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.
Anatoly Karpov gained the right to challenge Bobby Fischer for the world title by winning through the Candidates series in 1974. As is well known, Fischer refused to defend the title and in 1975 Karpov became champion by default. Although he did not have to contest a Championship match to gain the title, Karpov proved that he was a worthy champion by winning virtually every major tournament over the next decade.
In this book, a must for all serious chessplayers, Kasparov analyses deeply Karpov's greatest games and assesses the legacy of this great Russian genius. Also under the microscope are the games of Viktor Korchnoi, who was at his peak during this period and twice challenged Karpov for his world title.
This ebook is a part of Bundle: My Great Predecessors
1.e4 vs Minor Defences
This is the fifth volume of Parimarjan Negi’s celebrated Grandmaster Repertoire — 1.e4 series, and it rounds out the project by tackling everything Black can try besides the Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann and 1...e5. In other words: all the "minor" but pesky defences that a 1.e4 player meets constantly.
Negi supplies a top-class White repertoire against the Alekhine, the Scandinavian, and the Pirc and Modern complexes, plus the various offbeat first moves (1...Nc6, 1...b6 and the like) that try to drag you out of book early. As throughout the series, the recommendations are built on sound main lines and then sharpened with the original ideas of a world-class theoretician.
These openings are often under-prepared by ambitious players precisely because they seem secondary — which is exactly why a serious, well-analysed repertoire against them pays off in practice. Negi leaves no gaps.
Demanding and thorough, this is for strong, ambitious players who want their 1.e4 repertoire to be airtight against everything, not just the main defences. With the rest of the series it forms a complete answer to 1...whatever.
Many club players think that studying chess is all about cramming as much information in their brain as they can. Most textbooks support that notion by stressing the importance of always trying to find the objectively best move. As a result amateur players are spending way too much time worrying about subtleties that are really only relevant for grandmasters. Emanuel Lasker, the second and longest reigning World Chess Champion (27 years!), understood that what a club player needs most of all is common sense: understanding a set of timeless principles. Amateurs shouldn’t waste energy on rote learning but just strive for a good grasp of the basic essentials of attack and defence, tactics, positional play and endgame play endgame play. Chess instruction needs to be efficient because of the limited amount of time that amateur players have available. Superfluous knowledge is often a pitfall. Lasker himself, for that matter, also studied chess considerably less than his contemporary rivals. Gerard Welling and Steve Giddins have created a complete but compact manual based on Lasker’s general approach to chess. It enables the average amateur player to adopt trustworthy openings, reach a sound middlegame and have a basic grasp of endgame technique. Welling and Giddins explain the principles with very carefully selected examples from players of varying levels, some of them from Lasker’s own games. The Lasker Method to Improve in Chess is an efficient toolkit as well as an entertaining guide. After working with it, players will dramatically boost their skills – without carrying the excess baggage that many of their opponents will be struggling with.
“I had a fantastic position, but I couldn’t figure out what to do next!” If that sounds familiar, this book is written for you. Fred Wilson’s aim is to take the apparent mystery out of attacking the enemy king and reduce it to a handful of recurring principles that underlie most successful attacks.
The teaching is done through a curated collection of complete games rather than disembodied positions, so you see each idea arise, get prepared, and get executed in a real game. Wilson groups them to highlight specific attacking methods — the classic Greek Gift bishop sacrifice on h7, attacks against a fianchettoed king, and the deflection and removal-of-the-guard motifs that so often deliver the final blow.
The range of games is part of the charm: alongside masterpieces by Rossolimo, Larsen, and Maróczy sit instructive club and scholastic games — including some never previously published — chosen because they show the ideas cleanly. The style is conversational and welcoming throughout.
Novices and intermediate players will benefit most from the explanations and practical tips, while stronger players can simply enjoy it as a collection of enterprising attacking chess. A short, encouraging book about turning a promising position into a win.
Mikhail Tal’s Best Games, Volume 1 – The Magic of Youth
Mikhail Tal, the eighth World Champion, captivated the chess world with his fearless imagination and attacking brilliance. The Magic of Youth: Mikhail Tal’s Best Games, Volume 1 traces his rise from a gifted Latvian junior to a World Championship challenger — a story told through 69 deeply annotated games and fresh insights from IM Tibor Karolyi.
Inside This Book:
International Master Tibor Karolyi is a renowned Hungarian chess trainer and author, celebrated for his deeply researched biographical works. A former coach of Peter Leko and Judit Polgar, Karolyi combines analytical precision with a gift for storytelling. His acclaimed titles include works on World Champions including Kasparov, Karpov, Spassky, Tal, Petrossian, etc.
