There is probably no other player who has changed the chess world in so many areas and so radically – like Robert James Fischer, for whom the name Bobby Fischer has become common among chess players worldwide. Of his spectacular successes, his downright declassifying victories against three Soviet grandmasters in the early 1970s are particularly noteworthy – a kind of changing of the guard in the fight for the world title, to which the Soviets had subscribed, so to speak, for more than two decades. This triggered a worldwide chess boom, or more precisely: it triggered a chess boom especially in the western world, because in the Soviet Union with millions of club players such a boom was apparently hardly necessary. Many players of all levels were drawn to the royal game specifically because of the events of that time. Fischer's games are legendary, and since they have of course already been extensively analyzed and commented on in a number of works, the question arises: What is another book supposed to achieve anyway? German grandmaster Karsten Müller has selected what he considers to be Fischer's 60 most instructive games and checked them with various newer engines. Although he noticed numerous errors in the old analyses, Bobby's games still shine in their former glory or even brighter. Since even top programs rarely find errors, every reader can learn more than ever from these games in order to improve their own playing strength in a success-oriented manner. In addition to the numerous photos, it's above all the quotations contained in many games that take the reader back to the 'old days of chess'. Therefore, even younger players can get a good impression of what the chess world was like when, for example, there were still 'adjourned games' and 'sealed moves' – and when no player could dodge the hard analysis work by simply delegating this tedious task to his computer.   222 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag  

Since every world champion was the most outstanding player of his time, it makes sense to study the various aspects of the royal game using the world champions' games – and of course to enjoy them. In this first of two volumes on the world champions' art of combination, the authors (both recognized experts in the field of chess literature) offer the reader the opportunity of trying to find plenty of these best combinations themselves – and thus to assess and improve their own tactical skills. But that's not all. In addition to often breathtakingly spectacular sample games, which are thoroughly analyzed and commented on in a comprehensible way, individual pet topics are highlighted in which the world champions have created particularly outstanding works. So you are invited to take a closer look at how Steinitz handled the 'Steinitz King' – at Lasker's phenomenal art of defense and Capablanca's mastery of 'small combinations' (for which the French term 'petite combinaison' has become common in chess language). Furthermore, at Alekhine's dashing attacks, at Euwe's seventh sense for dynamic transformations, Botvinnik's tactical solutions to strategic problems, Smyslov's virtuosity even in tactical endgames and – last but not least – at Tal's downright magical tactical works of art with which he not only bewitched his opponents, but the entire chess world. Thanks to the QR-codes above the diagrams, you can download the position directly to your smartphone and watch or analyze the game, so that the laborious and error-prone input by hand is no longer necessary. Volume 1 contains 260 combinations and many fully annotated sample games. 192 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag

Since every world champion was the most outstanding player of his time, it makes sense to study the various aspects of the royal game using the world champions' games – and of course to enjoy them. In this first of two volumes on the world champions' art of combination, the authors (both recognized experts in the field of chess literature) offer the reader the opportunity of trying to find plenty of these best combinations themselves – and thus to assess and improve their own tactical skills. But that's not all. In addition to often breathtakingly spectacular sample games, which are thoroughly analyzed and commented on in a comprehensible way, individual pet topics are highlighted in which the world champions have created particularly outstanding works. So you are invited to take a closer look at Petrosian's deeply thought out exchange sacrifices, at Spassky's always tactically alert attacking skills and Fischer's often combinatorial exploitation of advantages in the endgame. Furthermore, at the tactical aspects of Karpov's dominance and restriction methods, Kasparov's dynamic pressure play, Kramnik's positional power play, Anand's fine sense for dynamics and – last but not least – Magnus Carlsen's combinatorial conversion of his excellent endgame strategy. Volume 2 contains 288 combinations and many fully annotated sample games.   240 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag

