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You’ve just read a chess beginners’ manual and learned the rules of the game, some simple tactics, maybe a few opening moves. What’s next for the ambitious player? Everyone’s Second Chess Book, of course!Acclaimed chess teacher Dan Heisman equips the not-quite-novice with the practical tools and knowledge needed to get started in competitive play: how to develop board vision; what to do when you’re way ahead in material; how to avoid common mistakes in thinking; when to “believe” your opponent; even how to act properly at the chessboard. The author uses examples from inexperienced players to provide a wealth of common-sense advice, topping it off with a collection of illustrative games and practice puzzles.In this new and enhanced edition of a classic work, National Master Heisman adds chapters identifying the most important areas for the novice to focus on to advance to intermediate level; then exploring the dangers of stopping too soon when analyzing a position; and highlighting the value of making chess study fun so that the student will feel motivated to do the work.Read Everyone’s Second Chess Book and start climbing up the ladder of chess success!

Jose Raul Capablanca is renowned for his exquisite positional play and flawless endgame technique. But The Chess Machine was also a master of that other way to deliver mate: the attack on the enemy king.In this groundbreaking work, award-winning chess coach and author Frisco Del Rosario shines a long-overdue light on this neglected aspect of Capablanca''s record. He illustrates how the Cuban genius used positional concepts to build up irresistible king hunts, embodying the principles of good play advocated by the unequaled teacher, C.J.S. Purdy. The author also identifies an overlooked checkmate pattern - Capablanca''s Mate - that aspiring attackers can add to the standard catalogue in Renaud and Kahn''s The Art of the Checkmate. As Del Rosario shows, Capablanca has inspired not only generations of players, but also many of the classics of chess literature.Easy to read but chock-full of advice for study and practical play, Capablanca: A Primer of Checkmate fills a gaping hole in our understanding of the third World Champion.

The late Aleksander Wojtkiewicz was one of the most feared players in the U.S. tournament circuit. Using his dynamic, Catalan-based opening repertoire, the Polish Magician won hundreds of tournaments before his untimely death in 2006. Now, Wojtkiewicz experts IM Dean Ippolito and NM Jonathan Hilton have joined forces to produce the definitive how-to manual for learning Wojo''s repertoire with White after 1.Nf3 d5. Over the course of 75 fully annotated games, the authors make Wojtkiewicz''s approach easily accessible to the chess public for the first time. —Club players looking to master an efficient, safe, and practical White repertoire will benefit from the authors'' full explanations of key ideas. —Titled players will find up-to-date theoretical coverage of all the lines presented, including the authors'' own novelties and little-known ideas. —Experts looking to achieve the master title will benefit most from the thorough treatment of middlegame and endgame ideas. Wojo''s Weapons is arranged so that you can quickly get started winning the Wojo.

Annotating your own games can help you to play better chess. By examining the choices you made during the game and how they turned out you can pinpoint the flaws in your thinking process so that you can work on them. Chess master, author, and renowned teacher Dan Heisman shows you the whys and the hows of annotating your games. Using entertaining clashes from four decades of tournament play, Heisman traces his own development as a player and analyst, illustrating how his method works in practice.

If you play chess for blood, it makes sense to learn the violent tactics that feature in the openings that you play. More practical than taking in tactical themes by general category – knight forks, clearance, bank-rank mates, and so on – is to learn them in the context of your openings. Your knowledge of the lines makes these combinations much more interesting, and in turn the combinations teach you about the dangers that lurk for both players in that opening system. Combining opening study with tactics practice, Quick Kills is an e-book series devoted to the tactical ideas that crop up when theory runs out. Each title contains hundreds of puzzles by high-rated players, set in a specific opening. The first screen contains the citation, game score, and diagram, while the second screen presents the diagram with the solution. The positions build on each other, yet without becoming repetitive. You will learn tactics best in the field where you already do your best work – in the opening you employ.

