‘Fischer gets up, tall, overweight, and slightly clumsy. He tries to fulfil the duties of the host and shakes hands, but his nervously darting eyes betray his unease with the situation. This is not a man accustomed to receiving visitors.’
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam’s encounter with the reclusive American world champion in war-torn Yugoslavia, is the apotheosis of a unique collection of interviews with chess legends and stars that was first published in 1993.
Why did Garry Kasparov think Bobby Fischer was an alien? How many stamps does Anatoly Karpov have? Was it really Caruso who appeared in Vassily Smyslov’s dream to teach him how to sing?
Brimming with anecdotes and revealing insights these interviews bring together champions past and present. From Botvinnik, Najdorf, Portisch and Spassky to modern stars like Anand, Kramnik, and Judit Polgar.
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam is editor-in-chief of New In Chess, the chess magazine with readers in 116 countries.
Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine (UK):
"It is good to see this book back in print, as it is, quite simply, the finest collection of chess interviews yet assembled."
Edward Winter in Chess Notes:
“Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam brings to the task painstaking preparation, wide knowledge and sharp intelligence.”
Chris Wainscott, ChessIQ:
'The interviews individually are fascinating glimpses into the lives of chess immortals. As a whole they are something even greater. They are the very fabric of the chess history of 20 and 30 years ago. Go buy this book. You will not regret it"
British Chess Magazine:
"A vintage collection and very valuable, thorough and carefyully structured."
Lubosh Kavalek, The Washington Post:
"A master interviewer."
Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"Ten Geuzendam's interviews always result in rich conversations."
British Chess Magazine on 'The Day Kasparov Quit':
"Ten Geuzendam somehow manages to get the confidence of his subjects despite asking them sharp and challenging questions."
SHORTLISTED: British Chess Federation 2002 Book of the Year!
In 1972 a boy from Brooklyn broke the hegemony of Soviet chess.
Bobby Fischer, the greatest genius the game had ever seen, completed his crusade against the ‘commie cheaters’ by defeating Boris Spassky in Reykjavik.
The Match of the Century electrified the world. No one wanted to miss even the slightest detail about the struggle of Fischer against the superpower that for decades had exploited its superiority in chess as an irrefutable justification of communism.
Almost a year before the first move was made at the board, the infighting started. The world looked on in anxiety as Bobby quarrelled about the venue, the number of games, the prize-fund, the television rights, the camera’s, the lighting, and about the chairs.
The acclaimed classic Fischer World Champion! conveyes the full drama of the clash, both on and off the board.
Here is the inside story of the bloody prelude, written by the late Max Euwe, at the time President of FIDE. Euwe’s diplomatic skills and iron will saved the match against incredible odds.
With the original analysis of the games by Jan Timman, one of the world’s finest analysts.
Fischer World Champion! will let the reader relive one of the great moments in chess history.
This New Edition commemorates the death of Fischer in January 2008 with a tribute by former World Champion Garry Kasparov and an essay by Jan Timman on the life and chess of Bobby Fischer.
From the introduction by Garry Kasparov:
“Bobby Fischer created a global boom and single-handedly dragged chess into the professional era we live in today. Chess has lost its greatest knight.”
ChessVille:
"Outstanding"
The Judges of the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award:
“There is no better book on the most famous of all World Championship Matches”
"One of the most insightful accounts of Fischer the chess player"
The Final Years in Iceland, a Saga of Friendship and Lost Illusions
Helgi Olafsson was fifteen years old when in 1972 Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become World Chess Champion. Breathlessly, young Helgi followed the Match of the Century and even attended a number of games in Reykjavik’s Laugardalshöll.
Little could Olafsson suspect then that 33 years on, having become a chess grandmaster himself, he would be a member of the committee that successfully worked to free Fischer from a Japanese detention centre.
On March 24, 2005 Bobby Fischer returned to the country where he had achieved his greatest triumph. He was never to leave again until his tragic death on January 17, 2008.
