Board games: Chess Books

Book SynopsisThe Italian Game is the front-line of modern chess. After a hundred years of oblivion, in the 21st century, it edged out many other renowned openings, and is employed today by all the world’s top players. Its modern interpretation is full of new ideas, and its theory has grown thanks to the research of modern grandmasters. This book is an attempt to comprehend the current state of this opening. The book, however, is not just a collection of lines of this fashionable opening. Its main idea is to demonstrate the key ideas and typical techniques in various opening positions, with every key idea being highlighted in the text. The manual can thus be used as a strategy textbook in Italian-type positions; it even includes a special section called ‘The Italian Endgame’. A separate chapter is devoted to one the most important problems of modern chess, that is, getting similar positions of the Italian type from other openings. The book should be of interest to players of various strengths. Trade ReviewThis Guioco Piano for the 20th century is the subject of The Modernized Italian Game. Authored by grandmaster Alexander Kalinin and Correspondence grandmaster Nikolai Kalinchenko, this thick tome is part instructional manual and part theoretical work. Unlike The Modernized Ruy Lopez, the material here is organized around model games, 128 of them in all. Like Swiercz’s book, there is a fair amount of prose to instruct and orient the reader. The Modernized Italian Game ends with short chapters on the Guioco setup (Bc4, Nf3 and pawns on e4, d3 and c3) and examines how it can also crop up in the Two Knights Defense, Philidor Defense and Bishop’s Opening. Examples of the latter two are 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 (played by a young Gary Kasparov) and 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3, which aims for the Guioco Piano while sidestepping the Petroff Defense. IM John Donaldson - April 2021.

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Book SynopsisGiven the changes in the chess world over the last few years I feel that we badly need an update of how to prepare and out-prepare your opponent during a chess tournament.The pandemic giving rise to vastly underrated junior and amateur players. Online chess taking a much more prominent role. Accusations of cheating making the headlines. Social media being used as a tool to educate the chess masses. All these have lead to a different landscape, but some things stay the same. The player who is willing to analyse and work on chess harder than the rest will still separate his or herself from their peers. In my view, at least 90 percent of success in tournament play will come down to how good your calculation and analysis is. Because that is the bread and butter of tournament play. This is what I will try to get across in this book, that a chess player will often stand or fall on the quality of analysis an

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Book SynopsisThe Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular openings of all time. It is a frequent guest in the games of players around the world from novice to Grandmaster. As a result of the increased power of analysis engines the theory of the Ruy Lopez has greatly expanded. Lines that did not exist years ago have been fully developed, supported with extensive analysis, and incorporated into the repertories of top players. Despite this exponential growth in theory, I believe that when armed with sound knowledge it is possible to pose certain practical problems for Black. The purpose of this book is to provide you with detailed and clear explanations of the intricacies of the Ruy Lopez.Trade ReviewThe Modernized Ruy Lopez: A Complete Repertoire for White: Volume 1 by Darius Swiercz is one of the best opening books this reviewer has ever seen. The Polish-American Grandmaster, currently rated in the top 100 in the world at classical, rapid and blitz chess, has the reputation as a top-rate theoretician and his first book does nothing to dispel this. This massive work covers the following lines of the Ruy Lopez, primarily concentrating on non 3…a6 lines: What comes through in this book is the author’s objectivity. Some of the lesser lines are known to be better for White and Swiercz, who successfully played first board for the United States in the 2019 World Team Championship, provides practical solutions (for example 4.d3 instead of 4.Nc3 in the Schliemann). On the other hand the Berlin (3…Nf6) and the Open Ruy (3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5) have excellent reputations, and along with a few lines in the Sicilian (the Najdorf and Sveshnikov come immediately to mind) are among Black’s very best answers to 1.e4. Here one cannot speak of a clear path to a White advantage and Swiercz does not pretend to, but he does offer challenging lines with new ideas and analysis. He also offers two lines against both the Berlin and Open Ruy, letting the reader choose depending on their tournament situation.A book like this undoubtedly has to have a lot of theory, and The Modernized Ruy Lopez does, but Swiercz does provide prose to guide the reader when needed. More importantly he provides the judgement of a world class grandmaster. Everyone can turn on their computer and check the computer evaluation but to actually understand the assessment is something altogether different and that is what you are getting with this book. The Modernized Ruy Lopez is must reading for a wide number of chess players. Everyone who plays the Ruy needs this book and those who defend it with non3…a6 systems and the Open variation would be well advised to buy a copy. Opening books (especially now) have always had a short shelf life, but I expect Swiercz’s book to be the standard for some time. Highly Recommended - IM JOHN DONALDSON JANUARY 2021.

