Chess informant 166 “Snowflake” presents:
* EUROPEAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 by GM Miloš Perunović
* SAINT LOUIS RAPID CHESS by FM Csaba Zoltan Varga
* THE FIDE GRAND SWISS 2025 by FM Ivan Martić
* BOSSA NOVA by GM Rafael Leitao
* EDITOR'S CORNER by IM Goran Arsović
* 2025 US CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT by WGM Sabina-Francesca Foişor
* CHESS WORKSHOP by GM Mikhail Bryakin
* ROGERS' REMINISCENCES by GM Ian Rogers
* THE RISK ASSESSEMENT IN CHESS by IM Ranko Szuhanek
Traditional sections:
* The best game and most important theoretical novelty from the previous Volume
* Endgames
* Combinations
* 200 games + Fragments according to ECO Codes.
The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!
Available via subscription
British Chess Magazine (December 2025)
The Original Arkhangelsk anti-Ruy Lopez weapon is reached through the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7. It has been played as Black by many great players, including Carlsen, Anand, Caruana, Svidler, Ivanchuk, Pragg, Vachier-Lagrave, Shirov, Adams, Grischuk, Topalov, Beliavsky, Firouzja, Mamedyarov, and Morozevich. The Original Arkhangelsk can lead to tactical fights and wild positions, where knowledge of theory is important for both sides – perfect for a repertoire where Black wishes to take control of the game and make use of attacking possibilities.
Such attacks at times include the ...d5 or ...f5 pawn breaks, or the ...g5-g4 battering ram. Black’s bishops often target the white king and f2 pawn from b7 and b6 as the centre opens, while the black queen and king’s knight may add to the attack from the f, g or h files. At other times Black may target White’s central d4 or e4 pawns, play on the queenside with ...Na5 (attacking White’s light-squared bishop), sometimes together with ...c5, or play to push the b-pawn. This flexible variation is equally effective in classical, rapid and blitz.
International Master Tibor Karolyi, former Hungarian national champion and previously coach of stars such as Peter Leko and Sofia Polgar, shows the reader how to get a fully playable position as Black with fighting opportunities through 166 games and several hundred fragments, as well as a number of suggested novelties. He demonstrates the key strategic and tactical themes that the sides will encounter, as well as 25 miniatures where Black got a crushing position out of the opening thanks to superior preparation. If you’re an ...e5 player looking for a theoretically sound and ambitious yet fun response to the Ruy Lopez, the Original Arkhangelsk offers a fully playable path to dynamic positions with real winning chances.
Chess Informant 165 “Echoes” presents:
* FIDE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2025 by WGM Sabina-Francesca Foişor
* TASHKENT TOURNAMENT REPORT by GM Miloš Perunović
* DANNY'S CHESS DIARY by GM Daniel Gormally
* SERBIA CHESS OPEN 2025 by GM Mikhail Bryakin
* BIEL INTERNATIONAL CHESS FESTIVAL 2025 by IM Neboisa Illijin
* MALMO 2025 by FM Csaba Zoltan Varga
* SERBIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 by FM Ivan Martić
* WORLD OF CORRESPONDENCE CHESS by CCIM Barak Gonen
Winner of the 2015 Best Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA)
Shortlisted for the English Chess Federation 2015 Book of the Year Award
THIRD, EXTENDED EDITION
Pawn endings do not arise out of nowhere. Before emerging as endgames with just kings and pawns, they 'pre-existed' in positions that still contained any number of pieces.
Liquidation is the purposeful transition into a pawn ending. It is a vital technique that is seldom taught. Strange, because knowing when and how to liquidate can help you win games or save draws.
In this book, former US Chess Champion Joel Benjamin teaches you all you need to know about successfully liquidating into pawn endgames.
He focuses on the practical aspects: what to aim for and how to get there. When to start trading pieces and how to recognize favorable and unfavorable liquidations.
Enter a fascinating world of tempo play (triangulation, zugzwang and opposition), breakthroughs, king activity, passed pawn dynamics, sacrifices and counter-sacrifices.
Exercises will test your growing skills.
This is a ground-breaking, entertaining and instructive guide.
This New and Extended 3rd edition presents 50 new examples, besides other additions and corrections.
At thirteen years of age Joel Benjamin broke Bobby Fischer's record as the youngest ever US master, and this was followed by countless tournament successes. He won the US Championship three times and was the chess consultant for IBM's Deep Blue computer, which made history by beating World Champion Garry Kasparov in an epic encounter.
IM Frank Zeller, Magazine Schach:
"Benjamin has managed to create an excellent guide to a difficult theme that has been badly served in chess literature (..) If you are really serious about improving your chess, you should work on your Benjamin!"
Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine (UK):
"Entertainment is never far away (..) The material, which feels very fresh, provides an impressive series of easily digestible lessons."
