Having the Nimzo-Indian Defence in his repertoire is a must for every 1.d4 player. However, it has been deeply explored, and lately White has been struggling to make something out of the opening. Indicatively, recent years have seen only books from Black’s perspective. This repertoire presents an innovative approach for White. While he starts with Kasparov’s move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3, he is often ready to transpose to the Rubinstein System with e3, having sidestepped the main Black’s equalizers against it. That allows White to get rich dynamic positions with fair chances for success.
Semko Semkov is a chess journalist and theoretician, with two GM norms. His most famous books are The Modern English, The Most Flexible Sicilian, The Taimanov-Sheveningen Hybrid, Understanding the QGA, Building a Reti Repertoire.
Many players approach the opening with a desire to learn sharp lines and out-prepare their opponents. This is an exhausting task, which gets more difficult by the day. However, there is a different strategy which is more practical and designed for longevity. This is to develop an advanced understanding of typical positions. Such a policy is the best approach against different move orders and new ideas.
Milos Pavlovic’s 1 e4 repertoire is based on lines where an understanding of plans and strategic ideas is more important than rote memorisation. The focus is on important positional considerations such as:
* How to make the pieces work most effectively with a given pawn structure
* How to spot weak points and exploit them
* How to limit the opponent’s counterplay
Opening Repertoire: Strategic Play with 1 e4 guides the reader through a complete repertoire for White. Pavlovic examines the key aspects of each line and provides the reader with well-researched and fresh analysis. Every annotated game is a lesson on typical middlegame plans, based on the instructive question-and-answer method.
The major variations are:
* 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bb5+
* 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c3
* 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 b3
* 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 g3
* 1 e4 c6 2 Nf3 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 Ne5
* 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5
* 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nf3 (delaying/omitting d4)
* 1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3
GM Milos Pavlovic has written several opening books where he shares the approach that led him to a world ranking just outside the top 100 at the end of 2003.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
There are many various concepts and approaches to creating chess books. Chess strategy books have, more or less, well-known structure and contents. Writers work on “elements, principles, concepts... The chapter titles are more or less known in advance. I suggest an alternative concept. I will try to explain how to use your pieces and how to handle situations with the same pieces in your opponent’s camp!
Not once I heard statements like: “He doesn’t know how to play with minor pieces, or “He always stays with a bad bishop”, or “He is bad in rook endgames” etc. That conclusion motivated me to focus on such peculiar problems and to explain everything related to a concrete chess piece.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE KING
The first volume is dedicated to the most important piece – the king. Some principles are well known: in the opening we should castle as soon as possible to secure the king and give freedom to other pieces. In the middlegame we should attack the opponent’s king if he is not safe to mate and win, in the endgame we are well-advised to activate our own king in order to have one more piece in action... There are many exceptions or modifications of these principles and there are many other less common principles.
I am sure that you will learn a lot while reading this book that and you will enjoy some interesting games. The material is divided in six chapters. In the first chapter our story will be about the importance of having an active king in the endgame. The next three chapters are about launching and organizing attacks on our opponent’s unsafe king (king in the center, attacks with castling on the same side and on the opposite sides). The fifth chapter is about king evacuation, a concept of great value both in defense and attack! The final chapter focuses on art and beauty in chess and you will see brave kings in action and some risky walks performed across the whole board!
I have no doubt that the mix of well known, unknown and fresh examples will be interesting to you, dear reader.
Every chess player hopes to set off brilliant combinations and win games in a blaze of glory. Such combinations do not come into being by themselves, however; they appear only as the result of proper chess strategy. It is therefore surprising that so few books deal with this highly important subject, and understandable that Pachman's modern classic has been so enthusiastically received by chessplayers at all levels.
Ludĕk Pachman, a Czech grandmaster, has long had an international reputation as a chess theorist, but until now his work has not been available in English. This present volume, which condenses his great Modern Schachstrategie, presents his ideas and theories in a form that the English-speaking world can assimilate easily. Beginning with basic concepts and the rules of the minor and major pieces, it covers the use of the Queen, the active King, exchanges, various kinds of Pawns, the center and its use, superiority on the wings, minority attack, strategical points and weak squares, methods of attack and defense, and similar topics. Pachman elaborates the various kinds of strategy that can be employed, and shows how each leads to tactical opportunities. It has been said that his section on the Rook alone make his book indispensable to the serious chess player, since the Rook is so important in both middle and endgames.
Pachman presents his method in the form of a thorough, systematic, analytical text, which draws upon scores of great games for exemplification. Both classical and very recent masters are included, although stress is on the moderns: Capablanca, Alekhine, Dr. Lasker, Rubinstein, Nimzovich, Botvinnik, Reshevsky, Bronstein, Smyslov, and Spasski.
