Since he first burst onto the world chess scene in 1992, displaying a maturity of play far beyond his sixteen years, Vladimir Kramnik has been tipped as a future World Champion. Still only in his mid-twenties, he is now firmly consolidated in the world's top three. He has won numerous tournaments in many countries, and is one of the very few players regularly to hold his own with Kasparov. This book, Kramnik's first, describes his life and chess career, beginning with his unusual childhood. It features more than 50 of his best games, deeply annotated, plus numerous additional games and game extracts, including some from quickplay and blindfold events. (7 x 9 3/4, 240 pages, illustrations)
Vladimir Kramnik is one of the greatest chess players of all time. From 2000 to 2007, the Russian held the title of Classical World Chess Champion. This book tells the remarkable story of Kramnik's top-level clashes, while providing an exciting view behind the scenes of the chess world. Added to this are Kramnik's own comments on some of his most memorable games, as well as numerous color photographs.
Vladimir Kramnik is a giant of the chess world. He firmly secured his legendary status when he won the World Championship in 2000 by defeating the previously dominant Garry Kasparov - the only player ever to do so in a match. Kramnik held on to his crown for seven years, and today he remains one of the World's elite players. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala invites you to join him in a study of his favourite Kramnik games. Lakdawala examines Kramnik's renowned skills in attack and defence, exploiting imbalances, dynamic elements, accumulating advantages and endgame play, and shows how we can all improve by learning from Kramnik's masterpieces. 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.
Man vs. Machine Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace. It may sound quaint today, but not so long ago, computers battled humans for supremacy at the game of chess. The challenge of building a computer program capable of defeating the best of human-kind at chess was one of the original grand challenges of the fledgling field of artificial intelligence. On one side were dedicated scientists and hobbyists who invested decades of effort developing the software and hardware technology; on the other side were incredibly talented humans with only their determination and preparation to withstand the onslaught of technology. The man versus machine battle in chess is a landmark in the history of technology. There are numerous books that document the technical aspects of this epic story. The human side is not often told. Few chess players are inclined to write about their man-machine encounters, other than annotating the games played. This book brings the two sides together. It tells the stories of many of the key scientists and chess players that participated in a 50-year research project to advance the understanding of computing technology. “Grandmaster Karsten Müller and Professor Jonathan Schaeffer have managed to describe the fascinating history of the unequal fight of man against machine in an entertaining and instructive way. It evoked pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my own fights against the monsters. I hope that their work gives you as much pleasure as it has given me.” – From the Foreword by Vladimir Kramnik, 14th World Chess Champion
Yuri Razuvaev (1945-2012) was an outstanding Russian chess player. He had a refined positional style and for many years he was one of the leading Grandmasters in the Soviet Union. He particularly excelled in team competitions; in fact he never lost a game when playing for a team. He also was a first-rate chess author and opening theoretician, always open to new ideas. But it was as a trainer that Razuvaev was truly world-class. The long list of prominent players he worked with includes Karpov, Kramnik, Gelfand, Lautier, Fressinet, Salov, Tomashevsky, Topalov and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Both Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana had sessions with Yura, as his friends called him. It was his exceptional feeling for chess, his understanding of weaknesses and strong points in someone’s play, that made working with Razuvaev a privilege. Moreover, spending time with him was a joy because he was intelligent, cultured and witty. In this book dozens of chess players and contemporaries share anecdotes and insights into chess that Razuvaev gave them. Devoted to Chess also presents Razuvaev’s best games, accessibly analysed by himself and others. His finest articles and speeches on a wide variety of subjects conclude the book. “Studying the creative heritage of Yuri Razuvaev will bring you great benefits”, writes Vladimir Kramnik in his foreword.
Combinations have long been considered the most creative aspect of chess. From the vast sea of chess games a thousand combinations have been chosen: the most artistic, elegant, and famous. Yet chess tactics are not only for aesthetic enjoyment : they help win games.This book will expand your chess horizons and help you to* See how chess combinations have evolved over the last 1,000 years* Learn to recognize tactical patterns from real-life examples* Improve your chances of finishing off your opponent with a tactical blow* Find combinations missed by GrandmastersChess Gems is certain to sharpen your knowledge of both tactics and chess history.