If you play chess for blood, it makes sense to learn the violent tactics that feature in the openings that you play. More practical than taking in tactical themes by general category – knight forks, clearance, bank-rank mates, and so on – is to learn them in the context of your openings. Your knowledge of the lines makes these combinations much more interesting, and in turn the combinations teach you about the dangers that lurk for both players in that opening system. Combining opening study with tactics practice, Quick Kills is an e-book series devoted to the tactical ideas that crop up when theory runs out. Each title contains hundreds of puzzles by high-rated players, set in a specific opening. The first screen contains the citation, game score, and diagram, while the second screen presents the diagram with the solution. The positions build on each other, yet without becoming repetitive. You will learn tactics best in the field where you already do your best work – in the opening you employ.

If you play chess for blood, it makes sense to learn the violent tactics that feature in the openings that you play. More practical than taking in tactical themes by general category – knight forks, clearance, bank-rank mates, and so on – is to learn them in the context of your openings. Your knowledge of the lines makes these combinations much more interesting, and in turn the combinations teach you about the dangers that lurk for both players in that opening system. Combining opening study with tactics practice, Quick Kills is an e-book series devoted to the tactical ideas that crop up when theory runs out. Each title contains hundreds of puzzles by high-rated players, set in a specific opening. The first screen contains the citation, game score, and diagram, while the second screen presents the diagram with the solution. The positions build on each other, yet without becoming repetitive. You will learn tactics best in the field where you already do your best work – in the opening you employ.

Back to the future! Far from a dusty relic once played by great masters such as Rubinstein, Pillsbury, and Bogolyubov, the Zukertort System now enjoys new life. Modern world-class players such as Artur Yusupov, Teimour Radjabov, and Lázaro Bruzón have come to appreciate the Zukertort''s rich potential and play it with confidence against strong opposition. The Zukertort System is a fully viable, dynamic 21st-century opening.Often considered a variation of the better-known Colle System, the Zukertort stands proudly on its own, offering White chances to launch a sharp kingside attack or to work up a slow squeeze on the queenside. In this monograph by Zukertort practitioner IM Grigory Bogdanovich, players of the white pieces will discover how to build on the assets of their position, while players of Black will learn how to defend their territory. All along, the reader is treated to a positional manual on fundamental themes such as hanging pawns, the isolated queen''s pawn, and sacrifices to open lines for attack.

Who says that you can’t learn from the games of amateurs? Renowned chess instructor and writer Dan Heisman presents thirty games by intermediate-level players, each one offering a rich variety of lessons in practical competitive play for all chess enthusiasts.The catalog of errors runs the gamut from taking too much (or too little!) time to think, to shoddy calculation, cutting off analysis too soon, and ignoring the principles of sound strategy. Using gentle humor, Coach Heisman gives a blow-by-blow account and patiently dissects the players’ thinking process, offering tips for improving clock management and making better decisions at the board.Because the advantage can swing wildly back and forth, amateur games can be entertaining as well as instructive. Heisman gives a choice selection of cases of chess suicide, for the purpose of suggesting what the victim could have done to prevent disaster. Learn from this – better them than you!

Chessplayers wishing to improve their performance typically seek to deepen their middlegame understanding or to increase their endgame knowledge. Often, however, the real key to improvement lies not in learning additional ideas and positions, but in developing a more effective thinking process at the board.In The Improving Chess Thinker, acclaimed chess instructor Dan Heisman compares how chessplayers of different strengths – ranging from beginner to International Master – approach analytical positions. From this, he draws lessons that will help players at each level to avoid typical flaws in their thought process and to move up to the next level.Basing his work on more than four decades of testing volunteers, Heisman offers solutions to difficult practical issues such as deciding how much time to spend on a move; what to do while the opponent’s clock is running; and when to stop analyzing a line. In this book, ambitious players will find insight into what’s been holding them back, while coaches will find powerful new teaching tools.

