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New Chess Books and CD-ROMs (Page 2 of 4)Main chess book page Reviews BCM Bound Volumes Chessbase Opening/Training CD-ROMS Chess SoftwareBooks by publisher: Batsford
BCM Caissa
Editions Caissa Kft
Chess Digest Chess
Enterprises Chess Player
Chess Stars Dover
Everyman Gambit
Hardinge Simpole
Hays ICE
Informator McFarland
McKay Moravian
Chess New in Chess Olms
Pickard Quality
Chessbooks Russell Enterprises
Thinker's Press MISCELLANEOUS
MORE NEW CHESS BOOKS 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Garry Kasparov BooksNew Books: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Chess Exam and Training Guide 2: Tactics by Igor Khmelnitsky (Iamcoach Press, 2007)
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Most opening books are either too detailed or too shallow. Chess Opening
Essentials has exactly the right balance and is an accessible primer
and a reference book at the same time. It gives a flavour of how every
opening works and explains the similarities with other openings as well
as the differences. In addition, it also points at the various middlegame
plans that apply after the opening has ended. The authors do not propagate
forcing tactical variations to be memorized mechanically, but explain
what you should actually be trying to achieve when playing the opening
of your choice. They include the main alternative responses and give clear
indications for further study. Chess Opening Essentials helps you
to get out of any opening in good shape. This thorough, understandable,
and very readable manual gives you a foundation on which to build your
repertoire on. Beginning and improving chess players should get this powerful
book before they buy any other chess opening book! Comprehensive:
covers all main variations likely to arise Easy-to-use: important
moves and key positions are highlighted in colour Long-lasting:
it doesn't outdate because it is about basics - not the latest fashions
Complete: explains the plans and counterplans for both Black and
White Down-to-earth: simple, verbal introductions (not a database
dump full of dead trees) Convenient: every opening is illustrated
with a number of instructive games Prize-winning: received the
Golden Award of the Italian Chess Federation 358 pages, softback Read
the July 2007 review
The Najdorf variation in the Sicilian Defence has a legendary reputation
as a counter-attacking weapon for Black. It is an opening where people
often strive for a full point, instead of simply defending the position
with the black pieces. Many great players have contributed to the development
of this complex opening. Two world champions used the Najdorf variation
as their weapon of choice against 1 e4: Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov.
Both players celebrated spectacular successes with it, retaining it as
an important part of their repertoire throughout their entire careers.
For chess amateurs and professionals alike it is a great moment when the
world's leading expert shares all the secrets of his favourite opening.
In part one Garry Kasparov introduced the various subsystems of the Najdorf,
including the central 'Poisoned Pawn' variation. Part two was devoted
to the main lines against 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4, including the legendary Polugaevsky
Variation. In Part three he examines the move 6 Be3 which is today considered
the main line of the Najdorf. The DVD contains more than five hours of
first-class private video tuition. The package includes the latest ChessBase
9.0 Reader, a big reference database featuring all relevant Najdorf games,
as well as a complete opening book that can be used to practice what you
have learnt with Fritz. System requirements: PC (minimum 233 MHz and 32
MB RAM, recommended 1 GHz, 256 MB), DVD drive, Windows Vista or XP, sound
card, Windows Media Player 9 or higher (for the multimedia lessons) Read the July 2007
review
The Colle is a solid, reliable system of development based on the popular
opening move 1 d4. One of its major advantages is that although the system
is very easy to learn and play, it leads to exciting middlegame positions
where White often launches a violent attack against Black's king. The
Colle is a particular favourite amongst club players, but is also seen
at grandmaster level; perhaps its most well-known exponents are the former
World Championship Candidate Artur Yusupov and the twice World Junior
Champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 251 pages, softback Read the
July 2007 review
Sub-titled "A Hard-Hitting Chess Opening Repertoire for White".