Whenever the world champion has to defend his crown against a challenger, it's not only chess fans who are watching, but the whole world. This exciting scenario was originally planned for December 2020, when the Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi was supposed to meet the Norwegian title holder Magnus Carlsen in Dubai. The Covid-19 pandemic, however, caused a stalemate situation and the whole event had to be postponed for one year. On November 24, 2021, the match, which was scheduled for 14 classical games, finally took off. For the defending champion – still 31 years old on the opening day - this was already the 5th title fight, while his opponent of the same age was going to play at the highest level for the first time. As number 1 in the world rankings with an Elo rating of 2856, Carlsen went into the match as a favorite. Nepomniachtchi was listed as number 5 with the slightly lower Elo 2782. Even so, some experts believed he was capable of winning the chess crown. Their opinion was based on the fact that Nepo was after all the only player in the world with a positive score against Carlsen in classical chess. Should the scheduled 14 classical games not lead to a decision, the winner would have to be determined in a tie-break. First four rapid games, possibly followed by blitz games and, as a last resort, by an Armageddon. In some publications it was said that Nepo could also have a chance in these disciplines. As it quickly turned out, however, a tiebreak was not necessary. The authors have analyzed all match games in detail and written entertaining and understandable comments. In addition, the first chapters portray the protagonists using biographical sketches, previous personal encounters and some highlights from their way to the final. Some Interviews, predictions before the fight and exercises complete the book.   162 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag

The duel for the crown of the world's best player has been the absolute highlight of international chess since the beginning of tournament chess. In November the world champion was determined in London in a match over 12 games and a tie-break – between the title defender Magnus Carlsen from Norway and his challenger Fabiano Caruana from the USA. In the run-up there was no doubt that an interesting showdown was to be expected, as the two protagonists were holding the first two places in the world rankings. Accordingly, the chess world was feverishly awaiting this event. After winning the Candidates Tournament in Berlin earlier this year, the American Grandmaster had also shown great form at numerous other top events, and his accomplishments left no doubt that he was an absolutely worthy opponent for the defending champion. In this book all the games are analyzed in detail and commented in an entertaining and understandable way. In addition, it also offers a close look at the framework conditions and the events that led to the finale. So you will find, for example, chapters like 'The Opponents in Short Portrait' and 'The Previous Fights of the Protagonists'. Then there are interviews with various top players and experts under the title 'Predictions Before the Fight' – rounded off by a playful opportunity to compete with the champions: 'Try to Find Combinations Like Carlsen and Caruana!' 190 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag

In 2013 Magnus Carlsen became world champion after his victory over Viswanathan Anand. He has been dominating the top of the international chess scene ever since – and almost at his liking. Now, defending his title against the not much older Russian Sergey Karjakin was on the agenda. All their prior match-ups were ‘teeth and claws’ affairs with the Norwegian only scoring a slight plus.  However, Sergey Karjakin surely did his best to push his opponent off the throne. From November 11th to 30th the Fulton Market Building in New York became the arena of the fight for the crown of the world chess champion. Exciting games, played at the highest level and thoroughly annotated, will guarantee the reader’s delight. 141 pages, Paperback, Joachim Beyer Verlag

The One Hundret And Eighty-Seven Games of the Bitish Championship Tournament, The Four Games of the Championship Play-Off, and Twelfe Games from other Events   63 Seiten

Warning: this book is not just entertainment. The author wants to teach you a lot about chess and improve the quality of your play!   He has selected 53 miniatures from throughout chess history – the earliest are from the 1850s, while the most recent are from grandmaster events just a few months ago! A miniature is a decisive game, won in 25 moves or fewer. Most of these 53 games feature brilliant tactics, attacks on the king, and even a few outrageous king-hunts. In many, the winner had to overcome cunning defensive ploys and inventive counterattacks.   But our aim in this book is not just to admire the players’ skill, but to learn how we can play like this in our own games. Chess coach Ataman is keenly focused on the instructive points, explaining which features of the position justified the attacks, and what prompted the critical decisions. Where analysis is given, it is restricted to what it would be realistic for a human to work out at the board.   But why are miniatures so instructive, especially for younger players? It’s because we get to see an idea or plan implemented successfully, in full. Once we understand what players are trying to achieve, we can then appreciate how to oppose these ideas, and the cut-and-thrust typical in modern grandmaster play will make a lot more sense.   Alper Efe Ataman is a FIDE Master from Turkey. He is a chess publisher, author and an experienced trainer, especially at the scholastic level.   “The author has dragged his net wide and re-discovered undiscovered gems like Freeman-Mednis, New York 1955, played when the future Grandmaster was still a teenager. Instructive Chess Miniatures is a book that will provide plenty of pleasure and instruction at a very reasonable price… recommended” – IM John Donaldson

