Lakdawala: The Scandinavian - move by move

Ian Nepomniachtchi, challenger to Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship title in 2021, is an outstanding chess talent. “Nepo” as he is universally known is a fascinating player and this book assesses his career and analyses his original and creative style in great depth with numerous deeply annotated games.Nepo is one of the very few players in the world to hold (at least prior to the match) a plus score (four wins to one with six draws) against Carlsen in classical chess. Nepo and Carlsen are peers and first started playing each other in the Under-12 category of the World Youth Championship in 2002. In that event, Nepo edged out Carlsen on tie-break. At that time he out-rated Carlsen by 100 points and was generally considered to be the more promising of the two prodigies. Nepo is a fascinating player who loves open and irrational positions and excels when on the attack. Unsurprisingly, he cites Mikhail Tal as his all-time favorite player and says Tal is the player who has exerted the greatest influence on him. As with that great Latvian genius, Nepo thrives on anarchy and chaos and has frequently got the better of Carlsen in games with mind-boggling complications. He is also lethal when he has the initiative. Nepo has steadily climbed the world rankings and his finest achievement was his victory in the 2020/2021 Candidates’ tournament with 8½/14 points (+5-2=7) which gave him the right to challenge Carlsen for the world title. 430 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Everyman

56 Thrilling Games from Sweden's Chess LegendSwedish chess legend Ulf Andersson was a positional genius with a crystal-clear style. In his prime, in the 1970s and 80s, he rose to the number 4 spot of the FIDE world rankings because he almost never lost a game and kept scoring wins from quiet positions. But every now and then, he found himself in a position on the board that demanded an attack. And then he would strike! He was fierce and decisive, showcasing his phenomenal talent and his incredible ability to sense any imbalance on the board. Ulf - The Attacker is an amazing collection of thrilling games! Ulf is widely regarded as one of the most likable figures in the chess world. He is consistently humble, generous with his time, and known for his exceptional sportsmanship. But at the board, he was merciless in his games against Anatoly Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi, Bent Larsen, and Lajos Portisch, to name a few of the chess stars that got crushed in an attack. This book is both entertaining and instructive. Ulf Andersson's fluid attacking game will undoubtedly influence your own thinking about chess. Thomas Engqvist is an International Master from Sweden. He has over forty years’ experience as a chess coach, teacher and writer. This is his eleventh chess book, and the first one published by New In Chess.280 Seiten, Hardcover, Verlag New in Chess

Dan Heisman has been teaching chess for over 50 years and has been doing so full-time since 1996. He therefore knows very well what kind of advice actually helps players improve. This book is a distillation of that advice. The book is based around his X (twitter) column "Chess tip of the day" which has been running since 2009 and features over 4,000 tips. The most useful advice has been distilled into 164 tips that contain additional helpful material, including illustrative stories and many diagrams with instructive play. These tips represent ways to highlight and address the most common problems experienced by chess enthusiasts of all levels. They also suggest ways to mitigate or even avoid these these problems entirely and by doing so improve their chess play and learn to study more effectively.  The tips lean towards general improvement rather than focusing on specific positions. The topics addressed include: general improvement, thought processes, psychology, tactics, safety, positional concepts, strategy, openings and endgames.  Dan Heisman as a United States Chess Federation National Master, author and instructor. He is well regarded for his practical advice on a wide range of key subjects including general improvement, thought processes, planning, strategy, tactics, endgame play and technique. 304 Seiten, Hardcover, Popular Chess