A dramatic sacrifice might seem like the best way to achieve a dazzling, come-from-behind victory, however, the outcome of most chess matches, depends on the participants' positional skills. The first player to establish a positional advantage gains the best chance of a successful direct attack.
This complete guide, written by an Israeli grandmaster, offers valuable insights in developing a more powerful strategic game. It spans a century and a half of international chess, from the era of the legendary Paul Morphy in the 1850s to that of the modern powerhouse Gary Kasparov. The author focuses on common situations arising from practical over-the-board play. Examples — on such themes as key squares, bad bishops, and pawn structures — appear in ascending difficulty, with ample cross-reference.
Derived from the author's own coaching manuals, these instructive examples successfully assisted in training Israel's top juniors and the champions of the Israeli women's national team. Chess players at every level will benefit from this opportunity to develop an intuitive grasp of each concept and strengthen their positional play.
"Chess Duels" shares Yasser Seirawan’s encounters with chess legends, blending game analysis and personal stories. "Lessons with a Grandmaster" and "World’s Most Instructive Amateur Game Book" provide practical insights for improving players, focusing on strategy, psychology, and learning from amateur mistakes to elevate gameplay.
These books explore the lives, games and strategies of chess legends, offering deep analysis, captivating stories and practical lessons. From world champions like Alekhine and Tal to iconic tournaments like Zurich 1953, each work combines historical insights with annotated games, helping players of all levels improve while celebrating chess history.
This selection of books focuses on simplifying chess concepts for beginners and intermediate players, offering clear strategies, tactical exercises and pattern recognition to improve gameplay. From mastering basic tactics and endgames to developing attacking plans and understanding key patterns, each book provides practical tools and exercises to help players win more games and build a strong foundation.
Selection of books that focuses on mastering endgame strategy and tactics, offering clear explanations, essential concepts and practical exercises to improve your endgame skills. From fundamental positions and key themes to advanced techniques and real-game puzzles, they provide structured training for players of all levels, helping you navigate endgames with confidence and precision.
Dear readers, the book in your hands is primarily intended for all who are entering the magical world of chess, beginners, children and their parents and of course - adult ambitious improvers. This chess textbook will enable readers to strengthen their knowledge of the chess basics and fundamentals and will help trainers and chess teachers in working with their students.
* The Rules of Chess
* Basic Checkmates and Winning Material
* Essential Endgame Skills
* Tactics and Combinations
* How to play the Opening?
The author has 35 years of experience working with the most promising junior players, many of them becoming chess professionals, Grandmasters and International Masters. As a senior trainer he has gathered a deep knowledge and understanding of *what a diligent improver* should devote his attention to, and is able to guide a prudent reader with a steady hand.
This book is the first one in the series that should bring you great enjoyment and satisfaction in accumulating chess skills and winning many games along the way!
PRACTICAL CHESS TUTOR - FROM BASIC TO MASTERY 2 is a complete manual of chess strategy for club players, with some introductory tactical themes at the very end of the book. All the crucial elements of strategy are examined in great detail by examining the most instructive classical and modern games (100 games in total).
Strategic themes we focus on are: strong and weak squares, open file, center, exchanging and improving of the pieces, bishop pair, bishop versus knight situations, various pawn structures and formations, prophylactic play etc. I decided to explore strategic themes by presenting model games in their entirety so you could have a whole picture of the developments and see how the game ended once the strategic advantage had been obtained.
I advise you to go through the whole games on a chess board and to invest time and attention to diagram positions. You can try to find the correct move in those situations on your own, having in mind that these positions are strategic in nature so quite often there are multiple good moves (you could even find some improvements over the game moves). Such practice will help you to absorb the ideas and principles much easier!
This manual can be used by students working alone or with fiends, parents who study chess with their children, and of course chess trainers who need carefully prepared material for lectures. Finally, this book can be read as a collection of instructive and entertaining chess games with special emphasis on chess strategy.
IM Richard Palliser outlines a combative Trompowsky (1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5) repertoire for White. The lines analysed deal with all of Black’s common responses.
A perennial favourite of creative players, the ‘Tromp’ sets Black complex problems from the very beginning. It has been played by Anand in a World Championship match and used as a surprise weapon by Carlsen, Nakamura, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and many other top players. While offbeat, the Trompowsky is difficult to face.
One colourful variation outlined within is the audacious 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. h4!? – a favourite of ‘Mr Trompowsky’, the four-time British Champion, Julian Hodgson. Leading to unusual and rich middlegame play, this variation maintains its venom in 2024.
IM Richard Palliser is a highly experienced chess writer and opening expert, having worked closely with Gawain Jones and Simon Williams. He is also the editor of CHESS Magazine and the author of numerous books, including Starting Out: The Trompowsky Attack in 2009.
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