The Grünfeld is one of the most topical openings in modern chess practice. Many club players fear it, and top GMs often struggle to get an advantage when facing it as White. But is it really a theoretically sound defense? In this third and final volume of the acclaimed Wojo’s Weapons series, IM Dean Ippolito and NM Jonathan Hilton claim to have found a sure route to an advantage against this opening. Building on the repertoire of the late GM Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, the authors reveal the fruits of a combined 35 years of Grünfeld analysis in the first 200 pages. Hilton, himself a Grünfeld player, admits that Ippolito’s pet variation with the surprising 10.Qc2!? sets Black nearly insolvable problems in the open lines. Much more than a Grünfeld monograph, however, Wojo’s Weapons III provides in-depth coverage of other pesky openings such as the Dutch, the Old Indian, and the Hedgehog, arming you with the knowledge needed to turn the tables on your opponent and take him out of his comfort zone. No matter what openings they play, chessplayers at any skill level can use Ippolito and Hilton’s full-game coverage in Wojo’s Weapons III as a series of practical lessons in strategic chess. This ambitious repertoire project for White, which started with the 2009 release of the first volume of Wojo’s Weapons, is now complete.

Is it possible to learn how to attack your opponent’s king from a book? Guidelines and verbal explanations are fine, argues David Eggleston, but there is no substitute for the hard work of carefully analyzing the complex position that’s on the chessboard in front of you.The author, Britain’s newest International Master, invites you to go deeply into typical sharp situations where it may – or may not – be possible to put the enemy monarch to the sword: opposite-side castling, slash-and-burn Sicilians, even mating attacks in the endgame. In the process, you will hone your judgment and develop the analytical skills needed to decide if and when to take the plunge.Emanuel Lasker, the second world chess champion, proclaimed that, “Chess is a fight!” David Eggleston brings that idea vividly to life in this collection of recent international-level battles.

Don’t have the time to study opening theory, or to figure out where you’re going wrong with your games? Are you looking for guidance on how to handle the opening so that you can get a playable middlegame?Openings for Amateurs is written with two kinds of chessplayers in mind: average “club” players who can’t afford to learn variations 30 moves deep; and scholastic players looking to take the next step in their chess development.This is really two books in one! The Primer covers the most frequent mistakes made in the opening and considers many common misconceptions about this phase of the game. Popular chess author and lecturer Pete Tamburro devotes special attention to the best ways to meet both tricky lines like the Blackmar-Diemer and the Belgrade Gambit, and “system” attacks such as the Colle and the Barry, while discussing such vexing topics as when to chase a bishop and whether to believe openings manuals. Part II offers a selection of openings that you are invited to consider based on your needs, and presents 53 annotated model games to help you understand the openings’ ideas rather than just memorizing moves. The aim is to help you determine where you are now and then how to pursue your chess goals – while helping you right away to survive the opening in your next tournament!

How did Jonathan Hawkins manage to go from being an average tournament competitor to a player on the brink of clinching the Grandmaster title? The secret was knowing what to study and how to learn as efficiently as possible. Focusing his attention firmly on the endgame, Jonathan devised a number of building blocks and identified a number of very important areas of study. The result of his hard work was a meteoric rise through the ranks, as he became firmly established as a prominent GM killer on the English tournament circuit.These pages reveal the secrets of his notebooks for the first time. IM Hawkins presents special material aimed to help you become a much better practical player, one armed with a deeper understanding of key aspects of chess.A careful study of the lessons presented in this book should enable the chess student to gain significant improvement.

Do masters methodically cut their way through the branches of a tree of analysis? Is it true that attacking players calculate a dozen moves ahead, while positional specialists rely on abstract principles? What exactly does it mean to “calculate,” anyway?In The Inner Game of Chess, GM Andy Soltis shows that the key to good calculation is good visualization of the position in front of us and then after the moves we’re considering. Being aware of tactical motifs; knowing when to stop looking; and verifying your chosen move are essential, but they all depend on the basic requirement to see clearly what’s going on. The author discusses common obstacles to clear visualization and offers techniques to overcome them in your own play.This 21st-century edition of Soltis’s celebrated work features new material and revised analysis, while retaining all the insights that made The Inner Game of Chess an instant classic.