A Cold-Blooded Counter to 1.e4 The Scandinavian Defense has several strong assets that make it appealing, especially for players who like clarity and active counterplay: Immediate Central Challenge: With 1…d5, Black directly contests White’s central control from the first move, disrupting typical e4-based plans. Simplified and Clear Plans: The Scandinavian often leads to straightforward development schemes, reducing the likelihood of getting lost in deep theory. Active Piece Play: In many lines (especially after 2.exd5 Qxd5), Black develops quickly with moves like …Nc6, …Bg4, and …O-O-O, putting early pressure on White. Surprise Value: It’s less common at top levels than openings like the Sicilian or French, so many opponents may be less prepared for its lines and nuances. Solid Pawn Structure: After recapturing the pawn, Black usually enjoys a solid, symmetrical pawn structure without immediate weaknesses. Flexible Queen Options: The early queen move (usually to d5 or a5) can feel risky, but it often helps coordinate Black’s forces and can quickly switch flanks or pressure weak points. In short, the Scandinavian is practical, aggressive, and efficient—especially effective in rapid, blitz, or club-level play. Description:The fundamental purpose of Black’s aggressive and provocative move with the d-pawn is to create immediate central tension and to exploit the latent power of the queen on her starting square. Remember Lasker’s observation: “Black’s idea is to make use of the great fighting power of the queen in the opening”. Black’s audacious pawn move effectively compels White to lose a tempo by capturing the pawn, creating an imbalance in the center. Black’s strategy seeks the dissolution of the center, as the immediate asymmetry reduces the significance of So, is the Scandinavian, in essence, a ‘refutation’ of 1 e4, as Black has already activated his queen far ahead of his opponent, while weakening White’s kingside pawn structure? Isn’t White essentially punished for aiming for early kingside development with his first move? Structurally, Black has achieved an ideal exchange, and the core of the Scandinavian lies in the control of the d5-square. Black must, under no circumstances, allow White to support a pawn thrust with d4-d5, as this typically means White has effectively countered Black’s pawn structure both technically and psychologically.  490 Seiten, gebunden, Verlag Thinkers Publishing

In this book I would like to tell the story of my chess journey where I rose to become the Orlando Chess Champion and later its president. I will detail the creation of the Central Florida Chess Club and how as its president it became the most successful club in Florida. I will detail the wars waged to become Central Florida Chess Club champion and the rivalries that were formed. I will also share stories from the U.S. Amateur tournaments which my team won five times. I will detail the struggle to become a USCF original Life Master while raising a family and teaching full time. Mostly, I will show some of the wonderful games I played, some with very important opening preparation, and give the reader insight into the battles waged over sixty-four squares. I hope you find the games and their stories as stirring as I do. 320 Seiten, Hardcover, Verlag Thinkers Publishing

Emanuel Lasker was world champion for a remarkable 27 years (1894-1921) and is generally regarded as having been way ahead of his time in his understanding of chess. He primarily regarded chess as a fight and considered that the strongest move in a position was the one that created greatest problems for the opponent and not necessarily the one that was objectively “best”. His strengths included: * His skill at accumulating small advantages with quiet manoeuvring. * His astonishing ability to find tactical resources in defence. * His uncanny knack of provoking errors in balanced positions. Lasker was, essentially, a complete chessplayer and his games feel thoroughly modern. Indeed many contemporary elite players (the most obvious one being the current world champion Magnus Carlsen) exhibit a very similar style. 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.   448 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Everyman Chess

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening 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 any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.   The Tarrasch is an ambitious defence to the Queens Gambit. Blacks concept is an aggressive one – he willingly accepts an isolated queens pawn but in return seizes space in the centre and gains freedom of development for all his pieces. In this book, International Master and Tarrasch expert Sam Collins takes an in-depth look at this popular opening and its many variations. Using illustrative games, Collins highlights the typical plans and tactics for both sides, presents repertoire options for Black and provides answers to all the key questions. Essential guidance and training in the Tarrasch Defence   Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study   Includes repertoire options for Black 254 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Everyman

The French Defence is a classical opening that has featured in the repertoire of many elite grandmasters. Black generally concedes a slight spacial disadvantage early but in return gains a sound structure and middlegame opportunities to undermine the white centre. A close study of the French Defence can be very rewarding for all players as the structures and themes that arise are found in numerous other openings. In this book grandmaster Damian Lemos guides the reader through the complexities of this dynamic opening and explores all the important variations.    This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening 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 any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. Essential guidance and training in the French Defence Analyses all key variations Utilizes an ideal Q+A approach to chess study       Damian Lemos is a grandmaster from Argentina. He is a former Pan-American junior champion and was only 15 years old when he qualified for the international master title. He went on to become a grandmaster at 18. An active tournament player, he also trains students at ichess.net. 352 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Everyman