The French Defence is coming back to fashion again! One of the leaders in the 2020 Candidates tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, successfully staked on it. Lately World champion himself also embraced the French several times. A great expert of this opening...

The French Defence is coming back to fashion again! One of the leaders in the 2020 Candidates tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, successfully staked on it. Lately World champion himself also embraced the French several times. A great expert of this opening...

The purpose of this book is to shed some light on the underlying principles that govern "boring" chess positions, bordering on equality. Such positions have gradually become the main dish of nowadays' chess menu because people have increased their level,...

The Sicilian Defence is the most popular reply to 1 e4. With 1...c5 Black comes out fighting, immediately challenging any sense of a “natural white advantage”. Sicilian Defence players are often very well prepared theoretically and the...

  The Caro-Kann is a rare beast among chess openings. While respected as a sound and safe way to start the game, it also avoids symmetry or simplification. This allows Black many ways to keep the game unbalanced and play for a win. Two Norwegian...

Sicilian Warfare is a practical guide to the most dynamic and ambitious defence against 1.e4, starting where opening theory ends and the middlegame begins. Ilya Smirin breaks down the strategic battle into easily understood elements and then looks...

In the Alapin System White's strategic idea is extremely simple. He prepares to advance with d2-d4, to build a solid pawn center and then dictate the play. He will have to pay for this with the fact that his queen's knight has been deprived of the best...

The Sicilian Defense, which is suitable for players of all levels, has long been the most played opening against 1.e2-e4 and its popularity continues to grow. The reason is that sharp and complicated positions arise, which offer black excellent...

My quest for opening knowledge started early in my chess career as I have always been interested in probing the intricacies of each opening. One memorable incident of which I am proud took place when I was just 13 years old. I was deeply...

The Sveshnikov is undeniably one of the most dynamic and aggressive Sicilians available these days. Most recently, it was made popular again by World Champion Magnus Carlsen in his match against Fabiano Caruana at the end of 2018. The main...

*** COMING SOON *** In this first volume of Cheparinov’s 1.d4! readers will find the author's own way of working on openings, and the way he analyzes. Many of the lines and conclusions in this book are based not only on computer...

The Tarrasch variation of the French Defense is reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2. This is one of the most possible treatments White has available. Using his typical funny and dynamic writing style, David shows that it is possible to play solidly but...

Club players love to study openings as so much material is available. However, it has often been shown that results do not match the amount of study invested, as in practice it is much harder to navigate your way around an opening when the opponent...

Nowadays writing a book on the opening is always quite demanding, especially from the White side. With strong engines and correspondence games readily available to almost anyone in the world, it is hard to prove an advantage for White. Being able to come...

The Sicilian Defence has historically been Black’s most popular weapon against 1.e4. Its prestige is grounded on a combative nature and fighting approach; Black isn’t just playing for equality, but rather seeks to acquire counter-attacking...

The first volume dealt with the Najdorf and Scheveningen variations, and it is now time to pay attention to three other extremely popular systems: the Taimanov, Kan and Richter-Rauzer variations. After careful consideration within the Thinkers Publishing...

When Thinkers Publishing suggested I could try to produce a book on the Alekhine Defense, since for some reason I seem to have the reputation of using maverick openings, this idea looked reasonable. In that Covid period I had nothing better to do after...

The Caro-Kann is renowned as a top-tier defence to 1.e4, and Lars Schandorff’s Grandmaster Repertoire book on this opening received rave reviews. As GM Zenon Franco Ocampos put it, “I cannot imagine a better way of converting into a Caro-Kann...

The Richter-Rauzer is one of the most complex and rich battlegrounds in the Open Sicilian. This book is the distillation of the authors' decade-long experience in this variation, offering a practical approach based on understanding and knowledge of...

The Caro-Kann Defence has become one of the most important and popular replies to 1.e4. Its ‘solid’ and ‘drawish’ reputation no longer applies in modern chess. In fact, White could do with some new ideas to fight for an advantage...

What does a chess player need who is familiar with the rules, but often gets into trouble right away in the opening? This question was the starting point for the authors before they began to compile their material. The result is a book that gives...

Eduard Gufeld: "The main of the King’s Indian Defence (or more precisely, the King’s Indian Attack!) if a battle against Wight’s pawn center with pieces, which must have the timely support of pawn counter. The King’s Indian...

The King’s Indian Defence is a popular opening at all levels. Fischer, Kasparov, Bronstein, Nunn, Radjabov and Nakamura are just a few of the many leading GMs who have played it successfully. Opening Simulator is a new and innovative approach...

The Sicilian Taimanov arises after the opening moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6, and is an ideal weapon for Black in the modern era. It is theoretically sound, and strikes a perfect balance between solidity and dynamic counterattacking...

What does a chess player need who is familiar with the rules, but often gets into trouble right away in the opening? This question was the starting point for the authors before they began to compile their material.The result is a book that gives...

