From London to Elista - $59.95
Behind the Scenes of Kramnik's Title Matches
by Evgeny Bareev,
Ilya Levitov
Publisher: New In Chess, 2007
Edition: Paperback medium
ISBN: 978-90-5691-219-2
Pages: 400
Language: English
>>> SHORTLISTED FOR THE
CHESSCAFE 2007 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD!!<<<
The Inside Story of the World Chess Championship Matches that Vladimir
Kramnik Won Against Garry Kasparov, Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov
Part 1: Overthrow of a Colossus: London 2000
Part 2: Photo Finish in Brissago: 2004
Part 3: Big Brother in Chess City: Elista 2006
'Did Kramnik shout at you?' -- 'Justifiably!'
'This stinks. And it stinks badly.'
'After the opening we were absolutely horrified again.'
Three quotes about crucial moments in three World Chess Championship matches.
They were spoken by Vladimir Kramnik’s second Evgeny Bareev. Just a few dramatic
fragments from an extraordinary account of the main battles in the life of
Vladimir Kramnik, a World Champion and a Samurai, in Bareev’s words.
From London to Elista gives a fascinating look behind the
scenes of top-level chess. It provides superb analysis of all the games by
Bareev, and it does much more. In Socrates-style dialogues, Bareev and co-author
Ilya Levitov reveal everything about the preparation, the progress and the
aftermath, about the secret strategy and the brutal stress of the three battles.
This rich book is indispensable for anyone who wants to know what makes top
grandmasters tick. It is written from the horse’s mouth, and it is full of
honesty, irony, history, wit, anger, wisdom, and even poetry.
With many photographs.
Evgeny Bareev is one of the world’s strongest grandmasters
today. He was Kramnik’s second during the matches against Kasparov in 2000 and
against Leko in 2004, and was in close contact with the Kramnik team during the
scandal-plagued reunification match with Topalov in Elista.
Public relations expert Ilya Levitov has been an ardent chess
amateur all his life. He is a close friend of Vladimir Kramnik and Evgeny Bareev.
Former Dutch Champion IM Gert Ligterink, de Volkskrant:
"Undisputably the best chess book of 2007 (...) A terrific read."
ChessVibes:
"Bareev’s account of the events is simply breathtaking (...) It is the most
sincere portrait of a world champion I have ever read."
British Chess Magazine:
"The first 170 pages of the book are on the London 2000 match and
absolutely riveting (...) It is rare for anybody to have taken the lid off the
day-to-day work that seconds do and still rarer for them to have made it so
interesting (...) Extremely good."
Mark Donlan, Chess Horizons:
"Many interesting snippets of intrigue (...) Required reading for anyone
with more than a passing interest in championship chess."
Johan Hut, Schakers.info:
"A monumental book."
Former British Champion Jonathan Rowson:
"Excellent (...) Consistently engaging and instructive."
Elburg Chess Reviews:
"I can assure you that this is one of those books that you cannot put
down."
Cor Jansen, PZC:
"For those interested in chess technique there are brilliant analyses. Lovers of
intrigue and tall stories have a lot to enjoy. But the psychology of the
power play is not forgotten, either (...) Anand and his helpers will be
looking at the analysis with suspicion. The objective outsider wonders why
Kramnik and his seconds put their cards on the table just now. Is this higher
chess psychology?"
Delaware Chess Newsletter:
"A BIG chess book and a lot of fun."
John Donaldson:
"The reader not only gets 44 well annotated games featuring instructive prose
and detailed variations, but also lots of behind-the-scene commentary not only
by Bareev but by fellow Russian GM's like Boris Gelfand and Peter Svidler as
well as by Kramnik himself (...) Well worth the money: there is months worth of
material to read and study."
Steve Goldberg, Scholastic Chess Gateway:
"If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall observing what takes place
'backstage' with world championship comtenders, this is your book."
Torre & Cavallo Magazine (Italy):
"Bareev analyses all the games and tells the extraordinary and unknown things
that happened behind the scenes."
Common Sense in Chess - $34.95
New, Algebraic Edition of an All-time Classic
by Emanuel Lasker
The Classic Tour de Force
Now in a 21st Century Edition!
In the spring of 1895, reigning world chess champion Emanuel Lasker gave a series of lectures in London. These were geared to the level of the club players, or intermediate level. Later that year Lasker gathered his lecture material together and wrote it up in manuscript form to be published, retaining the informal, conversational tone of the lectures.
The result was Common Sense in Chess, long regarded as a classic both during Lasker’s lifetime and for generations afterwards. It is a masterpiece of compression and exposition, and in the whole of chess literature, there is nothing that quite compares with it.
Respected chess author Bruce
Alberston has taken Lasker’s classic and created a 21st century
edition. The text has been converted to modern algebraic notation and more
diagrams have been added (there are now more than 330 diagrams!). Splendidly
complementing Lasker’s original masterpiece, Alberston has added seven games
annotated by Lasker that were played in the famous Hastings Tournament of 1895.
