The Trompowsky Attack

When you play 1.e4 e5 2.f4, you hope your opponent plays 2..exf4 where you can blow him off the board. But there is quite a bit to know about the King's Gambit Declined if Black does not play the Accepted Variation. This Volume 2 covers all Declined variations from the Classical Defense, Counterattacking 2..Nf6, Falkbeer, and all others. With the two volumes, you can play the Romantic King's Gambit, an opening for adventurers.

New opening ideas are created frequently, but few have had the meteoric career of Nigel Short's system against the Caro-Kann defense. Virtually unknown before 1988, it has become a regular customer in super tournaments since the 1990's. And yet it is so simple to handle that a Class B player can master most of the strategies in an afternoon. The British GM's system consists of playing the Advance variation of the Caro-Kann with a relatively modest form of development- modest yet it can pack quite a wallop. What short discovered was not just a new move, but a new concept. Despite the presence of the annoying bishop on the excellent b1-h7 diagonal, Black had not equalized, he announced. Short demonstrated that the bishop could, in fact, become a liability that would be attacked in the general expansion of white's pawns on the kingside. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5(as well as 3..c5 and 3..Na6)-new strategy against each one.

No matter what White plays, Black plays 1..e6 making believe he is going into a French defense. White is fooled for whatever he does, Black plays toward a Benoni 2..c5.

Professionals know that during the course of a game, the value of chess pieces change. And they use this knowledge to decide which pieces to exchange--and when. International grandmaster Andrew Soltis, the author of Bobby Fischer Rediscovered, helps pass this important information on to novices so they can benefit, too.

A lively, personal, and wonderfully informative look at Bobby Fischer, his personality and his playing. Although three decades have passed since Fischer won the world chess title from the former Soviet Union, he still remains a source of fascination and admiration for all players.

Beating the Ruy Lopez with the Fianchetto Variation

If you've played chess for any period of time, chances are you have heard someone say.. "The best opening is the opening your opponent doesn't know" or "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." This fascinating book contains 300 of the most astute insights on chess ever uttered, culled from three centuries of great players. Each of these invaluable maxims is illustrated with an annotated chess position, making the book a short cut to learning from the masters.

Opening Ideas and Analysis - VOLUME 2