The Complete Manual of Positional Chess

This book began as a teaching curriculum developed for the DYSS — the elite Russian state sports school that has trained some of the world's strongest grandmasters. Konstantin Sakaev and Konstantin Landa, both grandmasters with extensive coaching experience, adapted that material into a course that any serious player can follow independently.

Despite the title, this is not a positional chess textbook in the traditional sense. It covers a much wider range than piece coordination and pawn structures: the authors address opening principles and quick development, calculation and decision-making in the middlegame, material imbalances and when to disturb them, as well as practical topics including physical conditioning, psychological preparation, and how to structure study sessions without becoming over-reliant on computer analysis.

The DYSS framework gives the book an unusual coherence — these are not isolated tips but interconnected elements of a complete training approach tested with real students. The level is advanced; this is material designed for players aiming at master strength and above.

A companion second volume extends the same approach to more complex material.