British Chess Magazine:
"It is, as the editor says, a masterpiece of compression and exposition."
SOS - Secrets of Opening Surprises
8 - $39.95
No Time to Study Chess Opening Theory?
by Jeroen Bosch
Ready-to-go chess opening ideas.
Readers of this series can ignore large areas of the ever expanding chess
opening theory. They can concentrate on these surprising ideas, because SOS
variations deviate very early from the regular lines in mainstream openings.
Ideal for players who don’t have enough time to keep abreast with main line
theory. Appears twice a year.
a quick look at the SOS's in this issue
Contents:
1 Jeroen Bosch - The SOS Files
2 Ruben Felgaer - Meeting the Caro-Kann with 2.Ne2
3 Dimitri Reinderman - The Meszaros Variation of the Sicilian
4 Jeroen Bosch - SOS versus Anti-Berlin
5 Alexander Finkel - SOS versus the Paulsen
6 Mazé & Cornette - Nimzo-Indian with 6...Qe8!?
7 Arthur Kogan - The Budapest Gambit Can Still Surprise!
8 Jeroen Bosch - French Prophylaxis
9 Adrian Mikhalchishin - Caro-Kann: Dementiev Variation
10 Dimitri Reinderman - The Porcupine Variation
11 Jeroen Bosch - Gajewski’s Incredible Spanish Novelty
12 Arthur Kogan - Play the Spielmann Attack
13 Alexander Finkel - An Old Idea in the Modern Defence
14 Jeroen Bosch - A Modest Indian
15 Igor Glek - A 19th Century Weapon versus the French
16 Leonid Gofshtein - A Dynamic Ruy Lopez Surprise
17 Dorian Rogozenko - Kamsky’s ‘Spare’ Slav
18 Who is Who? - Authors and their Subjects
Carsten Hansen:
"I have always loved opening surprises, and to see the face of my unsuspecting
opponent while he falls into a deep think in a position where he has no idea
what to do next. If you hold a similar opinion, you are going to love these
series."
Bob Long, Chessco:
“For throwing your opponent off balance, it is hard to beat this series.”
ChessCafe:
“The variations can be exceedingly difficult if you are not prepared.”
John Watson, The Week In Chess:
“The most entertaining of books about openings that I know of. I recommend
SOS because it is so much fun, to be sure, but also for its practical utility.”
Joe Petrolito, Australian Chess:
“These suggestions are very attractive to club players.”
ChessToday:
“No matter what you play, you will find something exciting here.”
The Washington Post:
“A refreshing book, full of rare, uncommon but sound ideas that can spice
up the opening repertoire of any tournament player.”
IM Jeremy Silman, author of The Amateur's Mind:
“You’ll be glad you joined Bosch’s bandwagon.”
John Elburg Chess Reviews:
"Jeroen Bosch has, with the help of his seventeen outstanding contributing
authors, compiled a book with a collection of fascinating offbeat lines."
GM Glenn Flear:
“Tricky opening ideas, not much to learn, surprise value and lots of fun.”
Cor Jansen, PZC:
"It is again a goldmine of surprising and sometimes spectacular opening moves
and systems."
Tactics in the Chess Opening 6 -
$42.95
Gambits and Flank Openings
by Geert
Van der Stricht,
Sipke Ernst
For casual players
and club players
Every chess player loves to win early in the game with a deadly
combination or a cunning trap. On the other hand, nobody wants to be tricked by
his opponent before the game has really started.
This book covers all the tactical themes and typical traps in the main lines of
the English, the Dutch and the Reti, as well as a couple of interesting gambits.
They are explained in more than 200 carefully selected and annotated short
games.
"Tactics in the Chess Opening" teaches how to recognise opportunities to attack
early in the game and how to avoid standard pitfalls in the opening. It will
make the adventurous player win more games.
This is 6th and the final volume in a 6-part series covering the entire
opening spectrum. It is a guide for further study and for setting up an opening
repertoire.
Sipke Ernst is one of Holland's youngest Grandmasters.
Geert van der Stricht is an International Master from Belgium and a
former national champion.
IM John Donaldson:
‘“A pleasurable way to master the fundamentals of tactical play.”
IM John Watson, TWIC:
“A high quality product that is particularly appropriate to give the
average club and tournament player an overall grasp on the dangers and
opportunities available in a given opening.”
Paul Motwani, The Scotsman:
"A plethora of well-annotated, extremely useful reference games."
British Federation for Correspondence Chess:
“An excellent primer or book to stimulate ideas.”
John Elburg Chess Reviews:
"There is so much chess value in these books!"
Delaware Chess Newsletter:
"The entire series would be a nice set to have available for studying,
researching, and just having fun."
ChessVille:
“A very enjoyable book that will teach as well as entertain.”
Australian Chess Magazine:
“An excellent way to study.”
IM Jeremy Silman:
“Lots of opening ideas that can be assimilated by everyone.”
British Chess Magazine:
"A large number of both subtle and unsubtle man-traps that can be used to
gain easy points."