Editorial Reviews:
In this easy-to-use guide, Richard Palliser studies the basics of the Torre Attack and its numerous variations, illustrating the key strategies, ideas and tactics for both White and Black.

Editorial Reviews:
Finding a suitable defence to 1 d4 is never an easy task, especially if you don't have endless time available to study the latest theoretical developments. If you choose fashionable openings, it's often a necessity to keep pace with modern theory if you want to succeed with Black. Those unwilling to become slaves to opening theory need not fear - this book provides a solution. Richard Palliser advocates the Czech Benoni, a simple, low-maintenance but effective opening in which the understanding of ideas and tactics far outweighs the necessity to memorize moves. The lines he selects are very easy to learn and play. Read this book and you will be ready to meet 1 d4 with confidence. This book offers a complete repertoire against 1 d4. It covers key positional and tactical ideas for both sides. It is ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players.

Editorial Reviews:
The Reti is a popular opening at all levels of chess. The great advantage it possesses over other openings is that it's a thematic system which can be adopted against many different defenses, and because of this it's a firm favorite amongst those who prefer the understanding of ideas over dry memorization of moves. In this book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald examines the Reti by going back to basics, introducing the key moves and ideas, and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them - something that has often been neglected or taken for granted in other works. "The Starting Out" series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming chess players. These books are ideal for enthusiasts who don't necessarily have extensive knowledge of the openings in question and who wish to appreciate the essential principles behind them. This book features user-friendly design to assist readers. It concentrates on the fundamental principles of the openings. It is ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players.

Editorial Reviews:
Some players seem to be naturally gifted at chess. Almost effortlessly they seem to know what to do in every position. They recognize the best squares for their pieces; they know whether to seize the initiative with a bold attack or play quietly; whether to trade pieces or avoid exchanges; and, how to exploit opponents' weaknesses while minimizing the effect of their own - they make it look all too easy! Why is this? Do they know something the rest of us don't? The answer is they do - they know the Rules of Winning Chess. These are the key fundamentals of the game, principles that you can easily learn and remember, and that will help you to achieve both greater understanding and enjoyment of chess. Do you want to approach every game with the confidence you can deal with any situation put in front of you? "The Rules of Winning Chess" will show you the way. Features include: covers opening, middlegame and endgame play; written by a renowned coaching guru; and, ideal for improving players. Nigel Davies is a Grandmaster, a winner of numerous international tournaments and a former British Rapidplay Champion. He's an expert in chess teaching and the author of many successful books. Previous works for "Everyman Chess" include his "Gambiteer" series and the highly acclaimed "Play 1 e4 e5!".

Editorial Reviews:
One of the main reasons the Sicilian is the most popular opening is that is it promotes such bold and aggressive chess. But as White its not enough just to attack; you must do so in the right way, using the appropriate weapons. In this book Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello introduce, categorize and analyse the Seven Deadly Sacrifices White has at his disposal. Its impossible to play Open Sicilian positions with either colour without an intimate knowledge of these sacrifices, and by using illustrative games the authors teach you everything you need to know, including the vital skill of how to recognize when favourable sacrificial conditions arise. *The ultimate guide to Sicilian bashing *Covers main lines of the Sicilian *Includes a feast of entertaining games and violent sacrifices

Editorial Reviews:
This is an updated and largely expanded edition of Starting Out: The Sicilian, the highly acclaimed guide to the most popular and famous opening in chess. In this user-friendly book, Grandmaster John Emms goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Sicilian Defence and its many variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.
The greatest attraction of the Sicilian is that it allows Black to unbalance the position and play for a win, without having to take any unjustified risks. Its many variations range from the super-solid Scheveningen to the dangerous and ultra-sharp Dragon. For those playing Black it should be easy to find one that suits your style, while those playing White can choose from the range of options given against each line.

Editorial Reviews:
In this book Richard Palliser provides in-depth coverage of three of the most dangerous attacking set-ups available to White: the Colle-Zukertort, the Barry, and the 150 attacks. In recent years these three opening weapons have considerably gained in popularity, especially at club level, and it's easy to see why. They are fun to learn, and easy to play; they take Black away from the comfort zone of established theory; and they can all lead to devastating mating attacks against the black king. What more can you ask from an opening? Whether you are playing the White or Black side, this book tells all you need to know.

Editorial Reviews:
The c3 Sicilian is a logical and sensible way of meeting Black's most popular defence to 1 e4. With his second move White sets about constructing a strong pawn centre and cleverly sidesteps the labyrinth of opening theory associated with open Sicilians. Positions that are reached can be either tactical or positional in nature, and the c3 Sicilian particularly appeals to players who enjoy open positions with active piece play and clear objectives for both sides. In this book, c3 Sicilian expert John Emms goes back to basics: he explains in depth the reasoning behind the critical early moves - something that is often neglected - and uses instructive games to demonstrate key plans for both White and Black.

Editorial Reviews:
The Queens Gambit Declined is an opening of great historical importance and Blacks fundamental answer to 1 d4. From the very first move Black obtains a firm foothold in the centre, something that White finds extremely hard to undermine. Indeed, Black often bases his entire strategy around this control. The soundness of the Queens Gambit Declined has never been in question, and its supporters at the highest level include a long list of Grandmasters headed by Kasparov, Kramnik, Karpov and Short, as well as many World Champions from the past.

Editorial Reviews:
The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand.

