CHESS INFORMANT’S 149 th ADVENTURE

United Colours of Autumn

Presents 350 pages of the very best in chess:

Duda - How I won the World Cup

Ivic & Mio. Perunovic - World Cup Fairy Tale

Leitao - South Americans in the World Cup

Perunovic - Duda’s World Cup Black Repertory

Foisor - St. Louis Rapid&Blitz (Tournament review)

Moradiabadi - Sinquefield Cup (Tournament review)

Gormally - Danny’s Chess Diary (Northumbria Masters)

Priyadharshan K. - Asian Masters - Meltwater Tour (Tournament review)

Davies - Understanding the Openings (The Semi-Tarrasch part 1)

Szabo - Anti-Marshall 8.a4 d5!? (Opening Survey)

Prusikin - A Story about Horses and Elephants (Knight versus Bishop)

Petrov - World Championship Game Changers - part 1

Rogers - Reggie Emilia 1984/1985 (Rogers’ Reminiscences)

Griffin - A Tribute to Iron Tigran (Polugaevsky-Petrosian 1970.)

Traditional sections: games, combinations, endings, Tournament reviews, the best game from the preceding volume and the most important theoretical novelty from the preceding volume.

The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!

В своей новой книге гроссмейстер Зенон Франко глубоко анализирует 30 поучительных побед Яна Непомнящего и большое число фрагментов, в том числе из турнира претендентов (Екатеринбург 2020-2021). Книга не перегружена вариантами, акцент – на подробных объяснениях в формате «ход за ходом», что создает идеальную платформу для изучения шахмат. В «опорных» точках каждой партии читателю предлагаются тестовые вопросы, что помогает и практическому изучению ключевых приемов шахматной игры, и надежному усвоению обретаемых знаний. Вопросы и ответы вовлекают читателя в процесс обучения и помогают ему отслеживать рост своей шахматной силы.

В шахматах нельзя брать ходы назад, но всегда можно вернуть фигуру на ее прежнее поле, хотя бы и ценой нескольких темпов. Пешки, с другой стороны, назад не ходят, поэтому любой пешечный ход - это решение навсегда. Игра пешками - один из наиболее трудных аспектов шахматной стратегии. Этим объясняется малое количество книг, написанных по данной теме. Сэм Шенкленд пошел своим путем - он разложил принципы пешечной игры на базовые элементы и на их основе построил стратегические направляющие, которые должен знать каждый грамотный шахматист.

У вас есть ограниченное время на изучение шахмат, и большая его часть уходит на зубрежку дебютных вариантов? Вот решение: удивите своего оппонента с первых же ходов с помощью дебюта Эльшада! В третьей книге про дебют Эльшада, которая по сути является продолжением первых двух, читатель ознакомится с сотней новых партий, узнает о новинках этого дебюта, увидит поединки, где повержены известные гроссмейстеры, в том числе Сергей Шипов и сам Владимир Крамник! Столкнувшись с новыми вызовами, ваш соперник должен будет полагаться только на собственные силы.

Kompletny zestaw 7 książek z serii GRIVAS OPENING LABORATORY

Born in 1998 Lukasz Jarmula is a 23 year old Polish International Grandmaster. Since 2015 he has represented SV Griesheim in the German Bundesliga. He holds 17 medals from the Polish Youth Championships in all categories: Individual, Team, Rapid and Blitz. In 2016 he shared 2-5th place at the European Youth U18 and in 2014 won the silver medal at the European Youth Team Championship.

The Bg5 variation of the Najdorf is the most critical and perhaps the most devastating weapon in the hands of the well- prepared player. In his first book for Thinkers Publishing, Lukasz brings us many sharp and aggressive ways to play for a win. The book consists so many interesting variations, we decided to split it into two volumes. We can only compliment hirn for writing a most complete book on a highly popular opening, the Najdorf Sicilian.

“Pawns are the soul of chess.” We have all heard this phrase more than once in our chess life and we owe it to the great French player François-André Danican, so-called Philidor, considered one of the best chess players of the 18th century.

It’s not surprising that with this way of thinking, he revolutionized chess, which until then was almost all about direct attacks on the king. With this, he also changed the way of understanding and playing openings, in which he introduced a new concept for the time – that the pawns should be ahead of the pieces.