What does a chess player need who is familiar with the rules, but often gets into trouble right away in the opening? This question was the starting point for the authors before they began to compile their material.The result is a book that gives...

Any player who prefers to rely on main lines will be well acquainted with the problem of the sheer masses of opening theory. And as they do not stop growing, there's always the risk that sooner or later they will grow over one's head.Therefore, the wish...

The French Defense (1.e4 e6) caught the attention of the chess world in the first half of the 19th century, and has developed to be one of the most important and popular openings. The author of this book, the German Grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann, is a...

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, Starting Out: The French by Byron Jacobs and Starting Out: The Caro-Kann by Joe Gallagher, brought together in one volume. The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all...

The 20th Anniversary Edition and international bestseller! In 1998, the authors set out to demonstrate the viability of the Accelerated Dragon as a weapon for Black, not fearing the Maroczy Bind or any other set-up White can come up with. In the...

Using carefully selected examples in this unique book, the authors want to make you familiar with the strategic ideas behind the famous Maroczy bind. These plans arising from both colors, are a must for your arsenal of chess knowledge and understanding...

Dutch International Master David Miedema is a chess coach with one GM norm. He has finished sixth in the Dutch championships, and shared first place in one of the biggest open tournaments in Germany in 2010. Miedema has played the French Winawer for most...

The Najdorf Sicilian is one of Black's most respected and popular responses to 1 e4. It was favoured by those two titans of the game, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and in the modern game it features in the repertoire of many elite players. This rich...

The French Defence provides a good choice for players who want to create a dynamic, unbalanced situation out of the opening but baulk at the level of study required to master the ferociously complex Sicilian Defence. The French is one of Black's soundest...

In the Alekhine Defence, contrary to the classical methods of playing in the opening, Black does not fight for the centre with his pawns, but begins to exert immediate pressure against White's centre. Black's knight on f6 attacks the pawn on e4, and if...

????? ???????????? ?????? ????? ???????????? ?????? ? ? ??????? ???????????? ?????? Sicilian Defense by Alexander Koblentz published in Russian in Moscow in 1955 The edition of this book that was used to reprint this book is of historical significance...

The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence is so popular that the total number of games played in this line exceeds the number of games played in many complete openings! It has been the favourite line of many world champions and grandmasters. Famous...

In this book, IM Raja Panjwani presents the Hyper Accelerated Dragon. He demonstrates from the second move a dynamic way to fight 1. e4. He covers all of White's main variations and sidelines and even the most critical 'Maroczy bind' gets a new treatment...

A Variation by Any Other Name...One of the most popular – and intriguing – variations of the Sicilian Defense is the so-called Chelyabinsk Variation. In the West, it is known as the Sveshnikov Variation, while older opening monographs may...

A complete guide to playing 3 Nc3 against the French Defence Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, French Classical by Byron Jacobs and French Winawer by Neil McDonald, brought together in one volume In French Classical International Master...

The Caro-Kann is one of the most important and popular responses to 1.e4. World champions Botvinnik, Petrosian, Karpov and Anand have played this reliable chess opening in many of their games. Present-day elite players such as Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano...

In this, the last of three volumes on 1.e4, GM John Shaw completes his state-of-the-art chess opening repertoire for White by tackling the biggest challenge of all: the main lines of the Sicilian Defense. Just like the other two books in the series,...

Developing an effective chess opening repertoire with 1.e4 requires extensive research, mixed with fine judgement and a good deal of creativity. In this, the second of three volumes, GM John Shaw turns the analytical spotlight on the French Defense,...

The Caro-Kann Defence, long renowned for being a solid and reliable defence against 1.e4, is undergoing a renaissance at the moment. In addition to being a mainstay in the repertoires of a recent World Champion (Viswanathan Anand) and a 2018 World...

Everyman Chess's Starting Out series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming players. These books are distinguished by their easy-to-read layout, the lucid explanations of the fundamentals, and the...

The Caro-Kann Defence arises after the moves 1 e4 c6. With this first move Black (as is also the case with the French Defence – 1 e4 e6) plans 2 ... d5, establishing a well-protected central pawn. The Caro-Kann has a reputation as a rock solid...

The Queenside Fianchetto FactorIn the first full book to examine 2.b3 against the Sicilian, French and Caro-Kann, mainlines, interesting sidelines and current theory are reviewed. In addition, what actually happens in modern practice is surveyed. The...

The Scandinavian (also known as the Centre Counter Defence) occurs when Black meets White's 1 e4 with 1 ... d5, immediately countering in the centre. White invariably continues with 2 exd5 when Black can choose between two systems, both of which are...

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...

The Pirc chess opening is more of a counterattack than a defense: Black allows his opponent to occupy the center and provokes a confrontation, trusting in the power of the g7-bishop and the dynamic potential in his position. It is the perfect weapon for...