Editorial Reviews:
Once you have figured out how all the chess pieces move, what is the next step up the chess ladder? This helpful and entertaining book provides you with the complete answer. In this easy-to-follow guide, renowned chess teacher Chris Ward explains all the crucial checkmating patterns, plus how to catch out your opponents with an assortment of tricks and traps, commonly known as chess tactics. There is something for everyone in this book: improving players can benefit from learning the basic checkmates and the key tactics such as attacking and defending pieces, forks, pins and skewers, while more experienced players can discover the delights of advanced checkmates and sneaky tricks, ones that can flummox even the world's best players!

Editorial Reviews:
The Scheveningen is an uncompromising and flexible variation of Black's most popular defence to 1 e4, the Sicilian. It's a firm favourite of the world's greatest ever chess player, Garry Kasparov, who used it many times in crucial games, including his world championship matches against Anatoly Karpov and Vishy Anand. His success rate against Karpov was so good that the former world champion was forced to abandon his normal first move to avoid it! Black's play in the Scheveningen is based around a solid and resilient pawn structure, a well-defended king and guaranteed counterplay against every white set-up.

Editorial Reviews:
Building and maintaining an opening repertoire can be a demanding task for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to choose from. There's a strong temptation amongst beginners and improving players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this approach has only short-term value. As you improve and your opponents become stronger, very often these crafty lines don't stand up to close scrutiny, and suddenly you're back to square one with no suitable opening weapons. In Starting Out: 1 e4! Neil McDonald solves this perennial problem by providing the reader with a strong and trustworthy repertoire with the white pieces based on the popular opening move 1 e4.

Editorial Reviews:
The Sicilian Najdorf is one of Black's sharpest and most popular lines against 1 e4. From the very start Black directs the game into asymmetrical positions in which he or she can play for the win without unjustified risk. For this reason the Najdorf has been a firm favourite amongst the very elite of world chess, including Garry Kasparov and, before him, Bobby Fischer. What attracts such world-class players to the Najdorf is the fact that it is tremendously dynamic and yet both sound and respectable at the same time. Despite numerous attempts, no one has found a sure-fire way for White to gain the advantage.

Editorial Reviews:
The Kings Indian Attack was a firm favourite of the legendary Bobby Fischer, and more recently it has been utilised with great success by world-class Grandmasters such as Alexander Morozevich. The renowned chess coach Mark Dvoretsky regards the Kings Indian Attack as a perfect weapon on which to base an opening repertoire. Its great advantage over other openings is that is a thematic system that can be employed against many different lines, while the emphasis is on the understanding of ideas rather than the dry memorisation of moves. The Kings Indian Attack leads to rich middlegame positions that are full of dynamic possibilities for both sides.

Editorial Reviews:
Few would disagree that the Sicilian Dragon is one of the most exciting, high profile and controversial openings in chess history. Right from the very beginning of the game Black chooses to unbalance the position, thus maximising his or her chances of playing for a win. The positions reached are dynamic and of a highly tactical nature, with both players very often going straight for each other's throats in search of a quick-fire knockout blow. In these razor-sharp encounters, it goes without saying that one slip by either side can prove to be fatal. Because of its aggressive nature, the Sicilian Dragon is very popular at all levels of chess, while it received an ultimate seal of approval when Garry Kasparov used it as his main weapon to beat Vishy Anand in a World Championship match.

Editorial Reviews:
The Scotch Game is one of the oldest openings in chess and has a great history, but more recently it was catapulted back into the limelight due to the enterprise of World number one Garry Kasparov, who completely rejuvenated the opening with an abundance of original ideas for White. He utilised the opening in World Championship matches and other elite events, with very successful results. As a direct result of this, the Scotch Game, a dynamic and sharp opening, has once again become popular at all levels of chess. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and openings expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Scotch Opening and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

Editorial Reviews:
How do you react in the line of fire? Are you able to remain calm in a storm? Defending against a threatening attack on your own king is one of the most difficult aspects to master in chess. Yet given the frequency of such offensives, it's certainly worthwhile investing a good amount of time on honing the ability to defend properly. In this valuable and entertaining book, Angus Dunnington arms the reader with all the necessary skills to be able to cope with vicious assaults on his or her king. Using illustrative games, Dunnington investigates in depth defensive ideas such as blockading, giving up material and the timely launch of counterattacks. Read this book and defend with confidence!

Editorial Reviews:
The very closely linked Slav and Semi-Slav Defences are two of the most popular and combative openings that Black can play against the Queen's Gambit. They have provided the battleground for thousands of exciting encounters between the world's chess elite, including Garry Kasparov, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Alexander Morozevich. Players of all levels are attracted to the Slav and the Semi-Slav because they are solid, dependable defences that do, however, promise abundant possibilities for dynamic counterplay.

Editorial Reviews:
This book is a study of all the crucial Benoni systems apart from the Modern Benoni. It presents diverse and practical options against the queen�s pawn opening for dynamic, tactical players and solid, positional players alike. Included are such daring defences as the controversial Blumenfeld Counter-Gambit and the Benko Gambit, a favourite with uncompromising Grandmasters such as Veselin Topalov and Vassily Ivanchuk. On the other hand, Black also has the opportunity to adopt solid, respectable defences such as the Czech Benoni and the Schmid Benoni. Whether Black likes to sacrifice and take the initiative, or whether he prefers to play in a more restrained manner, there is something here for all types of player.

Editorial Reviews:
The Dutch Defence is an ambitious and underrated counter to the queen's pawn opening. With his very first move Black creates an asymmetrical pawn structure, thus unbalancing the position from a very early stage and allowing both White and Black players to fight for the initiative. Black also has many options within the Dutch Defence, from the ultra-solid Stonewall formation through to the fluid Classical System and the dynamic Leningrad Variation.