Are you fearless in your approach to chess openings? Do you like to attack
your opponents from the very beginning? Are you happy to take calculated
risks? Do you loathe trivial positional chess? Do you feel the need to
sacrifice pawns early in the game? Are you a Gambiteer? If the answer
to these questions is 'yes!' then this is the book for you! In his two-volume
Gambiteer series, opening expert Nigel Davies produces a complete opening
repertoire which is certainly not for the faint-hearted: uncompromising
and wild attacking ideas for both colours. This first volume deals with
a gambit-style approach for White; the second volume will concentrate
on an ambitious black repertoire. All of the opening lines Davies advocates
in this book lead to positions of open warfare, where sharp, tactical
play completely dominates dreary positional subtleties. Are you ready
for the battle? Then cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! Contents:
Sicilian Defence, Wing Gambit Danish Gambit French Defence,
Wing Gambit Caro-Kann Fantasy Variation Alekhine's Defence
with 3 Nc3 Pirc Defence, Austrian with 5 a3 Scandinavian
Defence Nimzowitsch Defence The Pseudo-Philidor and
other defences 176 pages, softback Read
the July 2007 review
No opening in recent times has captured the imagination of the chess public
more than the Sicilian Sveshnikov. Initially popularized in the 1970s,
the Sveshnikov has exploded onto the chess scene at the highest levels
and is now regarded by many experts as one of Black's most promising answers
to 1 e4. One of its major attractions is that more often than not the
opening leads to incredibly sharp and complex play. In such situations
both sides must play with extreme accuracy just to stay on the board as
a single slip may lead to disaster! This uncompromising and modern approach
with the black pieces has found favour with many of today's leading Grandmasters,
including Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko, while Garry Kasparov also began
playing it towards the end of his career 271 pages, softback Read the July 2007
review
Tactics are the reason most people find chess fun. This book will greatly
enhance your enjoyment learning about, and benefiting from, the recurring
patterns of tactics. In chess, if you lose all your pieces you can't win.
And if you capture each of your opponent's pieces, winning should be easy.
Even if you just get ahead by a small amount of material, your chances
of winning soar. The way to win your opponent's pieces is through the
use of tactics. This book is about all types of chess tactics. The subject
is comprehensively covered with basic instructional material, examples,
and problems of all types - about 500 examples and problems ranging from
very easy to very difficult 192 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
This is the autobiography of John Healy. Born in London of poor Irish
parents, hardened on the streets by the age of seven, out of school at
fourteen, John Healy casts himself neither as hero nor villain as he recalls
the downward spiral of his teenage years, overwhelmed by alcoholism, isolated
on the edge of society. Pressed into the army, bruised by military prison
and the boxing ring, dependent on booze, he ends up in the grass arena
- the terrifying world ruled by psychopaths and peopled by beggars, con-men,
thieves, prostitutes and killers, where the law is enforced with the broken
bottle, the boot, and the knife. A sordid early death seems inevitable
until, in prison, he learns to play chess. His single-minded devotion
to the game combines with a remarkable natural ability: he becomes a tournament
champion, he plays grandmasters; his games are reported in the national
press. One addiction is abandoned for another and his life is transformed.
Peace of mind, however, remains elusive - and the quest continues
193 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
This is a chess biography of a forgotten British player, Ernest Eugene
Colman (1878-1964) - chess expert, civil servant and doyen of Singapore's
chess community. Today Colman's name is primarily associated with a variation
of the Two Knights' Defence named after him - the Colman Variation (1
e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8
Qf3 Rb8). While Colman never reached the highest peaks in world chess,
his contribution to the development of chess as a serious sport in Singapore
and Malaya was remarkable. In the pre-war years, Colman was Singapore's
top chess player and leading chess light. He reorganised the Singapore
Chess Club and was its President for decades. More importantly, he saw
chess and football as a way to bridge the gap between the various races
in Singapore. During the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), Colman was interned
at Changi Jail as a civilian internee. He taught chess to his fellow inmates
as a way to keep their minds off their hardships, secretly wrote a chess
manual and invented a new chess variation. This book is in two parts.
