A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess provides an expert introduction to the main elements of good attacking chess. From the foundational concepts of Momentum and Include all the pieces in the attack, to more situational ideas such as Attacking the weakest square, Attacking the strongest square, Evolution/Revolution, the Killzone and much more. By breaking down attacking play into easily identifiable elements everyone can understand, we see that attacking play is not the result of a genius in action, but a consequence of positional factors at play. With this knowledge, and the chance to practise it with the sister volume Grandmaster Training Camp 2 – Attack! by GM Sam Shankland, true attacking greatness is within reach.
Jacob Aagaard is one of the foremost chess authors in the world, and previously the trainer of GMs Abdusattorov, Gelfand, Shankland and more, helping many students to reach their full potential and career peaks. Not the least through his online academy killerchesstraining.com.
Classic amateur mistakes is an essential read for the aspiring tournament chess player.
Experienced Author and coach Grandmaster Daniel Gormally argues that amateur players have a different outlook on chess compared to more experienced and professional players.
Due to a lack of confidence in their chess calculation, they often struggle to deal with concrete positions and will succumb to paralysis by analysis. If you ask an amateur player about a typical chess position, they will often waffle on in such a way about the general features of the position to the extent that your eyes will glaze over. Ask a professional player about that same position, and by contrast they will bombard you with variations.
In this entertaining, humorous and entertaining read, Gormally gives his reasons why this is and tries to explain how they can improve, as well as also analysing other classic amateur mistakes, like moving a piece too often and not attacking enough.
The sum result is a tome that will not only help the amateur player to achieve better results but will also give them a consistent process going forward at the board that they feel comfortable with.
Daniel Gormally is a chess Grandmaster based in Alnwick in Northumberland. As well as being the author of several chess books including the comfort zone, pandemic shark and mating the castled king, he also runs a moderately successful chess YouTube channel.
In 2024 Gormally won the UK rapid play championship in Peterborough, and in 2025 he won the UK open blitz championships in Leamington Spa. In 2026 Gormally officially became a senior chess player and is hoping to use this fact to avoid playing underrated juniors in open tournaments, as much as possible.
In his spare time Gormally likes to read comic books and watch Korean cooking game shows, as well as trying to repair his bad back by going to the gym and attending yoga classes.
Available via subscription
British Chess Magazine (July 2026)
Pragg’s Fab Four Finish
After six rounds he languished in last place. Winning his last four games, Praggnanandhaa shot up to first place at the spectacular Norway Chess 2026 edition in Oslo.
Interview: Praggnanandhaa
‘My generation has certainly proved that we are top players. If you just see our results, we have done everything.’
Interview: Elham Amar
When he became an IM at 17, he had never ever opened a chess book, never used ChessBase and had never been abroad. Four years on, Norway’s Elham Amar is a GM and has just crossed 2600.
Second comes first
We knew him as Sindarov’s passionate second. Now Mukhiddin Madaminov has won the UzChess Masters, ahead of several super-GMs.
Blindfold anyone?
Swedish GM Axel Smith explains how easy it is to play 50 opponents blindfold. He managed 49 himself.
Magnus Magic in Malmõ
Looking to play some classical games before Norway Chess, Magnus Carlsen hand-picked the Tepe Sigeman tournament to gain some practice.
Exchange for the better
When is the right moment to trade pieces or pawns and what is your objective?
Life’s a Beach
Boris Gelfand looks at games from around the world that piqued his interest.
Keep it easy
Nikolaos Ntirlis presents four practical opening ideas from current tournament practice that promise good play; two for White and two for Black.
The Model Game
A fine effort by British prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan.
Sadler on Books
From a chess biography of a forgotten master to a collection of tips first published on Twitter, Matthew Sadler shines his light on a wide variety of new books.
All the regular features of the UK's best-selling CHESS magazine and more! Regular features include: How Good is Your Chess? by GM Daniel King, Saunders on Chess, Find the Winning Moves, Never Mind the Grandmasters..., Studies, Home & Overseas News, Forthcoming Events Calendar and Book Reviews.
In this issue:
Editorial
Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game
From Last to First!
Praggnanandhaa did the double over Carlsen at Norway Chess
How Good is Your Chess?
Daniel King presents a victory by Harry Grieve, England’s newest GM
An Amazing Six Days
Harry Grieve reveals how he obtained his third and final norm in Budapest
As Easy as ABC
Junior Tay on an easy-to-play system, A Blübaum Catalan (ABC)
60 Seconds with...Frederick Waldhausen Gordon
We learn a little about the 15-year-old IM and British Rapidplay Champion
Correspondingly Difficult
Neil Hickman tries to get to grips with the theory of corresponding squares
How to Beat a Grandmaster
Paul Littlewood looks at some fine attacking play by his England team-mates
Find The Winning Moves
Can you do as well as the players at the Welsh and the TePe Sigeman?