This book is about co-author and international master Michael Basman, who has been an avant-garde strategist on the chessboard from his early days as a tournament player and who has collected his share of ridicule and scorn throughout the years. But he has been fairly successful, so we can ask ourselves who has been right, the master or his critics. Former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik saw through the facade of experimental play and named Basman a creative and talented player. But even on the British player´s home turf, there was often sharp rejection of his way of playing chess. Interesting wins were more than once described as lucky, and losses as the natural consequence of sins against chess. Even in the late 1970s, when Mike Basman was a household name in British chess, British Chess Magazine was still writing he was "handicapping" himself by his unfortunate opening choices. An interesting exception to this trend was grandmaster Raymond Keene, who back in 1982 wrote an extensive article on Basman's games from the Benedictine Masters in Manchester. He praised the strategical ideas but criticized the implementation. And he finished his article with an example of how these ideas could have found a place in one´s own strategic Arsenal. 304 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Thinkers Publishing

The 1995 World Chess Championship Match - The 1995 World Chess Championship Match Anand - Kasparov 129 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Hypermodern Press

Find your role model This book contains games from every single female World Champion, as well as young up and comers, top seasoned professionals, streamers, and even a section at Beth Harmon from the recent famed Queen’s Gambit hit show. This book is not just for girls and women, however. Any chess player can learn from these games and discover female chess history, both from the famous players in the past right up to the present day. How have these games been selected? It is at this point I can mention the real reason - my UK Girls chess project called ‘She Plays To Win’ (SPTW). This group has officially been going since April 11 th 2020. I had the idea even a few years before, but I was not sure how it could be set up. The unfortunate events of worldwide lockdown provided the answer, as the switch to being online allowed me to offer zoom lessons for UK girls as well as weekly girls tournaments on the Lichess server. I do this for free and parents have never paid anything to get involved. Each week I cover a top female player and we analyse the game. Over the past year I have built up a large collection of games and tactics, which I felt could be published. It is the most up to date collection about women’s chess covering a variety of ages and levels. After nearly two years, I have nearly 500 girls across the UK signed up, and a further 200 girls in our new beginners programme. I hope this is just the beginning. After all, on our official website www.sheplaystowin.co.uk the tagline reads ‘Every Girl in the UK should play and learn chess - the educational benefits are huge’. I can announce that I personally will not take a penny from this book, as 10% of the proceeds from sales will go directly to the She Plays To Win charity in order to further the SPTW UK girls chess projects. So not only can you benefit a lot from this book personally, your purchase will benefit UK girls chess immensely. Lorin D’Costa   1 Auflage 2022 484 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Thinkers Publishing  