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Book SynopsisWhat does it take to become an expert in opening preparation?How can we learn the secret methods which allow the top players to dominate everyone else in the opening?Books can hardly be useful in this regard because modern books on openings, regardless of the level of the author, are very standard and straightforward. The title of this book claims to answer this question. Your author will then back up his claim with proof in the form of analysis from a strong engine. You are then left to decide whether or not to include these ideas in your opening repertoire.What is missing is some sort of guidance and advice relating to what sorts of tournaments and against what sorts of players this idea should be employed. Moreover, every one of you has likely noticed that even the best opening idea still has a relatively short life span and can hardly be used in more than a few games. So far I have published about 10 books on openings and for me it is not a problem to publish another 10 or even mor

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Book SynopsisThe authors selected for their first volume an exceptional amount of great important tactical themes and puzzles. They have only one message for the devoted chess and club player: focus and exerciseTrade ReviewI have known both authors for a long time. I can tell you that both are hard workers and you can expect well-chosen thoroughly checked material sorted in a suitable way so that all chapters catch the spirit of the different themes. A nice additional feature is that some of the highlights of 2016 were brought to life again and you will meet old friends, resp. positions and hopefully also make new ones along the road as most of the material is brand new. And last but not least, there are many beautiful points hidden in the exercises, leaving the work being also fun, which is very important in my opinion GM Dr Karsten Müller, Hamburg 05/2017 – 5 stars rated.

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Book SynopsisThe Modernized Grünfeld Defense will be extremely helpful for any chess player looking for a reliable lifetime repertoire against White’s 1.d4. It will benefit current Grünfeld players as Yaro unveils his analysis and numerous novelties waiting to be played over the board.Trade ReviewThis new book on the Grünfeld, a welcome addition to Thinkers Publishing's "Modernized" series, is written by a 2600+ GM who plays the defence himself. It is a repertoire book, with the author recommending which variation (and sometimes a choice of variations) to play against each system that White may employ. The book is very up-to-date (one chapter is devoted to 5.h4) and includes much of Zherebukh's own analysis and many of his novelties. He typically recommends combative lines which have been much tested in practice. When he does recommend an ambitious sideline (such as 5...dxc4 in the 5.Bg5 variation)he also provides analysis of the less ambitious "main" line (5...Ne4 in that example). The material is well-presented and the repertoire suggestions are both aggressive and sound. The book has some interesting features which I believe add value to the actual chess content. Also, Zherebukh give some tips on how to learn openings and how to memorise them, including some specifics on how to use software or web sites to achieve this and how he himself prepares to use a newly-learnt opening. As someone who has been playing the Grünfled recently, I very much like this book and I can recommend it to anyone who is seeking to take up the Grünfeld, or who is already playing it. Colin Purdy - British Chess News 08.2020.Zherebukh, 2600 plus rated and a GM at 15, in many cases advocates for lesser or unknown systems. He believes in playing the Grünfeld aggressively and that often means sacrificing material in the lines he recommends. The Grünfeld has a well-deserved reputation as one of Black’s best answers to 1.d4, with no clear route to a White advantage. However, it does require a significant amount of theoretical knowledge. The author suggests memorizing the first fifteen moves of each major line as the bare minimum and offers various tips on how to do so. Zherebukh has done major pioneering work with novelties sprinkled throughout his book. Zherebukh’s perceptive comments, in such a theoretical opening as the Grünfeld, are helpful in orienting the reader through the unavoidable maze of variations. The Modernized Grünfeld Defense doesn’t have an index but it does offer over 40 pages on Anti-Grunfeld lines (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 and 4.Qa4+). IM John Donaldson, September 2020.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a comprehensive, ready-to-use, and high-quality repertoire for Black against 1.e4. With meticulous analysis and in-depth explanations, the author demonstrates how the Caro-Kann Defense can be used successfully by players of any level. He also draws on his experience and on his trove of novel ideas to present a new take on the Caro-Kann: one that emphasizes Black’s dynamic options while maintaining a solid and flexible setup.Trade ReviewIn summary, we have roughly 400 pages of quality analysis with in-depth explanations and new ideas for Black. There is a fresh (and not before time) treatment of the Korchnoi Variation and excellent coverage of the Advance, Two Knights, Panov and Exchange Variations. Of course, these are the lines you will face day-to-day. Rambaldi is a welcome new writer with a friendly style. He is not afraid to disagree with previous authors and present his own ideas. We would recommend this book as a stand-alone treatment of the Caro-Kann. If you have played 4…Bf5 and / or 4…Nd7 and want to freshen up repertoire then why not consider 4…Nf6 ? It is less drawish and more ambitious if you need to play for the full point with Black. John Upham, BCN, Cove, Hampshire, 5th June, 2020

