Twenty-five chess games chosen, arranged, and annotated to help amateurs learn how to avoid a variety of weak strategic and tactical moves. Selected, with commentary, by World Chess Champion Max Euwe and by Walter Meiden, an amateur player, the games point out graphically how the chess master exploits characteristic errors of the amateur.
World Chess Champion Max Euwe, who held the title from 1935-1937, is one of the greatest chess players in history. Much has been written about him, and he authored dozens of books himself. But missing was an outstanding collection of games of this 'efficient, man-eating tiger' as the American grandmaster Reuben Fine once called Euwe. Max Euwe's Best Games fills this gap. And it couldn't have been written by anyone else than Euwe's successor in Dutch chess – Jan Timman, World Champion finalist and arguably one of the leading chess analysts of our time. This book offers eighty of Max Euwe's games annotated with great clarity, starting in his early twenties when he worked his way to the world top, up until his late seventies when he was still a force to be reckoned with. It is incredible how high Euwe's level of play was for over fifty years – and how attractive his attacking style was. Timman made many discoveries in Euwe's best and most famous games but has also unearthed several lesser-known brilliancies. Some interesting paradoxes are addressed along the line. For example, although he was an amateur almost his entire life, Euwe was better versed in opening theory than most of his top-level opponents. Although he was the underdog, he beat the mighty Alexander Alekhine in an epic World Championship Match in 1935. At 52, he could still beat top players like Geller and Najdorf with fantastic attacking play in the Zürich Candidates Tournament. And when he was over seventy, he was still highly dangerous for the new upcoming Dutch generation. This game collection of an often underrated World Champion, analysed by top grandmaster Jan Timman, is a must-have for anyone interested in World Championship chess.
Alexander M nninghoff tells the unforgettable tale of the fifth World Chess Champion. Filling a gap in the literature of chess, he shows that Euwes world title was the result of his iron will, his methodical drive and his energetic handling of all aspects of the game. By bringing his world title under the aegis of the world chess federation FIDE, Euwe profoundly changed the history of chess, and it was Euwes diplomatic determination as President of FIDE that saved the Match of the Century in 1972 between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. This gripping story is illuminated by numerous photos and fifty games with the original annotations by Max Euwe.
An edition of a work first published in the 1950s, updated and converted to modern chess notation, in which Max Euwe, World Champion 1935-37, provides instruction on key elements of chess strategy. The editor of this edition, a grandmaster, has added analytical footnotes.
This is a basic book that teaches strategic planning in chess. It is a book that an entire generation of aspiring chess players studied and read, but seems to be nearly forgotten today.Written by a former Chess Champion of the world, this book has as its basis an entirely novel idea which will help players over a real difficulty. Many books have been written on the openings, some knowledge of which is essential to those who wish to enjoy their chess by playing it well. But after eight to fifteen moves or so the book on openings must of necessity break off, and the student is left with the intimation that the position in question is even, or that White or Black stands slightly better. This book is concerned with the game from then on.The author studies a number of orthodox openings and position from the point where the opening stage has come to an end. He describes the characteristics of the position reached, shows why one or the other side stands better, and gives a thoroughly practical demonstration of the means by which the game can be brought to its logical conclusion.
At the Crossroads of Chess History On March 24, 1946, the fourth world chess champion, Alexander Alekhine, passed away. He was the first – and still the only – champion to die while holding the title. To select a new champion, a powerful quintuple round-robin was held in The Hague and Moscow. The five strongest players of the era, including one former world champion, two future world champions, and two perennial contenders, took part in a grueling two-month, 25-round tournament. “The match-tournament of 1948 in The Hague and Moscow was one of the most important events in the history of chess. It produced a new world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, and it was also the start of a new era in which the championship would be regulated by FIDE by means of an intricate system of qualification tournaments that would function with only small changes for decades.” (From the Foreword by Hans Ree) Max Euwe, the fifth world champion, wrote a splendid account of this historic event. It includes a review of all previous encounters between the participants, background information, as well as all the games of the tournament, deeply annotated by Euwe. This fascinating account is finally available in English. You are invited to follow Mikhail Botvinnik, Vassily Smyslov, Sam Reshevsky, Paul Keres and Max Euwe as they battle for the title and the chess world starts its journey through the post-World War II era and the beginning of the Soviet hegemony.
Russia boasts a long and rich tradition in chess education and Russian chess teachers and trainers are simply the best in the world. The Complete Manual of Positional Chess is the latest and most comprehensive product of this Russia striving for perfection. This handbook, probably the most thorough grounding in the history of teaching chess, was recently created for chess teachers at the DYSS, the special sports school for young talents in Russia. Konstantin Sakaev and Konstantin Landa present a complete set of instructions and tips for trainers and self-improvers. It teaches you not only how to enhance your fundamental knowledge and technical skills, but also how to work on your physical and psychological conditioning. If you complete this course you will be able to assess virtually any position you are confronted with. With its all-encompassing approach this ground-breaking book allows everyone to reap the fruits of the long tradition of instructive excellence in Russia.