Bearing this in mind, the defense he created can be much better understood, in which all these rules are fulfilled and the importance of the pawn structure is maximal.

When Thinkers Publishing suggested I could try to produce a book on the Alekhine Defense, since for some reason I seem to have the reputation of using maverick openings, this idea looked reasonable. In that Covid period I had nothing better to do after all! After a few months I however realized that Thinkers Publishing had passed me a hot potato (many thanks!), i.e. the arduous task of checking the serious recent works of Kornev and Negi, plus the mammoth book of Chetverik and Kalinichenko, not to mention some "already ancient" suggestions fram John Shaw dated 2016!

You will therefore find some references to those inspiring sources throughout this book (Chetverik & Kalinichenko being abbreviated to C&K). I wasn't sure at first whether I wanted to talk about "all existing" lines of this intriguing opening, and discovered in the process there were quite a few, or whether I would sort them out to offer a Black repertoire. I finally decided on the first approach, to give you, dear reader, a broader choice. Among all the lines included in that book, the Four Pawns Attack Classical, covered in the Bonus Lines chapter, is probably the only one where a Black player would need more knowledge in order to be "safe" from a theoretical standpoint.

Hope you'll enjoy reading this book!

But let me now explain the idea of this second book. I will show you some 18 games with the more or less current trends in the double fianchetto. These games include some openings like the Tarrasch and the King’s Indian, just to name a few.

The main part of the book is divided into exercises and solutions, with 110 positions taken from double fianchetto games. I have divided the exercises into chapters, with each chapter featuring games by players who have deployed the double fianchetto quite often. You will find a lot of typical motifs used by these players.

The difficulty level ranges from very easy through to very tough, but I won’t give points for the solutions. The ideas vary from tactics to important strategic subtleties. The reader decides how honestly he or she tries to solve these exercises. It is also not necessary to solve all of them, but it is definitely important to think about these positions and take your time. The reader should gain an impression of the many ideas and structures which are possible in the double fianchetto positions.

“Chess is not for the faint of heart,” Steinitz once said. I agree 100%! Chess players do not need pumped up muscles, they need a stable neuropsychic organization. How else can you resist the constant pressure that every nerve cell of the player experiences? I don’t always like this constant struggle with the stress that hangs over you, especially when you are wrong in a winning position. And in recent years, another “problem” has been added – incredibly powerful computer engines that younger opponents skillfully use in preparation for the game. But when you win a beautiful game or use a theoretical novelty invented at home (albeit with the help of a computer), or defend a difficult hopeless position, how great it is! And at such moments you don’t think what chess is – it is science, art or sport. At times like these, they are just part of your life.” ~ Vladimir Okhotnic

This fascinating biography of over eighty-five annotated games and stories are being presented by grandmasters Georg Mohr and Adrian Mikhalchishin. It covers Planinc’ entire life and chess career, including his most fascinating games. This fitting tribute of a forgotten chess genius should be found in anyone’s chess library. Thanks to this colorful book Albin Planinc will continue to inspire us all and will keep his spirit alive.

“To write proper “characteristics”, I had to go over hundreds of games of each player. I wanted to learn what they liked and disliked, how they reacted in different situations, what was their preferred way of playing, how they handled themselves. During the first “scan”, I went relatively quickly over the games, writing down the impression from each game. This is what Botvinnik did when analyzing Bronstein’s play before their match in 1951. I continued with the scan until the moment when I felt that I had “understood” the player. Then I returned to the games that were most relevant for their “characteristics” and I analyzed them deeply.” ~ Alex Colovic

“The wonderful journey of selecting, analyzing and commentating on games has been very beneficial to both of us. In this book, we look deeply into some factors that are not spoken about as much as they should, for example, the importance of preparing for the opening, to always be searching for sacrifices when your pieces are active, to never stop grinding until the game is over and of course, the part we both love the most, psychology in chess.” ~ Dorsa and Borna Derakhshani

The positions arising from the Open Spanish contain ideas so different from the usual Ruy Lopez that I sometimes wonder whether it should really be considered part of it at all. It is an open game with unbalanced structures and sharp play but compared to the Sicilian, for instance, for which the previous description would also apply, there is an important difference; there is a certain degree of stability and solidity in the Open Spanish which distinguishes it from the sharper realms of the Sicilian and puts this line in its own unique category of opening ideas.

