Bird’s Opening is currently in that ‘goldilocks’ zone of the great arbitrages in life. The majority of chess players have dismissed it overlooking its inherent value and this allows for adopters of the Bird to take advantage of this asymmetry. As of this writing, it is played 9% of the time in online databases and this drops to 2% (!) in the master’s database of OTB games. 

Master the Catalan, an Opening that stands the test of time and style

♟️ Strategic Depth – Offers rich, long-term positional play with strong central control.

♖ Top-Level Endorsement – Played by elite grandmasters like Kramnik, Carlsen, and Giri.

🔒 Solid and Safe – Builds a strong, stable structure with minimal risk in the opening phase.

🧠 Outplay Opponents – Ideal for players who enjoy quiet pressure and deep middlegame plans.

🎯 Target Black’s Weaknesses – Constant pressure on Black’s queenside and long diagonal (g2–a8).

♜ Flexible System – Effective against multiple defenses (1…d5, 1…Nf6), allowing transpositions.

🧩 Easy to Learn, Hard to Crack – Concepts-driven rather than theory-heavy; great for building a repertoire.

Yaroslav Zherebukh was born in July 1993 in Lviv, Ukraine. He earned the Grandmaster title in January of 2009 at 15.5 years of age. In 2011 Yaro participated in the World Cup where he was seeded 97 th out of 128 contestants. He won his first three matches against Pavel Eljanov, Ruben Felgaer and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov before losing to David Navara. In 2013 he moved to the United States shifting his focus to coaching and academics. In 2017 he competed in the US championship where he scored a spectacular win over world #2 Fabiano Caruana and qualified to the 2017 World Cup! He has coached a plethora of talented American youths induding world dass GM Jeffery Xiong. Besides his chess activities, Yaro holds an MS in financial economics from Saint Louis University and has experience working for private equity firms in New York City.

The Modernized Grünfeld Defense will be extremely helpful for any chess player looking for a reliable lifetime repertoire against White's 1.d4. It will benefit current Grünfeld players as Yaro unveils his analysis and numerous novelties waiting to be played over the board.

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.

A Solid and Reliable Opening: The Petrov’s Defense

The Petrov’s Defense (also known as the Russian Defense) is an underrated gem in classical chess, offering solid play and excellent counterattacking opportunities. While it might not enjoy the same spotlight as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defense, it’s a highly respected opening for players who seek consistency, strategic depth, and resilience.

“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.

The primary goal of this work is not to recount a story or to acknowledge the creative efforts of a friend, although those are satisfying perks I allow myself. This is a theoretical book about a chess variation that (it could not be otherwise) 

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.

Are you ready to shock your opponent on move 3?

The Reti Opening is a dynamic opening invented by Richard Reti more than a century ago. It has since been featured in the repertoires of countless grandmasters and world champions, including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Garry Kasparov, Tigran Petrosian, Vassily Smyslov, and many others.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. 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 opening 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 study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.

Paul Morphy might well be the most brilliant and enigmatic chess champion of all time. He burst onto the scene in 1857 as a 20-year-old and dominated the chess world for two short years, convincingly defeating all the strongest players. After conquering the European chess scene, Morphy was universally recognised as the greatest player of all time. But at the age of 22 he suddenly and permanently retired from serious competition.

This book examines what might be described as the “pure” Réti Opening. White starts with 1 Nf3 and intends to meet 1...d5 with the “Réti” response 2 c4. 

Robert James Fischer is one of the greatest and most celebrated players in chess history. Exactly fifty years since the American won the right to challenge Boris Spassky for the World Championship crown, Tibor Karolyi documents Fischer’s unique journey from precocious youngster to the chess icon who obliterated Taimanov and Larsen before convincingly beating Petrosian on The Road to Reykjavik.

The Royal Chess Couple is a combined attempt to introduce the various traits of the most significant piece with the most powerful piece on the chessboard. Following a short historic review of the development and metamorphoses of each piece over time, the reader is offered 240 positions (480 in total) from tournament practice as well as from the magic world of chess composition. In each position a royal piece plays either a crucial offensive or defensive role. These positions are subdivided into 60 themes, four positions per theme, arranged by their increasing difficulty. The reader may use the positions as training challenges to improve his understanding and playing skills or just to enjoy playing through them. In either case he will learn to appreciate the characteristic qualities of each piece alone and in collaboration with other pieces.