The new series of middlegame books by Adrian Mikhalchishin and Georg Mohr starts with a volume about the center.
The Scotch Game is the most “open” of all the Open Games. In fact this is the only really Open Game, in its essence, which matches the traditional terminology. The move 3.d2-d4 breaks immediately the symmetry. White tries to occupy the centre and gain additional space. Rapid contact between the opposing forces takes place, in fact much quicker than in the other open (and not only open...) games, which increases the value of every move and requires from both sides tremendous accuracy at a very early stage of the game. Positions with opposite castles arise much more often in the Scotch than in all the other Open Games put together.
Winning a pawn is a common occurrence in chess, but many players have no idea what to do with an extra pawn, aside from the vague notion of “exchange pieces and win the endgame”. Grandmaster Sam Shankland knows better – and after reading this book, you will too.
In this groundbreaking work, Shankland shares his three-step process for handling positions with an extra pawn, providing exercises to train the reader’s ability, along with carefully annotated examples to illustrate the key themes. Converting an Extra Pawn in Chess contains everything you need to master the skill of winning with the most common type of material advantage in chess.
There are many ways to study and improve at chess, but some are more effective than others. GM Axel Smith, the author of Pump Up Your Rating, is a master at teaching his students how to make the most of their training. In this book, he dives into the technical and psychological aspects of chess and shows readers the best practice techniques and strategies for rapid improvement.
Smith covers many areas of chess from openings to middle and endgames, focusing on active learning acquired through ample training exercises and clear explanations.
Pump Up Your Rating is particularly great for intermediate to advanced players looking to overcome a plateau and increase their rating.
Geza Maroczy left a strange legacy: the discovery that certain pawn formations can impose a near decisive cramp on one’s opponent.” – Robert James Fischer
Master the intricacies of the Maroczy Bind, a pivotal pawn structure that has shaped countless chess battles.
In "Understanding Maroczy Structures," renowned trainers Adrian Mikhalchishin and Georg Mohr delve deep into the strategic nuances for both White and Black.
Drawing upon the wisdom of chess giants like Fischer, Petrosian, and Larsen, this book offers a comprehensive, unbiased exploration of typical plans and tactical motifs arising from this critical formation. Gain a 360-degree perspective, enabling independent study and providing invaluable insights for chess trainers.
Go beyond superficial understanding and elevate your middlegame strategy. Discover the power dynamics, common pitfalls, and winning ideas associated with the Maroczy Structure. This is your essential guide to navigating one of chess's most important strategic landscapes.
This book is a completely new edition of the original The Safest Grünfeld of 2011. I rechecked all the lines and changed my recommendations according to latest developments of theory and my new understanding. Especially the anti-Grünfeld chapters are basically new. In my opinion top players have long lost hope to find advantage in the main lines and try early deviations. Anand chose 3.f3 against Gelfand and 5.Bd2 against Carlsen. So I devoted special attention to the Sämish approach with two different propositions. 3...Nc6 is less studied and probably more rewarding from a practical standpoint, while 3...d5 is in perfect theoretical shape, but requires more memorization. Every too often White players try to avoid the Grünfeld by refraining from d4 or c4. I added an additional chapter on the very topical lately Trompowsky and Barry/Jobava attack. The 7.Bc4 system in the Exchange Variation, and the Russian System have also underwent a major reconstruction.
The Queen’s Gambit is easily the most talked-about chess opening since the immensely popular Netflix TV series of the same name became a hit. The screen adventures of Beth Harmon have inspired thousands to start playing the Royal Game but didn’t offer any information on this highly popular chess opening. This book fills that gap.
German Grandmaster Michael Prusikin presents a solid but dynamic opening repertoire for Black against the Queen’s Gambit. He wants you to understand rather than memorize what is important. His primary focus is on explaining the relevant pawn structures and the middlegame ideas behind the lines he recommends.
Prusikin deals with every single variation of the Queen’s Gambit in a way that is highly accessible for club players but at the same time surprisingly effective and concise: the Catalan, Tartakower, Carlsbad, London, Colle, Veresov, and all the others. As a bonus, the FIDE Senior Trainer also provides responses to openings such as the Bird, Réti, and Nimzo-Larsen. It may seem unlikely, and yet it is true: in less than 200 pages, Countering the Queen’s Gambit has Black covered for really every first move except 1.e4!
To test your newly acquired insights in the tactical motifs and strategic ideas of the Queen’s Gambit, you are invited to solve 36 exercises in carefully selected key positions from actual games.
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