Olafsson first met his childhood hero shortly after his return. In the following years, the two spent countless hours together. They made trips, went to restaurants, watched movies, played games, spoke on the phone almost every day, had fun and quarrelled.
Bobby Fischer Comes Home tells the story of a unique friendship and paints an intimate and revealing picture of the last years of the man who many see as the greatest chess player that ever lived.
With a foreword by World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
Helgi Olafsson (1956) is a chess grandmaster from Iceland. He won the national championship six times and travelled the world as a chess pro. Today he is Iceland’s national chess coach and writes a chess column for Morgunbladid, the country’s number one newspaper.
Jeremy Silman, author of 'How to Reassess Your Chess':
"Excellent."
"Disarming honesty and gentleness of spirit (..) An essential purchase for all Fischer watchers."
Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine:
"One of the best chess books of 2012 (..) An important piece of the overall picture because it provides a unique insight into the last few years of Fischer's life."
Ken Surratt, ChessVille:
"A fascinating read, in turns poignant and perplexing, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone interested in the second Pride and Sorrow of American chess."
Ian Rogers, Canberra Times:
"The best insight into Fischer’s mind in his paranoid years comes from an unexpected source: Icelandic Grandmaster Helgi Olafsson."
John D. Warth, ChessCafe:
"Olafsson's poignant book delivers the fullest account yet of Bobby Fischer's triumphal and tragic years in Iceland with a thoughtful, thorough, and balanced presentation, including topics that transport us beyond the limits of its place and theme (..) [A] personal and heartbreaking account "
Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"Relates the sort of comments and simple activities that chess fans want to hear (..) An entertaining insight into the real world of a flawed World Champion."
Richard Vedder, Schakers.info:
"'Bobby Fischer Comes Home' describes the end of the life of a brilliant chess player with dignity."
Cecil Rosner, Winnipeg Free Press:
"Olafsson doesn't apologize for Fischer in the way some of his other biographers have (..) A charming aspect of the book is how Olafsson weaves his own biographical details into the narrative."
John Donaldson, Chess Today:
"Must read for fans of the late World Champion (..) Olafsson, who became one of Fischer's inner circle, presents his subject warts and all but in a respectful manner, not a kiss-and-tell story."
Max Euwe Center, Amsterdam:
"Gives a good impression of Fischers'
I decided to divide the book into four parts. In the first and the most difficult and time-consuming part of the book you will find my memorable games. I emphasize that these are my most memorable games, not my best games so out of 25 games given here there are a few draws and one loss. If I had decided to collect my best games the selection would have been quite different. It should therefore come as no surprise that as many as seven games with world champions found their way into the book.
The second part consists of my 50 most memorable fragments. There you will see both instructive and curious examples. Here too the selection process was quite strict. While the memorable games cover the period of 1991-2010, the fragments cover the span from 1982 till 2016. And since they cover my early years as well, you will find some of them that did not find their way into databases.
The third part of the book contains my 75 studies, in 50 of which White must draw and in 25 must win. I have many more but except for a couple of examples I decided not to include the most difficult and interesting rook studies in the book. I have to say that composing studies is much more difficult than problems; it’s just a hell of a job.
And finally, the fourth, my favorite part of the book, featuring my 150 best chess problems. I should talk about this in greater detail: I was 12 when I composed my first problem. It was later published in the article by the famous composer and study-maker Alexander Sarychev, whom I had had the great fortune to meet. Yet, despite this positive experience at a young age, it was only much later that I composed a significant number of problems.
And so, I hope that in each of the 300 snippets presented in the book, be it games, fragments, studies or problems, the reader will find something worthwhile. At least, the author really strove for that.
Please keep in mind that the same stories are also featured in The Essential Sosonko.
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.
Genna Sosonko lived the first 29 years of his life in Leningrad. He emigrated to Holland in 1972. His first book, Russian Silhouettes, was shortlisted for the world’s premier chess book award, the BCF Book of the Year 2000.
John Watson, The Week In Chess:
"Each essay is a revelation and a gift (…) Great photographs and a great read."
Hans Ree:
"Beautiful and moving."
