Browse E-Books

In many 1.d4 openings, Black has trouble getting his bishop on c8 into play. Former Russian Chess Champion Alexey Bezgodov presents a radical solution to this nagging problem; liberate your bishop right away and put it on f5 on the second move!

In this enlarged edition of a modern classic (first published in 1991) on the battle of chess ideas, grandmaster Mihai Suba developed the concept of dynamic potential in modern chess strategy.

Move First, Think Later

Most improvement books preach the same method: study the position’s features, form a plan, then choose a move. International Master Willy Hendriks thinks that is largely a comforting myth — and this provocative, much-discussed book sets out to prove it.

Drawing on his experience as a trainer and on research into how players actually think, Hendriks argues that move selection is not the tidy output of a rational checklist; judging, planning, and calculating all happen together, messily and at once, in weak and strong players alike. The dogma that "good moves follow automatically once you assess the characteristics" simply doesn’t match what happens at the board.

In place of method-worship he offers something more honest and more useful: a healthy scepticism toward chess instruction, and a large amount of no-nonsense training material — exercises and discussion designed to build the pattern knowledge that really drives improvement. The tone is sharp, funny, and refreshingly willing to puncture sacred cows.

Best suited to club and online players who suspect the standard advice hasn’t been working — and to any thoughtful improver who enjoys having their assumptions challenged.

In the Grandmaster Repertoire – 1.e4 series, Indian superstar Parimarjan Negi presents his own world-class repertoire. Building on a foundation of tried-and-tested main lines, the author shares a wealth of his innovative analysis to chart a course towards an advantage for White.

TACTICS TRAINER AVAILABLE!

Simply solving a large number of random tactical problems is not as effective as solving structured tactical puzzles and learning to recognize their patterns. This is why, in his Chess Tactics from Scratch, the author Martin Weteschnik, breaks down tactics into basic structured elements, such as the pin, or the double attack, and provides their systematic analysis. Once the players understand tactical structures, they will improve their tactical vision and intuition. 

This expanded and improved second edition offers more puzzles to test the tactical chess skill that Weteschnik helps the reader develop.

Ntirlis and Aagaard radically change the theoretical lanscape for this classic opening.

Tiger Hillarp Persson's name is almost synonymous with the Modern Defence, and this book explains why. A follow-up to his 2005 work Tiger's Modern, this is a full rewrite rather than a revision — every line re-analysed, over forty new illustrative games added, and the author's own evolving understanding of the opening reflected throughout.

The Modern Defence begins 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7, inviting White to overextend before striking back. Hillarp Persson's approach is not passive: the repertoire here is built around generating genuine counterplay rather than simply defending. Both a Modern line and a Pirc line are given against the critical Austrian Attack, offering practical flexibility depending on the opponent's setup. Coverage extends to 1.d4 systems when White follows up with c4 and e4.

At 440 pages this is a comprehensive treatment, but Hillarp Persson is an engaging writer who explains the ideas behind his choices rather than just presenting move trees.

Best suited to intermediate players who are willing to play dynamic, double-edged chess from the very first move.

Rubinstein French

The Rubinstein Variation — reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 and an early ...dxe4 — is the French Defence at its most solid. Black gives up the centre but gets a rock-hard, low-risk structure with no weaknesses for White to target, which is exactly what makes it such a dependable answer to 1.e4. This book builds a complete Black repertoire around it, with a foreword by French authority John Watson.

The treatment is thorough and reassuring. Hannes Langrock covers every way White can try to punish the Rubinstein — the natural main lines, Kasparov’s 7.c3, the various ways of handling or relinquishing the pin on f6, Khalifman’s 6.Bd3 set-up, and the plans with queenside castling — and then deals with everything Black must know besides: the Advance, the Exchange, the King’s Indian Attack, and the sidelines.

The recommendation suits a particular kind of player perfectly: someone who wants a sound, durable defence that doesn’t require constant theoretical maintenance and steers the game toward clear, understandable middlegames and endgames.

Ideal for club players who want a "set it and forget it" French repertoire — solid, respectable, and hard to break down.

Descubra sus ángulos ciegos y no deje pasar victorias sencillas.