Chess category: 725 books

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...

The Tactician’s Handbook In the late 1990s, American publisher Pickard & Son released five books, each dedicated to a unique tactical theme, and each with approximately 100 pages. Written by the late Russian correspondence master Victor Charushin, the books were Alekhine’s Block, Combination Cross,...

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...

Réti's "Other” Classic Ask most chessplayers about the works by Richard Réti, and most will quickly reply Modern Ideas in Chess. His Masters of the Chessboard will be a distant second and that is unfortunate, because in many ways Masters is more comprehensive and instructive than...

1...e5 enjoys an excellent reputation as a reliable defence against White’s most popular opening choice, 1 e4. However, anyone who is primed to face the Ruy Lopez must also be prepared to face a number of White alternatives. This collection of variations make up the Open Games and include not only...

Tired of playing the same old openings? Bored with stuffy opening theory? This book provides a welcome antidote!Former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala presents a range of vicious weapons for White in a repertoire which is perfect for those who have little time for study, but enjoy taking...

The Caro-Kann is a reliable and highly respected answer to White's most popular opening move, 1 e4. It has the seal of approval of numerous leading Grandmasters including Vishy Anand, Evgeny Bareev and Alexey Dreev, as well as former World Champion Anatoly Karpov, who has utilized it with great success...

Nowadays, chessplayers spend almost all their free time preparing openings, and rarely spend the time necessary to perfect the vitally important technique of calculating. Regular training in solving and playing out endgames studies is a good recipe for eliminating that shortcoming. This training is...

Do you wish to surprise your opponent on the first moveDo you enjoy playing creatively from the beginning of the game? Look no further than 1 b4! With this aggressive pawn lunge White takes the game into relatively unknown territory and forces Black players onto their own devices.In...

Theres no doubt that the Dutch Defence is one of Black's most enterprising openings. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating an asymmetrical pawn structure on the very first move, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset. It's no surprise that the Dutch...

The Benko Gambit is undoubtedly one of Blacks most dynamic openings. In return for his pawn investment Black gains long-term pressure, which is often so powerful it continues right through into the endgame. White must decide whether to grab the pawn and try to hold on, or to choose a more aggressive...

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor takes a contemporary look at one of Black's most ambitious counters to 1 e4, the Alekhine Defence. This is a sharp opening in which Black attacks from the very beginning, luring Whites central pawns forward in the expectation of destroying them later on. The...

The Budapest Gambit is an ambitious and adventurous opening for Black, who offers a pawn as early as the second move in return for active and rapid development. It has always been a particular favourite at club level, where it still provides a surprise weapon, but it has also been utilized with success...

The Ponziani Opening enjoys a long history, but for some unknown reason it has been neglected in recent times. Don't be fooled by its apparently harmless reputation: the Ponziani is full of tricks and catches many unsuspecting opponents by surprise. It's also a perfect weapon for those who don't fancy...