A Compact (but Complete) Black Repertoire for Club Players against 1.d4

Think Like a Super-GM is a unique collaboration combining the chess insights of an elite grandmaster with a scientific investigation into thinking at the chess board.

The King’s Indian is the ideal response to 1.d4 to combine dynamic counterattacking play with complete theoretical soundness. A past favourite of both Fischer and Kasparov, it continues to perform well at the highest levels of modern chess.

New In Chess Yearbook, which appears four times a year, contains the latest news in chess openings. Each issue brings you dozens of new ideas on the cutting edge of modern chess opening theory. Have a look at what this issue has to offer.

The King’s Indian Defence is one of Black’s most combative responses to 1.d4. A favourite of both Fischer and Kasparov, it remains a popular weapon at all levels of play.

CHESS NUTS. 400 TACTICAL EXERCISES

Ten samouczek został opracowany przez zespół doświadczonych trenerów. Ich zadaniem jest pomoc w rozwijaniu wizji kombinacji szachistów poprzez systematyczne szkolenie w rozwiązywaniu i analizowaniu typowych kombinacji.

The authors recommend an economical and quite promising method for White to fight against the Caro-Kann Defence – the Exchange system (3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3). This minimalist approach against this classical opening deserves very serious attention today. 

Magnus Carlsen’s mastery of the middlegame is astonishing, even by the standards of World Champions. But how did this power develop, and what can the rest of us learn from it? To explain the mysteries requires another elite grandmaster, and Ivan Sokolov is perfectly qualified for this role.

Robert James Fischer is one of the greatest and most celebrated players in chess history. Exactly fifty years since the American won the right to challenge Boris Spassky for the World Championship crown, Tibor Karolyi documents Fischer’s unique journey from precocious youngster to the chess icon who obliterated Taimanov and Larsen before convincingly beating Petrosian on The Road to Reykjavik.

If you are aware of endgame patterns, you spot key moves quicker, analyse and calculate better, avoid making errors and memorize what you have studied more fully.

Most of the patterns Jesus de la Villa presents in this new book are from the phase of the game just before a theoretical endgame turns up. Knowing these practical endgame fundamentals will enable you to fully reap the benefits of what you learned in De la Villa’s widely acclaimed classic 100 Endgames You Must Know.

The FastTrack to Endgame Expertise!

Since it first appeared in 2003, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual has been acclaimed as the best single volume ever written on the endgame. With staggering depth and accuracy, it clearly reveals the secrets of this most important stage of the game.

The Fearsome Fascination of Kingwalks!

Marching your king across the board – at times right through or into enemy lines – may be both exhilarating and terrifying. Nothing may be quite as satisfying as a majestic kingwalk across the board which brings you glorious victory. And nothing as tragicomic as a needless journey ending in epic failure.

With all the many books and articles on the Sicilian Defense, there is surprisingly little about the Four Knights Variation. Its starting position is reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. It may also be reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6. Some prefer 2...e6 to 2...Nc6 because it avoids 3.Bb5.

Uh-oh! That doesn’t look right!?

Who would be silly enough to resign a tournament game they were not losing? As Oops! I Resigned Again! shows, almost anyone – including some of the world’s best players!

For nearly fifty years grandmasters and amateurs alike have been making their annual pilgrimage to the World Open. Legendary organizer Bill Goichberg created the model of this iconic event in American chess: large entry fees, large prizes, and no-frills. Every year around the 4th of July, Philadelphia is the scene of countless epic battles at the board.

New and substantially expanded edition of a modern chess classic. By chance, in 2013 publisher New In Chess discovered a previously unnoticed and unpublished extra batch of endgame tactics collected by the legendary Dutch correspondence grandmaster Ger van Perlo (1932-2010).

More than 250 fresh examples have been added, making this fourth edition 25% BIGGER than its predecessors.

Rashid Nezhmetdinov (1912-1974) played fearless attacking chess. With his dazzling style, the Soviet master already was a legend during his lifetime, but international fame largely eluded him. Only once did he get permission to show his exceptional talent in a tournament abroad.

“I realize that this book will not cover all open wounds, nevertheless my aim to write a manual about defense which can help us defenders enduring the hardest difficulties in practice, seems to be achieved. Personally speaking this book helped me as a defender to approach a worse position in a much more objective way, optimally use all of my defensive resources available, both psychologically and technically, to set – even under the most dire circumstances – pitfalls, while keeping my nerves under control.” ~ Jan Werle

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

Lukasz Jarmula, a player and writer of international caliber, will be your truthful guide!

