The Big Book of World Chess Championships

The Big Book of World Chess Championships
Author: Andre Schulz
Publisher: New In Chess
Total Pages: 478
Release: 2016-05-11
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 905691636X

Wilhelm Steinitz, the winner of the first official World Chess Championship in 1886, would have rubbed his eyes in disbelieve if he could have seen how popular chess is today. With millions of players all around the world, live internet transmissions of major and minor competitions, and educational programs in thousands of schools, chess has truly become a global passion. And what would Steinitz, who had financial problems his whole life and died in poverty, have thought of the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen, who became a multi-millionaire in his early twenties just by playing great chess? The history of the World Chess Championship reflects these enormous changes, and German chess journalist Andre Schulz tells the stories of the title fights in fascinating detail: the historical and social backgrounds, the prize money and the rules, the seconds and other helpers, and the psychological wars on and off the board. Meet some of the world’s sharpest minds as they clash in what has been called ‘the cruellest sport’ and drink in their tales: the lonely geniuses, the flamboyant boulevardiers, the Nazi-sympathizers, the communist darlings and a troubled boy from Brooklyn. Relive the magic of Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, Karpov, Kasparov, Bobby Fischer and the others. All great champions, but so different in character and playing style. Schulz’s chronicle is an absorbing evocation of the battles they fought. He has also selected one defining game from each championship, and he explains the moves of the Champions, and the ideas behind the moves, in a way that is easily accessible for amateur players and highly instructive for beginners as well. This is a book that no true chess lover wants to miss.

Jose Raul Capablanca

Jose Raul Capablanca
Author: Isaak Linder
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2010-08-26
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1888690828

The name of José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942), the third world champion, is indelibly inscribed in the annals of chess history. Capablanca s technique, intuition, remarkably quick calculation, and sense for elegant combinations made him the paragon of grandmasters during his lifetime. At the peak of his career Capablanca was almost invincible; each of his losses was regarded as a sensation. His books, articles, and lucid annotations became instant classics. As a star of the first magnitude, Capablanca continues to influence the world of chess. All the world champions of the late 20th century Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, and Kasparov have been influenced by Capablanca s original ideas. Join Russian chess historians Isaak and Vladimir Linder as they take you on a journey exploring the life and games of the great Cuban world chess champion.

Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer
Author: Karsten Müller
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2012-03-27
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1936490463

The Ultimate Fischer Collection! The Chess Publishing Event of the Decade! The years after the Second World War saw international chess dominated by the Soviets Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian and then Spassky held the world crown, treating it as if it were almost an integral part of their country s heritage. There were occasional flashes of brilliance in the West Reshevsky, Najdorf, and later Larsen but no one really mounted a serious challenge to the Russian hegemony. Then, in the mid-1950s, a lone genius from Brooklyn emerged. Obsessed with chess, all his waking hours became devoted to finding truth on the 64 squares. It was an unrelenting, sometimes frustrating quest, but he persevered, eventually emerging as perhaps the greatest natural chess talent ever. It was clear from his early years as a gifted prodigy through his stormy ascent of the Chess Olympus, no one had ever rocked the chess world quite like Bobby Fischer. His raw genius for the royal game, combined with an indefatigable will to win, made him one of the most feared chessplayers of all time a genuine living legend. Now, for the first time, every single one of his tournament and match games is presented with insightful explanations and analysis. Best-selling chess author, German International Grandmaster Karsten Muller, annotates each game of the player many believe to be the greatest of all time. All 736 serious tournament games are supplemented by crosstables of every major tournament and match in which Fischer participated, dozens of archival photographs, along with brief comments and observations putting the play of the great champion into historical perspective.

Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games

Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games
Author: Igor Stohl
Publisher: Gambit Publications
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2006-04
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN:

Garry Kasparov has dominated the chess world for more than twenty years. His dynamism and preparation have set an example that is followed by most ambitious players. Igor Stohl has selected the best and most instructive games from Kasparov's later years, and annotated them in great detail. The emphasis is on explaining the thoughts behind Kasparov's decisions, and the principles and concepts embodied by his moves. Stohl provides a wealth of fresh insights into these landmark games, together with many new analytical points. This makes the book outstanding study material for all chess enthusiasts. Garry Kasparov was born in 1963, and burst onto the scene in the late 1970s with a series of astonishing results in Soviet and international events. In 1985 he became the youngest world champion in history by defeating Anatoly Karpov in an epic struggle. When he announced his retirement from professional chess twenty years later, he was still world number 1. Kasparov is an internationally renowned figure, famous even among the non-chess-playing public.