Had enough of the same old queen’s pawn openings? Afraid of losing just because you forgot White’s latest move 23 novelty in the main lines? Tired of giving up draws to weaker players who’ve learned how to drain the life out of Black’s major defenses to 1.d4? If so, then the Czech Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5!?) may be exactly what you need.In The Czech Benoni in Action, two practitioners of this little-known but sound counterattacking system join forces to show how you can pose novel problems for opponents of all strengths, leaving them to fend for themselves as early as move 3.Flank gambits, deep behind-the-lines maneuvering, and wildly unbalanced positions are the norm here. Focusing on strategic ideas rather than masses of variations, and using complete games to show how the themes persist even into the ending, the authors survey White’s common responses and explain how to handle attempts to sidestep Black’s setup. To help guide you through the complications, a concluding selection of typical tactical motifs rounds out the most complete treatment of the Czech Benoni in print.

“I had a fantastic position, but I couldn’t figure out what to do next!” Sound familiar? If so, then Fred Wilson’s Simple Attacking Plans was written for you. The author distills the complexities of mounting an offensive against your opponent’s king down to four principles that lie at the root of most successful chess attacks.Novice players and amateurs of intermediate strength will benefit from the explanations of ideas and tips for practical play, all presented in an easy, conversational style. More experienced competitors will appreciate this book as a game collection featuring masterpieces of enterprising play – some of them never before published.

What’s the best way to teach chess to children? Thinking with Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14 is a handbook for teachers, librarians, after-school instructors, chess coaches, counselors, and parents that requires no prior knowledge of the game. Both novices and veteran chess players can use its innovative lesson plans for teaching groups of children.In Thinking with Chess, Dr. Alexey Root connects chess with skills important to academic success, such as classifying, pattern recognition, decoding, creating, and predicting. The book also introduces challenges for practicing divergent thinking and puzzles for convergent thinking.Thinking with Chess teaches not only the fundamentals of chess – the chessmen and how they move, how to keep score, and where to play – but also tools useful in winning games, such as double check and smothered checkmate.

Chess is Child's Play is a book written by parents, for parents. It is written for YOU!Chess is one of the oldest strategy games known to man. Studies show that children who learn chess at an early age gain such valuable life skills as: Problem-solving abilityImproved patience and focusEnhanced imaginationGreater self-confidence.Chess educators Laura Sherman and Bill Kilpatrick have created an easy, step-by-step method for teaching chess that parents of all skill levels can use to teach children of any age. You don't have to know how to play chess in order to use the system. This book will teach you the game, while showing you how to teach your child to play. You will learn together.Chess makes children smarter. Give your child an advantage in life and teach him or her to play today!

Safety first! Success in chess begins with asking yourself the basic question, “Is the move that I'm considering a safe one?”The question may sound simple, but answering it is not so simple. National Master and award-winning chess instructor Dan Heisman has carefully selected more than 150 theoretical and tournament positions to show how a move may look safe but isn't, or how it can appear risky and still be the safest option on the board.Traditional tactics books tell you that your opponent's position is not safe, suggesting that as the player to move in the puzzle you can win material or deliver checkmate. Is Your Move Safe? concentrates instead on helping you to make sure that your opponent won't have any such tactics to find! Ranging from fairly easy to very difficult, the multiple-choice puzzles in this book will challenge most players from low intermediate to strong master. The answers are not all clear-cut – many of them are extensively analyzed and will have you digging deeply into the position.If you want a practical book to improve your ability to choose your moves, Is Your Move Safe? is just what you've been looking for!

What’s the best way to start learning a new opening? You can either fill your head with masses of variations and then try to keep it all straight at the chessboard, or you can absorb key patterns and themes that crop up over and over again in your chosen variation.In The Fighting Dragon, NM Paul Powell takes the second approach. Using a carefully selected collection of short games from international play, Powell shows the dangers that lurk for White in one of the sharpest lines from the whole Sicilian complex, the Yugoslav Attack. In the process, the author lays out a different approach to mastering not just the opening, but both chess and even life itself.Trying out different ideas is essential to chess improvement, and so The Fighting Dragon showcases a variety of ways for Black to handle White’s responses. After taking in the key concepts, aspiring Dragon players can then deepen their understanding with three dozen critical test positions.“I will not worry about winning or losing rating points,” writes Powell in the Introduction, “I will embrace the spirit of a warrior.” Take up The Fighting Dragon and start your journey.