This book presents a Black repertoire based on the Scandinavian Defence with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6. This is the safest yet aggressive queen retreat. It allows Black to increase pressure on d4 with ...0-0-0 or ...Rd8 while keeping coordination in the centre. Kotronias clearly explains the main strategic principles that are involved in finding the best moves for Black: the assymetric pawn structure gives the significant resource of turning d5 into a fortress -- the importance of developing the c8 Bishop outside the pawn structure -- the best ways to create more space -- finding the best and most effective place for your Queen. The Greek GM offers new plans for Black in the most topical lines, including vital new approaches against the Shirov plan (7.f4) and in a line with in which Kotronias himself got an edge with White in a game against the great expert of this system, Sergey Tiviakov. Kotronias' plans are backed up with deep and fresh analysis based on solid chess understandin

Spis treści:

Contents 3

Bibliography 4

Introduction 5

Chapter 1. 1.e4 d5 Rare Second Moves Main Ideas 9 Step by Step 12 Annotated Games 20

Chapter 2. White’s Third Move Alternatives Main Ideas 27 Step by Step 29 Annotated Games 45

Chapter 3. 3.Nc3 Qd6 without 4.d4 Main Ideas 69 Step by Step 72 Annotated Games 79

Chapter 4. 4.d4 Nf6 without 5.Nf3 Main Ideas 87 Step by Step 91 Annotated Games 104

Chapter 5. 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 Rare 6th Moves Main Ideas 111 Step by Step 114 Annotated Games 123

Chapter 6. 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.h3 Main Ideas 131 Step by Step 134 Annotated Games 140

Chapter 7. 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Bf4 and the Shirov plan 7.f4 Main Ideas 149 Step by Step 153 Annotated Games 167

Chapter 8. The Main Line 7.Nc4 Main Ideas 177 Step by Step 182 Annotated Games 197 Variation Index 217 List of Annotated Games 219

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 in this compact and practical manual. Playing the Scandinavian teaches invaluable techniques that you can use in almost all of your other games. Pressuring the centre, neutralizing your opponent’s initiative, 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.

The Scandinavian for Club Players offers everything you need to know to be fully prepared to meet 1.e4. The various lines are enriched with verbal explanations, diagrams, flash-cards and exercises that make this book even more accessible. 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.

Thomas Willemze is an International Master from The Netherlands. He is an experienced trainer of amateur players and has been the National Youth Coach of the Dutch Chess Federation. He is the author of the acclaimed ‘What would you play?’ column in New In Chess magazine, aimed at helping club players to improve their decision-making skills. In 2018 he published the best-selling improvement guide The Chess Toolbox, also available as a NIC Interactive eBook and a Chessable video course.

The Sicilian Scheveningen Defense is a highly respected and flexible variation of the Sicilian Defense, characterized by the pawn structure Black adopts with pawns on e6 and d6. It arises after the moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6. This setup allows Black to maintain a solid central presence while keeping options open for dynamic counterplay.

White players who enjoy playing the Ruy Lopez (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5) often expect to have an easy time in the opening. Numerous Black systems allow White to complete development with natural moves which often results in a small but clear advantage. Not so The Schliemann. 

Chess is a strategically deep game and it is no surprise that players often struggle to find the right strategy over the board. Computers may be able to show a good move in a position, but they can’t explain how it should fit into an overall plan.

The Scotch Game is an ideal opening weapon for White. It's ambitious, totally sound and leads to a wide variety of strategically complex positions. The Scotch was a particular favourite of Garry Kasparov, who invigorated it with a number of major discoveries to make it an opening to be feared throughout the chess world.

In this book, Yelena Dembo and Richard Palliser team up to take a modern-day look at this popular opening. They provide thorough coverage of the critical main lines, recommend the best options for both sides, and outline the key tactical and positional ideas.

- Comprehensive coverage of the Scotch Game

- Written by renowned opening experts

- Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

The Secret Ingredient is a grandmaster guide to maximizing your chess results, focusing on key elements of practical play which have received little to no attention in previous chess literature.

How exactly can we best make use of computers? What’s the ideal, step-by-step way to prepare against a specific opponent? How can we optimize our time management at the board? And what’s the one key skill that separates the best players from those who have yet to reach their full potential? GM Jan Markos sheds light on these topics and many more, helped by the world-class insights of his good friend GM David Navara.

