Swedish chess legend Ulf Andersson was a positional genius with a crystal-clear style. In his prime, in the 1970s and 80s, he rose to the number 4 spot of the FIDE world rankings because he almost never lost a game and kept scoring wins from quiet positions.
But every now and then, he found himself in a position on the board that demanded an attack. And then he would strike! He was fierce and decisive, showcasing his phenomenal talent and his incredible ability to sense any imbalance on the board.
Ulf - The Attacker is an amazing collection of thrilling games! Ulf is widely regarded as one of the most likable figures in the chess world. He is consistently humble, generous with his time, and known for his exceptional sportsmanship. But at the board, he was merciless in his games against Anatoly Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi, Bent Larsen, and Lajos Portisch, to name a few of the chess stars that got crushed in an attack.
This book is both entertaining and instructive. Ulf Andersson's fluid attacking game will undoubtedly influence your own thinking about chess.
Thomas Engqvist is an International Master from Sweden. He has over forty years’ experience as a chess coach, teacher and writer. This is his eleventh chess book, and the first one published by New In Chess.
GM Dreev offers a new look at the old system 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 Bb5 Nge7 which is one of the most challenging ways to combat the Spanish.
Grandmaster and renowned chess trainer Michal Krasenkow presents a treasure chest of puzzles designed to stretch the minds of all players. Imagination and calculation are two of the most important qualities of a chess player, and they are qualities which, with purposeful practice, can be developed significantly. As you analyse and solve more and more positions, your brain functions more efficiently, you are able to recognize and master additional tactical methods and patterns, and it becomes increasingly easier to solve similar types of positions. The exercises in this book are a 'collection of jewels' that Krasenkow has picked up during his career as a chess player, commentator and trainer. Solutions to the puzzles are often hidden, spectacular and unexpected, and are specifically designed to improve imagination and calculation. Many of the puzzles are taken from Krasenkow's own games, and this allows him to give the reader a unique psychological insight as to how and why solutions were or were not found during battle.
This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.
The Old Indian has a well-deserved reputation as a sound defence to 1 d4. Black employs an easy-to-learn system of development, seizes a firm foothold in the centre and aims to create counterplay from a solid platform. In this book, Old Indian expert Junior Tay invites you to join him in studying the opening and its many variations. Using illustrative games, Tay highlights the tactical and positional ideas for both sides, provides repertoire options for Black and offers answers all the key questions. This book will tell you everything you need to know about playing the Old Indian Defence.
– Essential guidance and training in the Old Indian
– Offers repertoire options for Black
– Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study
The book is essential reading for every ambitious chess player.
An effective approach to opening improvement should focus on understanding the logic behind each move, the relationship between moves, and the ability to adapt to different setups without becoming trapped in a theoretical straitjacket. There is little value in memorizing twenty moves of theory if, once your preparation ends, you are left without a clear plan.
Real improvement comes from recognizing strategic patterns, mastering typical pawn structures, and understanding the middlegame positions that arise from your chosen openings. This means studying model games, analyzing key transitions from opening to middlegame, and developing training habits that prioritize understanding over the mere accumulation of variations.
Only through such an approach can you build a reliable opening repertoire—one founded not on the fragile thread of memory, but on the enduring strength of genuine chess understanding.
Yet, when working on our openings, how often do we stop to consider the sustainability of our progress? How frequently do we think about the transfer of knowledge between different phases of study, the practical integration of computer-assisted analysis, or the simple reality that chess learning remains a fundamentally human process, regardless of how many databases, engines, and training modules continue to emerge?
This book seeks to answer those questions. Its goal is not merely to help you learn openings, but to help you understand them, retain them, and apply them successfully in practical play.
In this, the third volume of the Kotronias on the King’s Indian series, grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias presents the second part of his world-class repertoire against the famous Mar del Plata variation, starting from the position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7, with the focus on 9.b4, 9.Nd2 and all other sensible alternatives to 9.Ne1.
A highly adventurous repertoire designed to meet 1 e4 with 1...e5 and take the initiative!
The main problem Black faces in answering 1 e4 with 1...e5 is the plethora of opening systems available to White: the Ruy Lopez, Giuoco Piano, Scotch, Ponziani, King’s Gambit, Vienna, Bishop’s Opening and so on. Each is likely to be White’s pet line, which usually means conducting the chess battle on the opponent’s turf.
One solution is to study the main lines of all these openings and hope to remember what to do if they appear on the board. Another, more enterprising approach is to turn the tables and make White fight on your territory.
Adopting the latter course, CC-SIM Jonathan Tait shares their investigations into a myriad of disregarded, “disreputable” responses, which can set White thinking as early as move three. These lines are greatly under-estimated by contemporary theory and include weird and wonderful variations such as the Calabrese Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5), the Wagenbach Defence to the King’s Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 h5), the Romanishin Three Knights (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Bc5), the Two Knights Ulvestad Variation (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 b5) and ultra-sharp lines of the Jaenisch Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5).
The theory of the variations in this book is generally poorly understood. This has made them successful at all forms of play, including against online computer-assisted assault.
The O’Kelly variation of the Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6) is a wonderful system for those who enjoy playing Sicilian positions but don’t want to get bogged down in heavy theory. The O’Kelly relies far more on an understanding of general strategic ideas and middlegame planning than on rote memorisation of opening moves. One of the benefits of the O’Kelly is that White’s natural continuation of 3.d4, although very frequently played, permits Black confortable development and an easy game.
In Play the O’Kelly Sicilian, highly experienced chess author and coach Andrew Martin guides the reader through the complexities of the O’Kelly and carves out a repertoire for Black. He examines all aspects of this fascinating opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans.
A good start is half the battle. Experienced American chess coach Dean Ippolito has trained thousands beginners and adult improvers and knows exactly how you should build your opening knowledge.
Each chapter focuses on a concrete tactical theme. Those will allow you to set traps, and play tricks, but will also develop your general understanding of opening play with concepts as development and the importance of the center.
In this first book of a series of three, Ippolito gives you the tools you need to start your chess games with confidence. Delve into the exciting world of the Center Fork Trick, the Fried Liver Attack, and many more powerful openings tips and tactics.
Dean Ippolito has been considered one of the best coaches in the United States for more than two decades. By the age of 25, he had already coached three of the five youngest national champions in American history. A former prodigy himself, International Master Ippolito understands what is needed to climb the rankings of scholastic chess players. Ippolito has written five well-regarded chess books, including the successful Wojo's Weapons series.
The author presents a full opening repertory for the club player, which is analysed in seven volumes. In the books you will find many novelties for both sides, with a full move-to-move presentation. Furthermore, the reader will get access to middlegame strategies, endgame techniques and common tactical motifs, which are patterning the proposed variations.
In the fourth volume the openings of the Queen's Gambit, the Ragozin Variation, the Vienna Variation, and the Lasker Variation are presented.
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