The Four Knights Game

Chess College is a new series of books to take intermediate players to new levels of chess understanding. New ideas are introduced and immediately illustrated by a number of entertaining and instructive examples, many drawn from the author's own practice.

Max Euwe was World Chess Champion in the 1930s and he collaborated with International Master Kramer to write this great treatise on how to play chess middlegames. Book II of the series examines the initiative, the different types of attack on the king, the art of defense, maneuver and liquidation, and the common failings over the chessboard to which even great players are occasionally subject.

Publisher: ISHI Press
Author: Ludek Pachman
Year of Publication: 2012 (Reprint) Pages: 185
Notation Type: Descriptive (DN)


Book Description Continuing his major work on strategy and tactics in modern chess, the internationalyl renowned Grandmaster, Ludek Pachman, now turns his attention to the play of the pawns and the achievement of control of the center squares. Though the pawns are the weakest pieces in chess, their importance in determining the character of the attack (and defense) and the development of strategic play cannot be underestimated. Pawns are essential to the protection of important squares and pieces. They are the best means of blockading enemy pawns and when correctly deployed, their advance can open vital files and diagonals, thereby creating weaknesses in the opposite position. Despite its limited power, the pawn has one special advantage over other pieces in that it can be promoted when it reaches the eighth rank; a successful pawn advance can completely change the balance of power and the outcome of a game. Pawns have aptly been described as "the soul of chess." Vital of chess mastery is a basic understanding of the importance of control of the center squares. The effectiveness of the pieces depend upon the strength of their position and center control creates a vital sapatial superiority. The effective play of the pawns and center control have been touched upon on other works, but seldom with the insight and lucidity revealed in this second volume of Pachman's masterwork.

This comprehensive study of middle-game theory is a classic unlikely to be superseded. It is a valuable addition to the library of every serious student of chess.

Max Euwe was World Chess Champion in the 1930s and he collaborated with International Master Kramer to write this great treatise on how to play chess middlegames. Book I of the series covers pawn formations and static features of the game of chess. Thousands of satisfied customers have made this one of the most popular books on chess middlegames. Completely re-edited and translated to algebraic notation in this 1994 edition.

This monumental DVD covers a subject that is certainly not for beginners How pawns should be used in the middlegame to develop an attack on the opposing King. It includes 27 examples comprised of 7 complete games and 20 game fragments divided into three distinct Parts: King(s) Caught in the Center, Kings Castled on Opposite Wings, and Kings Castled on the Same Side. Material is illustrated from the praxis of many of the worlds great players including Alekhine, Anand, Topalov, Fischer, and a few postal gems from IM Kopec himself.

In each of these books the need for understanding is emphasized: there are too many variations for any memory to store. The player must understand the basic principles involved and the typical positions or maneuvers that can arise.

In the ABC's of Chess Middlegames Gary Gauthier explains all the basics themes with the help of selected master games. The games are annotated and explained in a way that makes it possible for even the rank amateur to follow.