A Feast of Chess in Time of Plaque In the middle of the last century tournament compilations were extremely popular. After every major chess event a compendium would appear in print. Naturally, the Candidates Tournament was no exception. For instance, David Bronstein’s book “Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953” was carefully and thoroughly studied many times in my youth. To this day I can still recite some of its more memorable passages. Gradually various textbooks and publications, but mainly theoretical manuals, completely replaced that particular type of chess literature. Nowadays even the world title match is not always worthy of its own publication. This is probably a direct result of the rapid increase in the number of international tournaments currently contested on the world circuit. The close-knit circle of leading grandmasters has turned into a sort of wandering circus troupe, globetrotting with practically the same act. One competition seamlessly transitions into the next, making it hard for the average chess fan to follow this infinite flow of events. At first the same could have been said of the 2020 Candidates Tournament. However, the balanced flow of the normal chess calendar was unexpectedly interrupted by a frightening occurrence. Seemingly harmless at first, the coronavirus pandemic overtook more and newer countries by the day and gradually became pretty much the main, and only determining factor in life. The Candidates Tournament was threatened as well. Whether it would be held at all was pretty much in doubt until the very last few minutes. Even the grandmasters, who had already gathered in Ekaterinburg, had reason to doubt that they would have a chance to sit at the boards. In the end, having indeed commenced, the tournament planted in me a vague notion of writing a book about it. The title of it was born first. It flowed naturally out of a name of one of Alexander Pushkin’s four Little Tragedies “A Feast in Time of Plague.” Surely, the situation in which the players would need to compete called for some dramatic associations. Certain parties opposed to holding said tournament also used this expression implying a kind of cynicism and impropriety of celebration during such tragic times for humanity. Yet the great poet had something entirely different in mind. That particular work was written in 1830 during the second cholera pandemic and Russia was right in the midst of the suffering. Finding himself in mandatory quarantine Pushkin’s little masterpiece praised the virtue of the human spirit, ready to resist any calamity or misfortune. Your author remembers another cholera outbreak in which he was a direct participant. Chess had its role to play in that story too. News of the cholera pandemic having invaded Odessa reached me in Buenos Aires in 1970. The articles in every paper were terrifying and I was convinced that it was unlikely I would see my hometown, friends and the love of my life who would later become my wife, any time soon. Yet having concluded the tournament successfully I was surprised at the ease with which I returned to Odessa. The city greeted me in a very uncharacteristically collected and somber manner. There were no crowds of wandering tourists and the street sweepers scurried about nonstop. I had never seen such a clean and desolate summer in Odessa before or after. The natives of Odessa, normally carefree and full of life, were not despondent even in those dark times. Not many local restaurants chose to stay open in those days, even while the wine flowed like water. People enthusiastically believed the advice of doctors who claimed wine helps avoid misfortune. Today those days are long gone even if still remembered as a symbol of love of life and optimism. As the tournament which we shall discuss commenced in such an interesting and energetic manner this timid idea of writing a book soon morphed into a very persistent desire. Th erefore, the book which you are holding before you bears witness to my solidarity with my younger colleagues. The talent and bravery demonstrated by the best players in the world in this time of global calamity is a testament of their fortitude and commitment. As usual I was assisted by my old and proven “Iron Friend” whom we otherwise know as the computer engine. Without him none of this could have ever been accomplished with such swiftness. At the same time, my silent assistant was only accountable for the pacing, whereas the bulk of responsibility regarding the quality of execution rests entirely on the shoulders of the author. 156 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Thinkers Publishing

Grandmaster Invitational Chess Tournament San Francisco, 1995 tells the story of one of the strongest and perhaps most interesting Grandmaster Chess tournaments in United States history. Organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations' charter in San Francisco in 1945, the tournament combined playing strength and diversity in an unprecedented fashion. The roster of stars spanned generations, crossed political and economic boundaries, and included the women's World Champion, Xie Jun, of China, and history's strongest African-American chess player, Maurice Ashley, of New York. Whether young or old, man or woman, communist or capitalist, there was someone for everyone. These champions from the former Soviet Union, China, England, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the United States vied for supremacy for two grueling weeks. They produced some of the finest fighting chess ever witnessed in this country, and their analysis of the games fill these pages. It was only fitting that such a competitive event was ultimately won by the greatest fighter of them all, Viktor Kortchnoi. Group dinners, outings and other special events were liberally sprinkled throughout producing new friendships and rekindling old ones. The author and chief organizer of the event, James Eade, does his best to wipe the star dust from his eyes and capture the personalities of the players from his unique point-of view. Eade, an internationally titled player in his own right, is President of the Chess Journalists of America, editor of the California Chess Journal and past president of the Northern California Chess Association. His previous book, Remember the MacCutcheon, was published by Chess Enterprises in 1991. Grandmaster Nick de Firmian provides the lion's share of the analysis, while annotations from Kortchnoi, Hübner and Nunn are also included. 147 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Hypermodern Press