International master Herman Grooten has over 40 years of experience as a professional chess trainer. Countless of his pupils became strong chess players. The best known of these are the grandmasters Loek van Wely, Robin Swinkels, Wouter Spoelman, Dennis de Vreugt, Jan Werle, Twan Burg and Benjamin Bok.

In the field of journalism, he earned his spurs with chess columns in the newspapers Trouw and Het Eindhovens Dagblad. Since 2020 he has been co-owner of the popular Schaaksite.nl for which he has been writing articles for over ten years. As an author, he wrote several books of which the 2009 publication "Chess Strategy for Club Players" was awarded "Book of the Year" on Chesscafe.com.

Meanwhile, in his series "Understand before Moving " he has published several volumes that were received with great enthusiasm, both in Dutch and English.

This is the first volume of the new series "Key Concepts of Chess". The idea is to deal with middlegames in which a certain structure or essential theme becomes central. The idea of starting this series is in line with the "Understand before Moving" series because the aim, is to improve the understanding of club chess players. According to the author, playing an opening should be 'hung up' on stereotypical ideas and concepts belonging to this structure. The thorough exploration of middlegame structures is beyond the scope of opening books, hence it makes more sense to expose it in this complementary series.

In this first volume, the "Hedgehog System" is discussed in detail. Apart from being part of the author's repertoire, this typical set-up deserves to be widely highlighted. Although in the second part of the trilogy on the Sicilian, the Hedgehog has already made its appearance, in this book the seemingly fragile, but oh so treacherous creature can reconsider its spines in an extensive way.

Pięknie wydany album z ponad 200 kolorowymi zdjęciami Magnusa Carlsena. Album wydany w twardej oprawie.

Magnus Carlsen: A Life in Pictures tells the story of the reigning World Chess Champion. Magnus Carlsen, born in 1990 in Oslo, Norway, became a Grandmaster by 13. Carlsen was crowned World Champion in 2013, when he defeated Anand and has successfully defended his title three times. He will again play for the title in November in Dubai.

Spot Those Killer Moves and Stun Your Opponent

An advanced club player must look deeper!

In this follow-up to his acclaimed 1001 Chess Exercise for Club Players, FIDE Master Frank Erwich teaches you how to reach the next level of identifying weak spots in the position of your opponent, recognizing patterns of combinations, visualizing tricks and calculating effectively.

Erwich repeats the themes of his previous book, focusing on exercises in which the key move is less obvious. He also introduces new, more sophisticated tactical weapons. They are geared towards the reality of the advanced club player (Elo 1800 – 2300): it is not enough to spot simple combinations, at this level you must be able to resist your reflexes and look deeper.

In variations that look forcing you will always search for that deadly Zwischenzug. Quiet moves in general should be your new best friends. In short: an advanced club player should expect the unexpected. One of the celebrated elements of Erwich’s previous book, which is neglected in other books on tactics, is back: defence! You will also learn how to defend against tactics, as well as how to use tactical weapons when you are under heavy pressure.

This is a complete and structured course, and not just a collection of freewheeling puzzles. Erwich starts every chapter with an instructive explanation of the tactical concept at hand and has carefully selected the most didactically productive exercises.

Frank Erwich is a FIDE Master and an experienced chess trainer from the Netherlands. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychology. In 2019 he published the bestselling 1001 Chess Exercises for Club Players.

How to Create a Deadly Attack on the Enemy King

Attacking your opponent’s king is not just a shortcut to victory, it’s also one of the most enjoyable and gratifying experiences in chess. If you want to win more games you should become a better attacker. Studying typical attacking motifs and ideas easily brings dividends while you are having a good time.

Michael Prusikin presents the prerequisites and the rules for a King attack in a lucid and attractive manner. In 15 thematic chapters he teaches you how to assess the nature of the position, identify the appropriate offensive patterns, find the preliminary moves and conduct your attack in a clear and effective way.

