Even in the Sicilian Defense, one of the most popular and well-developed chess openings, it is possible to surprise your opponent at move four! With the Kalashnikov Variation, Black immediately forces the opponent to make a difficult decision. It all starts with a Black pawn, kicking White's knight off the central d4-square. This push will lead the game into turbulent waters where your rapid development, attacking options, sound pawn structure and superior preparation will leave your opponent bewildered.
Grandmaster Daniel King knows what it takes to play the Sicilian with success, and his articulate explanations and practical approach to playing and learning will help you score your own Sicilian victories. This course is a repertoire for Black, focusing on the most important lines. In addition, there is a selection of well-annotated master games demonstrating key strategic concepts in practical settings. Once you hear about the Bad Bishop Bounce, Liberation Station, and The Trojan Horse, you will be eager to introduce them into your own games. The book also explains how to punish the sidelines you are most likely to face in club and online play, often allowing you to reach a superior position straight out of the opening! This complete repertoire includes answers to all possible alternatives for White after the moves 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e5.
Daniel King is an English chess grandmaster, coach, journalist and broadcaster. He has authored dozens of chess books and courses on topics ranging from opening preparation to the historical biography Sultan Khan. With his frequent posts on his PowerPlay YouTube channel, he reaches a broad audience.
Jan Sybren Zagema (Schaaksite.nl)
“King provides a very accessible introduction to the Sicilian and a practical and dynamic repertoire for Black. The precise wording and themes ensure that the various variations stick much better than with most other opening books.”
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.
The Dutch Grandmaster Paul van der Sterren was a professional chess player for over twenty years. At the peak of his career, he qualified for the Candidate Matches for the World Championship – and was only four victories away from the World Title. In Mindful Chess, you will get his long and short answer to whether meditation or mindfulness will help your chess.
As a boy, Van der Sterren became fascinated by chess and became a gladiator at the chess board. To quote Theodore Roosevelt, he met with both victory and defeat, much joy and suffering. When, later in life, he discovered vipassana meditation, he met again with joy and suffering – and approached these issues with the same total devotion as he had brought to chess—thousands and thousands of hours on the cushion and studying Buddhist literature.
The reader will follow the two journeys through chess and meditation. And find answers to questions such as: What is chess? What is meditation? Who am I? What is I? Or will the answer elude you, is too much inexplainable and unknowable?
Paul van der Sterren (1956) was a professional chess player for over twenty years. At the peak of his career, the Dutch grandmaster qualified for the Candidate Matches for the World Championship – and was only four victories away from the World Title. He is the bestselling author of Fundamental Chess Openings (Gambit Publishers). In 2023 New In Chess published his book In Black and White - a chess autobiography.
GM Matthew Sadler (New In Chess magazine)
“I surprised myself by really enjoying this book, which I think is a tribute to the quality of Van der Sterren’s writing which manages to make difficult (impossible!) subjects seem (almost) accessible and to the fresh perspective that you get on key moments from his chess career.”
IM Gary Lane (Australian Chess)
“This intriguing pocket book is a quick read for those who wish to try meditation.”
Fernando Offermann (Berliner Schachverband)
“Mindful Chess is not a book that you read casually. It demands attention and thought - and gives all the more in return. A small but remarkable work for anyone who wants to deal with the psychological side of chess.”
The English Opening is typically a solid and reliable opening for White, one where both sides develop their pieces to reasonable squares before the combat begins in earnest. The gambits covered in this book change that manuscript entirely. Before either side has completed any kind of development, Black tries to grab the initiative by sacrificing a pawn. Both gambits arise after 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 e4!? 4.Ng5. The Adhiban Gambit then continues by Black playing 4...c6!?, intending to meet 5.Ngxe4 with 5...Nxe4 6.Nxe4 d5, gaining time and space in the center, whereas the Bellon Gambit instead sees Black opt for the flank gambit 4...b5!?, hoping to build a large center. The Adhiban Gambit has only recently found its way into the limelight, whereas the Bellon Gambit has been around for more than 50 years and was once thought refuted, but is once more considered playable. Prepare to give White a ruthless wake-up call!
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.