A New Blindfold Record?
John Knott reports on the extraordinary achievement of Axel Smith
James “Jimmy” Adams
Remembering a popular, long-standing former Editor of these pages
Chess Problems as Personal Expression
NM Ilan Vardi explores his interest in problems and endgame studies
Bird of Prey
FM Julian Way on the incredible artistry of Henry Bird (1829–1908)
Never Mind the Grandmasters
Carl remembers the creative, ingenious and daring play of Mikhail Tal
Overseas News
Anastasiia Hnatyshyn sprang a big surprise at the European Women’s Individual
From the Queen’s Building to Queen Street
Tim Paulden reports on a very special 50th Anniversary East Devon Congress
Home News
Weekend tournament results from the British Rapidplay up until mid-June
Forthcoming Events
Will you be playing the Scottish, in South Wales or at the British coming up?
This Month’s New Releases
Sean Marsh enjoyed recent publications on the isolani and Max Euwe
Saunders on Chess
John on his relationship with chess books, databases and opening theory
Chess Magazine (established 1935) is the UK’s best-selling chess publication.
Published monthly, each issue comprises 60 pages with coverage of all major chess tournaments, regular features on opening theory (mainline & offbeat) - interviews with top players, instructional articles by top players, tactics puzzles based on the latest games, features on chess history, chess studies & problems, book reviews, and much more! 12 issues delivered direct to your letterbox on a monthly basis.
Regular contributors include: Gawain Jones, Michael Adams, Daniel King, GM Danny Gormally, Simon Williams, Jon Speelman, Richard Palliser, Malcolm Pein, Paul Littlewood, Junior Tay, John Saunders, Carl Portman, and Ben Graff.
A Clean Sweep, and a Close Shave!
Andrew Ledger reports from an exciting final weekend of the 4NCL season
60 Seconds with... Axel Smith
The Swedish GM gave a huge blindfold simul and has a new book out
Small Margins
Paul Littlewood reports from the World Senior Team Chess Championships
The Comeback
Carlsen won his final three games then the playoff in Malmo
The Brightest Star?
Carl Strugnell on the specialness of 14-year-old Turkish superstar Yagiz Kaan
Will you be playing at Crewe, Edinburgh, the MindSports Centre or elsewhere?
Studies with Stephenson
Brian pays tribute to the composing giant that is Harold van der Heijden
Daniel King looks at how Rameshbabu Vaishali likes to play on the front foot
The Beauty in Chess
Jon Crumiller on Sir António Horta-Osório’s dazzling collection of chess sets
Can you do as well as the players at the final 4NCL weekend of the season?
Under the Hammer
John Henderson takes a look at the auction of Lothar Schmid’s collection
Chasing Dreams
Ben Graff thoroughly enjoyed being out and about at the Menorca Open
Menorca Masterclass
Daniel Fernandez explains how he outplayed the 2024 World Rapid Champion
Carl Portman on his last round game at the UK Armed Forces Championships
Paul Littlewood looks at an impressive game by a young Jon Speelman
Key Encounters
Some more of the best chess from the FIDE Candidates and the TePe Sigeman
Hans Niemann won the opening leg of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour in Poland
Popular weekenders took place in Belfast, Blackpool, Bournemouth and elsewhere
Sean Marsh enjoyed the return of Neil McDonald, with his new book on strategy
John on Eugene Colman and his contribution to the Two Knights Defence
International Master Tibor Karolyi has written a three-volume series on Alexander Alekhine’s games with the most artistic beauty and instructional value. This is the first best games collection of the fourth world champion written in the era of modern super-computers enhanced by neural networks.
The series has been conceived as a companion to Sergey Voronkov’s Alexander Alekhine: The Russian Sphinx series. Karolyi’s first volume covers Alekhine’s early career to 1921, which is where the period covered by volume I of The Russian Sphinx also ends. As such, this volume contains 199 games and fragments played by Alekhine from 1902 to 1921.
Among the all-time greats, Alekhine had perhaps the greatest influence on the development and understanding of the game. The earlier world champions did not publish nearly as much, and nor did they handle the openings at such a high level, while the later champions no longer had the opportunity to discover as many new ideas.
Further, alongside Kasparov and Tal, Alekhine was one of those players whose style is almost impossible to imitate. At the same time, the author was surprised to discover how much Kasparov reminded him of the first Russian world champion. One example is how frequently both players operated on the edge of the board.
