In the first full book to examine 2.b3 against the Sicilian, French and Caro-Kann, mainlines, interesting sidelines and current theory are reviewed. In addition, what actually happens in modern practice is surveyed. The authors are optimistic for White, and concentrate on the best continuations while trying to be objective. It is in that spirit that they conclude that 2.b3 is sound against the Sicilian, fun against the French, and curious against the Caro-Kann. In all three cases, the objective is to sabotage Black’s play, to take him out of his comfort zone.
CHESS INFORMANT’S 149th ADVENTURE
United Colours of Autumn
CONTENTS:
FIDE WORLD CUP 2021 GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, IM Miodrag Perunović, GM Velimir Ivić
SOUTH AMERICANS IN THE WORLD CUP GM Rafael Leitão
QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED – Vienna Variation GM Miloš Perunović
VENI, VIDI, VICI GM Sabina-Francesca Foişor
SINQUEFIELD CUP 2021 GM Elshan Moradiabadi
DANNY'S CHESS DIARY GM Daniel Gormally
GOLDMONEY ASIAN RAPID GM Priyadharshan Kannappan
THE SEMI-TARRASCH – PART I GM Nigel Davies
THE RUY LÓPEZ – Anti-Marshall GM Krisztián Szabó
A STORY ABOUT HORSES AND ELEPHANTS GM Michael Prusikin
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES GM Marian Petrov
ROGERS’ REMINISCENCES – Reggio Emilia 1984/85 GM Ian Rogers
FROM THE CHESS INFORMANT ARCHIVES Douglas Griffin
Traditional sections: games, combinations, endings, Tournament reviews, the best game from the preceding volume and the most important theoretical novelty from the preceding volume.
The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!
CHESS INFORMANT’S 157th ADVENTURE
OMNIPRESENT
• In Memoriam – Remembering Aleksandar Matanovic
• Leitao – World Cup 2023 (Tournament Review)
• Shyam Sundar – This or that? – World Cup Edition
• Perunovic – Instructive positions from the World Cup
• Foisor – Women FIDE World Championship Match (Tournament Review)
• Gormally – British Chess Championship (Tournament Review)
• Moradiabadi – Biel Chess Festival (Tournament Review)
• Yochanan Afek – Prague Chess Festival (Tournament Review)
• Kotronias – The Classical Scotch 4...Bc5 (Theoretical Survey)
• Davies – The Sandipan Dutch (Theoretical Survey)
• Prusikin – The Exchange Slav Ideas (Instructive Lesson)
• Szabo – The King’s Indian Defence E91 (Theoretical Survey)
• Perelshteyn – The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon (Theoretical Survey)
• Petrov – World Championship Game Changers – part 7
• Rogers – The Japan 1978 Zonal Tournament (Roger’s Reminiscences)
• Griffin – Spassky-Portisch, Toluca Interzonal 1982 (From Informant Archives)
• Barak Gonen – Correspondence Chess
• The author has presented a complete opening repertoire for White.
• After 1.Nc3, the game can take various trans-positional paths.
• The opening move 1.Nc3 aims to control the center indirectly, and it allows for a flexible development of the pieces.
• The move prepares for subsequent development, and the game might transpose into various other openings depending on the subsequent moves by both players.
• While 1.Nc3 is not as popular or mainstream as some other first moves (like 1.e4 or 1.d4), it can be an interesting choice for players who want to steer the game away from well-known theoretical lines early on and enter into positions that might be less studied.
• As with any opening, understanding the resulting pawn structures, piece placements, and plans is crucial for successful play.
For nearly forty years, FIDE Master David Lucky has been playing great players from around the world in chess tournaments. Along the way, he has won several brilliancy prize games, in addition to many other exciting games against Grandmasters, International Masters, and other champions. This book is a specially selected collection of 119 of his very best games. Included are wins against Grandmasters Walter Browne, Yuri Shabanov, Nick deFirmian, Michael Wilder, Igor Ivanov, and many others. There are a plenty of creative attacking games, and amazing combinations that were published in various chess magazines and newspaper columns. The book also includes an article about David’s discovery of a “missed win’ from the World Championship Match between Gary Kasparov and Nigel Short, together with another article about David’s discovery of a powerful move in a popular opening variation that was named one of the best theoretical novelties of the year by Chess Informant. This book should delight any Intermediate or better chess player (USCF rating of 1400+).
The book contains 50 of the most stunning games of 2016. These games from high-level tournaments have been selected and analyzed by Grandmasters Naiditsch, Balogh, and Maze.
The Fighting Dragon showcases a variety of ways for Black to handle White’s responses. After taking in the key concepts, aspiring Dragon players can then deepen their understanding with three dozen critical test positions.
The O’Kelly variation of the Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6) is a wonderful system for those who enjoy playing Sicilian positions but don’t want to get bogged down in heavy theory. The O’Kelly relies far more on an understanding of general strategic ideas and middlegame planning than on rote memorisation of opening moves. One of the benefits of the O’Kelly is that White’s natural continuation of 3.d4, although very frequently played, permits Black confortable development and an easy game.
In Play the O’Kelly Sicilian, highly experienced chess author and coach Andrew Martin guides the reader through the complexities of the O’Kelly and carves out a repertoire for Black. He examines all aspects of this fascinating opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans.
The King's Indian is a hugely popular opening at all levels of chess. Rather than attempting to secure early equality, Black is fighting for the initiative from the very first moves. White is allowed to build up an early central advantage but Black relies on the middlegame, hoping that the central installations that White has constructed will become unwieldy and vulnerable to a devastating counterattack. In many variations, White pursues material or strategic gains but in return Black has tactical and attacking opportunities. The King's Indian Defence appeals to players who arrive at the board prepared for a fight.
The Move by Move series provides an ideal format for the keen chessplayer to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions – a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.