Battering rams, obstructive sacrifices, pawn storms, striking at the castled position, sacrificing a knight on f5, Prusikin demonstrates the most important patterns of attack with lots of clear and well chosen examples.

Next, Prusikin tests your newly acquired insights and your attacking intuition with exercises covering all the themes and motifs. You will find that studying Attacking Strategies for Club Players is both entertaining and rewarding.

Michael Prusikin is an International Grandmaster and a FIDE Senior Trainer from Germany. In 2009 he was the co-winner of the German Championship. Several times he has been voted German Chess Trainer of the Year. He writes the tactics column in the German magazine SCHACH.

“The vast majority of attacking patterns are presented with strikingly clear logic. Any reader who studies this book, almost irrespective of their playing strength, will come away with new ideas for conducting an attack on the king in particular and about chess understanding in general."

Alexander Khalifman, former FIDE World Champion

New In Chess Yearbook, which appears four times a year, contains the latest news in chess openings. Each issue brings you dozens of new ideas on the cutting edge of modern chess opening theory. Have a look at what this issue has to offer.

Forum

French guru Viktor Moskalenko shows two recent OTB games in the Forum Section, in which he was successful with some great ideas he presented in his latest book The Fully-Fledged French. One is a piece sac that gained him a 13-move win with black! Bogdan Lalic takes a look at another surprising black piece sac, in the King’s Indian this time. The Forum also contains some novelties from the World Cup, presented by Luis Rodi, Peter Boel and Frank Erwich.

From Sadler’s Engine Room

Matthew Sadler is our new columnist! He will alternate with Erwin l’Ami’s ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ column. The English grandmaster is well-known for the best-seller Game Changer he wrote with Natasha Regan, about computer chess. His new column will be on opening treatment by the top engines, and in his first instalment Matthew shows that these beasts are not at all averse to some offbeat opening play!

Reviews

Four books are reviewed this time – all of them with a quite original angle. The Modernized Italian Game for White by Alexander Kalinin & Nikolai Kalinichenko is more about understanding than learning lines by heart, and we know that it’s the same with Viktor Moskalenko’s books. With The Fully-Fledged French, the Ukrainian grandmaster has produced a new shoot on his favourite French opening, with a lot of brand new ideas. The didactic approach of Thomas Willemze in The Scandinavian for Club Players is really something else, and of course we couldn’t ignore the Iron English by the creative English duo Simon Williams & Richard Palliser.

What is the best way to improve your opening knowledge? Memorizing variations? Not really.

In the first volume of Dariusz’ trilogy, the author helps you to understand the instructive patterns that arise from the immensely popular Nimzo-Indian Defense. Packed with plenty new ideas, his methods consider the different ways White has at his disposal. His unique approach shows Black has nothing to fear, on the contrary! Thinkers is convinced you will enjoy the read!

Despite his relatively young age, Magnus Carlsen has already secured his place in chess history as a legend of the game. In a short space of time his accomplishments have been extraordinary. In December 2012 he broke Garry Kasparov’s record to become the highest-rated chess player of all time. He followed up this achievement in 2013 by defeating Vishy Anand to become World Chess Champion. 

Winner of the 2018 FIDE Book of the Year-Award:

Most Acclaimed Book of the Year

Alexey Kuzmin was born in 1963, Moscow, Russia.

Every player who meets 1.e4 with 1...e5 needs a reliable response to the Ruy Lopez, and The Berlin Defence is an ideal solution. Ever since Vladimir Kramnik used the Berlin to shut down Garry Kasparov’s best efforts in their 2000 World Championship match, practically all of the world’s top players have successfully incorporated the “Berlin Wall” into their repertoires.

GM Michael Roiz presents a complete repertoire for Black after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6, offering top-class antidotes to anything White may try. From the famous Endgame Variation to recently fashionable tries such as 4.d3, Roiz combines cutting-edge analysis with insightful positional guidance.

Grandmaster Michael Roiz reached the top 40 in the world. He has won Olympiad Team Silver for Israel, as well as many tournaments over the years. In recent years he has focused more on seconding elite grandmasters in top tournaments such as the Candidates and so far one World Championship match.