Genna Sosonko is widely acclaimed as the most prominent chronicler of a unique era in chess history. In the Soviet Union chess was developed into an ideological weapon that was actively promoted by the country’s leadership during the Cold War. Starting with Mikhail Botvinnik, their best chess players grew into symbols of socialist excellence. Sosonko writes from a privileged dual perspective, combining an insider’s nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer. He grew up with legendary champions such as Mikhail Tal and Viktor Korchnoi and spent countless hours with most of the other greats and lesser chess mortals he portrays.
In the late 1980s he began to write about the champions he knew and their remarkable lives in New In Chess Magazine. First, he wrote primarily about Soviet players and personalities, and later, he also began to portray other chess celebrities with whom he had crossed paths. They all vividly come to life as the reader is transported to their time and world. Once you’ve read Sosonko, you will feel you know Capablanca, Max Euwe and Tony Miles. And you will never forget Sergey Nikolaev.
This monumental book is a collection of the portraits and profiles Genna Sosonko wrote for New in Chess magazine. The stories have been published in his books: Russian Silhouettes, The Reliable Past, Smart Chip From St. Petersburg and The World Champion I Knew. They are supplemented with further writings on legends such as David Bronstein, Garry Kasparov and Boris Spassky. They paint an enthralling and unforgettable picture of a largely vanished age and, indirectly, a portrait of one of the greatest writers on the world of chess.
Genna Sosonko (1943) was born in Leningrad, where he was a leading chess trainer. Following his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1972, he settled in The Netherlands. He won numerous tournaments, including Wijk aan Zee in 1977 (with Geller) and 1981 (with Timman) and an individual gold medal at the Olympiad in Haifa 1976. After his active career, Sosonko discovered a passion for writing.
'Each new story of Genna Sosonko is the preservation of grains of our chess life' -- from the foreword by Garry Kasparov
“This is surely a great addition to anyone who wants to top up their chess history knowledge, and you can dip in and out of fascinating anecdotes about the stars of a bygone era. A joy for anyone who appreciates the inside story on some of the greatest chess masters in the world.”
In his third full-length memoir about one of the world's greatest ever chess players Genna Sosonko portrays a warm picture of the seventh world champion Vasily Smyslov, with whom he spent considerable time over the board, during tournaments and while meeting at each other's homes. Smyslov the man was far more balanced and spiritual than most of his contemporaries, capable of a relaxed and yet principled approach to life. Unlike most top players he was able to reach a very high standard in his chosen hobby - in his case, classical singing - even while playing chess at the very top. His natural inclination to see the best in people was, however, challenged as the world around him underwent fundamental changes late in his life.
The new freedoms of the post-Soviet era also engendered one of the most extraordinary polemics in chess history - David Bronstein's article 'Thrown' Games in Zurich (2001) - bringing accusations against Smyslov that forced him to defend himself at the age of eighty, by which time many witnesses to the events in Zurich were already deceased. In this book, Genna focuses in particular on that polemic, places it in the wider context of the so-called Soviet Chess School, and asks whether Bronstein's hurt and accusations were justified.
First published in Russian in 2014 and written by Genna Sosonko – widely recognized as the number one writer on the history of Soviet chess – this is a truly unique book about the life and destiny of the great chess player David Bronstein (1924-2006).
Emerging from a challenging background – he narrowly escaped the holocaust in WWII, during which he starved, and his father spent seven years in a gulag – Bronstein faced Botvinnik in the world championship match in 1951 and nearly defeated him. But this ‘nearly’ inflicted a wound on David so deep that it would not heal for the rest of his life.
Sosonko knew Bronstein well. Their conversations – many of which have made it into this book – not only portray the thoughts and character of one of history’s most original grandmasters but also take us back to a time unlike any other in world history. This is not a biography in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, Sosonko’s fascinating book asks eternal questions which don’t have neat and simple answers.
With a foreword to the English edition by Garry Kasparov.
Viktor Korchnoi was one of the leading grandmasters of the 20th century, coming within one game of winning the world championship in 1978. His battles with Karpov for the world crown were among the most important chess matches ever played. A man with a unique – and in many ways tragic – life and career, Korchnoi’s defection to the West in 1976 was a major event in Cold War politics.
