle many typical over-the-board situations with greater success, and avoid a variety of psychological pitfalls. DON'T MISS Jonathan Rowson at the London Chess Centre Thursday 3rd November 2005 - Book signing and lecture from 4pm onwards
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Opening for White according to Anand Vol 5.
Alexander Khalifman
£15.99
254 pages The latest installment in the projected seven book series covers how to tackle the Alekhine, 1...b6, 1...Nc6 and offbeat openings.
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De la Bourdonnais versus McDonnell, 1834 The Eighty-Five Games of Their Six Chess Matches, Cary Utterberg £39.95 416 pages Louis Charles Mahé de la Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell played six chess matches in 1834. Biographies of the combatants illuminate their place in the game’s history, and their historic venue is examined. The 85 games are analyzed using modern theory; there are numerous diagrams and previously published commentary. The merits of the openings, middle- and endgame maneuvers of the two are weighed. Nine appendices present selected games against other opponents; excerpt a contemporary account of the games’ ambience; provide other interesting documents; present statistics; and provide a schematic of mistakes made by both contestants. Bibliography, notes, indexes. |
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Chess Personalia - A Biobibliography Compiled and edited by Jeremy Gaige £29.99 527 pages (softcover) First published in 1987 to overwhelming international acclaim, Jeremy Gaige’s Chess Personalia has been called “one of the most useful chess books ever published” (Edward Winter in New in Chess). The book is an invaluable resource for researchers and enthusiasts, and original copies are highly sought after by chess collectors. Long out of print, the original work is available here for the first time in a softcover format. This biobibliography contains around 14,000 worldwide entries, each entry offering full name, date and place of birth and death, FIDE title, country of citizenship and citations to mentions in the world’s media. Variants in names are cross-referenced. Those knowledgeable in the chess world will recognize the author’s name and be completely assured as to the comprehensiveness, accuracy, lack of bias, and sedulous research this extraordinary reference work represents. |
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Knight on the Left 1.Nc3 (Hardback) |
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Russians versus Fischer |
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Chess in the Movies |
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Win With the London System Sverre Johnsen & Vlatko Kovacevic £14.99 176 pages The London System is a perennial favourite of club players, as it is a very sound and solid system with a real practical sting. The authors of this new book seek to maximize this sting in two principal ways. Firstly, by explaining in detail the typical plans for White, they help readers to make the most of their chances, whether they are based on a kingside attack, queenside penetration, central play, or transition to a favourable endgame. Secondly, they advocate some subtle move-orders that limit Black's options, and give White possibilities to change the nature of the game and go straight for the kill if Black responds casually or inappropriately. These move-orders have been tested successfully by co-author Kovacevic at grandmaster level, and much of the analysis presented here is of totally new variations, and is previously unpublished. Covers all responses to 1 d4 against which White can use the London System. |
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How to Beat 1. d4 James Rizzitano £15.99 160 pages Rizzitano, author of Understanding Your Chess, presents a full repertoire for Black against 1 d4, based on the Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA). The QGA is an extremely popular opening amongst players of all levels, as it gives Black free development and counterpunching potential, especially if White takes up the challenge and tries to set up a broad pawn centre. Rizzitano has chosen to recommend dependable main lines of the QGA, and throughout emphasizes how Black can create winning chances and White's typical ways to go wrong. The repertoire is completed by a set of weapons against White's alternatives to offering the Queen's Gambit, ranging from the stolid Colle to the weird Hodgson Attack and the reckless Blackmar-Diemer. |
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