In this book, the authors aim to assist the reader in becoming better at finding combinations, constructing plans, and calculating long, forcing variations. For the purpose of instruction, the material is based on the output of former World Champion Vassily Smyslov (1921-2010), using his endgame compositions from various works and publications as well as several of his practical endgames from games from tournaments and matches throughout his career against players such as Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, Bent Larsen, Efim Geller, Tigran Petrosian and several other world class players
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For the first time in history, a chess player from North Korea takes part in the North Sea Chess Tournament. She is under pressure to perform, as are her opponents, including a cheating Italian, an Icelandic womaniser, a Tunisian fundamentalist and Dutch talent Christiaan N'Koulou. Inside and outside the arena, the boundaries of the game are sought and transgressed. Even the secret services interfere with the moves on the board. When the American player is found dead in his bathroom on the rest day, chess maecenas Godfried, the sponsor, must intervene to save the tournament at the risk of his own life.
An international literary thriller, The Sponsor is based on the notes that one of the sponsors has been taking behind the scenes of the Hoogovens-Corus-Tata Steel chess tournament for over ten years.
For the chess enthusiast, an appendix contains annotations of the games involved in the story.
Fred Das is an international entrepreneur, property developer and keen chess player. After selling his business he is mainly a full-time father.
Jeroen Terlingen was a trade union journalist, editor at Vrij Nederland and a journalism teacher. He writes books, makes films and teaches courses.
In this memoir Walter Browne recounts his formative years, how he befriended and played Bobby Fischer in New York City, how he traveled the world and made his name. He annotates his best games from over four decades, great attacking games full of sacrifices and fireworks, in a clear style that is accessible for amateur players.
Combines all 7 books by Victor Charushin: Alekhine’s Block, Combination Cross, Lasker’s Combination, Mitrofanov’s Deflection, The Steeplechase, Domination, and Less Common Combinations.
I am not seeking glory with this book, but I certainly had to have a book in tactics! That’s the main idea of the book; to be a companion for trainers and players who seek improvement — simple but effective! The names of the mates are not important. What’s crucial is understanding and subconsciously memorising these patterns in order to recognise when they’re about to occur in a player’s own games. These mating patterns are not confined to chess problems and puzzles. As will be shown, they occur in the games of Grandmasters and even World Champions, past and present! They belong to everybody’s games, even beginners’! Each mate’s theoretical pattern is presented as a diagram, with constructed examples and actual games. It is suggested that students set-up and play through these mates from the losers’ viewpoint as well. Most difficult of all is recognising patterns when they occur horizontally (i.e., rotated 90 degrees) from the normal orientation. The key to each pattern is the status of the squares surrounding the king: which ones are obstructed, which are potential flight squares that can be controlled with the available pieces. Players are advised to know these patterns forwards, backwards and upside down!
The author writes:
"This book offers a full repertoire based on the Taimanov move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6! 5.Nc3 Qc7. It is especially effective against the English attack and early kingside pawn storms. However, the fianchetto 6.g3 and the Classical system with 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 pose certain problems. I propose to meet them with the Scheveningen set-up ...d6. Thus we take the best of two different worlds.
In 2014 I wrote The Most Flexible Sicilian with Delchev. It was based on my coauthor’s repertoire, with a focus on the Kann (without Nc6). On the opposite, I have always preferred the Scheveningen set-up whenever possible. The biggest problem is to avoid the Keres Attack and the system with f4, Qf3. The Taimanov move order is perfect for that aim.
My new book practically does not overlap with The Most Flexible Sicilian or with Pavlidis’ The Sicilian Taimanov as I recommend other lines, which are better or keep more tension, in my opinion.
I have been a devoted Sicilian player all my life and I have played at least 10 000 blitz games featuring 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6. Since a good half of them featured 3.c3, 3.g3, 3.d3 or other anti-Sicilians, I included these lines in the book."
Ntirlis and Aagaard radically change the theoretical lanscape for this classic opening.
Initially things looked gloomy for Bobby Fischer. Because he had refused to participate in the 1969 US Championship, he had missed his chance to qualify for the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca. Only when another American, Pal Benko, withdrew in his favour, and after the officials were willing to bend the rules, could Bobby enter the contest. And begin his phenomenal run that would end with the Match of the Century in Reykjavik against World Champion Boris Spassky. Fischer started out by sweeping the field at the 23-round Palma Interzonal to qualify for the next stage of the cycle. In the Candidates Matches he first faced Mark Taimanov, in Vancouver. Fischer trounced the Soviet ace, effectively ending Taimanov’s career. Then, a few months later in Denver, he was up against Bent Larsen, the Great Dane. Fischer annihilated him, too. The surreal score in those two matches, twice 6-0, flabbergasted chess fans all over the world. In the ensuing Candidates Final in Buenos Aires, Fischer also made short shrift of former World Champion Tigran Petrosian, beating the hyper-solid ‘Armenian Tiger’ 6½-2½. Altogether, Fischer had scored an incredible 36 points from 43 games against many of the world’s best players, including a streak of 19 consecutive wins. Bobby Fischer had become not just a national hero in the US, but a household name with pop-star status all over the world. Jan Timman chronicles the full story of Fischer’s sensational run and takes a fresh look at the games. The annotations are in the author’s trademark lucid style, that happy mix of colourful background information and sharp, crystal-clear explanations.