Grandmaster Genna Sosonko was Korchnoi’s coach and second during tournaments and candidates matches in 1970-71 and then a close friend of Korchnoi for decades. Indeed, Sosonko’s emigration to the West in 1972, which is described in detail in this memoir, had a key impact on Korchnoi’s decision to defect four years later. They would meet up at tournaments and at home and discuss chess, politics, and just about everything else. Their conversations constitute an important part of this book, in which Sosonko tackles difficult questions about Korchnoi’s personality and places much of his often challenging behavior into its historical context. This book, like Sosonko’s previous masterpiece The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein, contains no games but focuses on Korchnoi’s life, from his early childhood to his final years. Further, it includes many previously unpublished photos from the private collections of Sosonko and the Korchnoi family.
*** SHORT-LISTED FOR THE ENGLISH CHESS FEDERATION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019 ***
Sally’s breathtaking story, first published in Russia in 1998 and which has been reprinted multiple times, is a memoir of her time with Tal, with whom she remained friends long after they divorced right up until his death in 1992. Full of detail about Tal and their life together, it is a tale of triumph and tragedy, love, parenthood, sorrow, jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Colored by a historical and social background including the Second World War, the Soviet chess scene, Rigan high society, the shadow economy in the Soviet Union, and Jewish emigration, it contains a fascinating portrait of Misha’s mysterious family and is illustrated with photos from Sally’s private archive. And it all just happens to be true...
Available via subscription
British Chess Magazine (October 2025)
Your performance at the board does not only depend on your pure chess skills. Being a winner also requires a mindset that is able to cope with lots of stress and setbacks during hours of uninterrupted concentration.
Just like technical chess skills, mental toughness can be trained. There are simple steps you can take that will help you to better realize your potential. Professional mental coach and chess player Werner Schweitzer has been working with chess teams and individual players for many years.
In this book Schweitzer presents practical tips and tools that will help you to improve your mental power during a game. You will learn how to:
– increase your concentration and stamina
– recognize your own strengths and weaknesses
– cope with losses as well as victories
– increase your self-discipline when studying
– handle disturbing thoughts and feelings during a game
– boost your self-confidence
– avoid underestimating (and overestimating!) your opponent
– make better decisions while under pressure
and other mental skills.
These lessons and simple mental workouts will help players of all levels to unlock the full power of their brain and win more games.
Werner Schweitzer graduated as a mental coach at the University of Salzburg, Austria. He knows from experience which mental factors have impact on a chess player’s performance. Schweitzer has been coaching players and teams for many years.
“The focus is on offering simple advice and encouragement in a variety of practical situations. It rang true in reminding me of some typical scenarios and problems that I had encountered in my games. I felt it was a useful refresher ahead of my next competitive outing.” – Grandmaster Matthew Sadler, co-author of ‘Game Changer’
“The Austrian coach has studied mental strength and in this work, which will surely prove popular, addresses such issues as how to increase your concentration, how to handle disturbing thoughts and feelings during a game and how to increase your self-confidence.” – CHESS Magazine
“Mental Toughness in Chess lays out a ‘how to’ guide to improve your performance at chess. The main premise of this chess guide is that chess toughness can be trained. The author delivers the content in a direct and concise way. The book is small in size, flows well, and its contents are actionable. Mental Toughness in Chess is a one of a kind chess book!” – Miguel Ararat, Florida Chess News
“I don’t think it’s a problem to read several tips in relatively quick succession, because the material is nicely coherent. The book seems written for the average chess player who wishes to put a stop to typical mistakes he or she often makes. The author underlines that mental power is something you can train, just like other chess skills, and to be patient while doing that.” – Bram Klapwijk, Schaaksite
“A useful mental toolbox. Chess players are exceptionally nervous, before and during a game. A certain tension is good, it increases our attention and helps us to focus, but too much tension blocks the cooperation of the two halves of our brain. This and much more in covered in this well written mindfulness tool box! Highly recommended! Also for trainings sessions.” – Elburg Chess Reviews
“This little volume covers an important but rather neglected part of the game. We find topics such as knowing yourself, fear, decision making, tension, concentration, luck, fighting spirit and confidence, in other words pretty much everything that might go through a player’s mind – for good or ill – before, during and after a game. The author doesn’t do the work for you, but provides plenty of tips and advice. It is well produced with key paragraphs, clear text and illustrations. The book is a quick read (no moves or diagrams), but not a quick fix. You could easily get through it in one sitting, but the issues raised demand much more time, thought and dedication. You will truly get out of it what you put into it.” – Ian Marks, Chess Scotland
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