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Book SynopsisThis book is not a pure (auto)biography, rather a games collection. It consists mainly of interesting high-class games played by me, including many losses. Most of the games are preceded by accompanying texts, which vary from essays to tournament reports. The title of the book might seem presumptuous, but I wanted to show how I see or experience the competitions without denying the chess worlds of others. While the texts are mostly light and subjective, at the same time I tried hard to stick to the facts and provide some food for thought. GM David Navara May 2020.Trade ReviewIn this chunky 600+ page book he offers us a collection of 64 (for Navara it could be no other number) games, chosen for their interest rather than the result, so you’ll find draws and losses as well as wins here. His opponents include many of today’s top grandmasters and a wide range of openings is represented. Navara likes to categorise chess games as either porridge (good for you but boring) or ice cream (tasty but not so healthy) and tells us both types are featured in the book. I think he’s, very typically, being too modest. Most of the games, like the one above, seem to me to be both tasty and good for you. A delicious main course of salmon, perhaps (Navara likes fish, especially Stockfish), or a refreshing fruit salad.If you’re looking for a collection of top level games with excellent annotations, you won’t be disappointed with this book. You get a lot more for your money, though. Most games are preceded by essays originally published on Navara’s chess blog (‘a blog past its sell-by date’) covering a wide variety of subjects: part travelogue, part tournament report, part meditation on chess and life. The book is also full of humour, particularly verbal humour, which the translator has done well to render into English successfully. Humour is something very personal, and, I guess, you might find this aspect of the book either endearing or annoying. As for me, I love it. It’s great to meet someone who uses exactly the same jokes as I do.What you do get is an excellently annotated games collection as well as an insight into the life and mind of a charming and unusual personality, who perceives the world with a mixture of child-like wonder and self-deprecating amusement. For me, it also provides the opportunity to meet someone who seems, in some respects, a kindred spirit. I really enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about David Navara, both as a chess player and as a person. Very highly recommended. Richard James, British Chess News, 13th July 2020This is a very impressive book which genuinely offers something new, fresh and interesting to the world of chess literature...The games feature players from Korchnoi to Carlsen and they provide plenty of instruction and entertainment. Navara has a reputation of being a perfect gentleman, even going so far as stand up to shake hands with his opponents (a dying art). He is also quirky and eccentric; an original character with something to say. In the words of the author, "I tried hard to stick to the facts and provide some food for thought". He certainly succeeded in his task. This is a very big, interesting enjoyable book. Sean Marsh, Chess Magazine, August 2020.Navara’s My Chess World is a highly-revised combination of previous writings, including his popular blog-posts. Due to the diary-like nature of latter, we experience his life as a kind of travelogue, in which he discusses some of the attractions and features of the cities he plays in. Navara reflects honestly upon the positive and negative sides of the chess lifestyle. Navara writes with a sympathetic style, even if the humor is sometimes lost in translation. Navara plays complex and challenging chess, and his annotations are insightful, with plenty of verbal explanation. He is only 35 and has time to make even greater impact on top-level chess. Navara’s annotations assume a more knowledge and understanding, but that should motivate the student who wants to learn what high-level modern chess is all about. IM John Watson - Chess Life - September 2020.David Navara is considered one of the few true gentlemen in top chess, always highlighting the play of others and humbly understating his own efforts and accomplishments. Therefor I was pleased to pick up this book and learn more about him - and indeed he has a lot to say. The book is massive - a single volume clocking in at just over 600 pages, apparently the publisher has no fear of heavy books.Throughout its pages, Navara relates some of his most significant experiences both inside and outside the tournament hall. He tells us about his thoughts, preparation, teammates, opponents, tournament organizers, misunderstandings, successes, happy moments, travels, and of course his games. In total, 64 games have made it into this volume. That doesn't sound like a lot in a book of such a huge size, but these are all annotated in detail, not just with variations but also with considerable amount of prose, whereby he explains his thoughts and emotions and even why he sometimes not up to the mark in terms of preparation, circumstances surrounding a game, match situation etc. This makes the book very personal and extremely relevant. The games themselves are fascinating, and we don't get to see his finest wins: there are draws, losses - wipe-outs as well as painfully close defeats - and some great wins including a number against the best players in the world, for instance, against Caruana. This is one of the best chess autobiographies I have ever read and it will surely find itself on a shortlist for any chess book of the year award, despite very strong competition from other worthy contenders. 5 Stars FM Carsten Hansen ACM 03/2020.