Another interesting discovery is that Alekhine often managed to exploit his advantage by attacking on both sides of the board even in closed positions. He was also an early proponent among elite players of long castling to attack more freely on the kingside.
An essential addition to any chess fan’s library.
The Golden Age of Yugoslav Chess (1919–1990) explores one of the richest and most influential eras in chess history, tracing the rise of Yugoslavia as a global chess powerhouse across seven remarkable decades. From the formation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after the First World War to the final years before the country’s dissolution, this book captures the players, tournaments, ideas, and cultural forces that shaped an unforgettable chess tradition.
Featuring legendary grandmasters such as Vidmar, Gligorić, Ljubojević, Matanovic, Velimirović, and countless others, the book highlights Yugoslavia’s unique contribution to chess theory, attacking play, and international competition. Readers are taken inside iconic events like the legendary Bled tournaments, the celebrated “Tournament of Peace,” and the famous Chess Olympiads hosted on Yugoslav soil, where East and West met over the chessboard during the Cold War era.
Beyond the games themselves, The Golden Age of Yugoslav Chess paints a vivid portrait of a vibrant chess culture fueled by clubs, publications, cafés, and passionate communities. Richly illustrated with historical photographs, rare documents, annotations, and memorable games, the book reveals how Yugoslavia became a bridge between chess schools and a breeding ground for creativity and fighting spirit.
More than a historical account, this is a tribute to a generation that helped define modern chess — a golden age whose influence still resonates today.
In Schach 7/2026 finden Sie Berichte über folgende Veranstaltungen/Themen:
* Norway Chess in Oslo
* Europameisterschaft der Frauen
* Goldtour
* Schachgeschichte: Lubomir Kavalek
* Turnierrundschau: Taschkent, Mannschafts-Schnell- und Blitz-WM
* Interview: Simon Reinhard
* Fragebogen: Felix Blohberger
* Kombinationsschule, Problemschach, Turnierausschreibungen, Rezension
* Mitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe: Felix Blohberger, Stefan Löffler, Mihail Marin, Peter Heine Nielsen, Franz Pachl, Elisabeth Pähtz, Michael Prusikin, Fiona Sieber, Genna Sosonko, Max Warmerdam
British Chess Magazine (June 2026)
Gyula Breyer (1893-1921) was a highly successful and imaginative chess player. He won the championship of his native country Hungary as a teenager and achieved remarkable results against the leading players of his day.
But first and foremost, Breyer was a revolutionary in his chess thinking. He promoted the idea of dynamic chess and formulated many of the Hypermodern concepts, long before others started their investigations. Yet, after his death, he was omitted from most of the chess history books and today is only known for the Breyer variation, an ever popular defence against the Ruy Lopez.
However, Jimmy Adams has now unlocked Breyer’s legacy from the archives and made it accessible to the chess world at large. This monumental book presents 240 of his games, annotated by Breyer himself and many others. It also features a large number of articles, columns and fragments from newspapers, magazines and books, sparkling with chess and literary wit. The majority appear in English for the first time – and indeed in any language other than Hungarian.
By piecing together this material in chronological order, Jimmy Adams has constructed a mesmerizing biography covering Gyula Breyer’s intense, unconventional and ultimately tragic life. Included as well is a collection of his chess problems, some of which are truly amazing.
GM Raymond Keene:
"In terms of importance this book ranks at the top with Kasparov's various mega series, Nimzowitsch's ‘My System’ and Alekhine's books of his best games. Games, notes, discreet modern corrections, scholarly research, history, theory and perhaps most impressive of all, Breyer's Philosophy of the art, science and sport of chess!"
CHESS Magazine (UK):
"The Hypermoderns owed much to Breyer, as becomes clear in this fine, detailed biography."
International Master John Donaldson:
"A magnificent tribute to one of the unsung heroes of the early 20th century (..) This book has almost everything one could want in a game collection (..) This is a book that all those with an interest in chess history will want to have."
Davide Nastasio, Georgia Chess news:
"This book on Breyer is amazing (..) When I got this book I thought I was just adding another biography to my shelf of chess biographies. Instead I discovered, thanks to Adams’ meticulous work, a world of chess ideas I had ignored (..) I believe everyone should read this book."
B.H.Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad:
"A splendid book."
IM Gary Lane, British Chess Magazine:
"A thoroughly entertaining story that whisks you along to the dramatic end. There is a lot to admire in this clear and readable guide to a largely forgotten chessplayer who was way ahead of his time."
James Vigus, author of ‘Play the Slav’:
“This magnificent tome is the product of decades of research (..) Most of us tend to buy opening books and works of instruction rather than history. This one is worth making an exception for – and difficult to put down.”
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