How Karpov Wins - 2nd Edition

Every chessplayer hopes to make brilliant moves which will overcome the opponent in a blaze of glory. But such combinations come into being only as a result of proper planning, as demonstrated in Chess Middlegame Planning. The lucid and penetrating analysis of the games in this volume demonstrate the imagination and creativity necessary for proper handling of the central stage of the game.

Study of this important book, with dozens of highly instructive and clearly explained games from the greats of chess, will enhance your middlegame skills and will let you understand why pawns are considered to be 'the souls of chess'.

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.

This comprehensive study of middle-game theory is a classic unlikely to be superseded.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.

Planning is critical to winning in chess. While other writers offer you thinking tools for building an effective plan, in Chess Blueprints: Planning in the Middlegame Nikolay Yakovlev gives you the bricks - the positional themes and patterns that you need to know in order to make use of those fancy tools. With 188 positions and 559 diagrams ranging from the classics to little-known gems of Russian chess, the author challenges you to form your own impression and then see how the masters honed in on the key elements to achieve victory, or neglected them and went down to defeat.

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.

"The Art of Attack by Vukovic" ends with the Alekhine era --- the last example being in 1947. In the 1950's a new generation emerged starting with the daring play of Mikhail Tal. He and his contemporaries are where we begin with this book, taking the reader through the 1980's. The chapters are 1)Attacking the King Which Can't Castle, 2)Attacking the Uncastled King, 3)Attacking the Kingside Castled Positions, 4)St.George Attack, 5)Greek Gift Attack, 6)Defensive Measures, 7)Attacking the Opposite Side, 8)Couterattacking, 9)Great Attacking Players including Tal's Daring Sacrifical Attacks, Fischer's Scientific Style, Karpov's Fiery Attacking Style. A great book for players of all strengths.

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.