Schach Magazin 64:
"Strongly recommended (..) In transitions into pawn endgames a lot can be gained and a lot can be lost."
GM Daniel King, creator of the Power Play DVD series:
'Well written and thoroughly researched. The selected examples have a strong practical value (..) This is an instructive work for players at any level above beginner - but it's not a dry endgame manual. The games contain some beautiful ideas and overall I found the book very entertaining.
GM Matthew Sadler, former British Champion:
"The book works quite addictively (..) It's dealing with one of the big moments of uncertainty in practical chess."
IM Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"A labour of love that has produced an outstanding book."
The Judges of the ECF Book of the Year Award:
"An attractive and entertaining book."
GM Daniel Naroditsky, Chess Life Magazine (US):
"Benjamin tackles one of the most important (and underappreciated) aspects of endgame practice."
GM Karsten Müller, author of 'Fundamental Chess Endings':
"An excellent new book. The theme of the right exchange is underrepresented in chess literature and Joel Benjamin manages to highlight its importance by investigating the transition into a pawn endgame in deep detail."
Uwe Bekemann, German Correspondence Chess Federation:
"Engages itself with a theme on which there is not a lot of literautre (..) It will doubtlessly enrich players with a new aspect of the art of playing chess."
WINNER of The Guardian 2009 Chess Book of the Year Award
WINNER of The British Chess Federation 1995 Book of the Year Award
In this modern chess classic David Bronstein, one of the greatest chess artists of all time, shares his insights in his wonderful games – 237 of them played between 1938 and 1996, a career spanning 58 years.
Bronstein was famous for the joy he derived from teaching the game and this spirit permeates his writings. His explanations and analyses are invariably lively and easy to understand for players of all levels who want to improve their chess.
David Bronstein’s achievements and his legendary creativity have ensured him a unique position in chess history. He drew a match for the World Championship, won Soviet Championship twice and took first place in numerous international tournaments.
This revised and expanded edition, published two years after Bronstein passed away, contains a lot of new material and two moving In Memoriams, one by Bronstein’s widow Tatiana Boleslavskaya and one by his co-author and friend Tom Fürstenberg.
Furthermore, 32 pages of unique photographs have been included, as well as extensive new articles by Bronstein himself.
This unconventional book is a fitting homage to one of the eternal chess greats, fascinating and rich in ideas, and written with contagious enthusiasm.
Arne Moll, ChessVibes:
"Bronstein was not only a fantastic chess player, but also a great chess explicator. The book is full of very useful and instructive explications (..) There's lots of cool new stuff compared to the first edition."
Angus Dunnington, CHESS Magazine:
“There are many tips for the non-genius and it is a very useful book for those who want to improve.”
IM Malcolm Pein, The Guardian:
“There are photographs, personal history, anecdotes and advice. Above all it is a wonderful record of Bronstein's great achievements. A splendid addition to any chess library.”
Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"Those who already own the earlier edition should be pleased by the new edition too. I think there is enough new material to justify an upgrade for one's library."
The Judges of the Guardian 2009 Chess Book of the Year Award:
"Our book of the year is an unusual, personal, inspirational and endearing work."
IM John Donaldson:
"This revised and expanded edition (..) contains a lot of new material (..) It belongs in every chessplayer's library"
John Henderson, The Scotsman:
"Deserves a place on every chess player's bookshelf."
SHORTLISTED: English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2013 Award!
Winning starts with planning before the game, teaches legendary chess coach Vladimir Tukmakov. In this ground-breaking book he shows how chess preparation has become a systematic process and how today’s top players make their game plans.
The most important aim of modern preparation, both for professionals and for ambitious amateurs, is to get a playable position that you understand better than your opponent.
The role of the computer in preparation has grown tremendously and Tukmakov explains how top grandmasters use their ‘Metal Friend’. He warns that professionals should not put too much trust in chess engines and should analyse more deeply themselves.
Club players, on the other hand, should reduce their time in front of the machine to a minimum. Tukmakov explains what amateurs should do in order to arrive at the board well-armed: study the classics, analyse your own games without a computer, and know yourself.
A special chapter is devoted to must-win situations: when the outcome of a tournament, a match or even a whole life depends on a single game. With lots of brilliant examples, inside information and amusing anecdotes, Modern Chess Preparation is not only highly instructive, but also a joy to read.
“Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent, and having a sober awareness of your own shortcomings, will pay dividends at any level, from beginners up to World Champions.”
A former Ukrainian champion, Grandmaster Vladimir Tukmakov (born 1946 in Odessa) won many tournaments and came second in three Soviet championships. After his active career he became an esteemed chess coach. He was non-playing captain of the Ukraine team that won gold at the 36th Chess Olympiad in Calvia, 2004.
