Müller & Konikowski: The best Combinations of the World Champions Vol 2 - from Petrosian to Carlsen

Since the world chess champions excel in all areas of the game, it goes without saying that you can learn the most not only from their skills in the opening and the middlegame, but also from their superb handling of the endgame. Regardless of whether they were renowned tacticians or excellent positional players – regardless of whether they analyzed their openings in depth or played them more intuitively: it is completely out of the question that any of them could have reached the highest title without perfectly handling the endgame. In order to enable his readers to learn from the world champions, the author has concentrated on their individual 'specialities' – such as Steinitz's skillful handling of the bishop pair, Lasker's art of defense, Capablanca's use of the king, Alekhine's art of attacking in the 4th game phase, Euwe's skillful use of passed pawns, Botvinnik's iron logic and long-term strategy, Smyslov's meticulous rook endings and – last but not least – Tal's magic, which also often gave his endgames an enchanting touch. In addition, all sorts of 'evergreen classics' of the players are offered, some of which appear in a new light thanks to current analyzes. The reader is also given the ideal training opportunity of numerous exercises to put himself in the shoes of the world champions and to look for solutions himself. Since the model of the '4 types of players' (activist, pragmatic, theorist and reflector) is also discussed in the margin, additional information can be obtained about the importance of this topic, especially in the endgame. And with this in mind, the Romanian GM and endgame expert Mihail Marin invites you in his foreword not just to take a look at the most outstanding endgame achievements of the world champions, but also to enjoy them.236 Seiten, kartoniert, Joachim Beyer Verlag

Since the world chess champions excel in all areas of the game, it goes without saying that you can learn the most not only from their skills in the opening and the middlegame, but also from their superb handling of the endgame. Regardless of whether they were renowned tacticians or excellent positional players – regardless of whether they analyzed their openings in depth or played them more intuitively: it is completely out of the question that any of them could have reached the highest title without perfectly handling the endgame. In order to enable his readers to learn from the world champions, the author has concentrated on their individual 'specialities' – such as Petrosian's unmistakable instinct in questions of the right exchange and his skills in the endgame '¦+¤ vs ¦+¥', on Spassky's handling of the initiative, Fischer's precision in the so-called 'Fischer endgame' with '¦+¥ vs ¦+¤', on Karpov's dominance and restriction methods, Kasparov's attacks on the king with reduced material, Kramnik's strategic power play especially on a weakened color complex, on Anand's unrelenting pressure play and – last but not least – Carlsen's technique in the so-called 'Carlsen endgame' with rooks and same-colored bishops. In addition, all sorts of 'evergreen classics' of the players are offered, some of which appear in a new light thanks to current analyzes. The reader is also given the ideal training opportunity of numerous exercises to put himself in the shoes of the world champions and to look for solutions himself. Since the model of the '4 types of players' (activist, pragmatic, theorist and reflector) is also discussed in the margin, additional information can be obtained about the importance of this topic, especially in the endgame. And with this in mind, the Romanian GM and endgame expert Mihail Marin invites you in his foreword not just to take a look at the most outstanding endgame achievements of the world champions, but also to enjoy them. 236 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