Preface I am happy to present the third volume of my collection Chess Calculation Training! After looking into middlegames in volume one and endgames in volume two, we encounter a new subject – legendary games. This book is a mixture of all kinds of exercises, but with one thing in common – all the games were played before the year 2000, except for a few by two big names, Kasparov and Karpov. There are several objectives to this book, besides the obvious calculation training. The age of the games brings in a cultural element and some positions of a whole different kind, since chess was very different a few decades ago in the pre-computer era. Going through thousands of games I found many exceptional positions that have been ignored by previous books and articles, as engines were too weak at the time, and analysis too superficial, to appreciate the depth of some combinations or some moves that had been missed. In this book you will come across many of these examples as well as a few famous positions that you may already have seen – just for the record! In the fifteen chapters and 480 exercises in this book, we will encounter many subjects, for example attack, defence, surprises and hidden moves, while some chapters will be especially dedicated to four great players – Kasparov, Karpov, Fischer and Kramnik – in order to learn about their styles. The last two chapters are also of a very special kind, ‘Extraordinary Wins’, where you will see moves of the kind you won’t meet very often in life, and ‘Special Section’, with exercises requiring special instructions. Many surprises await you throughout this book. Enjoy!   270 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Thinkers Publishing

Who can dethrone the World Chess Champion? Twenty more years? Magnus Carlsen has said that he may stay at the top for another 20 years. And who can argue with the World Champion? Hes been dominating top-level chess with an iron fist and has rightly highlighted the lack of consistency from his potential rivals. When Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen burst onto the chess scene, there was no doubt whatsoever about their future destiny: sooner or later they were going to become World Champion. How different is the situation today, when there seems to be no such player. New In Chess contributing editor Anish Giri presents ten chess players that may challenge Carlsens hegemony in the years ahead. Or may not. Giri not only shares his insiders knowledge about his colleagues in his lucid and witty notes to their games, he also provides the reader with valuable lessons in all phases of the game.   Anish Giri (1994) became a Grandmaster at the age of 14.   85 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag New In Chess

The Inside Story of the legendary 1972 Fischer-Spassky World Chess Championship in Reykjavik When the Icelandic Chess Federation made a bid to host the 1972 world title match between Soviet icon Boris Spassky and American challenger Bobby Fischer, many Icelanders were rightly shaking their heads in disbelief. How could their small island country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a population of less than 300 thousand people stage such a prestigious event in the first place? Undeterred and naively optimistic the young President of the Icelandic Chess Federation, Gudmundur Thorarinsson, set to work and to everyone’s astonishment theirs was the winning bid. But that was only the beginning of one of the most amazing stories in chess history… Bobby Fischer’s demands and whims constantly jeopardised the match. First the American chose not to board his plane in New York, and then he came late for the first game. That game he lost after a silly blunder and the second game he lost because he didn’t turn up in a fight about noisy cameras. But next he won the third game, that was played in a back room, and the rest…. is history. Fifty years on, Gudmundur Thorarinsson has written a tell-all book about ‘The Match of the Century’, crammed with behind-the-scenes stories and improbable twists and turns. Reading his gripping account of probably the most iconic sports contest during the Cold War, you will understand why he prefers to call it ‘The Match of All Time’. And why reliving this most unlikely adventure he comes to the conclusion: ‘It was not possible to organise this match, nor was it possible to rescue it…but still it was done!’ Gudmundur Thorarinsson is a chess organizer and businessman from Iceland. In 1972, as the chairman of the Icelandic Chess Federation he organized the ‘Match of All Time’, the World Championship Match between the Russian incumbent champion Boris Spassky and the American challenger Bobby Fischer. 240 Seiten, gebunden, Verlag New in Chess

