Starting a chess game with 1 e4 e5 is so common that the resulting complex of opening systems traditionally commands its own sobriquet, “The Open Games” (1 e4 met by other replies are “Semi-Open Games” and everything else comes under “Closed Games”). The central structure with pawns on e4 and e5 often leads to play based around highly classical themes which are the bedrock of successful chess understanding. First Steps is a new opening series and is ideal for improving players who want simple and straightforward explanations. First Steps emphasizes: the basic principles, the basic strategies, the key tricks and traps.
I chose to write a book on advanced rook endings as I simply did not wish to write another book that would be like the many already available. I have done my best to present analysis and articles I have written over the past 10–15 years. This work has been presented in my daily coaching sessions, seminars, workshops, etc. The material has helped a lot of trainees to develop into quite strong players gaining international titles and championships. The endgame is the moment of truth. It is the phase of the game where we will try to reap the seeds of our effort regardless of whether that is the full point of victory or the half point of the draw. The significance of errors increases in the endgame as the opportunities for correcting them are few. Mark Dvoretsky makes a general quote: Rook activity is the cornerstone in the evaluation and play of rook endgames. This activity may take diverse forms: from attacking the enemy pawns, to the support of one’s own passed pawns, to the interdiction or pursuit of the enemy king. There are indeed times when the rook must remain passive and implement purely defensive functions. But even then, one must stubbornly seek out any possibility of activating the rook, not even stopping at sacrificing pawns, or making your own king’s position worse.
TACTICS TRAINER AVAILABLE! In this guide International Master Vladimir Barsky teaches the method created by his mentor Viktor Khenkin (1923-2010). It’s based on an ingenious classification of the most frequently occurring mating schemes. A wide range of chess players will find it an extremely useful tool to recognize mating patterns and calculate the often narrow path to the kill. All the 1,000 examples (850 of them in exercise format) that Barsky presents are from games played in 21st century. He has carefully selected the most instructive combinations and lucidly explains the typical techniques to corner your opponent’s king. More often than you would expect, positions that look innocent at first sight, turn out to contain a mating pattern. This is not just another book full of chess puzzles. It’s a brilliantly organized course that has proven to be effective. Finding mate isn’t rocket science, but you need to know what to look for. Vladimir Barsky teaches you exactly that.
The King’s Indian Defence is one of the great classical counter-attacking openings. The most aggressive world champions (including Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov) have all scored brilliant knockout victories with this opening. In this book the highly experienced coach international master Andrew Martin explains the basic ideas behind all the different variations that occur after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6. The focus on strategic elements such as pawn structures, attacking plans and typical piece manouevres allows the reader to quickly gain an excellent feel for this complex opening. First Steps is an opening series that is ideal for improving players who want simple and straightforward explanations.
The Fifth Edition of a Modern Masterpiece! When it appeared in 2003, the first edition of Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual was immediately recognized by novice and master alike as one of the best books ever published on the endgame. The enlarged and revised fifth edition is better than ever! Here is what Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Champion, had to say in his foreword to the fifth edition: “I consider Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual an absolute must for every chess professional, and no less important even for a club player... I always recommend this book... I consider it to be one of the very best chess books published in recent times and I am very pleased with the new enhanced edition...” German grandmaster Karsten Müller, widely recognized as one of the best endgame theoreticians in the world today, has carefully updated the fifth edition with the help of American grandmaster Alex Fishbein. The incredible instructional value of the exercises has been preserved, and the blue text used in the first four editions has been replaced with text with a light grey background.
Some players become good at chess, some very good, while others excel at the game. Jacob Aagaard identifies the key factors that separate the very strong players from the rest. He includes chapters on when to calculate, how to evaluate positions, how to study theory, how to study the endgame and when to force the position. Anyone who follows the advice in this book cannot fail to improve their feel for the game.
CHESS INFORMANT’S 143rd ADVENTURE
EQUILIBRIUM
CONTENTS:
TATA Steel 2020 GM Ivan Sokolov
DAVID'S GIBRALTAR DUELS GM David Navara
JERUSALEM GRAND PRIX GM Danilo Milanović
BEWARE: Generation Z is here! GM Elshan Moradiabadi
FRESH IDEAS IN THE WINAWER GM Francesco Rambaldi
THE GRAND PRIX ATTACK GM Miloš Perunović
NEW TRENDS IN THE TARRASCH DEFENCE GM Ivan Ivanišević
Mr. FIRE ON BOARD IN BRAZIL! GM Rafael Leitão
A VENOMOUS LINE IN THE ENGLISH – PART I GM Aleksander Delchev
WOMEN'S WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WGM Sabina-Francesca Foişor
DANNY'S CHESS DIARY GM Daniel Gormally
THE POSITIONAL PAWN SACRIFICE GM Michael Prusikin
FROM THE CHESS INFORMANT ARCHIVES Douglas Griffin
Traditional sections: games, combinations, endings, correspondence chess, endgame blunders, Tournament reviews, the best game from the preceding volume and the most important theoretical novelty from the preceding volume.
The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!
This work is a follow-up to my first book “Unconventional Approaches to Modern Chess – Rare Ideas for Black” which was published in February 2019. This time, I am flipping the board and exploring offbeat opening ideas from White’s perspective. The structure of the book has remained basically the same as before, except that I merged Part III (Showing Ambitions) and Part IV (Early Surprises) into one combined chapter Ambitions & Surprises. Part I explores sidelines in several mainstream openings. This is the most in-depth chapter of the book in terms of opening analysis. Part II presents two systems that are quite universal in nature and can be used against more than one opening. Part III gives a broad overview of a variety of aggressive lines taken from GM-level games. As I stated in the previous book, I’m a big believer in the practical approach to chess. In order to win, you don’t need to find the best move in every position. It is neither possible nor necessary. To win a game, it is enough to be just a little bit better than your opponent. To make this happen, especially when facing a strong player, you must force your opponent to solve practical problems. You must get them into a position where the cost of a potential mistake is much higher than usual. If there is no room for your opponent to make a mistake, then they are unlikely to make it. It is your job to give them plenty of opportunity to go wrong. As Mikhail Tal famously put it, “You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.” This book aims to expose you to a variety of opening ideas that can help you to achieve this goal. I hope you find reading it beneficial in your future endeavors at the chess board.