Search results for ""Author Simon Williams""

'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.

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Simon Williams presents an ambitious opening repertoire for Black based on the ever-popular French Defence. In this book one of the world's most imaginative Grandmasters combines his unique attacking ideas with the traditionally solid French structure, resulting in a powerful armoury of weapons. This will prove ideal for players who like to seize the initiative and cause problems for their opponents from the outset. Williams' recommendations are based on his own practical experience, where his ideas have stood the test of time against powerful grandmaster opposition. Attacking Chess is a brand new series of opening repertoire books. It focuses on traditional attacking openings, as well as creative and forceful ways to play openings that are not always associated with attacking chess. It provides ambitious repertoires designed for players of all levels. *A Grandmaster's repertoire in the French Defence *Packed with new ideas, analysis and novelties *Illustrative games explain typical plans and tactics

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The Black Lion is a thoroughly modern counterattacking system that is a nightmare to face. This wild and aggressive line attempts to take away White's initiative from a very early stage and is guaranteed to throw your opponents off balance. The Black Lion is essentially a contemporary and aggressive interpretation of the Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6). The Black Lion starts with a slightly different move order, 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3, and now the lion family splits into two different animals: the risky lion (3...Nbd7) or the tame lion (3...e5). Both treatments are thoroughly investigated in this book. Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is the ideal guide to explain how to whip up an extremely dangerous attack using either treatment. Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and the Black Lion suits his style perfectly. His commentary and annotations are always instructive and entertaining. * The Black Lion is an unusual and dangerous system with little established theory. * White cannot rely on simple, safe moves as such a strategy is liable to be overrun. * The Black Lion is fun and exciting to play!

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Captured by Napoleon's forces off the coast at Brighton in the year of Trafalgar, the fourteen year old Scot, Alexander Stewart, survived ten years in often appalling conditions in French prisons. He stood up to the bullies, taught himself French and discovered Voltaire. He made four attempts to escape before returning to England where he became an inspirational Congregational minister, who played a full part in the Evangelical revival. The Nonconformists returned from the margins of society to help transform the political and moral landscape of the nation. In two seismic years, the landed classes lost their virtual monopoly of power and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Spearheaded by preachers such as Stewart and educators such as the Anglican Thomas Arnold, the political nation underwent a moral revolution, asking the question of what ought we to d

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A practical guide to using gouache in botanical painting, by a leading botanical painter. Gouache is an opaque water-based medium, often called body colour, that produces crisp and vibrant paintings, and is becoming increasingly popular in botanical painting. Leading botanical painter, Simon Williams, specializes in painting in gouache and this is his first book. Botanical Painting in Gouache is full of practical advice on all aspects of using the exciting medium of gouache and contains many step-by-step demonstration paintings. In addition to the sumptuous flower paintings there are also sections on painting butterflies, birds and exotic and unusual plants from the rainforest.

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'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.

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Let's face facts: everyone enjoys winning. And the only thing better than winning is to win quickly! Mistakes are often made in the early part of the game - at all levels of chess - but a key skill is to recognise these critical moments as they happen and to exploit them with maximum efficiency. This is a skill which Grandmaster Simon Williams addresses in this book. Using instructive and entertaining games in which one side wins quickly, he examines all the typical mistakes chess players make in the opening and early middlegame, how you should look to exploit them, and how to avoid falling into similar traps yourself. All too often opponents are let off the hook, mistakes go unpunished and the game drags on. Don't let this happen to you - become a ruthless winner!

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Most chess openings have been around for centuries; the first book on the Ruy Lopez was written in 1561. Not so the Jobava System. This is a thoroughly modern opening that has only achieved prominence in the last decade or so. It is named after the Georgian chess visionary Baadur Jobava, a highly imaginative and creative grandmaster. The Jobava System is based around the opening moves 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bf4. For many years this was considered to be a quiet and unassuming backwater of chess theory. No longer!Thanks to the efforts of Jobava and others this system has been honed into a fierce attacking weapon. As this opening is so new the correct defensive methods are not well understood. This makes the system extremely dynamic and dangerous.In this book, Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) delves deep into the Jobava and offers up a complete repertoire based on this exciting new system. The advantages are clear: - There is very little existing theory- Black cannot play safely on "auto-pilot"- It is fresh and it's fun!Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Jobava System.

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Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is passionate about the Dutch Defence. He has played it all his life, knows it inside out and is considered one of the world's leading experts on this very dynamic Black counter. In this book he shares his extensive knowledge, holds nothing back and carves out a formidable repertoire for aggressive black players.The great thing about the Dutch is that it solves several opening problems with Black. What to do against 1 d4? Play 1...f5! How to counter the English (1 c4)? Play 1...f5! again. What about the transpositional Reti Opening 1 Nf3? Yep. You've guessed it. Play 1...f5! Get the f-pawn to f5 and then plan to follow up with ...d6 and ...e5, creating a dynamic central pawn wall. If White doesn't counter accurately (and many players won't) this lays the foundations for a powerful middlegame kingside attack. The Killer Dutch Rebooted is a swash-buckling opening that favors the brave and fearless chess player.- A dangerous system where Black can easily whip up a deadly kingside attack.- Latest updates on Dutch theory.- Plans against all major variations and sidelines.Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Killer Dutch.

