The computer has changed the way top players think about chess. The silicon mind has no psychological barriers. It is "willing" to check moves that most humans, including top players, consider absurd and reject instantly. Thus this brave, new computer era inevitably leads to a reassessment of old axioms, principles and evaluations. In this book the reader will discover the incredible power unconventional moves can have. These moves contradict the most fundamental principles of the "old chess", and yet most of them played by leading grandmasters. At first sight these moves look so strange that the reader can not avoid asking, "Was this grandmaster was inspired or drunk?" The answer will definitely surprise you.
This objective guide covers all 16 of White's alternative to 1 e4, 1 d4, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3. Some of these lines have a cult following while others are just sensible ways of starting the game, with their own subtleties and pitfalls for the unwary, while a
With the ascent of computer technology, humans have a chance to develop their thinking process in chess based on hard evidence. Think Like a Machine explores human limitations and proposes new avenues for human thinking, inspired by computer engines. In positions taken almost exclusively from modern tournament play, the authors present jaw-dropping continuations which humans struggle to find, not due to lower human computing power, due to conceptual and perceptual limitations. In this book these "crazy" moves are analyzed and categorized. If you want to expand your chess imagination, understanding and intuition, Think Like a Machine is the book is for you.
This inclusive guide to every unorthodox opening used by chess players contains more than 500 weird, contentious, controversial, unconventional, arrogant, and outright strange openings. A powerful part of any chess player's arsenal, these tricky tacky surprises fly in the face of tradition. 1,000+ illustrations and diagrams.
Start every game with confidence! The two greatest challenges for beginning chess players are not only to survive the openings phase, but also to choose appropriate attack and defense formations in the process. Winning Chess Openings shows you how to do both. In Yasser Seirawan's entertaining, easy-to-follow style, you're shown formations that can be used with other White or Black pieces. Winning Chess Openings will help you develop a solid understanding of opening principles that you can apply to every game you play without having to memorise a dizzying array of tedious and lengthy opening lines. * Build a safe house for a King * Estimate losses of ten moves or fewer * Utilise the elements: time, force, space and pawn structure * Plan strategy based on time-tested opening principles * Employ a defense for Black against any White Opening * Apply an opening for White used by World Champions Winning Chess Openings will help readers develop a solid understanding of opening principles that can be applied to every game they play--without having to memorize a dizzying array of tedious and lengthy opening lines.
Jonathan Rowson, author of the highly acclaimed Seven Deadly Chess Sins, investigates three questions important to all chess-players: 1) Why is it so difficult, especially for adult players, to improve? 2) What kinds of mental attitudes are needed to find good moves in different phases of the game? 3) Is White's alleged first-move advantage a myth, and does it make a difference whether you are playing Black or White? In a strikingly original work, Rowson makes use of his academic background in philosophy and psychology to answer these questions in an entertaining and instructive way. This book assists all players in their efforts to improve, and provides fresh insights into the opening and early middlegame. Rowson presents many new ideas on how Black should best combat White's early initiative, and make use of the extra information that he gains as a result of moving second. For instance, he shows that in some cases a situation he calls 'Zugzwang Lite' can arise, where White finds himself lacking any constructive moves. He also takes a close look at the theories of two players who, in differing styles, have specialized in championing Black's cause: Mihai Suba and Andras Adorjan. Readers are also equipped with a 'mental toolkit' that will enable them to handle many typical over-the-board situations with greater success, and avoid a variety of psychological pitfalls. Chess for Zebras offers fresh insights into human idiosyncrasies in all phases of the game. The depth and breadth of this book will therefore help players to appreciate chess at a more profound level, and make steps towards sustained and significant improvement.
The Scandinavian Defence is one of the most popular chess openings among amateur players, and it is easy to see why. Black players immediately limit the opening theory they have to know because there is no way White can side-step Black’s first move. What’s more, the Scandinavian requires only very little theoretical knowledge, so it has an extremely low maintenance factor. To cap it all, Black gets a solid structure. And that’s not even the end of the good news, as Thomas Willemze demonstrates. Playing the Scandinavian teaches invaluable techniques that you can use in almost all of your other games. Pressuring the centre, improving your piece coordination, trading the right pieces and exploiting your opponent’s weak points are all typical ‘Scandinavian’ spin-offs that Thomas Willemze teaches you in his trademark lucid style. This book presents everything you need to know to be fully prepared to meet 1.e4. Willemze not just uses examples from the games of elite grandmasters. As an experienced trainer he knows that discussing club player’s adventures are particularly instructive for his target group.
A game as complex as chess can be approached in an infinite number of ways. Nowadays, in the era of computer chess, GMs generally tend to focus their preparation on looking for playable ideas rather than outright refutations. In his second volume of work, Alex Ipatov once again shows his expertise and creative approach in this regard. The reader is presented with an abundance of interesting ideas for White which can pose real practical problems for Black.
'When most people learn to play chess, they usually memorise the movements of the pieces and then spend years pummelling away at each other with little rhyme and even less reason. Though I will show you how each piece leaps around, what it likes to do
