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A completely reassessed study of the isolated queen's pawn structure. The book is based on modern examples, with a heavy accent on the practice of Magnus Carlsen. Two important chapters deal with:
– How to maintain the balance with an isolani when the opponent has successfully blockaded it and tamed the initial initiative;
– Examples on the theme “to create or not to create an isolani later into the game”.
A story only a real Grandmaster could tell.
Lukas lives for chess. When he leaves Sweden for an island off the coast of Saint Petersburg, he vows to sacrifice everything for one goal: the Grandmaster title. Friendships falter, love slips away, and his hunger for victory turns inward. Every move brings him closer to either triumph or collapse.
The Grandmaster is a powerful novel of ambition, obsession, and the fragile boundary between brilliance and self-destruction. Moving far beyond the worn-out myth of the 'mad genius', Grandmaster Axel Smith reveals the human cost of the quest for perfection: the self-doubt, jealousy and fleeting joy that define a life lived across sixty-four squares.
This novel blends authenticity and drama with rare insight into the world of elite chess. Written by Grandmaster Axel Smith, it is a work of fiction rooted in truth. With the precision of a chess player and the empathy of a storyteller, Smith unveils the intense emotional landscape of competition. Gripping and thought-provoking, The Grandmaster will resonate with fans of The Queen’s Gambit and anyone who has ever chased perfection — or a dream.
Axel Smith is a chess Grandmaster and best-selling author. His books, including The Woodpecker Method and Pump Up Your Rating, have sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide. He holds the Swedish record for a blindfold simul with 15 games played simultaneously. An accomplished marathon runner (2:28), he lives in Lund, Sweden, with his wife and three children.
This book presents the 100 most essential chess endgames — the basic endings every club player is likely to encounter in real games.
Learning how to handle these positions will help you win more games, and also save more games. Once you reach the stage where your results are no longer decided by simple tactical mistakes, the real challenge begins: converting your advantages with confidence.
With clear explanations and a structured, step-by-step approach, these 100 lessons form a complete endgame survival kit. You will learn:
* how to stay confident when the game transfers into an endgame
* how to exploit advantages you have gained in the middlegame
* how to avoid the frustration of failing to win clearly better positions
* how to approach simplification without uncertainty
Master these basic endings and they will serve you for the rest of your chess life. Study them carefully, and your technique — and your confidence — will improve forever.
Jesus de la Villa (1958) is an International Grandmaster born in Spain. He is a successful author and a well-known chess trainer. He has twice won the Spanish Championship. His book '100 Endgames You Must Know' is an international bestseller.
Most chess players dream of winning quickly and stylishly, but few know how to increase their chances of such success. Chess in Miniature: Volume 1 takes on the challenge by presenting the eight key Secrets to winning in 25 moves or fewer, with eight additional vital Secrets to follow in Chess in Miniature: Volume 2.
David LeMoir presents the crucial concepts using illuminating examples, containing an ideal balance of short variations and instructive prose. Learn how to become an Opportunist Tactician and a Canny Investor, while aware that The Queen Rules and Beauty Favours The Strong. A final ‘challenge chapter’ is included to test and reinforce the reader’s newfound understanding.
David LeMoir is an experienced chess player and the author of several successful books, with the canny knack of presenting new ways to look at sacrifices and tactics.
The journey into the world of sparkling short games continues. Chess in Miniature: Volume 2 takes up where the first book left off, exploring the next set of ‘Secrets’ that underpin brilliant miniatures. From choosing appropriate openings to exploiting greed, from classical sacrifices to advanced calculation, this volume reveals how winners consistently shape games that delight and instruct.
With carefully chosen examples and insightful commentary, the book not only entertains but also inspires readers to attempt their own mini-masterpieces. Whether you want to sharpen your tactical instincts, enrich your opening play, or simply enjoy some of the most striking games in chess, this volume will both instruct and delight.
When Max Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine in 1935, the chess world was stunned. A modest Dutch mathematics teacher had dethroned the most charismatic and feared champion of his time. Almost immediately, doubts arose: Was Euwe truly worthy of the crown? Did he really belong in the lineage of Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine himself?
Nearly a century later, these questions still influence how Euwe is remembered — and, all too often, how he is underestimated.
This book takes a fresh look at Euwe’s years as World Champion and presents solid evidence. It challenges the familiar narrative that portrays his reign as a brief intermezzo, largely created by Alekhine’s powerful and enduring self-portrait. Euwe himself never played that game. He analysed his victories soberly, credited his opponents generously and avoided self-glorification, even when it was fully deserved.
Drawing on contemporary sources, tournament results, and a close examination of Euwe’s games with today’s best computers, the authors place his achievements in their proper historical context. The picture that emerges is clear: Euwe did not merely win the title — he belonged at the very top. In the mid-1930s, he was consistently on par with and at times surpassed the strongest players in the world.
This book offers a balanced reassessment. However, it leads to an unmistakable conclusion: Max Euwe was not a footnote in chess history — he was a true World Champion.
Paul van der Sterren is a grandmaster and two-time Dutch champion who qualified for the Candidates Matches. He is a prolific author and won the ECF Chess Book of the Year Award in 2024 for his autobiography, In Black and White. His other books include Mindful Chess and Fundamental Chess Openings.
Erwin l’Ami is a grandmaster, former Dutch champion and winner of the 2015 Reykjavik Open. He is a highly regarded opening expert and has published several Chessable courses. He is also a renowned second, having worked with chess greats such as Veselin Topalov and Anish Giri.
Play Winning Chess is an enthusiastic introduction to chess that will transform you into a veritable gladiator of the chessboard.
Yasser Seirawan begins by explaining piece movement, chess notation, the rules of play and basic tactics. His examples, question-and-answer sections, psychological hints, and lively sample games help you learn strategies and play aggressively while having fun. Discovering how to engage in clever attacks and subtle defenses will take you beyond the thrill of competition into the realm of creative art.
Play Winning Chess is exuberant and conversational, enlivened by personal anecdotes and fascinating historical details.
Yasser Seirawan, born 1960, is a 4-time US Champion, and 13 times US international, representing the US first time in the 1980 Chess Olympiad, and last time at the 2011 World Team Championship, where he won a personal silver medal and defeated Polgar and Mamedyarov.
In his long career he managed to defeat six World Champions: Smyslov, Tal, Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov, Topalov and Anand. His highest World Ranking was no. 4 in 1982.
In the last decade he has mostly worked as a live commentator for top level events, such as the US Championship and the Grand Chess Tour.
Yasser Seirawan knows winning chess.