Coffeehouse Repertoire is a 1.e4 player’s dream: an arsenal of ideas from a world-class grandmaster to surprise and confound your opponents, combining coffeehouse trickery with complete theoretical soundness.

In Volume 2, GM Gawain Jones shows how to fight for an advantage against 1...e5, plus the French, Pirc, Modern, Philidor and other miscellaneous Defences, using lines which feature a potent combination of surprise value, objective soundness and practical effectiveness.

Volume 1 completes the Coffeehouse 1.e4 Repertoire, and covered the Sicilian, Caro-Kann, Scandinavian and Alekhine’s Defences.

The Singular Skills of the World’s Strongest Chess Player Uncovered and Explained

What is it that makes Magnus Carlsen the strongest chess player in the world? Why do Carlsen’s opponents, the best players around, fail to see his moves coming? Moves that, when you replay his games, look natural and self-evident?

Emmanuel Neiman has been studying Carlsen’s games and style of play for many years. His findings will surprise, delight and educate every player, regardless of their level. He explains a key element in the World Champion’s play: instead of the ‘absolute’ best move he often plays the move that is likely to give him the better chances.

Dear readers and Informant aficionados, this book is intended to be a companion volume to our 2020 PUZZLE QUEST. Our primary intention was to provide you with as much quality material for self-study as possible. So, it was quite natural to present to you a book with a complete coverage of most instructive and entertaining endgames that were played in 2020.

Working on chess tactics and checkmates will help you win more games. It develops your pattern recognition and your ‘board vision’ – your ability to capitalize on opportunities. This Workbook features a complete set of fundamental tactics, checkmate patterns, exercises, hints, and solutions.

Peter Giannatos selected 738 exercises based on ten years of experience with thousands of pupils at the prize-winning Charlotte Chess Center. All problems are clean, without unnecessary fluff that detracts from their instructive value. The Workbook has ample room for writing down the solutions to the exercises. This is helpful for both students and coaches, who can assign homework from the book without having to worry about being unable to review the solutions. And writing down the correct chess moves will greatly accelerate your learning process.

Everyone’s First Chess Workbook offers you a treasure trove of chess knowledge and more than enough lessons to keep you busy for a year!

Your chess engine can do so much more than just calculate variations!

Every chess player, from club level up, can improve their game by using engines. That is the message of Matthew Sadler’s thought-provoking new book, based on many years of experience with the world’s best chess software. You may not be able to replicate their dazzling-deep calculations, but there is so much more your engine can do for you than just checking variations!

В этой книге представлены редкие и интересные дебютные варианты (за белых), которые призваны быстро подготовить вас к партии или соревнованию. Также вы сможете познакомиться с ловушками, теоретическими новинками и оригинальными анализами действующего гроссмейстера. Здесь вы найдёте и позиции для решения, которые помогут улучшить вашу тактическую подготовку.

Книга предназначена для широкого круга читателей, увлечённых шахматами.

В своей новой работе авторитетный гроссмейстер, тренер и автор рассказывает об уникальном турнире претендентов, который из-за пандемии растянулся на 400 с лишним дней: первый круг был сыгран в Екатеринбурге весной 2020 года, второй – только через год. Автор подробно анализирует все 56 поединков ведущих гроссмейстеров мира, делая упор на психологическую составляющую: пытается объяснить, почему игроки принимали за доской и при подготовке то или иное решение. Турнир отличался невероятным накалом борьбы и порадовал любителей шахмат множеством ярких партий. Первое место завоевал российский гроссмейстер Ян Непомнящий, который получил право сыграть матч за корону с чемпионом мира Магнусом Карлсеном (Норвегия). «Талант и мужество, проявленные лучшими шахматистами мира во время всемирной беды, достойны своей летописи» (В. Тукмаков). Дополняет книгу интервью Яна Непомнящего, которое он дал «по горячим следам» – в день окончания турнира претендентов. Для широкого круга любителей шахмат. 

