212 Surprising Checkmates PDF Download

Author: Bruce Alberston
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1936490358
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
Deliver the Coup de Grâce! With this instructive manual, players can learn to concentrate on one-, two- and three-move checkmates, focusing on their opponents� last moves and keeping alert to new possibilities, rather than getting blinded by previous calculations. Written by two experienced chess teachers, this volumes first 100 exercises concern checkmates in one move, while the remaining exercises represent game-like positions for checkmates in two and three moves. All are designed to increase a player�s skill and speed analyzing and solving chess problems. This is an updated and expanded version of 202 Surprising Checkmates which was released in 1998.

Author: David MacEnulty
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1936490471
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Practice Makes Permanent! You have no doubt heard the saying that practice makes perfect. Actually, practice makes permanent. If you practice badly, you will perform badly. It is practice in the pursuit of perfection that leads to better performance. Accurate practice is the essential ingredient in achieving success in any complex endeavor. With almost 300 checkmate exercises, My First Book of Checkmate Workbook offers the opportunity for accurate practice at the all-important task of finding checkmate. Beginning with the simplest checkmate patterns, this companion of My First Book of Checkmate proceeds gradually and methodically through ever more complex puzzles until you are solving problems that can take four, five or six moves to unfold. This is truly practice that will lead to perfection in the exciting field of checkmate.

Author: Karsten Müller
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270972
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 662

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Book Description
Man vs. Machine Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. It may sound quaint today, but not so long ago, computers battled humans for supremacy at the game of chess. The challenge of building a computer program capable of defeating the best of human-kind at chess was one of the original grand challenges of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence. On one side were dedicated scientists and hobbyists who invested decades of effort developing the software and hardware technology; on the other side were incredibly talented humans with only their determination and preparation to withstand the onslaught of technology. The man versus machine battle in chess is a landmark in the history of technology. There are numerous books that document the technical aspects of this epic story. The human side is not often told. Few chess players are inclined to write about their man-machine encounters, other than annotating the games played. This book brings the two sides together. It tells the stories of many of the key scientists and chess players that participated in a 50-year research project to advance the understanding of computing technology. “Grandmaster Karsten Müller and Professor Jonathan Schaeffer have managed to describe the fascinating history of the unequal fight of man against machine in an entertaining and instructive way. It evoked pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my own fights against the monsters. I hope that their work gives you as much pleasure as it has given me.” – From the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik, 14th World Chess Champion

Author: Carsten Hansen
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270875
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
Confront the Sicilian on Your Own Terms! In 1982, the late Ken Smith’s publishing house Chess Digest published the first edition of Andy Soltis’ small monograph Beating the Sicilian, The Chameleon Variation. It was well received and a second edition came out in 1990. It proposed a very flexible way for White to handle the Sicilian Defense using the move order 1.e4, 2.Nc3 and 3.Nge2. It kept most of White’s options open and allowed White to lure Black into unfamiliar territory. The Sicilian jungle is vast. Unless you have a massive amount of time on your hands, it is an exhausting task to keep a sharp opening repertoire together against Black’s numerous possibilities. It does not mean that it is impossible, nor does it mean that you shouldn’t do it. But for the average player with an average amount of time available for chess studies, it is important to pick the right battles. This is where our weapon, the Chameleon Sicilian, comes in handy. Would you be interested in possibly tricking Black into playing something he would otherwise not be inclined to play? That’s where the Chameleon is useful! Aside from its flexibility, the greatest strength of this opening is that it is so relatively unexplored. For some of the sub-variations, the author has used most of the master games that could find; for other lines, only the most relevant games. In any case, there are plenty of opportunities to explore further and find ideas of your own. This is fertile ground and your seeds could well sprout to become new branches of theory. The journey of the Chameleon continues in this thorough, comprehensive update by well-known author Carsten Hansen.

Author: Claus Dieter Meyer
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270824
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
Tactical Fireworks! When released in 2002, the first volume of The Magic of Chess Tactics by FIDE Master Claus Dieter Meyer and German Grandmaster Karsten Müller was extremely popular. It was one of the first books to deal with tactics on high level. Like the first book, intended for advanced (Elo 1800+) players, this second volume puts special tactical motifs and themes under the analytical microscope. Complicated tactics – the kind that separate tournament winners from the pack – require intuition, imagination and precision. The focus in this book is on attacking techniques and transformations. The contents include: Attacking with the Queen and Knight; The Knight on the Attack; Attacking with Bishops of Opposite Colors; Pins; Learn from the World Champions; and Exchanges & Transformations. The reader will find the analysis comprehensive and challenging. Dozens of exercises help reinforce the reader’s understanding of this complex subject matter. So, roll up your sleeves and prepare to ride herd on tactical fireworks and sharpen your tactical skills.

Author: Igor Yanvarjov
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270581
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 1025

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Book Description
Welcome to Tiger’s Den! Tigran Petrosian, the ninth world chess champion, was one of the deepest thinkers the chess world has ever seen. His handling of complex strategic positions was legendary. Now, for the first time, Russian international master Igor Yanvarjov has put together a superb collection of virtually all the known games played by Petrosian – with both colors – in the King’s Indian Defense and other closely related Indian structures. The author’s objective was, first of all, to reveal the richness of Petrosian’s chess world and to follow the strategic development of the King’s Indian Defense through the prism of Petrosian’s creative work. He does this with the presentation of almost 300 deeply annotated, complete games. Contents include: Preface by Levon Aronian; Foreword by Igor Zaitsev; The Classical Variation; The Sämisch System ; The Fianchetto Variation; The Benoni; Other Systems; Portrait of a Chess Player; Lessons from Petrosian; The Problem of the Exchange; “Furman’s Bishop”; “Pawns are the soul of chess”; Playing by Analogy; Maneuvering Battle; Experiments; Realist or Romantic?; The King’s Indian with Colors – and Flanks – Reversed; Appendix; Index of Tabiyas; ECO/Opening/Tabiya Indexes. This splendid collection of annotated games will not only have enormous appeal to King’s Indian aficionados, but to all chessplayers who wish to expand their understanding of the strategic concepts underpinning the royal game as a whole.

