CHESS OPENING BOOKS

The first phase of a chess game is known as the Chess Opening. It is during this phase of the chess game that the initial moves are made. Similarly, those moves are commonly referred to in the chess world as the “Chess Opening”. While there are literally billions of possible positions after the first 4 moves have been made in a game of chess (288 billion to be exact), only a small number of these chess openings have been studied by chess professionals and chess computers and deemed to be sound for practical play.

To help differentiate one chess opening from another, each chess opening is given a unique name to identify it. While it is common for a chess opening to be named after the player/s that introduced them to popular play, including the Benko Gambit (after Grandmaster Pal Benko), the Sicilian Najdorf (named after Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf) and the Philidor Defense (named after Francois-Andre Danican Philidor), this is not always the case Some chess openings are named after the locations and/or cultures in which they originated, including the London System, the French Defense, the Sicilian Defense, The English Opening and the Vienna Game. While others are named after the pieces that are moved during that opening, including the Queen’s Pawn Gambit and the King’s Indian Defense.

There are 6 basic objectives during the chess opening. They are Piece Development, Control of the Center of the Board, King Safety, Prevention of Pawn Weakness, Piece Coordination and to Create positions in which the player is more comfortable than the opponent.

    Grandmaster Secrets - The Caro-Kann
    The Inside Story on a Popular and Rich Opening Complex
    Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games.
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    Grandmaster Secrets - The Caro-Kann
    The Inside Story on a Popular and Rich Opening Complex
    Catalog Code: B0018GB
    Our Price: $29.95

    Chess Explained - The c3 Sicilian
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games.
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    Chess Explained - The c3 Sicilian
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Catalog Code: B0063GB
    Our Price: $19.95

    Chess Explained - The Meran Semi-Slav
    A Dynamic Opening Explained with Words and Examples
    Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
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    Chess Explained - The Meran Semi-Slav
    A Dynamic Opening Explained with Words and Examples
    Catalog Code: B0064GB
    Our Price: $23.95

    Mastering the Chess Openings - VOLUME 2
    Unlock the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings
    For most chess-players, opening study is sheer hard work. It is hard to know what is important and what is not, and when specific knowledge is vital, or when a more general understanding is sufficient. Tragically often, once the opening is over, a player won't know what plan to follow, or even understand why his pieces are on the squares on which they sit. John Watson seeks to help chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. In his previous books on chess strategy, he explained vital concepts that had previously been the domain only of top-class players.
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    Mastering the Chess Openings - VOLUME 2
    Unlock the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings
    Catalog Code: B0076GB
    Our Price: $29.95

    Chess Explained - The Modern Benoni
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
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    Chess Explained - The Modern Benoni
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Catalog Code: B0091GB
    Our Price: $23.95

    The Ruy Lopez - a Guide for Black
    A Reliable Defense with more than a Spark of Aggression
    The Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Opening) is one of the critical chess battlegrounds. It has long been recommended as an excellent chess opening for training purposes, as it leads to a wide variety of structures and strategies. This book is a complete guide to handling the black side of the Lopez, based principally around the Zaitsev Variation, upon which Anatoly Karpov relied during much of his career. This line leads to sharp play, often in open battles where Black gains active counterplay and challenges White to seize the initiative on the kingside.
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    The Ruy Lopez - a Guide for Black
    A Reliable Defense with more than a Spark of Aggression
    Catalog Code: B0095GB
    Our Price: $14.95

    Chess Explained - The Queen's Gambit Declined
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Books are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
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    Chess Explained - The Queen's Gambit Declined
    A New Approach to Understanding the Chess Openings
    Catalog Code: B0126GB
    Our Price: $23.95

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