The first chronicles the life and times of Colman while the second contains
all recoverable games Colman played 349 pages, hardback Read the June 2007
review
The Pirc Defence is a highly flexible and double-edged opening with which
Black can avoid premature simplification and go for the full point. By
first developing his kingside he waits to see how White will deploy his
own forces before striking back in the most effective way. The top exponents
of the Pirc include Gurevich, Chernin, Timman, Seirawan, Speelman, Azmaiparashvili
and Belyavsky; in the past it was a great favourite of Botvinnik and Miles.
Here Nigel Davies explains the ideas and backs this up by showing exactly
how Black should react to White's different formations. Video running
time: 7 hours. System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher,
64 MB RAM, Windows Vista, Windows XP, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard Read the
June 2007 review
Informator 98 contains 432 annotated games and 490 variations. Events
covered: Lausanne, Kramnik-Topalov, Barcelona, Hoogeveen, Cap d'Agde (rapid),
Moscow, La Habana, Kramnik-Deep Fritz (m), Russia (ch), Topalov - Ju.
Polgar (m-blindfold), Merida, Pamplona, etc. Contributors include: Anand,
Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Leko, Morozevich, Gelfand, Svidler, Ju. Polgar, Ponomariov,
Navara, Grischuk, Shirov, Short, Kasimdzhanov, Karyakin, Xie Yun, Speelman
and many others. Also the voting for the ten best games and the ten most
important theoretical novelties from Informator 97, theoretical survey
in ECO format, the most interesting recent combinations, endings and studies,
tournament standings and crosstables, and the best of Boris Gelfand's
creative output 331 pages, softback Read the
June 2007 review
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has long been the definitive work
on opening theory, employing Informator's comprehensive and easy-to-use
chess opening classification and reference system which has gone on to
become the world's de facto standard. This volume contains all opening
moves other than 1 d4 and 1 e4, plus 1 d4 without 1...d5, 1...Nf6, 1 d4
Nf6 without 2 c4, 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 without 2...e6 or 2...g6. Hence this volume
covers the English Opening, Dutch Defence, Benoni, Reti, Volga Gambit
amongst others. The basis of ECO are games from Informator annotated by
the best players of today and their assessments. In four different formats
(ChessBase CBH, PGN, Chess Assistant and Informator Reader) Read the
June 2007 review
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has long been the definitive work
on opening theory, employing Informator's comprehensive and easy-to-use
chess opening classification and reference system which has gone on to
become the world's de facto standard. Volume B contains all Black's responses
to 1 e4 except 1...e6 and 1...e5. Hence this volume includes the Sicilian,
Caro-Kann, Pirc, Modern, Alekhine, Scandinavian and other more unusual
opening choices against 1 e4. The basis of ECO are games from Informator
as annotated by the best players of today. In four different formats (ChessBase
CBH, PGN, Chess Assistant and Informator Reader) Read the
June 2007 review
One of the main problems of tournament play is successfully negotiating
the opening. This CD-based Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings gives
easy access to clear and reliable information for the numerous chess players
who have competitive ambitions but only limited time to dedicate to chess,
while for players with greater competitive experience and chess professionals,
it offers an ideal repository of information and the exact evaluation
of critical lines. In four different formats (ChessBase CBH, PGN, Chess
Assistant and Informator Reader) Read the
June 2007 review
This CD-ROM database (in four different database formats - ChessBase,
PGN, Chess Assistant and Informator Reader) gives a close-up of world
champion Vladimir Kramnik: biography and facts, tournament statistics,
classification of openings, 843 published games (391 annotated by Kramnik),
White/Black repertoire trees, best games, five golden games, 100 best
games, most important theoretical novelties, theoretical surveys (C42,
C85, E04), combinations, excellent moves, initiative, defence, endings,
rare blunders and misconceptions Read the
June 2007 review
This is a Gambit re-issue of a classic work on chess defence. Many books
discuss how to attack in chess, but resourceful defensive play is also
a vital ingredient in competitive success. This is an area largely neglected
in the literature of the game. This book fills the gap admirably. Following
a survey of general defensive methods in chess, Dr Colin Crouch investigates
the techniques of World Champions Emanuel Lasker and Tigran Petrosian,
both highly effective defenders. Lasker would place myriad practical obstacles
in the opponent's way, and was a master of the counterattack. Petrosian
developed Nimzowitsch's theories of prophylaxis to a new level. His opponents
would find that somehow their attacking chances had been nullified long
before they could become reality 224 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
This product includes 6 DVDs with more than 50 Gbs of data in total:
1 DVD with Nalimov Endgame Tablebases, all 3-4-5 piece endgames
5 DVDs with Nalimov Endgame Tablebases, main 6 piece endings, as follows:
P+P v P+P P+P+P v P N+P v B+P N+P v N+P
B+P v B+P. Includes a database of 376,000 correspondence games in PGN
format as a bonus item. Nalimov Tablebases and Correspondence database
are supplied in standard formats and can be used with all well-known programs
including Fritz, Junior, ChessBase, Chess Assistant, Rybka, Chess Openings
and others.