Detailed analysis of games with experts’ observations Selection of best games by Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi with instructive annotations Short history of World Chess Championship Pre-match predictions and post-match reflections   248 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Chess Informant

Boris Spassky is the most underappreciated World Champion in chess history, remembered as the Soviet who lost to Bobby Fischer in 1972. In this two-volume work, biographer extraordinaire Tibor Karolyi puts the focus on Spassky’s brilliant career and life story. Born in 1937, Spassky barely escaped with his life when evacuating from the Siege of Leningrad as a young boy. This book tells the story of how that boy subsequently learned to play chess and rose through the Soviet ranks to become the strongest player in the world in the late 1960s. International Master Tibor Karolyi is a renowned author and trainer from Hungary. His biographical works for Quality Chess have received glowing praise from readers and reviewers. “It feels a little bit like overdoing things to give 5 stars to a set of three books [about Tal], but if any Best Games collection has ever deserved it, then this one has! Don’t waste any time: get down to the bookshop and enjoy!” GM Matthew Sadler, New in Chess   “Karolyi spent several years studying his protagonist. He delivers a fascinating account of Karpov’s skills.” GM Lubomir Kavalek 344 Seiten, gebunden, Verlag Quality Chess

The World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky in Reykjavik 1972 was played at the height of the Cold War. The image of a lone American genius defeating the Soviet machine captivated a worldwide audience unlike anything else in chess history. Exactly fifty years later, Fischer – Spassky 1972 takes a fresh look at both the chess and the human aspects of this monumental match. Bobby Fischer is one of the greatest chess players of all time. His astonishing journey up to the 1972 match was documented in The Road to Reykjavik. In this volume, award-winning author Tibor Karolyi completes his study of Fischer’s career with in-depth analysis of the legendary Reykjavik match and the controversial Fischer – Spassky 1992 rematch. International Master Tibor Karolyi is a renowned author and trainer from Hungary. His biographical works for Quality Chess have received glowing praise from readers and reviewers.   520 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Quality Chess  

Robert James Fischer is one of the greatest and most celebrated players in chess history. Exactly fifty years since the American won the right to challenge Boris Spassky for the World Championship crown, Tibor Karolyi documents Fischer’s unique journey from precocious youngster to the chess icon who obliterated Taimanov and Larsen before convincingly beating Petrosian on The Road to Reykjavik. The second volume, Fischer – Spassky 1972, is devoted to the Reykjavik match which captivated the entire world. International Master Tibor Karolyi is a former Hungarian Champion who is renowned as both an author and a trainer. His previous biographical works for Quality Chess received glowing praise from chess readers and reviewers. 432 Seiten, gebunden, Verlag Quality Chess

  Genius in the Background introduces brilliant chess that will be unfamiliar to even well-read chessplayers. Twelve chess stars are profiled with examples of their greatest achievements, but these stars are not famous – they are geniuses who stay in the background. For example, Pervakov and Afek are not household names but they compose chess studies and puzzles of such elegance and cleverness that they deserve to be famous. Top players such as Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov may be famous names to chess fans, but they did not become World Champions without great help – two of their coaches are profiled in this book and provide insights into the education of a chess champion. A broad range of chess is covered by the twelve profiles – from openings to endgames, puzzles to training. The common thread is beauty and brilliance that deserves to be better known.   Tibor Karolyi is an International Master of chess from Budapest, Hungary. He was Hungarian Chess Champion in 1984 and is also an award-winning author and renowned chess coach. One of his previous books won the Guardian’s chess Book of the Year prize in 2007. Karolyi coached Peter Leko, a former World Championship challenger, during Leko’s teenage years when in the space of four years Leko improved from promising junior to grandmaster.   Nick Aplin is a university professor and respected chess author from Singapore.   382 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Quality Chess