‘To my mind there is quite a straightforward explanation. In order to profit from the initiative granted by the first move, White has to make use of his opportunity to do something before Black has an equal number of opportunities of his own.’ However, to do this he has to make ‘contact’ with the black position. The first point of contact usually comes in the form of a pawn exchange which leads to the opening of the position. The thought behind 1…c5 is this: ‘OK, I’ll let you open the position, and develop your pieces aggressively, but at a price – you have to give me one of your center pawns.’ (Jonathan Rowson, Chess for Zebras: Thinking Differently About Black and White).

“The Mar Del Plata is probably the single most comprehensive variation of the King’s Indian in terms of the volume of possibilities and strategic richness. Even aside from players who wish to incorporate the King’s Indian into their repertoire, I believe that study of these positions is essential for all chess players, as the attacking and defensive ideas on display are such a fundamental and universal part of playing chess. Learning how to evaluate and compare the strength of each side’s attacking potential is a paramount skill which can be applied all throughout your chess career.” - Milos Pavlovic

“I have always been interested by less theoretical Sicilians. I have been playing the Classical Sicilian for a long time and right before the covid period, I decided to find a new one. The Sicilian Kan came to me as a very serious option, and I decided to work on it. In the meantime, my friend and editor Daniël Vanheirzeele offered me the chance to author a book about it. This came to me as a complete surprise, as I had no experience with it. In comparison with my work on the Reti and the Dutch (my two previous books), I am a newbie on the subject. But I decided to accept the challenge. I found it extremely interesting, as this gave me a fresh look at the positions. I think I managed to ask myself the questions everyone would have asked. I also work as a second for others and am accustomed to working on openings I do not necessarily play as well as finding the key ideas very quickly. So, after a deep initial work to understand the variations, I was ready to start writing!” - Adrien Demuth

“I have always been interested by less theoretical Sicilians. I have been playing the Classical Sicilian for a long time and right before the covid period, I decided to find a new one. The Sicilian Kan came to me as a very serious option, and I decided to work on it. In the meantime, my friend and editor Daniël Vanheirzeele offered me the chance to author a book about it. This came to me as a complete surprise, as I had no experience with it. In comparison with my work on the Reti and the Dutch (my two previous books), I am a newbie on the subject. But I decided to accept the challenge. I found it extremely interesting, as this gave me a fresh look at the positions. I think I managed to ask myself the questions everyone would have asked. I also work as a second for others and am accustomed to working on openings I do not necessarily play as well as finding the key ideas very quickly. So, after a deep initial work to understand the variations, I was ready to start writing!” - Adrien Demuth

CHESS INFORMANT’S 149 th ADVENTURE

United Colours of Autumn

Presents 350 pages of the very best in chess:

Duda - How I won the World Cup

Ivic & Mio. Perunovic - World Cup Fairy Tale

Leitao - South Americans in the World Cup

Perunovic - Duda’s World Cup Black Repertory

Foisor - St. Louis Rapid&Blitz (Tournament review)

Moradiabadi - Sinquefield Cup (Tournament review)

Gormally - Danny’s Chess Diary (Northumbria Masters)

Priyadharshan K. - Asian Masters - Meltwater Tour (Tournament review)

Davies - Understanding the Openings (The Semi-Tarrasch part 1)

Szabo - Anti-Marshall 8.a4 d5!? (Opening Survey)

Prusikin - A Story about Horses and Elephants (Knight versus Bishop)

Petrov - World Championship Game Changers - part 1

Rogers - Reggie Emilia 1984/1985 (Rogers’ Reminiscences)

Griffin - A Tribute to Iron Tigran (Polugaevsky-Petrosian 1970.)

Traditional sections: games, combinations, endings, Tournament reviews, the best game from the preceding volume and the most important theoretical novelty from the preceding volume.

The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!

В своей новой книге гроссмейстер Зенон Франко глубоко анализирует 30 поучительных побед Яна Непомнящего и большое число фрагментов, в том числе из турнира претендентов (Екатеринбург 2020-2021). Книга не перегружена вариантами, акцент – на подробных объяснениях в формате «ход за ходом», что создает идеальную платформу для изучения шахмат. В «опорных» точках каждой партии читателю предлагаются тестовые вопросы, что помогает и практическому изучению ключевых приемов шахматной игры, и надежному усвоению обретаемых знаний. Вопросы и ответы вовлекают читателя в процесс обучения и помогают ему отслеживать рост своей шахматной силы.

В шахматах нельзя брать ходы назад, но всегда можно вернуть фигуру на ее прежнее поле, хотя бы и ценой нескольких темпов. Пешки, с другой стороны, назад не ходят, поэтому любой пешечный ход - это решение навсегда. Игра пешками - один из наиболее трудных аспектов шахматной стратегии. Этим объясняется малое количество книг, написанных по данной теме. Сэм Шенкленд пошел своим путем - он разложил принципы пешечной игры на базовые элементы и на их основе построил стратегические направляющие, которые должен знать каждый грамотный шахматист.

