What It Takes to Become a Chess Master

his volume is devoted to the main lines of one of the most popular and interesting openings in chess theory - the Ruy Lopez.

Grandmaster are beating Grandmasters whether they accept or decline 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4. Kasparov was one that lead the way. The text may force a re-evaluation of most Evans Gambit analysis. The author's improvements were sent by the author to Kasparov's agent in London. This is the first modern treatment of the Evans which reflects to a high degree the overwhelming body of games won by White. This book gives good analysis and advice on a very strong and dynamic weapon to use against 1..e5 players.

Fed up with having to learn so much theory? Struggling to keep up with all the latest developments? Then this book will be the answer to all your problems. Grandmaster John Emms offers a new arsenal of opening weapons with which to attack your unsuspecting opponents. Starting with the move 1 e4, the reader is armed with systems against all possible black defenses.

The Goring Gambit is one of White's most dynamic choices after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6. With 3.d4! White immediately challenges Black's "pawn anchor" on e5 while prying open lines for rapid, aggressive development. After 3..exd4 White can, of course, opt for the Scotch Game with 3.Nxd4 - which is quite sound for White - but we recommend that you choose the gambit with 4.c3, daring Black to grab a pawn with 4..dxc3. If Black accepts, white will get a lead in development and many opportunities for a prolonged initiative. There is a line that modern theory favors black, but we show you how to avoid it. If your opponent is too scared to accept the gambit with 4..dxc3, then there are declining moves with 4..Nf6, 4..d5, and 4..d3. Against all these more sedate lines we will show how to keep Black under pressure. A number of top players have adopted the Goring gambit over time; among them are GM's Tal, Stein, Gufeld, Velimirovic, and Ljubojevic. FM Ken Smith, one of the authors, has been playing middle gambits(Danish, Goring, BDG, & Smith-Morra) all his 47-year chess career.

The Ponziani (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3)has been an opening that has been overlooked frequently through the years. However it was played quite frequently throughout the 80's in Master-level and above tournament play. White has many ways to challenge each variant of Black's setup. Harding shows that Black's game is not as easy as many Black theorists would want you to believe.

'Open Games' refer to a myriad of openings arising after the ever-popular 1 e4 e5: the Italian Game, the Scotch, The Two Knights Defence, the King's Gambit, the Evans Gambit, the Bishop's Opening, the Four Knights, the Petroff and much more besides.

Evan's Gambit and a System vs. 2 Knights

The Italian Game (sometimes referred to as the Giuoco Piano) is one of the oldest openings around, and also one of the first lines a player learns when he or she is introduced to chess. It leads to play that is easy to understand: both sides develop their pieces logically and begin attacks on the opposing kings. The Italian Game gives both White and Black the opportunity to play either aggressively and in gambit fashion, or in a restrained and positional manner. One of White's most exciting and attacking options is the legendary Evans Gambit, which has been brought back into the limelight in this modern era by such uncompromising players as World Champion Garry Kasparov, Alexander Morozevich,and England's Nigel Short.