A Memoir of Players, Games and Engines Larry Kaufman can safely be called an exceptional chess grandmaster Larry Kaufman started out as a prodigy, however not in chess but as a whizz kid in science and math. He excels at shogi (Japanese chess) and Go, and is also a world-famous computer programmer and a highly successful option trader. Remarkably, as a chess player he only peaked at the weirdly late age of fifty. Yet his victories in the chess arena are considerable. Over a career span of nearly sixty years Kaufman won the state championships of Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, D.C. and Pennsylvania. He was an American Open Champion and won the U.S. Senior Championship as well as the World Senior Championship. ‘Never a great chess player’ himself (his words), he met or played chess greats such as Bobby Fischer, Bent Larsen, Walter Browne, Boris Spassky, Viktor Kortchnoi and many others. He worked as a second to legendary grandmaster Roman Dzindzichashvili, and coached three talented youngsters to become International Master, one of them his son Raymond. This engrossing memoir is rife with stories and anecdotes about dozens of famous and not-so-famous chess players. In one of the most remarkable chapters Larry Kaufman reveals that the American woman chess player that inspired Walter Tevis to create the Beth Harmon character of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit fame, is his former girlfriend. You will learn about neural networks, material values and how being a chess master helps when trading options. And find lots of memorable but little-known annotated games. Larry Kaufman is an American Grandmaster. He has been involved in computer chess since 1967, when he worked on ‘MacHack’, the first computer that competed in tournaments with human players. More recently he has been working on the programs Rybka and Komodo. 224 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag New in Chess

Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player of the 21st century. His tactical wizardry, strategic inventiveness, technical expertise and legendary fighting spirit put him head and shoulders above all other players. They also make his games tremendously instructive. To extract the best lessons from this amazing source material, Gambit has commissioned Martyn Kravtsiv, a Ukrainian grandmaster from the same generation as Carlsen (in fact, they were born just a few days apart). He has annotated these 42 games from a thoroughly modern perspective and with an innate understanding of the impact Carlsen’s play has had on modern chess. In each game Kravtsiv picks out a key point – the Magnus Moment – where Carlsen demonstrates the special insight that sets him apart from other players. Perhaps he clarifies a messy situation, confident in his technical ability. Or sacrifices to gain practical chances in a game that has not gone to plan. Throughout, the emphasis is on how Carlsen makes life hard for his opponents in any way he can, whatever the objective assessment of the position on the board. Each game is a themed lesson on an important chess topic. The bulk of the book addresses the fight for advantage and initiative in the middlegame, but there are also chapters focusing on opening ideas, endgame play and human factors. Martyn Kravtsiv is a grandmaster from Lviv, Ukraine. His tournament results include tied first places at Cappelle in 2012 and the 2015 Ukrainian Championship. He represented his country at the 2017 World Team Championship and was a coach for the team that won silver medals at the 2016 Olympiad. 176 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag Gambit

A winning streak in chess, says Cyrus Lakdawala, is a lot more than just the sum of its games. In this book he examines what it means when everything clicks, when champions become unstoppable and demolish opponents. What does it mean to be ‘in the zone’? What causes these sweeps, what sparks them and what keeps them going? And why did they come to an end? Lakdawala takes you on a trip through chess history looking at peak performances of some of the greatest players who ever lived: Morphy, Steinitz, Pillsbury, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Fischer, Tal, Kasparov, Karpov, Caruana and Carlsen. They all had very different playing styles, yet at a certain point in their rich careers they all entered the zone and simply wiped out the best players in the world. In the Zone explains the games of the greatest players during their greatest triumphs. As you study and enjoy these immortal performances you will improve your ability to overpower your opponents. You will understand how great moves originate and you will be inspired to become more productive and creative. In the Zone may bring you closer to that special place yourself: the zone. Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master and a former American Open Champion. He has been teaching chess for four decades and is a prolific and widely read author. His Chess for Hawks won the Best Instructional Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA). Other much acclaimed books of his are How Ulf Beats Black, Clinch It! and Winning Ugly in Chess. 400 Seiten, kartoniert, Verlag New In Chess