У вас есть ограниченное время на изучение шахмат, и большая его часть уходит на зубрежку дебютных вариантов? Вот решение: удивите своего оппонента с первых же ходов с помощью дебюта Эльшада! В третьей книге про дебют Эльшада, которая по сути является продолжением первых двух, читатель ознакомится с сотней новых партий, узнает о новинках этого дебюта, увидит поединки, где повержены известные гроссмейстеры, в том числе Сергей Шипов и сам Владимир Крамник! Столкнувшись с новыми вызовами, ваш соперник должен будет полагаться только на собственные силы.

Kompletny zestaw 7 książek z serii GRIVAS OPENING LABORATORY

Born in 1998 Lukasz Jarmula is a 23 year old Polish International Grandmaster. Since 2015 he has represented SV Griesheim in the German Bundesliga. He holds 17 medals from the Polish Youth Championships in all categories: Individual, Team, Rapid and Blitz. In 2016 he shared 2-5th place at the European Youth U18 and in 2014 won the silver medal at the European Youth Team Championship.

The Bg5 variation of the Najdorf is the most critical and perhaps the most devastating weapon in the hands of the well- prepared player. In his first book for Thinkers Publishing, Lukasz brings us many sharp and aggressive ways to play for a win. The book consists so many interesting variations, we decided to split it into two volumes. We can only compliment hirn for writing a most complete book on a highly popular opening, the Najdorf Sicilian.

“Pawns are the soul of chess.” We have all heard this phrase more than once in our chess life and we owe it to the great French player François-André Danican, so-called Philidor, considered one of the best chess players of the 18th century.

It’s not surprising that with this way of thinking, he revolutionized chess, which until then was almost all about direct attacks on the king. With this, he also changed the way of understanding and playing openings, in which he introduced a new concept for the time – that the pawns should be ahead of the pieces.

Bearing this in mind, the defense he created can be much better understood, in which all these rules are fulfilled and the importance of the pawn structure is maximal.

When Thinkers Publishing suggested I could try to produce a book on the Alekhine Defense, since for some reason I seem to have the reputation of using maverick openings, this idea looked reasonable. In that Covid period I had nothing better to do after all! After a few months I however realized that Thinkers Publishing had passed me a hot potato (many thanks!), i.e. the arduous task of checking the serious recent works of Kornev and Negi, plus the mammoth book of Chetverik and Kalinichenko, not to mention some "already ancient" suggestions fram John Shaw dated 2016!

You will therefore find some references to those inspiring sources throughout this book (Chetverik & Kalinichenko being abbreviated to C&K). I wasn't sure at first whether I wanted to talk about "all existing" lines of this intriguing opening, and discovered in the process there were quite a few, or whether I would sort them out to offer a Black repertoire. I finally decided on the first approach, to give you, dear reader, a broader choice. Among all the lines included in that book, the Four Pawns Attack Classical, covered in the Bonus Lines chapter, is probably the only one where a Black player would need more knowledge in order to be "safe" from a theoretical standpoint.

Hope you'll enjoy reading this book!

But let me now explain the idea of this second book. I will show you some 18 games with the more or less current trends in the double fianchetto. These games include some openings like the Tarrasch and the King’s Indian, just to name a few.

The main part of the book is divided into exercises and solutions, with 110 positions taken from double fianchetto games. I have divided the exercises into chapters, with each chapter featuring games by players who have deployed the double fianchetto quite often. You will find a lot of typical motifs used by these players.

The difficulty level ranges from very easy through to very tough, but I won’t give points for the solutions. The ideas vary from tactics to important strategic subtleties. The reader decides how honestly he or she tries to solve these exercises. It is also not necessary to solve all of them, but it is definitely important to think about these positions and take your time. The reader should gain an impression of the many ideas and structures which are possible in the double fianchetto positions.

“Chess is not for the faint of heart,” Steinitz once said. I agree 100%! Chess players do not need pumped up muscles, they need a stable neuropsychic organization. How else can you resist the constant pressure that every nerve cell of the player experiences? I don’t always like this constant struggle with the stress that hangs over you, especially when you are wrong in a winning position. And in recent years, another “problem” has been added – incredibly powerful computer engines that younger opponents skillfully use in preparation for the game. But when you win a beautiful game or use a theoretical novelty invented at home (albeit with the help of a computer), or defend a difficult hopeless position, how great it is! And at such moments you don’t think what chess is – it is science, art or sport. At times like these, they are just part of your life.” ~ Vladimir Okhotnic

This fascinating biography of over eighty-five annotated games and stories are being presented by grandmasters Georg Mohr and Adrian Mikhalchishin. It covers Planinc’ entire life and chess career, including his most fascinating games. This fitting tribute of a forgotten chess genius should be found in anyone’s chess library. Thanks to this colorful book Albin Planinc will continue to inspire us all and will keep his spirit alive.