Gary Lane, Australian Chess:
"An absorbing read."
"Remembering is sometimes sheer joy."
Jonathan Rowson:
"Sosonko writes with sustained subtlety and grace."
The Compulsive Reader:
"Immensely fascinating."
"Yet another masterpiece by Sosonko."
KARL Magazine:
"From Sosonko's portraits one learns more about chess than from 100 books about theory."
Taylor Kingston, ChessCafe:
"An absorbing collection."
The Washington Post on 'Russian Silhouettes':
"A delightful work."
Garry Kasparov on 'The Reliable Past':
"A gallery of wonderful pen-portraits."
The Jury of the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award on 'Russian Silhouettes':
"An enthralling read."
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
WINNER of the English Chess Federation 2008 Book of the Year Award!
"One of the most original and interesting books to have won the Book of the Year Award."
SHORTLISTED for The Guardian 2008 Book of the Year Award
SHORTLISTED for the ChessCafe 2007 Book of the Year Award
Part 1: Overthrow of a Colossus: London 2000, Part 2: Photo Finish in Brissago: 2004, Part 3: Big Brother in Chess City: Elista 2006
An extraordinary account of the main battles in the life of Vladimir Kramnik, a World Champion and a Samurai, in Bareev’s words.
From London to Elista gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of top-level chess. It provides superb analysis of all the games by Bareev, but it does much more.
In Socrates-style dialogues, Bareev and co-author Ilya Levitov reveal everything about the preparation, the progress and the aftermath, about the secret strategy and the brutal stress of the three battles.
This rich book is indispensable for anyone who wants to know what makes top grandmasters tick. It is written from the horse’s mouth, and it is full of honesty, irony, history, wit, anger, wisdom, and even poetry. With many photographs.
Evgeny Bareev is one of the world’s strongest grandmasters today. He was Kramnik’s second during the matches against Kasparov in 2000 and against Leko in 2004, and was in close contact with the Kramnik team during the scandal-plagued match with Topalov in Elista. Ilya Levitov has been an ardent chess amateur all his life. He is a close friend of Vladimir Kramnik and Evgeny Bareev.
Former Dutch Champion IM Gert Ligterink, de Volkskrant:
"A terrific read."
ChessVibes:
"Simply breathtaking."
"Absolutely riveting."
"This is simply one of the very best books of the decade. Certainly in the genre of matches and tournaments, there's no contest."
Bob Long, Chessco:
"It's insider stuff. It's history. It's anecdotes. It's real. It's terrific."
Johan Hut, Schakers.info:
"A monumental book."
ChessCafe:
"A backstage pass to the inner sanctum of world championship contenders."
Elburg Chess Reviews:
"I can assure you that this is one of those books that you cannot put down."
Cor Jansen, PZC:
"For those interested in chess technique there are brilliant analyses. Lovers of intrigue and tall stories have a lot to enjoy. But the psychology of power play is not forgotten, either."
GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Skakbladet:
"A fascinating read. A close-up by Bareev, who gives an exciting, detailed but also critical report of the matches."
Delaware Chess Newsletter:
"A BIG chess book and a lot of fun."
Schach Magazine:
"One is astonished how often Kramnik 'reads' the minds of his opponents (..) Many things that were inexplicable untill now can be understood because of this book."
Dutch edition. We also offer an English edition.
Voor het eerst in de geschiedenis neemt een schaakster uit Noord-Korea deel aan het North Sea Chess Tournament. Ze staat onder grote druk om te presteren, net als haar tegenstanders, onder wie een frauduleuze Italiaan, een IJslandse rokkenjager, een fundamentalist uit Tunesië en het Nederlandse talent Christiaan N’Koulou. In en buiten de speelzaal worden de grenzen van het spel opgezocht en overschreden. Ook geheime diensten bemoeien zich met de zetten op het bord. Als op de rustdag de Amerikaanse deelnemer dood in bad wordt gevonden, moet sponsor Godfried in actie komen om met gevaar voor eigen leven zijn toernooi te redden.