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Captured by Napoleon's forces off the coast at Brighton in the year of Trafalgar, the fourteen year old Scot, Alexander Stewart, survived ten years in often appalling conditions in French prisons. He stood up to the bullies, taught himself French and discovered Voltaire. He made four attempts to escape before returning to England where he became an inspirational Congregational minister, who played a full part in the Evangelical revival. The Nonconformists returned from the margins of society to help transform the political and moral landscape of the nation. In two seismic years, the landed classes lost their virtual monopoly of power and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Spearheaded by preachers such as Stewart and educators such as the Anglican Thomas Arnold, the political nation underwent a moral revolution, asking the question of what ought we to do rather than what do we want to do. Simon Williams

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Grandmaster Simon Williams has played the Classical Dutch for over twenty years. It remains his favourite opening and has featured in some of his greatest individual results, including a win over World Championship finalist Boris Gelfand. In this book, Williams examines the Classical Dutch in great depth. He also presents a complete repertoire for Black with the Dutch Defense, which is based on his own repertoire he has used successfully at grandmaster level for many years. As well as presenting the latest theory and revealing his new ideas in the key lines, Williams highlights the main tactical and strategic ideas for both sides and covers important issues such as move orders. Each chapter includes a series of tests at the end, so that readers are able to assess how well they have understood the main concepts. This books tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing the Classical Dutch. *A Dutch repertoire against 1 d4, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3*Written by a world-renowned Classical Dutch expert *Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

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Grandmaster Simon Williams was taught the English Opening at the age of six and 1 c4 was his weapon of choice until long after he became an International Master. For this new work, he teamed up with acclaimed theoretician International Master Richard Palliser to explore his old favourite. 1 c4 remains an excellent choice for the club and tournament player. This book focuses on the set-up popularised by the sixth world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, the so-called Botvinnik formation with 2 Nc3, 3 g3, 4 Bg2, 5 e4 and 6 Nge2. This system is compact but still aggressive and rewards an understanding of plans and strategies rather than rote memorisation of moves. In Opening Repertoire: The Iron English leading chess authors Simon Williams and Richard Palliser guide the reader through the complexities of this dynamic variation and carves out a repertoire for White. They examine all aspects of this highly complex opening and provide 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. * A dynamic and easy-to-play repertoire for White * Complete coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!

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Supporting students on placements in health and social care settings, this accessible guide provides a framework for understanding the theory behind successful practice as well as the critical skills needed to apply it. A Student's Guide to Placements in Health and Social Care Settings takes theory beyond the classroom and apply it to real settings, enabling students to recognise their own learning journey and develop their own distinct professional identity within a wider interprofessional context. This is a key resource for placement experience with insights from experts and advice direct from students who have already been on placement. With clear guidelines, and structured so that you can dip into different chapters as needed, it responds to the unique nature of placement opportunities and is the first line resource students should turn to. Whatever course you’re studying in the caring profession - Social Work, Health and Social Care, Youth Work, Nursing or Counselling – this is essential reading to help understand how theory can support and improve your placement experience, ensuring you get the very most out of it.

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Are you bored with playing it safe in the opening? Had enough of developing your pieces sensibly, aiming to control the centre and getting your king castled? Do you yearn to tear the opposition apart in the style of the great 19th century masters? Then Grandmaster Gambits 1 e4 is the book for you! The highly successful writing duo of Richard Palliser and Simon (GingerGM) Williams have teamed up again to create a repertoire based on jettisoning a pawn (and often a whole lot more) very early on. Whatever opening your opponent favours against 1 e4, the authors have a dynamic gambiteering counter which will throw them onto their own resources. * The Sicilian Defence? Attack it with the Wing Gambit. * 1...e5? Tear Black apart with the Max Lange Attack. * The French? Suffocate Black with the Advance Variation including Magnus Carlsen’s souped-up version of the Milner-Barry Gambit. * The Caro-Kann? Play the Hillbilly Attack with 2 Bc4! Your opponent might laugh but they won’t be laughing when you crash through on f7. Forget about playing “properly” in the opening. Open 1 e4, play the Grandmaster Gambits and rip your unprepared opponents apart!

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Do you want a simple and practical method to counter Black's kingside fianchetto defences after 1 d4? A line that takes the initiative from a very early stage and creates difficult practical problems? If so, then The Harry Attack (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 h4!) is for you. At first this looks like some sort of joke or, at the very least, a weird outlandish line. Aren't we all taught to focus on development and control of the centre in the early stages? What's 3 h4 got to do with that? Perhaps surprisingly, this is a very difficult line for Black to counter effectively. This applies not just in practical play but also theoretically, where it is far from straightforward for Black even to find a route to equality. And when Black gets it wrong they are often on the receiving end of a very unpleasant miniature. You may be thinking that surely the best chess engines can show how to counter this line? No! One of the unexpected features of leading engine play is their enthusiasm for shoving the h-pawn up the board and they fully concur that 3 h4! is a very decent move for White. Many leading players have taken the hint and 3 h4 is frequently seen at elite level. Richard Palliser and Simon Williams (the GingerGM) provide a thorough guide to this fascinating line. They show how to adapt when Black chooses a King's Indian set-up, a Grunfeld set-up, a Benoni set-up or even plays in Benko style. The Harry Attack is easy to learn and is perfect for unsettling players steeped in the theory of their favourite Indian defences.

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Prominent opening specialists take a revolutionary look at the ambitious Dutch Defence and select a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both White and Black.

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