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Book SynopsisOne of the important issues players face – both relatively inexperienced ones at the beginning of their career as well as seasoned ones as they realize their chess craves change – is choosing an opening repertoire. As a player and a coach, I have seen many approaches to this question, both remarkable and mistaken. Some players believe that the opening is something to ignore, that everything is decided in the middlegame. Others think that studying opening traps is what wins games.Some tend to follow their favorite world-class player's recommendations, while others like to sidestep well-known opening theory early on, preferring unpopular side-lines.To me, opening choice is about all those decisions. I think that many openings are good; there are some dubious ones, but they can also yield formidable results overall or in specific situations if chosen and handled carefully. I firmly believe that your opening repertoire should mostly be based on your playing style and other personal traits, such as memory and work ethic. It is important to evaluate yourself as well as your strengths and weaknesses properly in order to be able to build the right repertoire that would not only suit you well, but also improve your overall chess. The little detail, though, is in the word “mostly”. Namely, I firmly believe that there are a few classical, rock-solid openings with an impeccable reputation, such as 1.e4 e5 as a response to 1.e4 or the Queen's Gambit and Nimzo as an answer to 1.d4 that players of all styles and standards should try, no matter what their style is. This will enable players to learn, appreciate and practice some of the key chess values, such as the importance of space, lack of weaknesses, bad pieces, and comfortable development and so on – you name it. I, myself, started out as a keen Sicilian player. Just like all youngsters, I cheerfully enjoyed complications, tactical massacres and everything else that the Sicilian is all about. However, as I was developing as a player, my style was changing also. Eventually, I realized I was much more successful with positional play, so it was time to change the outfit – and 1.e4 e5 suited me well. I have used this move as a response to 1.e4 nearly exclusively in recent years, both versus weaker and stronger opposition, with fantastic results. If only other openings would grant me such results as well! I have not only studied these variations myself but have also shown them to numerous private students. To be frank, we have almost always concentrated on White's most dangerous possibilities, such as the Ruy Lopez, Italian and Scotch. Occasionally, we have also analysed the side-lines – either as a part of preparation for specific opponents or to make sure my students become more universal players and gain more all-round knowledge. Eventually, I realized that the knowledge I gained from 1.e4 e5 can and should be shared with more players, and this is how my book came to life. Of course, the readers will differ, so there is a no “one-size-fits-all” solution. But, I have carefully and diligently tried to achieve the same goal I used when working with my students: to keep my recommendations both theoretically sound as well as practical and accessible. I expect not only titled players but club players and the less experienced readers to equally benefit from this book. So, sometimes you will find razor-sharp novelties, but in many cases, we will rely on positional understanding, typical structures and standard ideas. I believe the opening is not all about memorization, so I have taken a different approach from many authors by keeping the balance between recommending objectively good variations as well as making sure an adequate amount of work will suffice to get you started. You won't need to spend years studying the material, fearing there is still much more to learn. 1.e4 e5! is not just an opening. It is repertoire that represents our game as a whole. It is something players of all styles will enjoy due to the countless possibilities 1...e5 provides. Hopefully, learning 1...e5 will also make you a better player. And, finally, I hope the book you are now holding in your hands will not only give you joy but illustrate a passion for chess with the variations presented in this work.Trade ReviewI've known Yuriy since he came to Webster University in the Fall of 2019 to pursue his graduate studies in Finance and be a member of SPICE, the best collegiate chess program in the US. Since I got to know him, I have come to recognize his incredible passion for chess, and that he is extremely knowledgeable in various openings. He was able to suggest some interesting ideas not only to his private students, but also to other members of our program, including Grandmasters. Yuriy's experience with teaching is vast and rich, and the book in question has been devoted to one of the topics he is arguably most knowledgeable about: 1.e4 e5. This is the move he has played himself for years and it has yielded him great results. At the same time, this is something he has analysed extensively, both for himself, and with other members of our program. In this book, Yuriy does not overwhelm you with variations, but instead he focuses a lot on the verbal explanations and understanding of the typical positions. At the same time, you can be confident that his recommendations are quite sound, and have been thoroughly checked with extensive databases, strong engines, as well as critically looked upon from the human perspective. I am entirely sure that studying the materials presented in this work will benefit players of all levels, from some relatively inexperienced club players to even strong players. Susan Polgar, Former Women's World Champion 09.2020

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Book SynopsisA real life Queen's Gambit, this captivating memoir tells the story of one of the most renowned women in chess history, Susan Polgar, taking on a sexist establishment, standing up to an authoritarian empire and rewriting the rules of what women could achieve against the oppressive backdrop of Cold War Eastern Europe.

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Book SynopsisChess has evolved significantly over the past few years. Talented teenagers are playing better than ever, top players possess even deeper theoretical knowledge and make fewer mistakes, and preparation now demands more time and energy. Consequently, winning against strong opponents has become increasingly challenging. This has taught us that players need to manage their energy levels carefully. Most of the advice in this book remains applicable even when you are tired, though in such cases, it''s usually better to play more solidly if you''re primarily aiming for a good result. That said, results aren''t everything. Interesting games are also important, and we are excited to share them with you in this epic book.

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