Author: Susan Polgar
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270670
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 555

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Book Description
The Polgar Way to Better Chess! Learn Chess the Right Way is a five-volume chess puzzle book series aimed at the novice, beginner and intermediate level player, using the unique methods of the award-winning coach and former world champion Susan Polgar. It introduces the most important checkmate and material-winning tactics, as well as defensive techniques to the new chess player. Each of the five volumes consist of over 500 puzzles. Book 5 focuses on learning how to find the right continuation in critical positions of a chess game. The first part of the book includes learning about “quiet” but powerful moves, including ones that result in “Zugzwang.” Building on the knowledge acquired throughout the entire series, in the second part of this volume, in the “Grand Test,” the reader can practice on familiar patterns with real-game-like situations emphasizing how to gain a significant material advantage or checkmate. With over 40 years of experience as a world-class player and coach, international grandmaster Susan Polgar has developed the most effective way to help young players and beginners – Learn Chess the Right Way. Let her show you the way to understanding the most common and critical patterns and let her show you the way to becoming a better player. SUSAN POLGAR is a winner of four Women’s World Championships and the top-ranked woman chess player in the United States. She became the #1 woman player in the world at 15 and remained in the top 3 for over 20 years. In 2013, she received the U.S. Coach of the Year Award and the following year, she was named the Chess Trainer of the Year by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). She thus became the first person in history to be accorded both honors. Under her guidance, SPICE chess teams at both Texas Tech University and Webster University have won a combined seven consecutive National Division I Collegiate Chess Championships.

Author: Alex Fishbein
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270751
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
Seize the Initiative Right from the Start! Are you bored with slow maneuvering in systems such as the the Italian game with d2-d3 and the anti-Berlin? Do you enjoy confrontation in the center and sharp, tactical play? Alex Fishbein shows how the Scotch Gambit can give you exciting yet sound positions where you aim at the enemy king. In the Scotch Gambit, White immediately strikes in the center and attacks the f7-pawn, provoking concessions from Black. An imbalance typically results, where White has attacking chances on the kingside. The Scotch Gambit will help you develop a finer feeling for the initiative and improve your combinational vision. You will also better understand strategic concepts, such as weak squares of one color and pawn structure nuances. Fishbein, an experienced player and author, takes you into a modern grandmaster’s research lab. Here, all ideas are scrutinized and prepared for use against an opponent who is similarly armed with the latest theory and technology. The most critical responses for Black receive special emphasis. Alex Fishbein is an American grandmaster. His peak world ranking was #150. He was competitive in each of his four U.S. Championship appearances, including in 2004 when he won the Bent Larsen prize for the most uncompromising chess. A lifelong 1.e4 player, Fishbein is known for interesting and creative play.

Author: Hannes Langrock
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1941270077
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
A Complete Black Repertoire against 1.e4 Built around the Super-solid Rubinstein! The solid Rubinstein Variation of the French Defense – despite its having been played by world champions and elite grandmasters, it has never been subjected to detailed study. The author, German International Master Hannes Langrock, has produced a book with complete coverage of this line, along with solid recommendations for Black should White deviate on the second or third move. “I never realized that Black could take such active measures in the Rubinstein Variation without significant drawbacks. This book is an eye-opener, and even top grandmasters might find that they have underestimated Black’s resources in important positions...The average tournament and online player will appreciate Langrock’s straightforward, no-nonsense style. He keeps the complexity of the analysis within bounds, and highlights relevant details without drifting into obscure page-long analytical byways. General themes are clearly presented within the context of illustrative games...The result is a book that covers a broad swath of material in a modest number of pages. I’m sure that you will be well-rewarded for its study, and come out with a useful new weapon in your chess arsenal.” – International Master John Watson in his Foreword

Author: Savielly Tartakower
Publisher: SCB Distributors
ISBN: 1936490900
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 733

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Book Description
The Unique Genius of Tartakower! One of the most creative grandmasters ever to play the Royal Game was Savielly Tartakower. His combination of bold play and fascinating writing has long endeared him to chess aficionados worldwide. His classic work of best games has never been available in English algebraic notation. Until now. “Tartakower’s annotations are unlike any other master of his time. He repeatedly stressed the psychological nature of chess, for example. Another ‘Tartakowerism’ is: ‘An attack is against a castled position, weak pawns and, most of all, against the mind of the opponent.’ What he reserves for a footnote, like what conditions are present to make a game a work of art, other authors would need pages to articulate, if they addressed the matters at all. “This book was meant to do what all great annotations do: instruct, explain, and entertain. And it succeeds spectacularly.” – Andy Soltis in his Foreword Experience the unique genius of Savielly Tartakower in this 21st Century Edition of his games collection – 201 games, 49 game fragments, all deeply annotated and quintessentially Tartakower!