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“Chess is not for the faint of heart,” Steinitz once said. I agree 100%! Chess players do not need pumped up muscles, they need a stable neuropsychic organization. How else can you resist the constant pressure that every nerve cell of the player experiences? I don’t always like this constant struggle with the stress that hangs over you, especially when you are wrong in a winning position. And in recent years, another “problem” has been added – incredibly powerful computer engines that younger opponents skillfully use in preparation for the game. But when you win a beautiful game or use a theoretical novelty invented at home (albeit with the help of a computer), or defend a difficult hopeless position, how great it is! And at such moments you don’t think what chess is – it is science, art or sport. At times like these, they are just part of your life.” ~ Vladimir Okhotnic -
Ivan Sokolov was one of the most furious attacking and creative players of his time. The author presents an overview of is his Life in Chess, full of entertaining unpublished material. He is not shy to share his opinions and promises the reader a personal roller coaster loaded with fun stories and unexpected twists. We are convinced you will enjoy the ride! -
Nýr titill! Concept bækurnar hans Grootens eru virkilega góðar og lærdómsríkar. -
“This book is about the greatest chess players who ever lived, who dominated their era and were looked upon as World Champions even at a time when this term, this very concept, did not yet exist.” ~ Paul van der Sterren -
This book is dedicated to chess, though I must confess it is not that same chess with which I immediately and eternally fell in love many, many years ago. There were plenty of wonderful moments, and no shortage of horrible disappointments associated with that version of the game in which I certainly considered myself a true professional. The realities of chess life during the second half of the twentieth century are diffi cult for today’s young people to imagine or understand: Tournaments lasting 30,40 days with adjourned games being completed on specific days allotted for such adjournments. Unbelievable time trouble given that back then only the unrestrained dreamer David Bronstein even thought about incremental time to be added after each move. Mountains of cigarette butts in ashtrays — a fixed attribute of the chess battles and battlefields in those severest of days. Finally, suitcases filled to the very brim with Yugoslav Chess Informants and handmade card indexes. -
‘I as though traced the evolution of chess thought and repeated its basic steps in my own development … convinced that any player with high ambition should follow such a path’ ~ Vassily Smyslov, 125 Selected Games (1983) This book takes the reader on a journey from early 19th century developments in the game up to the present-day. It takes in the revolutionary Wilhelm Steinitz’s early summation and establishment of a firm positional basis for chess and the considerable contributions made by all of the subsequent world champions and certain other great players, including the contemporary computer phenomenon, AlphaZero. -
- Black is forced to make an immediate decision on move 3 and wait for the right moment to open the position.
- On top the author created practical difficulties for the Black. Naturally, it is not possible to find an advantage in every variation but Ravi added many detailed explanations to guide plans and aid understanding in the various positions White encounters.
- Ravi’s analysis makes Black’s path to equality extremely narrow.
- Finally, it was important to also consider the less popular second moves (2…g6, 2…a6, and 2…Nf6). In particular, both 3.c3 and 3.c4 against 2…g6 were examined.
- The latter transposes to an Accelerated Dragon, which the author can justify including in an Anti-Sicilian book as he believe it’s correct to enter an ‘Open-Sicilian’ type position if it benefits anyone. This approach has been emphasized across both volumes and it is made especially clear in the chapter against 2…g6.
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“This book is not a pure (auto)biography, rather a games collection. It consists mainly of interesting high-class games played by me, including many losses. Most of the games are preceded by accompanying texts, which vary from essays to tournament reports. The title of the book might seem presumptuous, but I wanted to show how I see or experience the competitions without denying the chess worlds of others. While the texts are mostly light and subjective, at the same time I tried hard to stick to the facts and provide some food for thought.” ~ David Navara
skákbækurTómas Veigar Sigurðarson2023-06-12T16:33:59+00:00