In this updated English edition, Christian Seel presents a complete
repertoire against 1 e4, based on the Antoshin Variation (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3
d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7) of the Philidor Defence. Underestimated
for a long time, this line is now a solid component in the repertoire
of world-class grandmasters such as Aronian, Nisipeanu and Bacrot. Seel
sets out the latest state of play in all important lines, with thorough
strategic and tactical explanations, and is not afraid to betray some
of the secrets from his own analysis lab. The preface to the book was
written by Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu 132 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
Anand on Top of the World Kramniks Monaco Come-Back
Yakovenko Wins Poikovsky The Marshall Myth Rowsons
Reviews S.O.S.: 1 d4 d5 2 Bg5 f6!? Encounters with Dick
van Geet and much more.
The Pirc is an ambitious counter-attacking response to White's most popular
opening move, 1 e4. Black's philosophy is based around allowing White
to build a large and impressive-looking pawn centre, only to plot its
downfall by attacking it with pieces or timely pawn strikes. When it works,
the results can be spectacular, but of course this method of play carries
with it some danger; if Black is not careful he runs the risk of simply
being swamped in the centre. Such a provocative approach has found favour
with a line of uncompromising grandmasters including former Soviet Champion
Alexander Beliavsky and Mikhail Gurevich. In this book, FM James Vigus
provides an up-to-date appraisal of the Pirc and its many variations.
Using illustrative games, he examines the traditional main lines, the
fashionable alternatives and the tricky sidelines, while outlining the
typical tactical and positional ideas for both White and Black. A study
of this book will allow the reader to begin playing the Pirc with confidence
in his or her own games 381 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
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 throughout his illustrious career. One of the attractions
of the Caro-Kann is that it suits a variety of different styles; it can
lead to wild tactical battles as well as quiet, positional play. In this
book, IM Jovanka Houska presents the reader with a concise and trustworthy
repertoire within the Caro-Kann, providing a solution against all of White's
main options, and efficient methods to deal with tricky sidelines. Houska
examines the important tactical and strategic plans for both sides, arming
the reader with enough information to begin playing the Caro-Kann with
confidence in his or her own games 208 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
Do you need a well-deserved break from your normal chess openings? Are
you tired of constantly having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or
perhaps you simply wish to try out something new and exciting, but cannot
decide amongst the embarrassment of choices available? Look no further
for the answer! In this book, IM John Watson takes a revolutionary look
at one of the most famous and widely-played chess openings: the French
Defence. Instead of travelling down well-trodden and analyzed paths, Watson
concentrates on fresh or little-explored variations of the French, selecting
a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White
or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed,
and your opponents running for cover! This is the latest volume in a brand-new
series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting
ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. Many of the carefully-chosen
weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have
been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced
opponent off balance 320 pages, softback Read
the June 2007 review
New Books: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4
Books by publisher: Batsford BCM Caissa Editions Caissa Kft Chess Digest Chess Enterprises Chess Player Chess Stars Dover Everyman Gambit Hardinge Simpole Hays ICE Informator McFarland McKay Moravian Chess New in Chess Olms Pickard Quality Chessbooks Russell Enterprises Thinker's Press MISCELLANEOUS
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