De Sponsor, een literaire thriller van internationale allure, is gebaseerd op de aantekeningen die een van de sponsoren gedurende een decennium maakte voor en achter de coulissen van het Hoogovens-Corus-Tata Steel-schaaktoernooi.
Voor de schaakliefhebber staan in een aparte bijlage de analyses van de partijen die in het verhaal een rol spelen.
Fred Das is internationaal ondernemer, ontwikkelaar van onroerend goed en een verdienstelijk schaker. Na de verkoop van zijn bedrijf is hij vooral fulltime huisvader.
Jeroen Terlingen was vakbondsjournalist, redacteur bij Vrij Nederlanden docent journalistiek. Hij schrijft boeken, maakt films en geeft cursussen.
WGM Erika Sziva op schakers.info
"Niet-schakers zullen opkijken van sommige stiekeme gebeurtenissen die schakers zelf regelmatig hebben meegemaakt op schaaktoernooien. Ik bedoel dan vooral de psychologische oorlogsvoering, en de geheime affaires die kunnen ontstaan tijdens de spanning van een toernooi."
As a respected trainer who became a world-class chess grandmaster after leaving Leningrad and moving to Holland in 1972, Genna Sosonko observes the golden age Soviet chess from a privileged dual perspective. Combining an insider's nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer, he has produced unforgettable portraits of the heroes of this bygone era: Tal, Botvinnik, Geller, Polugaevsky, and the legendary trainer Zak are some of his subjects. This New Editon has two brand new stories. Delightful —The Washington Post.
The Reliable Past is the eagerly awaited sequel to Russian Silhouettes, Genna Sosonko's marvellous collection of portraits from the golden age of Soviet chess. In this new book, the author again shows himself a perceptive chronicler of a time when chess occupied a unique position in his native country, but he also wanders across its borders with his memories of Dutch World Champion Max Euwe and a touching tribute to the first ever British grandmaster, Tony Miles.
When the Icelandic Chess Federation made a bid to host the 1972 world title match between Soviet icon Boris Spassky and American challenger Bobby Fischer, many Icelanders were rightly shaking their heads in disbelief. How could their small island country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a population of less than 300 thousand people stage such a prestigious event in the first place?
Undeterred and naively optimistic the young President of the Icelandic Chess Federation, Gudmundur Thorarinsson, set to work and to everyone’s astonishment theirs was the winning bid. But that was only the beginning of one of the most amazing stories in chess history...
Bobby Fischer’s demands and whims constantly jeopardised the match. First the American chose not to board his plane in New York, and then he came late for the first game. That game he lost after a silly blunder and the second game he lost because he didn’t turn up in a fight about noisy cameras. But next he won the third game, that was played in a back room, and the rest... is history.
Fifty years on, Gudmundur Thorarinsson has written a tell-all book about ‘The Match of the Century’, crammed with behind-the-scenes stories and improbable twists and turns. Reading his gripping account of probably the most iconic sports contest during the Cold War, you will understand why he prefers to call it ‘The Match of All Time’.
And why reliving this most unlikely adventure he comes to the conclusion: ‘It was not possible to organise this match, nor was it possible to rescue it... but still it was done!’
Gudmundur Thorarinsson is a chess organizer and businessman from Iceland. In 1972, as the chairman of the Icelandic Chess Federation he organized the ‘Match of All Time’, the World Championship Match between the Russian incumbent champion Boris Spassky and the American challenger Bobby Fischer.
In this book I would like to tell the story of my chess journey where I rose to become the Orlando Chess Champion and later its president. I will detail the creation of the Central Florida Chess Club and how as its president it became the most successful club in Florida. I will detail the wars waged to become Central Florida Chess Club champion and the rivalries that were formed. I will also share stories from the U.S. Amateur tournaments which my team won five times. I will detail the struggle to become a USCF original Life Master while raising a family and teaching full time. Mostly, I will show some of the wonderful games I played, some with very important opening preparation, and give the reader insight into the battles waged over sixty-four squares.
I hope you find the games and their stories as stirring as I do.
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