Editorial Reviews:
The name of Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942), the third world champion, is indelibly inscribed in the annals of chess history. Capablanca s technique, intuition, remarkably quick calculation, and sense for elegant combinations made him the paragon of grandmasters during his lifetime. At the peak of his career Capablanca was almost invincible; each of his losses was regarded as a sensation. His books, articles, and lucid annotations became instant classics. As a star of the first magnitude, Capablanca continues to influence the world of chess. All the world champions of the late 20th century Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, and Kasparov have been influenced by Capablanca s original ideas. Join Russian chess historians Isaak and Vladimir Linder as they take you on a journey exploring the life and games of the great Cuban world chess champion.

Editorial Reviews:
Defend to the End! One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In this third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merij van Delft examine and expound upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. Major topics include (1) Principles and methods of defending; (2) Defending against a direct attack on the king; (3) Countering the initiative; (4) Saving the draw; (5) Passive versus active defense; and (6) Use and development of counterplay. Many of the world s greatest players Steinitz, Lasker, Petrosian were famous for their legendary defensive skills. Now International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merijn van Delft will show you how you can Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill.

Editorial Reviews:
Test and Improve Your Positional Intuition
As most chess instructors and players know, it is much more difficult to teach and learn strategic concepts than tactics. In this program, German grandmaster Dr. Karsten Mueller will help you develop your strategic chessplaying skills.
Topics include: Good and Bad Bishops; Domination; Outposts; Undermining; Opening the Position; Blockade; Improving Piece Placement; Prophylaxis; A Second Front and The Principle of Two Weaknesses; Counterplay; Positional Exchange Sacrifice; Simplification; and Weak Color Complex along with exercises to test your knowledge.

Editorial Reviews:
Combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the emphasis here is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. Tactics is a very important part of the game of chess and conscientious study and application of tactical principles is crucial to success. This book offers every type of tactical motif imaginable, from the more common back rank mates, pins, skewers, forks, up to and including some beautiful and rare combinations. This tactical book will prove exceptionally useful for a wide range of players, intermediate through master strength and beyond.

Editorial Reviews:
The endgame in chess is the one facet of chess which most players pay least attention to, but the study of which can give the most pay off. Sure, it is very attractive to study openings or tactics to help you gain an immediate large advantage, but how does a large advantage material or positional advantage help you if you cannot convert it to a win once you reach the endgame? The aim of this book is to make the study of endings a little less daunting. Of course there will be some work involved in the process of taking you from a relative novice to a reasonable strong endgame player. The material is split up in the following parts: Basic Knowledge, which includes everything you have to know, the kind of material which you should be able to rattle of in the middle of the night, if someone has to courage to wake you up to test you. The reason for this is that you will likely only see these types of positions at the end of a long game, when either you are tired or have no time left on the clock, or both. It has to be second nature. While most of these endgames look simple, it may not prove to be so simple when under the severe pressure of having no time left on the clock. I will take time to explain all the background knowledge and tricks relevant to these endings. The endgames in this section will mostly comprise of basic checkmates and pawn endings What You Should Know builds on top of the knowledge you have acquired in the first part, and will serve to lift you up above those players who have never really studied endgames. This part will include endgames of all types: pawn, rook, bishop, knight and queen endings, but balanced out on what is still mostly relevant to you in your progress to becoming a stronger player. Kicking it up a Notch will take you even further, introduce you to more complicated endgames, with more pawns, more pieces, uneven material distribution, and present advice on how to play approximately equal positions, both as the defender and as the aggressor, because you never know when you will need to win an important game from an equal position in the endgame. Along the way there are opportunities to test your acquired knowledge and subsequently present you with the answers. All in all, a very comprehensive treatment for beginners and novices of this most important aspect of the game of chess.

Editorial Reviews:
The game of chess has challenged and delighted the world for centuries. In "Back to Basics: Fundamentals," the essential building blocks of the royal game are presented simply and in an easy-to-understand format. With the expert guidance of chess master Branislav Francuski, you will learn how the chess pieces move and capture; the underlying principles of the game; how to spot and carry out simple checkmates; and understand the basic tactical ideas that are so important to playing and winning. "In this book, I try to emphasize and clarify the chess fundamentals that young players need to know, as a strong grasp of the basics will eventually lead to the strategic thinking that is necessary for advanced play." – From the Author’s Preface Fundamental concepts, tactical themes and other significant points of the game are underscored by over 800 diagrams and positions. Solutions and clear explanations are supplemented by important principles, highlighted in blue. Whether used alone or with an instructor, Back to Basic: Fundamentals will put you on the road to good chess!

Editorial Reviews:
Tactics are usually why 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 beginning tactics. The author covers comprehensively the subject with basic instructional material, examples, and problems of all types – about 500 examples and problems ranging from too easy to very difficult! Back to Basics: Tactics - the first in the ChessCafe Back to Basics Chess Series – should enhances your enjoyment in learning about – and benefiting from – the recurring patterns of tactics.

Editorial Reviews:
If you like chess, Heroic Tales: The Best of ChessCafe.com 1996-2001 will be a treasure trove of delight for years to come. From Bobby Fischer to the financial frolics of the International Chess Federation - and everything in between, Heroic Tales brings together in one volume the best modern writing on the game.
Hilarious over-the-board vignettes, top-flight instruction in every phase of the game, informative book reviews, articles on history, politics and great games - you get 54 pieces from the chess world's most important writers and players.
The authors are top grandmasters and award-winning journalists: champions like Lev Alburt,Tony Miles, Genna Sosonko and Hans Ree; famous teachers like Bruce Pandolfini and Mark Dvoretsky; popular columnists like Gary Lane and Tim Harding; intrepid investigators of chess curiosities and history like Tim Krabbe and Edward Winter.
ChessCafe one of the most popular chess websites in the world, earned the U.S. Chess Federation's highest award for journalism in 2002. More than that, it has won the accolades and devotion of readers around the world. Heroic Tales: The Best of ChessCafe.com 1996-2001 collects a gourmet buffet from the four-star offerings at ChessCafe.