Attacking Chess for Club Players

Attacking Chess for Club Players
Author: Herman Grooten
Publisher: New In Chess
Total Pages: 673
Release: 2016-07-31
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9056916564

Every chess player loves to attack the enemy King. Your goal is clear, your thinking is concrete, your creativity is in gear and direct victory is just around the corner. Few things in life are better than a conducting a blistering King’s attack! But how good are you actually at attacking? Have you ever analysed your efforts? Looked at calculation errors, missed chances and derailed efforts? Highly experienced chess trainer Herman Grooten finds that many of his pupils overestimate their attacking skills. Their fond memories of successful assaults often obscure the fact that there was a lot of room for improvement in their play. After the immense success of his award-winning classic Chess Strategy for Club Players Herman Grooten has now written an equally accessible primer on attacking chess. He teaches you how to spot opportunities, exploit weaknesses, bring your forces to the frontline and strike at the right moment. Grooten concentrates on training the most valuable skills: visualizing, structuring, anticipating, calculating, memorizing and other mental aspects. This is not just another collection of useful thematic moves but a complete and highly structured course of attacking techniques. With great and fresh examples, clear explanations and many instructive exercises.

Beyond Deep Blue

Beyond Deep Blue
Author: Monty Newborn
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2011-04-02
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0857293419

More than a decade has passed since IBM’s Deep Blue computer stunned the world by defeating Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion at that time. Beyond Deep Blue tells the continuing story of the chess engine and its steady improvement. The book provides analysis of the games alongside a detailed examination of the remarkable technological progress made by the engines – asking which one is best, how good is it, and how much better can it get. Features: presents a total of 118 games, played by 17 different chess engines, collected together for the first time in a single reference; details the processor speeds, memory sizes, and the number of processors used by each chess engine; includes games from 10 World Computer Chess Championships, and three computer chess tournaments of the Internet Chess Club; covers the man-machine matches between Fritz and Kramnik, and Kasparov and Deep Junior; describes three historical matches between leading engines – Hydra vs. Shredder, Junior vs. Fritz, and Zappa vs. Rybka.

The KGB Plays Chess

The KGB Plays Chess
Author: Yuri Felshtinsky
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2010-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1936490013

The KGB Plays Chess is a unique book. For the first time it opens to us some of the most secret pages of the history of chess. The battles about which you will read in this book are not between chess masters sitting at the chess board, but between the powerful Soviet secret police, known as the KGB, on the one hand, and several brave individuals, on the other. Their names are famous in the chess world: Viktor Kortschnoi, Boris Spasski, Boris Gulko and Garry Kasparov became subjects of constant pressure, blackmail and persecution in the USSR. Their victories at the chess board were achieved despite this victimization. Unlike in other books, this story has two perspectives. The victim and the persecutor, the hunted and the hunter, all describe in their own words the very same events. One side is represented by the famous Russian chess players Viktor Kortschnoi and Boris Gulko. For many years they fought against a powerful system, and at the end they were triumphant. The Soviet Union collapsed and they got what they were fighting for: their freedom. Former KGB Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Popov, who left Russia in 1996 and now lives in Canada, was one of those who had worked all his life for the KGB and was responsible for the sport sector of the USSR. It is only now for the first time that he has decided to tell the reader his story of the KGB�s involvement in Soviet Sports. This is his first book, and it is not only full of sensations, but it also dares to name names of secret KGB agents previously known only as famous chess masters, sportsmen or sport officials. Just a few short years ago a book like this would have been unimaginable. Read this book. It is not only about chess. It is about glorious victory of the great chess masters over the forces of darkness.

White King and Red Queen

White King and Red Queen
Author: Daniel Johnson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2008
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9780547133379

Daniel Johnson--journalist, scholar, and chess enthusiast--is the perfect guide to one of history's most remarkable periods, when chess matches were front-page news and captured the world's imagination.