The widely-played Winawer Variation has been called ‘the jewel in the crown of the French Defence’. It is easy to see why:
This is an opening for players who love a real fight. Black immediately attacks White’s centre and the resulting positional dynamics offer chances to both sides.
Viktor Moskalenko, a renowned champion of dynamic play, is the ideal guide to show you both the strategic principles and the tactical finesses. As a follow-up to his bestselling The Flexible French, Moskalenko has written another sparkling book brimming with new and original ideas.
The entire spectrum of the Winawer is covered, but of course Moskalenko has his own preferences and he does not shy away from some daring recommendations.
His keen eye for the essence of positions, his talent to find new resources in well-known lines and his own inimitable style will make the ‘French Magic’ work for every reader.
Viktor Moskalenko is an International Grandmaster, a successful author and a well-known chess coach who has worked with Vasily Ivanchuk. A former Ukrainian champion, Moskalenko remains highly active as a player and has won numerous tournaments in his new home country, Spain.
Viktor Kortchnoi:
"Familiarizing oneself with Moskalenko's new ideas can only have a beneficial effect on the play of any reader, from amateur to professional. I can see many connections between this second book and the earlier 'flexible' volume, which proves that the two are in spirit actually one publication."
Arne Moll, ChessVibes:
"The book literally brims with double exclamation marks, devious tricks, once-forgotten-but-now-revitalised ideas, quintessential quotes, noteworthy novelties, and thought-provoking italicised musing (..) A true roller-coaster ride of a book."
Klaus Kreuzer, Europa Rochade Magazine:
"It is simply a pleasure to work with this book."
Paul Motwani, The Scotsman:
"Brilliant (..) GM Viktor Moskalenko does an excellent job of giving all the most important lines after 3.Nc3 Bb4 together with lots of sound advice and ideas which makes the material easily understandable."
Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"The writing style is never less than engaging. It is possible to learn quite a lot just by reading the prose and not even playing through the moves."
Joe Petrolito, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"Expands and complements the material on the Winawer in the earlier book (..) Another fine book by a good author."
Glenn Flear, Yearbook 98:
"It is as if Moskalenko and New In Chess have consciously sought out the best features in other chess books and then put them all into this one. In addition, these 272 pages are so full full of the sheer 'joie de vivre' of the author that I would recommend turning a few pages when you are feeling down."
Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"A barrage of ideas, suggestions, warnings and concepts."
Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"A must for those who play the French Defence."
Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe:
"Very interesting and well-analyzed, with plenty of fresh ideas and suggestions."
The Ruy Lopez Revisited contains, among MANY other things, in-depth but highly accessible analysis of the Jaenisch Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5.
Vassily Ivanchuk played this gambit successfully against world champion Viswanathan Anand in the third round of the 4th Grand Slam Masters Final, held in Sao Paulo, in September 2011.
Ivan Sokolov:
"The Jaenisch should appeal to any black player who is looking for trouble at an early stage of the game. There are many dynamic ideas and still many lines to explore. I personally support Black's cause and I think the Jaenisch is a fully fledged variation."
The Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Opening) is one of the most important and oldest chess openings, forever popular with amateurs as well as professional players.
In this ground-breaking book, one of today’s greatest Ruy Lopez experts, Ivan Sokolov, presents a practical opening guide with a wide repertoire for black players who want to play for a win.
Besides the Jaenisch this book brings you:
* the Delayed Jaenisch: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5
* the Cozio Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Ne7
* the Smyslov Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6
* the Bird Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4
* the Classical Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5
The lines Sokolov presents are always dynamic and sometimes quite offbeat. But he has played most of them himself on numerous occasions, even against the strongest opponents.
Many of these lines turn out to be stronger than their reputation suggests, but Sokolov always remains an objective analyst. As well as numerous improvements for Black, the book also contains some crushing novelties for White!
Ivan Sokolov is a top grandmaster who was born in Bosnia in 1968. He was Yugoslav champion in 1988 and Dutch champion in 1995 and 1998. In his rich career Sokolov has beaten world chess champions like Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik as well as Viswanathan Anand.
Nicholas P.Sterling, Chess Horizons:
"An essential resource for Ruy Lopez players."
"Superb"
"This is simply a great opening book, probably one of the best ever on the Spanish Opening."
British Chess Magazine:
"A well-written, well-structured book with a lot of interesting ideas to explore. Sokolov introduces each chapter with plenty of textual material and also summarises at the end."
Pete Tamburro, Chess Life Magazine:
"With the line that Smyslov made famous, he devotes a decidedly simple and correct ten pages, and -voilà!- you have an understandable defense against the Ruy Lopez."
Fernando Offermann, Schachwelt:
"Sokolov's Spanish book with half-forgotten variations has something to offer for everyone (..) It is well suited for practical players, adventurers and connoisseurs."
Richard Vedder, Schakers.info:
"We must be grateful Ivan Sokolov wishes to share his knowledge of these variations with us, because he treats more or less everything Spanish where 3. ... a7-a6, 3. ...d7-d6 or that awful Berlin is not played."
The most famous team ever participating in a chess pub quiz was MC Hammer. The team members are pretty decent chess players and happened to know their bit of chess trivia and chess history. Do you know or can you guess their names?
This book offers a collection of hundreds of chess trivia and chess-related trivia. You can use it by yourself, solving puzzles. Or you can use the book for multiple thematic pub quizzes at your local chess café or chess club.
Grandmaster Dimitri Reinderman won the Dutch championship in 2013, is one of the few chess players with purple (or blue) hair, and loves games. During the pandemic, he created the holiday season in-house chess pub quiz for New In Chess publishers.
IM Gary Lane (Australian Chess)
“There is much to make you smile, inform and even shock you. The quality of the questions makes it an excellent read and somewhat thought provoking. The ideal present for any chess player.”
