A winning streak in chess, says Cyrus Lakdawala, is a lot more than just the sum of its games. In this book he examines what it means when everything clicks, when champions become unstoppable and demolish opponents. What does it mean to be ‘in the zone’? What causes these sweeps, what sparks them and what keeps them going? And why did they come to an end?
Lakdawala takes you on a trip through chess history looking at peak performances of some of the greatest players who ever lived: Morphy, Steinitz, Pillsbury, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Fischer, Tal, Kasparov, Karpov, Caruana and Carlsen. They all had very different playing styles, yet at a certain point in their rich careers they all entered the zone and simply wiped out the best players in the world.
In the Zone explains the games of the greatest players during their greatest triumphs. As you study and enjoy these immortal performances you will improve your ability to overpower your opponents. You will understand how great moves originate and you will be inspired to become more productive and creative. In the Zone may bring you closer to that special place yourself: the zone.
Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master and a former American Open Champion. He has been teaching chess for four decades and is a prolific and widely read author. His Chess for Hawks won the Best Instructional Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA). Other much acclaimed books of his are How Ulf Beats Black, Clinch It! and Winning Ugly in Chess.
“Lakdawala is the author of quite a few acclaimed and prize-winning chess books, and this one is another direct hit. His annotations are never dull, which cannot be said of all other chess writers. It’s almost 400 pages full of chess delight.” – Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad
“In the Zone is the rare book that is both instructive and entertaining and should appeal to a wide audience, primarily players rated from 1800 to 2300.” – International Master John Donaldson
“As ever, Lakdawala provides entertaining but also instructive coverage of a great many fine games in his latest work. He also explores just how such winning streaks, by the likes of Carlsen, Kasparov, Morphy and Pillsbury, arose and why they came to an end. If you fancy overpowering your next opponent or just improving your creativity, a study of some seriously impressive winning streaks in Lakdawala’s company might just come in handy.” – CHESS Magazine
“The prolific American author has the clever idea of looking at thirteen players who have excelled at events starting with Morphy and ending with Magnus Carlsen at Grenke Classic 2019. This is a good excuse to look once again at Fischer’s stunning victory at the 1963/64 US Championship with 11/11 and every game is examined to find a link why Fischer dominated. There is an attempt in every chapter to explain why the player was at the peak of his powers and if there are numerous games then a few are selected to emphasise his prowess. A book that makes you think.” – International Master Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine
“Lakdawala’s tone of voice is unique in chess literature; he is like a friend you have known for a long time. His qualities as a trainer and an author reinforce each other.” – Thomas Binder, Glarean Magazine
“Lakdawala writes in a charming and highly instructive manner.” – Jeremy Silman, author of How to Reassess Your Chess
“This is an excellent and original idea for a book. We meet some of the greatest players from Morphy onwards and look at their peak performances. It might even inspire you to get ‘into the zone’ yourself in your next tournament, whenever that might be. As a highly experienced author and teacher, Lakdawala knows just how to get the balance right between words and variations, and has used a modern engine to check the analysis. You’ll find lots of Exercises (for you to solve), Principles (to help you improve) and Moments of Contemplation (to think about an interesting position).” – Richard James, British Chess News
“Aside from discussing the streaks and the tournaments in which they occurred, Lakdawala annotates the games in his trademark humorous style. There is also a look behind the curtain to reveal what goes into achieving such amazing streaks: luck, craft, excellence as well as the ability to put it all together in one tournament. A welcome look at some phenomenal performances.” – Carsten Hansen, American Chess Magazine
American-Czech Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek (1943-2021) was a three-time US Chess Champion and one of the best chess writers of the last decades. He reached millions of chess fans with his much-acclaimed columns in the Washington Post and the Huffington Post.
Kavalek could speak from experience as he had played with or met all the chess greats of the last century. He assisted Bobby Fischer during the legendary Match of the Century in 1972, and in later years, he was the second of Nigel Short and Jan Timman. He also was the tournament director of the prestigious World Cup organized by the Grandmasters Association. But first and foremost, he was an elite player, winning countless tournaments and brilliancy prizes.
Kavalek rose spectacularly fast to the rank of grandmaster. With attractive and sharp play, he twice won the national championship in his native Czechoslovakia. In 1968, after the Soviet invasion had ended the Prague Spring, he fled his home country and eventually settled in the United States with his wife Irena.
At the end of his life, Lubosh Kavalek started writing his memoirs. With humour, wit and passion, he put on paper the compelling story of his adventurous life and rich chess career. When he passed away in 2021, he had all but finished the book he had been working on with the Czech-American writer Jan Novak.
Kavalek’s memoir makes for compelling reading and evokes his fascinating journey in life and the chess world. His story is supplemented by more than fifty of his best games, many with Kavalek’s entertaining comments.
Many gambit lines, where one or more pawns are sacrificed for the initiative, have to be taken seriously, but Ivan has succeeded in finding many new ideas and theoretical improvements. The result is the neutralisation or refutation of most of these common and well known 'Gambits'.