You're booked up on your openings and know the Philidor and Lucena positions hands down, but how to convert all that theoretical knowledge into points against flesh-and-blood opponents? Jay Bonin, the “Iron Man of Chess,” shares the keys to victory as he's learned them over four decades of competitive play.Is it better to complicate the game, or to keep it simple? How do you create winning chances against a player who's happy to make a draw? When's the right time to trade queens? How to handle today's fast time controls? Using games selected from a career spanning more than three thousand tournaments, IM Bonin offers the answers to these and other practical questions that every chessplayer faces as the clock is ticking.

What’s the best way to learn chess? Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History blends the intricacies of chess play with the game’s compelling and colorful history, putting real people at the 64 squares.Tracing the development of chess from its origins in ancient India, the authors take the student on a far-ranging journey through the palaces of medieval and Renaissance Europe to the cafés of the Enlightenment and the dawn of the Industrial Age, with a focus on the leading personalities of the royal game and on their contributions to understanding of it. Rogues and champions, tragic as well as inspirational human stories all serve as the backdrop for illustrative games and exercises of increasing complexity highlighting their discoveries, and invite the student to grasp the potential of chess to fascinate.Much more than a primer for beginning chess players and their teachers, Great Moves shines a light on the lives of famous players of bygone eras, helping experienced players to fill in the gaps in their chess culture.

Cowering in the middlegame, towering in the endgame: chess theory teaches that the king needs protection from enemy pieces until the ending, when finally it can come out from hiding to decisive effect. But what if the king can take care of itself, and even march out to battle with its army? FIDE Master and coach Tigran Gyozalyan fills a gap in the chess literature with the first systematic exploration of the king’s role and capabilities in the opening and the middlegame.Relying on a selection of more than one hundred international games, the author shows how strong players – from Steinitz and Alekhine to Karpov and Kasparov – transcend general chess advice to put the king to good use and tip the scales in their favor. Illustrative games and positions to deepen your understanding complement this comprehensive treatment.Broaden your chess horizons, get the edge on your opponents and show them, when they least expect it, that The King Is a Powerful Piece.

You have limited time to devote to chess study, and most of that goes to reviewing your openings to move 25, with all their sidelines. Sound familiar? Here’s a solution: surprise your opponent in the first four moves with The Elshad System!In a groundbreaking survey of this emerging counterattack, FM Igor Nemtsev proposes a shocking approach to the closed openings featuring an early …h7-h6 and …g7-g5. Black’s king typically remains in the center, while the white monarch is subjected to a withering kingside offensive. Best of all, the “safe harbor” of general opening principles to meet your unconventional strategy is possibly the worst way for White to respond. Even grandmasters can fall victim to the Elshad, especially in blitz and rapid chess.Faced with the novel challenges of The Elshad System, your opponent will have to rely on his own resources instead of cranking out deep theory. Avoid those symmetrical drawing variations from unambitious opponents playing White. Play the Elshad and experience once again what it’s like to play fresh, fighting chess!

In many ways, the Najdorf Sicilian is the ideal defense against 1.e4 – aggressive and leading to creative and exciting play, allowing Black to play for a win and yet unquestionably sound.Despite the Najdorf’s great popularity and reputation as a theoretical labyrinth, Bryan Smith believes it is possible to play it “by the light of nature,” with experience providing a guide. The play is concrete and sharp, but original positions can be obtained fairly early.The twenty-nine annotated games in this book were carefully selected for their instructional value, their theoretical relevance, and – most of all – their esthetic appeal. Designed both for players of the Najdorf and for those facing it, The Najdorf in Black and White is a collection of creative and unique battles that you can use to learn the ins and outs of this opening.