Grandmaster Dejan Antic and International Master Branimir Maksimovic have written a book that will change the way chess players look at the French Defence, one of the most popular chess openings.
Black players in a French Defence have sound options like undermining the White center or playing against a damaged pawn structure. Once you have really mastered the black side in the French, you possess such a powerful weapon that even strong players will think twice what to play against you.
This is a complete and up-to-date book for players of all levels, with brand-new concepts in topical modern lines such as the Steinitz, McCutcheon and Morozevich Variation. Antic and Maksimovic explain strategic concepts and methods of attack, and present numerous novelties and new tactical ideas in all French main lines. But they have also developed several sidelines into deadly surprise weapons. The conclusion is clear: Black is OK in the French!
The Lighter Side of Chess celebrates the game we love from a refreshingly humorous angle. Beyond deep calculations and serious tournament battles lies a world filled with blunders, bizarre positions, unexpected checkmates, and unforgettable moments of human comedy.
Georg and Adrian brought together a delightful collection of entertaining games, amusing goofs, and curious chess facts that reveal just how funny chess can be. From legendary masters caught in embarrassing mistakes to incredible oversights that defy belief, each chapter reminds us that even the greatest players are human—and that laughter is part of the game.
Perfect for casual reading, coffee-table browsing, or sharing with fellow chess enthusiasts, The Lighter Side of Chess is a joyful tribute to chess as a source of fun, surprise, and endless amusement. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or a weekend player, this book proves that chess doesn’t always have to be serious to be brilliant.
When Mikhail Botvinnik lost the world championship in 1960 to the dazzling attacking player from Riga, Mikhail Tal, there seemed little chance of him regaining his title. Yet in the Return Match a year later, with a surprising demonstration of aggressive chess, Botvinnik completely outplayed his young opponent and ran out the easy winner. All 21 games of the match are deeply annotated.
Three years after winning the world championship, Mikhail Botvinnik had to defend his title against the challenge of David Bronstein. Though out of practice and largely outplayed by his brilliant young opponent, Botvinnik nevertheless demonstrated his fighting qualities, levelling the scores in the penultimate game and thereby retaining his title. All 24 games of the match are deeply annotated.
In Schach 6/2026 finden Sie Berichte über folgende Veranstaltungen/Themen:
* Grand Chess Tour Bukarest und Warschau
* TePe Sigeman & Co Malmö
* Abschluss Herren-Bundesliga
* Open Orosei (Sardinien)
* Schachgedanken: Schachfilme
* Mitropa-Cup
* Mannnschafts-WM der Senioren
* Fragebogen: Alexandr Fier
* Kombinationsschule, Problemschach, Turnierausschreibungen, Rezension
* Mitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe: Oleg Aronson, Dr. Gerhard Köhler, Mihail Marin, Adrian Michaltschischin, Karsten Müller, Peter Heine Nielsen, Franz Pachl, Michael Prusikin, Josefine Safarli
SCHACH die älteste noch erscheinende Schachzeitschrift der Welt – ihre historischen Wurzeln reichen bis ins Jahr 1846 zurück.
The Janowski Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6. Black plays ...a6 to prepare the queenside expansion ...b5, aiming to challenge White’s c4 pawn and gain space. The idea was introduced by the Polish-French grandmaster Dawid Janowski around the turn of the 20th century.
Compared with classical QGD lines, this variation is less theoretical and offers flexible development for Black. White usually responds by strengthening the center and preventing ...b5, often with moves like a4, Nf3, or cxd5. The resulting positions typically feature a strategic battle between White’s central control and Black’s queenside expansion.
When Max Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine in 1935, the chess world was stunned. A modest Dutch mathematics teacher had dethroned the most charismatic and feared champion of his time. Almost immediately, doubts arose: Was Euwe truly worthy of the crown? Did he really belong in the lineage of Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine himself?
Nearly a century later, these questions still influence how Euwe is remembered — and, all too often, how he is underestimated.
This book takes a fresh look at Euwe’s years as World Champion and presents solid evidence. It challenges the familiar narrative that portrays his reign as a brief intermezzo, largely created by Alekhine’s powerful and enduring self-portrait. Euwe himself never played that game. He analysed his victories soberly, credited his opponents generously and avoided self-glorification, even when it was fully deserved.
Drawing on contemporary sources, tournament results, and a close examination of Euwe’s games with today’s best computers, the authors place his achievements in their proper historical context. The picture that emerges is clear: Euwe did not merely win the title — he belonged at the very top. In the mid-1930s, he was consistently on par with and at times surpassed the strongest players in the world.
This book offers a balanced reassessment. However, it leads to an unmistakable conclusion: Max Euwe was not a footnote in chess history — he was a true World Champion.
Paul van der Sterren is a grandmaster and two-time Dutch champion who qualified for the Candidates Matches. He is a prolific author and won the ECF Chess Book of the Year Award in 2024 for his autobiography, In Black and White. His other books include Mindful Chess and Fundamental Chess Openings.
Erwin l’Ami is a grandmaster, former Dutch champion and winner of the 2015 Reykjavik Open. He is a highly regarded opening expert and has published several Chessable courses. He is also a renowned second, having worked with chess greats such as Veselin Topalov and Anish Giri.
Alexander Münninghoff tells the unforgettable tale of the fifth World Chess Champion. Filling a gap in the literature of chess, he shows that Euwes world title was the result of his iron will, his methodical drive and his energetic handling of all aspects of the game. By bringing his world title under the aegis of the world chess federation FIDE, Euwe profoundly changed the history of chess, and it was Euwes diplomatic determination as President of FIDE that saved the Match of the Century in 1972 between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. This gripping story is illuminated by numerous photos and fifty games with the original annotations by Max Euwe.
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