Zwischenzug! is the first-ever comprehensive guide to the chess tactic also known as the intermediate move, or intermezzo. This exciting manoeuvre can catch opponents off guard because it is against the expected run of play. You will learn how to spot Zwischenzugs, when to look out for them, and how to set them up in your games.
The authors have studied thousands of games and have identified the patterns that appear frequently in practical play. The book categorizes the different types of Zwischenzugs and distils them into easily accessible themes. The concepts are given catchy names to make them more memorable, and historical details and anecdotes are added throughout the book.
Included is an extensive mix of sample puzzles for learning and practice.
When published on Chessable, the course was received very enthusiastically and awarded an average rating of 4.82 out of a possible five stars. Another welcome effect is that the authors are now finding a lot of Zwischenzugs in their own games!
Natasha Regan is an award-winning chess author, best known for her book Game Changer, co-authored with GM Matthew Sadler. She has represented England at two Chess Olympiads and is also an accomplished Go and shogi player.
Matt Ball is a content creator and chess coach. He holds the FIDE title of National Instructor and is also a regular tournament player. He represented England at the World Senior Team Championship 2022.
IM Gary Lane (Australian Chess)
“An absorbing puzzle rush with a twist.”
IM John Donaldson (Oklahoma Chess Magazine)
“Players in the rating range 1600-2200 will find this book helpful in breaking the habit of making automatic recaptures without first looking for an in-between move.”
In this book, German-English Grandmaster Mieses has selected 30 instructive and interesting endgames played in top tournaments in the period up to 1900. The games feature the top players of the time, including World Champions Lasker and Steinitz, as well as top players such as Morphy, Pillsbury, Tarrasch, Chigorin, Zukertort and several others, including the author himself.
The material is split into six chapters, covering most of the typical of endgame types.
All of the games and analyses have been re-examined by FIDE Master & FIDE Trainer Carsten Hansen, adding new insights to these classic games.
Nobody doubts that intuition in chess exists. It is part of the arsenal of every chess player, next to well-known skills such as tactical vision, the ability to calculate variations and endgame technique. But how does intuition in chess work, and where does it take us?
Intuition is by far the vaguest and hardest to grasp subject in chess, and consequently the least studied. Acclaimed author and experienced chess trainer Valeri Beim takes the bull by the horns and shows, with hundreds of well-explained examples:
– When intuition comes into play
– What the functions of intuition are
– Why some players have better intuition than others
– How intuition differs from pattern recognition
– How you can develop your chess intuition
– Why your intuition gets weaker as you grow older.
Valeri Beim deeply analyses and dissects how chess players think and demonstrates that each of us has the power of making intuitive decisions. You will learn how you can train and develop this human gift.
Beim uses plain language and illustrates his findings with sparkling tales about Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, Carlsen, and other greats in chess. With instructive examples of practical play, this is a thought-provoking, yet highly accessible work.
Valeri Beim is a grandmaster who lives in Austria. He has won numerous tournaments and plays in the Austrian and German leagues. For many years he was the head trainer at the chess school in Odessa, and he was also the trainer of the Israeli Olympiad team.
Uwe Bekemann, German Federation for Correspondence Chess:
"Bringing all this material together into a coherent and logical complex is, I think, the extraordinary achievement of the author (..) Beim highlights important benchmarks and best pratices in the text. This helps the reader to train and develop his talents."
Der Standard, Vienna:
"Beim demystifies the matter (..) Using excellently presented games, the intuitive way of playing chess is explained in a refreshingly classical and instructive way."
Luke McShane, New In Chess magazine:
"This book strikes me as an unusual thoughtful one (..) Beim has made a great effort to come up with a coherent theory of intuition, and there is plenty to enjoy along the way."
Martin Rieger, Europa Rochade:
"Very good are the prose and abundant explanations. Here is an experienced grandmaster spilling the beans!"
Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"I think the book can be read on two levels. Firstly, it represents a fine collection of inspirational games which can be enjoyed by any class of player. Secondly, it provides a deeper, thought-provoking read on a difficult subject."
Harry Schaack, KARL Magazine:
"Thrilling (..) Full of remarkable analysis and enlightening commentary (..) This book shows that mankind's intuition is still better than that of computers."
Hans Bohm, De Telegraaf:
"Beims method is always to first explain patiently what he is talking about, with pratical examples. Then he delves deeper into the material and considers things from different perspectives. That way every reader can apply what he learned at his own level."
B.H.Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad:
"The author has a clear view on how to develop chess intuition, with many interesting examples which show that it is indeed something quite different from recognition."
Joe Petrolito, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"As a trail-blazer, Beim is going out on limb with his ideas, but I think this will be an influential book on the topic (..) Highly recommended."
How Magnus Carlsen Became the Youngest Chess Grandmaster in the World is the fairy-tale-like story of his rise.