Книга гроссмейстера Ильи Смирина «Сицилианские сражения» – не дебютная работа, она о том, что происходит на доске уже после воспроизведения теоретических ходов. Автор, признанный эксперт по Сицилианской защите, разъясняет свое видение позиционных и, особенно, динамических возможностей дебюта. Структура этой книги такая же, как и предыдущей – «Староиндийские сражения». Каждую из 10-ти глав предваряет подборка упражнений по рассматриваемой теме, дается краткий обзор содержания на одном или более примерах, в которых тема раскрывается максимально ясно. Затем эта же тема, но в уже более сложных игровых «декорациях» изучается на партиях автора.

Большое число дополнительных партий (в том числе и в примечаниях) автора и других шахматистов помогает лучшему восприятию дебютных идей.

В книге есть всё – и жертвы, и позиционные шедевры, что должно сделать ее чтение увлекательным.

В своей новой книге гроссмейстер Зенон Франко глубоко анализирует 30 «чёрных» поучительных побед (включая партии 2020 года) чемпиона мира Магнуса Карлсена. Книга не перегружена вариантами, акцент – на подробных объяснениях в стиле «ход за ходом», что формирует идеальную платформу для изучения шахмат. В «опорных» точках каждой партии читателю предлагаются тестовые вопросы, что помогает и практическому изучению ключевых приемов шахматной игры, и надежному усвоению обретаемых знаний. Вопросы и ответы вовлекают читателя в процесс обучения и помогают ему отслеживать рост своей шахматной силы. Большинство партий взято из недавнего творчества Карлсена. Почти все его соперники супергроссмейстеры, – экс-чемпионы мира Виши Ананд и Владимир Крамник, а также Фабиано Каруана, Сергей Карякин, Шахрияр Мамедьяров, Алексей Широв, Максим Вашье-Лаграв, Левон Аронян, Аниш Гири и др. 

Книга международного мастера Максима Четверика посвящена дебютным экспериментам, предпринятым за доской (как правило, с классическим контролем времени) игроками в гроссмейстерском чине. 50 партий, приведенных полностью и 33 тестовых задания иллюстрируют необычные разветвления в полном спектре шахматных начал.

Исследование новых и возрождение старых дебютных редкостей актуально в связи с бурным развитием теории. Освоение длинных вариантов требует недюжинной памяти и более подходит шахматным профессионалам. На примерах креативного творчества гроссмейстеров читателю предлагается оценить качество дебютного эксперимента и решить – уместно ли взять на вооружение идею титулованного игрока.

"We talk a lot about defence in chess but rarely try to break this major notion down into elements that constitute it and, importantly, that we can systematically learn. This book does exactly that. It is suitable for players of all levels aiming to improve their game. It may be especially appropriate for coaches because of its systematized character."

GM Adrian Mikhalchishin

В книге даётся аналитический обзор всех основных шахматных начал, проиллюстрированных содержательными партиями, включая партии самого последнего времени.

Предпочтение отдано тем дебютным системам, вариантам и ходам, которые выдержали самое серьёзное из всех испытаний - испытание временем. Новое издание дополнено и переработано коренным образом - внесены существенные изменения в аналитическую часть книги с учётом последних достижений современной шахматный теории. Особое внимание в разделе партий уделено творчеству чемпиона мира Магнуса Карлсена.

Книга поможет освоить премудрости дебютной теории не только начинающим шахматистам, но будет полезна и более опытным игрокам.

· 64 deeply annotated instructive games

· 5 areas of positional sacrifice

· Carefully selected exercises with solutions

Strategic Concepts, Typical Plans and Tactical Themes 

The London System is being played by an ever increasing number of players, and it’s easy to see why. Against virtually every Black defence after 1.d4 it offers White an easy-to-learn and reliable set of lines. In the process, White has interesting choices between strategic or more aggressive approaches, while avoiding loads of opening theory. Ideal for players who don’t have much time to study.

Have you ever wondered why you do well in certain tournaments and not in others? If your opening choices are the right ones? If your attacking play is good, bad, or Tinder swipe left ugly?

In this entertaining account, the author explains how to achieve success in chess we need to understand our what works for us, but to achieve true mastery we should prepare to go beyond our zone of comfort.

Along the way he takes us on a journey through his own world of discovery and explains how he became one of the best chess players in England. It’s a deeply honest and at times tragicomic memoir as he also reveals his strategy for taking on his biggest rivals and how best to use computers to improve your chess.