Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056917234 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 283
Book Description
Are you a dove or a hawk? Is your natural instinct at the chessboard for caution and strategy or do you crave adventure and confrontation? This question may be more important than you think because being aware of your personal style (and that of your opponent) is essential in your development as a chess player. As a 10-year-old boy, Cyrus Lakdawala realized to his horror that he was a dove when his chess teacher reprimanded him for playing an unnecessary defensive move instead of banging out a better and aggressive one that was not so difficult to find. Since then, Lakdawala has devoted an important part of his efforts as a player to trying to resist his natural tendency to over-solidify positions and avoid complications. Chess for Hawks is the fascinating and often hilarious story of Lakdawala’s struggle to release his inner hawk. It is also a highly instructional guide that will make you think about questions you may not have thought about before: why do you miss opportunities to win a won game?, does deliberately breaking a rule come easy to you?, how good are you at ignoring a threat?, and at refusing a draw offer?, are you able to distinguish between patience and apathy?, do you hate to trade queens?, do you find it difficult to weaken your structure in exchange for initiative or attack?, do you like games with opposing wing castling? and do you know when to trade in initiative for material? Cyrus Lakdawala does something no other chess writer has done before: he makes you reflect deeply about your style of play and its consequences. After reading Chess for Hawks you will be a stronger player because you have mastered an essential but neglected skill: you will know how to obey the position’s requirements instead of your natural inclination.
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056918273 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 570
Book Description
When was the last time you won a perfect game? A game that wasn’t tainted by inferior moves? Every chess player knows that smooth wins are the exception, that play is often chaotic and positions are frequently irrational. The road to victory is generally full of bumps and misadventures. Welcome to the world of imperfection! Chess books usually feature superbly played games, in Winning Ugly in Chess you will see games where weird moves are being rewarded. Cyrus Lakdawala knows that playing good chess is all very well, but that beating your opponent is better. He demonstrates the fine art of winning undeserved victories by miraculously surviving chaos, vile cheapos, refusing to resign in a lost position, lucky breaks, provoking unforced errors, improbable comebacks and other ways to land on your feet after a roller-coaster ride. Lakdawala shows how you can make sure that it is your opponent, not you, who makes the last blunder. If you’d rather win a bad game than lose a good one, then this your ideal guide. The next time ‘the wrong player’ wins, you will be that player!
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056918788 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 669
Book Description
A winning streak in chess, says Cyrus Lakdawala, is a lot more than just the sum of its games. In this book he examines what it means when everything clicks, when champions become unstoppable and demolish opponents. What does it mean to be ‘in the zone’? What causes these sweeps, what sparks them and what keeps them going? And why did they come to an end? Lakdawala takes you on a trip through chess history looking at peak performances of some of the greatest players who ever lived: Morphy, Steinitz, Pillsbury, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Fischer, Tal, Kasparov, Karpov, Caruana and Carlsen. They all had very different playing styles, yet at a certain point in their rich careers they all entered the zone and simply wiped out the best players in the world. In the Zone explains the games of the greatest players during their greatest triumphs. As you study and enjoy these immortal performances you will improve your ability to overpower your opponents. You will understand how great moves originate and you will be inspired to become more productive and creative. In the Zone may bring you closer to that special place yourself: the zone.
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: Everyman Chess ISBN: 1781945101 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 795
Book Description
These days the move 1 d4 is often used as the precursor to quieter opening choices such as the London System, the Colle System or the Trompovsky. In this book the highly experienced chess author and coach Cyrus Lakdawala goes back to basics, outlining an aggressive repertoire for White based on 1 d4, following up with the traditional 2 c4. The emphasis of the repertoire is to gain space as quickly as possible and set Black the task of finding quick counterplay or face the risk of being overrun. Lakdawala recommends lines with f2-f3 against the Nimzo-Indian, the Petrosian System against the King’s Indian and the Flick Knife (f4 with Bb5+) against the Benoni. With thorough explanations on pawn structures and piece placement, this book provides insight to both strong masters and less experienced players alike. The format is ideal for the chessplayer keen to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions – a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. * Presents a powerful, aggressive repertoire starting at move one. * Thorough explanations of typical pawn structures and piece manoeuvres. * Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study.
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056917730 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 287
Book Description
In his prime, in the 1970-s and 80-s, legendary Swedish chess grandmaster Ulf Andersson was a Top 10 player with a distinct, immediately recognizable style. He almost never lost a game and kept scoring wins from quiet positions. Quiet positons? Acclaimed chess author Cyrus Lakdawala has played Andersson’s lines for decades and explains that those positions only LOOK quiet. Ulf Andersson, who understood the subtleties of strategic chess better than almost anyone else, always detected and exploited hidden opportunities. As Andersson’s openings tend to glide into the middlegame and often into the endgame, How Ulf Beats Black is much more than just a chess opening manual. Lakdawala’s lucid explanations offer a practical guide to positional technique that will improve your endgame skills as well. On top of that it is also a games collection of a great but often misunderstood chess player. This repertoire is not based on forcing variations but on understanding the underlying principles and techniques. As a result your opponent will not be able to surprise you because you forgot to check recent novelties. The final chapter ‘What did Ulf play?’ presents exercises to test your understanding.