With all the many books and articles on the Sicilian Defense, there is surprisingly little about the Four Knights Variation. Its starting position is reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. It may also be reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6. Some prefer 2...e6 to 2...Nc6 because it avoids 3.Bb5.

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!

WYDAWNICTWO ALBUMOWE. Fantastyczny album z pięknymi zdjęciami szachistów

Bobby Fischer’s Road to Reykjavik

Initially things looked gloomy for Bobby Fischer. Because he had refused to participate in the 1969 US Championship, he had missed his chance to qualify for the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca. Only when another American, Pal Benko, withdrew in his favour, and after the officials were willing to bend the rules, could Bobby enter the contest. And begin his phenomenal run that would end with the Match of the Century in Reykjavik against World Champion Boris Spassky.

Fischer started out by sweeping the field at the 23-round Palma Interzonal to qualify for the next stage of the cycle. In the Candidates Matches he first faced Mark Taimanov, in Vancouver. Fischer trounced the Soviet ace, effectively ending Taimanov’s career. Then, a few months later in Denver, he was up against Bent Larsen, the Great Dane. Fischer annihilated him, too. The surreal score in those two matches, twice 6-0, flabbergasted chess fans all over the world.

In the ensuing Candidates Final in Buenos Aires, Fischer also made short shrift of former World Champion Tigran Petrosian, beating the hyper-solid ‘Armenian Tiger’ 6½-2½. Altogether, Fischer had scored an incredible 36 points from 43 games against many of the world’s best players, including a streak of 19 consecutive wins. Bobby Fischer had become not just a national hero in the US, but a household name with pop-star status all over the world.

Jan Timman chronicles the full story of Fischer’s sensational run and takes a fresh look at the games. The annotations are in the author’s trademark lucid style, that happy mix of colourful background information and sharp, crystal-clear explanations.

Jan Timman is the author of many bestselling books. His Timman’s Titans won the 2017 ECF Book of the Year Award. In The Longest Game, Timman revisited the epic rivalry between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. His most recent book Timman’s Triumphs: My 100 Best Games again met with wide acclaim.

The Zaitsev System is one of the most dynamic setups for Black in the ever popular Ruy Lopez chess opening.

When Alexey Kuzmin joined the coaching staff of World Champion Anatoly Karpov in the 1980s he started analysing the Zaitsev System, and later continued his investigations as a second of Alexander Morozevich. For this book he has updated and improved his analysis, and found countless innovations that change the assessments of many lines.

With the ascent of computer technology, humans have a chance to develop their thinking process 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 analysed and categorised. If you want to expand your chess imagination, understanding and intuition, Think Like a Machine is the book is for you.

Think Like A Machine is the second chess book co-written by Noam Manella and Zeev Zohar . Manella is a digital and Social Networks Researcher; Zohar is an accountant and businessman. Their previous book, Play Unconventional Chess and Win, was a highlight in chess publishing in 2014.

Think Like a Super-GM is a unique collaboration combining the chess insights of an elite grandmaster with a scientific investigation into thinking at the chess board.

Jan Timman is one of the greatest chess players never to win the world title. For many years ‘the Best of the West’ belonged to the chess elite, collecting quite a few super tournament victories. Three times Timman was a Candidate for the World Championship and his peak in the world rankings was second place, in 1982.

For this definitive collection, Timman has revisited his career and subjected his finest efforts to fresh analysis supported by modern technology. The result is startling and fascinating. From the games that he chose for his Timman’s Selected Games (1994, also published as Chess the Adventurous Way), only 10(!) made the cut. Some games that he had been proud of turned out to be flawed, others that he remembered as messy were actually well played.

This book invites the reader to enter the wonderful elite chess world with one of the most creative GM's of all time. It tells about his approach to the core of fighting, about his strongest points but also about his weaknesses. It presents real masterpieces and hurtfull losses.

However the author not only shows a panorama of his creativity but also offers the reader to think over the problems together with 'Moro'. You can simply take place in his seat, look through his eyes and finally play like Morozevich!

"I have been trying to play interesting fighting chess and complicated battles on the chessboard have always given me real pleasure." Alexander Morozevich

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

Most Acclaimed Book of the Year

Alexey Kuzmin was born in 1963, Moscow, Russia.