The first edition of Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual was immediately recognized by novice and master alike as one of the best books ever published on the endgame. The second edition is revised and enlarged - now over 400 pages - covering all the most important concepts required for endgame mastery. "I am sure that those who study this work carefully will not only play the endgame better, but overall, their play will improve. One of the secrets of the Russian chess school is now before you, dear reader!" - From the Foreword to the First Edition by Grandmaster Artur Yusupov "Going through this book will certainly improve your endgame knowledge, but just as important, it will also greatly improve your ability to calculate variations... What really impresses me is the deep level of analysis in the book... All I can say is: This is a great book. I hope it will bring you as much pleasure as it has me." - From the Preface to the First Edition by International Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard Here's what they had to say about the First Edition: "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual ... may well be the chess book of the year... [It] comes close to an ultimate one-volume manual on the endgame." - Lubomir Kavalek in his chess column of December 1, 2003 in the Washington Post. "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual is quite simply a masterpiece of research and insight. It is a tremendous contribution to endgame literature, certainly the most important one in many years, and destined to be a classic of the literature (if it isn't already one). The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky has put together a vast number of examples that he has not only collected, but analysed and tested with some of the world's strongest players. This is a particularly important book from the standpoint of clarifying, correcting, and extending the theory of endings. Most of all, Dvoretsky's analysis is staggering in its depth and accuracy." - John Watson, reviewing DEM at The Week In Chess 2003 Book of the Year - JeremySilman.com 2003 Book of the Year - Seagaard Chess Reviews: "This is an extraordinary good chess book. To call this the best book on endgames ever written seems to be an opinion shared by almost all reviewers and commentators. And I must say that I am not to disagree." - Erik Sobjerg
Three quotes about crucial moments in three World Chess Championship matches. They were spoken by Vladimir Kramnik's second Evgeny Bareev. Just a few dramatic fragments from an extraordinary account of the main battles in the life of Vladimir Kramnik, a World Champion and a Samurai, in Bareev's words. From London to Elista gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of top-level chess. It provides superb analysis of all the games by Bareev, and it does much more. In Socratestyle dialogues, Bareev and co-author Ilya Levitov reveal everything about the preparation, the progress and the aftermath, about the secret strategy and the brutal stress of the three battles. This rich book is indispensable for anyone who wants to know what makes top grandmasters tick. It is written from the horse's mouth, and it is full of honesty, irony, history, wit, anger, wisdom, and even poetry. Book jacket.
Garry Kasparov is considered by many to be the greatest chessplayer ever. Until the turn of the 21 st century, there did not appear to be anyone who could successfully challenge him. However, in October 2000, Kasparov met another Russian, Vladimir Kramnik, in a title match. Sponsored by BrainGames, the match would be 16 games, with the winner being the first to score 81⁄2 points. Kasparov would keep his title in the event of an 8-8 drawn match. The world watched with great interest as Garry Kasparov would defend his title for the first time in five years. Kramnik of course was a great player, one of the world's best, but Kasparov was, well... Kasparov. The match began on October 8, 2000, with most chessplayers around the world regarding Kasparov as the heavy favorite to retain his title. Of course, anything could happen, particularly in a short match, but Garry had not been defeated in match play ever, and not many fans gave Kramnik much of a chance in London. However, apparently no one had told Kramnik this. It turned out that his preparation for the match had been outstanding, and not only did he defeat Kasparov, he did so without Kasparov scoring a single win! To say his result was impressive is rather an understatement. The chess world was stunned. But it was true - Kramnik had come, seen and conquered the Great Garry. It was the start of a new era in chess. Although Kramnik's win was not expected, it was well-deserved, as he did not lose a single game, restricting Kasparov-s play and choices along the way. In particular, the choice of the "Berlin Wall” against Kasparov's Ruy Lopez proved to be a very good decision as the first game was to quickly show. During this match, German grandmaster Karsten Müller provided commentary on all the games. He has pulled together and updated his work, and it is now available in electronic form. Müller is one of the most popular chess writer of our time; his books are noted for their clarity and insight. We invite you to join Karsten as he takes an in-depth look at the world chess championship match between the then reigning world champion, Garry Kasparov, and the challenger, Vladimir Kramnik, played in October 2000 in London.
