Bobby Fischer Comes Home: The Final Years in Iceland, a Saga of Friendship and Lost Illusions

On March 24, 2005, a small plane with Bobby Fischer on board landed at Reykjavik Airport. The arrival in Iceland of the former World Chess Champion was front-page news all over the world. In a ploy to free him from prison in Japan the Icelandic Parliament had granted the American Icelandic citizenship. Fischer had been arrested in Tokyo when the US warrant caught up with him that was issued after he had violated American sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a controversial match against Boris Spassky. Icelandic chess grandmaster Helgi Olafsson was 15 year old in 1972, when in a sensational match in his home country Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky for the world title. Breathlessly, Helgi had followed the match and attended a number of games in the playing hall in Reykjavik. When thirty-three years later his childhood hero was arrested in Tokyo, Olafsson became one of the members of the Committee to Free Bobby Fischer. Now Fischer returned to Iceland, a country he was never to leave again till his death on January 17, 2008. Olafsson and Fischer developed a unique friendship. Countless hours they spent together, they talked about chess, about life, made trips, played games, had fun, and quarrelled. Bobby Fischer Comes Home tells the story of their complicated friendship and paints an intimate portrait of the last years of the man who many see as the greatest chess player that ever lived.

Bobby Fischer Comes Home: The Final Years in Iceland, a Saga of Friendship and Lost Illusions

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A Ferocious Opening Repertoire (Everyman Chess)

Tired of playing the same old openings? Bored with stuffy opening theory? This book provides a welcome antidote! Former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala presents a range of vicious weapons for White in a repertoire which is perfect for those who have little time for study, but enjoy taking opponents out of their comfort zones and causing them problems from the very beginning. The repertoire's backbone is provided by the aggressive Veresov Opening (1 d4, 2 Nc3 and 3 Bg5) and this weapon is accompanied by equally hostile options against other Black tries such as the French, Caro-Kann, Dutch, Benoni, Pirc and Philidor. These weapons are ideal choices for those who revel in forcing opponents into chaotic, uncomfortable positions. *Opening weapons to shock and confound opponents *Covers all of Black's main defences *Includes game summaries with key points to remember

A Ferocious Opening Repertoire (Everyman Chess)

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An Opening Repertoire for White (Batsford Chess Library)

This book provides "ammunition" for White chess players wishing to open with 1 d4 and 2 c4. A solid, agressive style is presented and well-known players' moves from famous tournaments are cited throughout as examples. The author is a Grand Master. He has also written "An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Player".

An Opening Repertoire for White (Batsford Chess Library)

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Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy: Learn from Kramnik, Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca and Nimzowitsch

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess: strategy, attack, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have undeniably influenced those who have followed.

The chess world has been blessed with some wonderful strategists, innovators of the game with their instructive play and profound teachings. In The Giants of Strategy, Neil McDonald chooses his selection of the most prominent ones and highlights the major contributions they have made. He examines their differing approaches and styles, and from Nimzowitsch to Kramnik, how they followed in each other's footsteps. A careful study of this book will help you to understand and improve in one of the most crucial elements of the game.

*An entertaining and instructive guide to chess strategy
*Learn from the greats of the game
*Discover how famous chess minds work

Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy: Learn from Kramnik, Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca and Nimzowitsch

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The Middle Game In Chess

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Middle Game In Chess

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The Art of Defense in Chess (McKay Chess Library)

Most games are not won -- they are lost. The vast majority of instructional books tell how to improve a position when it is already (or may be) favorable. The Art of Defense in Chess analyzes the practical aspects of not having the advantage:
-- How to obtain counterplay
-- When to contest open lines
-- When to accept sacrifices
-- How to anticipate short- and long-term threats
-- How to restrain your opponent's pieces
-- How to create a defense perimeter
-- How to minimize losses
-- And much more

The Art of Defense in Chess also discusses the proper psychological attitudes for successful defense -- coolness under fire, the Saving Grace, stonewalling, etc. -- as well as the Principle of Exploitable Weakness and the Principle of Economy, as illustrated in more than one hundred positions taken from competitive play.

The Art of Defense in Chess (McKay Chess Library)

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Kramnik: Move by Move

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.

* Learn from the games of a chess legend
* Important ideas absorbed by continued practice
* Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Kramnik: Move by Move

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