“To write proper “characteristics”, I had to go over hundreds of games of each player. I wanted to learn what they liked and disliked, how they reacted in different situations, what was their preferred way of playing, how they handled themselves. During the first “scan”, I went relatively quickly over the games, writing down the impression from each game. This is what Botvinnik did when analyzing Bronstein’s play before their match in 1951. I continued with the scan until the moment when I felt that I had “understood” the player. Then I returned to the games that were most relevant for their “characteristics” and I analyzed them deeply.” ~ Alex Colovic

“The wonderful journey of selecting, analyzing and commentating on games has been very beneficial to both of us. In this book, we look deeply into some factors that are not spoken about as much as they should, for example, the importance of preparing for the opening, to always be searching for sacrifices when your pieces are active, to never stop grinding until the game is over and of course, the part we both love the most, psychology in chess.” ~ Dorsa and Borna Derakhshani

The positions arising from the Open Spanish contain ideas so different from the usual Ruy Lopez that I sometimes wonder whether it should really be considered part of it at all. It is an open game with unbalanced structures and sharp play but compared to the Sicilian, for instance, for which the previous description would also apply, there is an important difference; there is a certain degree of stability and solidity in the Open Spanish which distinguishes it from the sharper realms of the Sicilian and puts this line in its own unique category of opening ideas.

International master Herman Grooten has over 40 years of experience as a professional chess trainer. Countless of his pupils became strong chess players. The best known of these are the grandmasters Loek van Wely, Robin Swinkels, Wouter Spoelman, Dennis de Vreugt, Jan Werle, Twan Burg and Benjamin Bok.

In the field of journalism, he earned his spurs with chess columns in the newspapers Trouw and Het Eindhovens Dagblad. Since 2020 he has been co-owner of the popular Schaaksite.nl for which he has been writing articles for over ten years. As an author, he wrote several books of which the 2009 publication "Chess Strategy for Club Players" was awarded "Book of the Year" on Chesscafe.com.

Meanwhile, in his series "Understand before Moving " he has published several volumes that were received with great enthusiasm, both in Dutch and English.

This is the first volume of the new series "Key Concepts of Chess". The idea is to deal with middlegames in which a certain structure or essential theme becomes central. The idea of starting this series is in line with the "Understand before Moving" series because the aim, is to improve the understanding of club chess players. According to the author, playing an opening should be 'hung up' on stereotypical ideas and concepts belonging to this structure. The thorough exploration of middlegame structures is beyond the scope of opening books, hence it makes more sense to expose it in this complementary series.

In this first volume, the "Hedgehog System" is discussed in detail. Apart from being part of the author's repertoire, this typical set-up deserves to be widely highlighted. Although in the second part of the trilogy on the Sicilian, the Hedgehog has already made its appearance, in this book the seemingly fragile, but oh so treacherous creature can reconsider its spines in an extensive way.

Pięknie wydany album z ponad 200 kolorowymi zdjęciami Magnusa Carlsena. Album wydany w twardej oprawie.

Magnus Carlsen: A Life in Pictures tells the story of the reigning World Chess Champion. Magnus Carlsen, born in 1990 in Oslo, Norway, became a Grandmaster by 13. Carlsen was crowned World Champion in 2013, when he defeated Anand and has successfully defended his title three times. He will again play for the title in November in Dubai.

Spot Those Killer Moves and Stun Your Opponent

An advanced club player must look deeper!

In this follow-up to his acclaimed 1001 Chess Exercise for Club Players, FIDE Master Frank Erwich teaches you how to reach the next level of identifying weak spots in the position of your opponent, recognizing patterns of combinations, visualizing tricks and calculating effectively.

Erwich repeats the themes of his previous book, focusing on exercises in which the key move is less obvious. He also introduces new, more sophisticated tactical weapons. They are geared towards the reality of the advanced club player (Elo 1800 – 2300): it is not enough to spot simple combinations, at this level you must be able to resist your reflexes and look deeper.

In variations that look forcing you will always search for that deadly Zwischenzug. Quiet moves in general should be your new best friends. In short: an advanced club player should expect the unexpected. One of the celebrated elements of Erwich’s previous book, which is neglected in other books on tactics, is back: defence! You will also learn how to defend against tactics, as well as how to use tactical weapons when you are under heavy pressure.

This is a complete and structured course, and not just a collection of freewheeling puzzles. Erwich starts every chapter with an instructive explanation of the tactical concept at hand and has carefully selected the most didactically productive exercises.

Frank Erwich is a FIDE Master and an experienced chess trainer from the Netherlands. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychology. In 2019 he published the bestselling 1001 Chess Exercises for Club Players.