Author: Karen Marie Moning Publisher: Dell ISBN: 0307426971 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 382
Book Description
He would sell his warrior soul to possess her. . . . An alluring laird... He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart—until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length—but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve. A prisoner in time... She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side. . . .
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056919164 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 526
Book Description
Magnus Carlsen is arguably the strongest player of all time. His dominance is such that every loss comes as a shock. They remind us that even he has his weak moments. In fact, identifying the root causes of his losses holds valuable lessons for all players. Cyrus Lakdawala’s search starts with a series of Magnus wins and draws to give the reader a feel for how incredibly difficult it is to beat him. The World Champion’s arsenal is awesome: a superlative ability to concentrate and calculate, near-perfect intuition, probably the best endgame technique ever, a wide and creative opening repertoire, a willingness to unbalance the position almost anytime, and last but not least: his unparalleled will to win. How to Beat Magnus Carlsen has a thematic structure, which, together with Lakdawala’s uniquely accessible style, makes its lessons easy to digest. Sometimes even Magnus gets outplayed, sometimes he over-presses and goes over the cliff’s edge, and sometimes he fails to find the correct plan. And yes, even Magnus Carlsen commits straightforward blunders. Lakdawala explains the how and the why. This fascinating collection includes the game that put an end to the longest non-losing streak in classical games in chess history. It lasted more than two years and 125(!) games, and ended when Jan-Krzysztof Duda beat Magnus Carlsen at the Altibox tournament in Stavanger on October 10, 2020. It’s wonderful to have a World Champion who is not just incredibly strong but who is also happy to experiment and take risks. That’s what makes Magnus Carlsen such a fascinating chess player. And that’s why he is the hero of this book. There is no doubt that Carlsen has examined all his losses under a microscope. If he benefits from this process, then so will we.
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala Publisher: Everyman Chess ISBN: 1781942749 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 929
Book Description
Bobby Fischer is a legendary chess figure, and many consider him to be the greatest chess player of all time. Fischer was a child prodigy who later developed into a phenomenal force. During his peak years he dominated his nearest rivals in a manner that had previously never been seen. Fischer achieved his goal of becoming World Champion after beating Boris Spassky in their ‘Match of the Century’ in 1972, an epic contest which did more than anything else to popularize the game throughout the world. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala studies his favourite Fischer games. Lakdawala examines Fischer’s renowned skills in attack, defence, counterattack, exploiting imbalances, dynamic elements, accumulating advantages and endgame play. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge.
Author: Alexander Kalinin Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056916939 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 209
Book Description
Today’s young players have benefited greatly from working with chess computers. There is little doubt that advanced software and electronic training programs have significantly contributed to the rise of the overall standard of play. But there is a downside as well. Many young chess players see the computer as the ultimate answer to nearly everything. They think that computer analysis is the best and fastest way to find the truth in any position on the board. Inevitably, those players have gradually stopped thinking and analysing for themselves. The prominent Russian chess trainer Alexander Kalinin argues that what you need to make real progress is not more computer input, but increased understanding. To fully digest all available data and to discover the ultimate secrets of chess you must dislodge your decision making from your addiction to the computer and (re)develop the habit of using your own brain. Kalinin helps players seeking the master title by showing how concrete knowledge leads to improved decisions at the board. He stresses the essence of the classics and the importance of human interaction in reaching analytical mastery. Kalinin provides a wealth of training material. The vast majority of his examples has never been published before. He reveals the mistakes he himself made as a candidate master and mostly uses games of players who themselves are on the road to chess mastery.
Author: Thomas Willemze Publisher: New In Chess ISBN: 9056917986 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 399
Book Description
In chess, as in repair or construction jobs in and around the house, you will not get very far without the right equipment. If you want to win more games you simply need the right tools. Unfortunately, most amateur chess players have no toolbox to speak of. What’s more, they don’t even know which tools they actually need. Or what tools are available. In fact, if a chess hardware store would exist, most amateur chess players would be clueless what to ask for. International Master and experienced chess trainer Thomas Willemze is the handyman you are looking for. He tells you which are the most urgent problems that need fixing. In his no-nonsense guide, he presents essential techniques on how to mobilize your pieces in order to gain the upper hand. Willemze teaches you how to lift a blockade, get rid of an inferior piece, conquer an open file, eliminate an important defender, exploit the 7th rank, simplify your position (why and how), fight for entrance squares and much more. In order to make you feel comfortable and let you get used to these essential techniques, the author gives lots of fascinating examples and hundreds of instructive exercises. He even teaches you how to think outside your toolbox!
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Cyrus Lakdawala
Author: Alexander Kalinin
Author: Thomas Willemze