Martin Rieger, Rochade Europa Magazine:
"Tukmakov has created a unique symbiosis: a training book with stories. Qualifications such as 'brilliant' or 'wonderful' are really far too stale for this work (..) This book will most probably become a classic in chess literature."
IM Jeremy Silman, author of 'How to Reassess Your Chess':
"A fascinating and original (useful!) book about chess prep, but not the kind you've ever been exposed to before (..) Exhilarating reading (..) This chapter [2: 'The Computer Era'] is nothing less than brilliant (..) Overall this book is beautifully written and deeply thought out."
Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe:
"The last chapter, 'Deciding Games', makes for fascinating reading. It is clearly a subject that has not been covered in great detail in any book that I can think of. It discusses how to approach those key games that can be last-round deciders, but even crucial games earlier in the tournament against key opponents."
Jonathan Adams, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"Easy to follow by the avarage club player."
GM Luke McShane:
"I really like this book (..) Tukmakov's discussion of the modern game is highly astute."
Babs Wiilders, Nederlands Dagblad:
"Covers all stages of the game, with both strategic and tactical perspectives (..) Splendid instructional material for every chess player who wants to get ahead."
IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering, ChessVibes:
"There is a lot of thought-provoking stuff in the book."
John D.Warth, Chess Club of Southern Indiana:
"Tukmakov's discussion is a broad one, citing games dating from 1891 up to 2011 (..) Along the way the author peppers his survey with advice, tidbits and common sense, with strong writing and a balanced approach (..) An important book on a much-neglected top ic."
Henk Prins, Reformatorisch Dagblad:
"The book gives important recommendations, also for amateur chess players, about how to use the computer."
"Tukmanakov's writing style is very interesting, that is why 'Modern Chess Preparation' also entertains."
Elburg Chess Reviews:
"Well known chess coach Grandmaster Vladimir Tukmakov does not only provide the reader with a wealth of readable games, 91 of them, but above all, offers instructive advice that truly helps you to become a better player."
Harry Schaack, KARL Magazine:
"An original mix of chess history and tips for the modern praxis."
Max Euwe Center, Amsterdam:
"At the end of each chapter the author gives recommendations for amateurs."
Richard Vedder, Schakers.info:
"Vladimir Tukmakov puts you on a trail that should lead to better results."
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”
British Chess Magazine:
"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."
"'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."
"Gives a good impression of Fischers'
José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942, World Champion 1921-1927) had a way of posting his pieces on exactly the perfect squares at the perfect time. For his opponents, it almost felt as if Capa’s pieces had a gift for condescension, since they had no need to look for opportunity. Opportunity instead came to them. The position’s optimal plan would magically and instantaneously arrange itself into coherent order within Capa’s chess mind.
Capablanca raised the bar on strategic understanding by at least one full generation. Only a handful of players in chess history were a generation ahead in strategic understanding: Morphy, Steinitz, Capablanca, Fischer, Karpov and Carlsen. The subject of this book and series is the third player on the list. While Capablanca was a player of his time, so advanced were his strategic ideas that he was simultaneously a person of our time as well.
There has never been a chess player who played blemish-free chess, yet some came close. At its best, Capa’s play appears free from obstacles of any kind. To players of that engine-free era, it sometimes felt as if Capablanca played perfect chess. The first time Emanuel Lasker met Capablanca and played blitz against him, he remarked that to his eyes, Capa never appeared to make a mistake.
Beginners often believe that quiet positions and endings are dead, lifeless realms. Play through Capablanca’s games and we see that they teem with life and possibility, since Capa saw hidden meanings in positions where his rivals were blind. He was especially deadly in quiet positions, since he had the unique ability to kill without seeming to strike a blow. By the time his opponents realized the danger, it was often too late to save themselves.
Few of us associate Capablanca with tactics, but maybe we should. He was one of the most tactically aware players of his era, rivaling both Lasker and Alekhine in this metric. Capa’s specialty was short-range combinations, which he almost never missed.
This series will be in three volumes covering the early years, Capa’s prime, and finally the later years. In this book, you will be presented with exercises which you can choose to do or not do. They include: combinations, calculation/visualization, planning and decision-making.
The present volume, number I, contains 156 freshly annotated games and fragments incorporating 168 exercises.
Each chapter includes a selection of highlighted ideas & concepts from White’s and Black’s perspectives.
After that follows a theoretical discussion, where, unsurprisingly, many of the concepts make a second, concrete, appearance.
Most newly analyzed games are much more modern, and most annotations there were typically made from scratch for this book.
If we count the endless online rapid and blitz tournaments, which are becoming increasingly popular, the new games presented in this book, even the fast ones, are of exceptionally high quality and incredibly important if you wish to surprise your opponent.
On top this book cuts through the dense theory that surrounds this opening and establishes a total new repertoire based around consistent strategies, concepts and novelties.
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.
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