Do you struggle to score against the Hedgehog and find it difficult to break the Black fortress? This opening manual, which could double as a positional middlegame manual, will show you how White can use a space advantage in this chess opening with maximum results.
The Hedgehog System, a personal favourite of many club players, is important to understand for all White players as the positions are near-universal. They can arise from the English Opening, the Nimzo-Indian and Queen’s Indian Defences and the Sicilian Opening. The Hedgehog is a flexible defence as Black can undermine your centre with …b6-b5 or …d6-d5. Black can attack your kingside dark squares with a queen-and-bishop battery or go after your king by launching the g-pawn.
That’s why Beating The Hedgehog System focuses on the most airtight variations, taking the sting out of Black’s counterplay and making White’s space advantage count. You will learn the general strategies but also essential features such as:
– how to get the ideal queenside formation versus the Hedgehog
– how to use x-rays and little tactics to stop Black’s …d6-d5 break
– how to provoke Black’s e-pawn to move to e5
– when to push your a-pawn to the fourth rank… and when to hold it back
Included are fifteen model games and thirty strategy and tactics exercises to fine-tune your feel for this Opening. This book has been adapted from the MoveTrainer® and video Chessable course with the same name.
Hanna Ivan-Gal is a top-100 player in Hungary, Woman FIDE Master and an experienced coach. She is also the presenter of the Hedgehog video course on Chessable.
Laszlo Hazai from Hungary is an International Master, a lifetime FIDE Senior Trainer, a former coach of the Polgar sisters, and a distinguished opening theoretician who wrote dozens of Opening Surveys for New In Chess Yearbook.
Available via subscription
All the regular features of the UK's best-selling CHESS magazine and more! Regular features include: How Good is Your Chess? by GM Daniel King, Saunders on Chess, Find the Winning Moves, Never Mind the Grandmasters..., Studies, Home & Overseas News, Forthcoming Events Calendar and Book Reviews.
In this issue:
Editorial
Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game
Going for Gold
Nigel Povah reports from the European Senior Team Chess Championships
So Stellar
Wesley So won the Sinquefield Cup for a second year in a row
60 Seconds with...Anna Cramling
The Swedish WFM and streamer recently spent a morning at the Chess Shop
Readers’ Letters
There’s nothing new when it comes to people’s favourite game of all time
Middlegame Masterclass
Milos Pavlovic annotates two strategic struggles from the summer
How Good Is Your Chess?
Daniel King pays tribute to Judit Polgar, who turned 50 back in July
Forthcoming Events
Find The Winning Moves
A bumper selection to help you warm up for the new season
Perfect Pragg
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa prevailed at a dramatic GCT Finals
My 70th Memorable Game
John Henderson recalls the game that made a 13-year-old Fischer famous
Eliminating Draws
Steven J. Brams and Mehmet Mars Seven suggest ‘Divide-and-Choose’
Never Mind the Grandmasters
Carl very much enjoyed a lively game at the British involving AP Smith
How to Beat a Grandmaster
Paul Littlewood was impressed by Peter Roberson in the British Championship
Malcolm Barker
Neil Hickman explains all about “A serious historical figure”
Castling into Fresh Air: Part 2
David LeMoir continues to explore some startling queenside castling
K is for Kingston
John Saunders reports from the Kingston Invitational
Home News
Success for Oleg Korneev, Ilia Malinovskii and Yevgeni Sprenger de la Iglesia
Overseas News
Tan Zhongyi was back to her best at the Cairns Cup
Solutions
This Month’s New Releases
Sean Marsh was delighted by the publication of James Sherwin’s autobiography
Saunders on Chess
John always looks forward to the Olympiad and also back to Tel Aviv, 1964
Chess problems and chess composition are topics of which most chess players are aware but have little understanding.
This is, of course, no surprise to those who enjoy chess problems and other chess compositions. Their world contains different kinds of rules, names, techniques, both when composing and solving, and these are not easy to grasp unless you get a good introduction.
In this volume, Peruvian Chess Problem composer Antonio Tarnawiecki takes the reader along on his journey from a novel composer to becoming more serious and seasoned, understanding more and more facets of composition while working with some of today’s most familiar names in chess composition, winning some prizes along the way while also understanding that you only become better when working hard and being patient, and encountering a community that includes countless famous chess players that are eager to enjoy what he creates.
A comprehensive guide through the Najdorf Sicilian jungle that enables you to find your way to security and initiative with the black pieces.
The so called “rare lines” have become extremely popular in recent times, so we offer you a single volume “solution” to all the nuances and complications that may arise in these less common lines.
Over the years some of the variations covered in this book got a strong following among the professionals and amateurs alike (6.h3 in particular), while some remained less explored and essayed only by the very elite (6.a3, or 6.Qd3).
IM Szuhanek presents you his deep and diligent analysis of all the possible (and reasonable) White tries with focus on more common lines. Throughout the book you will find many improvements for both sides, but with author’s clear preference for the black side.
Now you got a highly practical weapon to tackle all the White’s pesky Najdorf options!
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