New August 2005
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In May 1997 world chess champion Garry
Kasparov, regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, came to New York
to face his most unusual and challenging opponent yet. Deep Blue, a
supercomputer developed by a team of IBM scientists in a project started over
ten years earlier, was capable of calculating 200 million chess positions in a
single second and was incapable of tiring, losing heart or making an oversight.
Six games would be played for over $1 million in prize money.
This book tells the full story of this historic encounter, from the
personalities, hype, and controversies to the debates over computer intelligence
and the future of chess. Every game is analyzed in detail and the earlier 1989
and 1996 matches between the two contestants are reviewed. Man versus Machine:
Kasparov versus Deep Blue is the definitive on-the-scene report that every chess
enthusiast must read.
Man v Machine Kasparov V Deep Blue - (Keene 1997) $18.95
This new volume focuses on the aspects of the games on which games are won or lost. It develops ideas from the classic Think Like a Grandmaster, which itself has sold over 50,000 copies. Written by an experienced player and writer. 160 pages.
Analyse to Win - (Jacobs 1997) $38.40
New
by Kopec & Terrie, 311pp. (USCF Press 1997, 2003)
From the Introduction: "There are many books which specifically test tactical motifs, in which you have to find all kinds of mates, and which test your ability to find forcing solutions to endgame positions or studies, but few which try to test and expand your knowledge in a holistic way... In this book we will also be concerned with moves, not as ends in themselves, but rather a symbols for concepts or chess knowledge which can be represented by a move, sequence of moves or pattern. Moves can be viewed as steps in a larger procedure which represents a plan or a grand theme. Hence or subtitle: A Knowledge-based Approach."
This popular book, now in its second edition, is based upon using a series of comprehensive tests to allow the student to learn and improve. It has the support of the U.S. Chess Federation as a tried-and-tested self-evaluation, learning and teaching tool. For more than 20 years, Kopec has been testing and evaluating chessplayers in the U.K., Canada and the U.S. in order to quantify their overall chess strength, their specific deficiencies and definite abilities. This book represents the results of these efforts to help chessplayers understand and acquire the knowledge necessary to achieve chess mastery.A series of comprehensive tests to allow the student to learn and improve. It has the support of the U.S. Chess Federation as a tried-and-tested self-evaluation, learning and teaching tool. For more than 20 years, Kopec has been testing and evaluating chessplayers in the U.K., Canada and the U.S. in order to quantify their overall chess strength, their specific deficiencies and definite abilitlies. This book represents the results of these efforts to help chessplayers understand and acquire the knowledge necessary to achieve chess mastery.
Test Evaluate and Improve your chess - (Kopec 2003) $37.95
Half of century ago, when apart from Hastings there were only two or three international tournaments a year, openings books were based, not on huge numbers of examples, but rather the main ideas from a few games by leading players.
The Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings combines this selective approach with today's exhaustive collection of material.
The five volume Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings - A, B, C, D, E - consists of 500 sections based on opening codes. Its key quality, unique among openings books, is a system of elimination which helps the reader to find the critical lines in the midst of the abundance of information.
The Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is based on the same 500 fundamental codes and system of elimination but it's a fifth the length. Instead of five books just one! The best and most up to date information. The creative output of generations of chess masters filtered for the reader's convenience.
One of the main problems of tournament play is successfully negotating the opening. The Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings gives easy access to clear and reliable information for the numerous chess players who have competitive ambitions but only limited time to dedicate to chess. While for players with greater competitive experience and chess professionals, the Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings offers an ideal repository of information and the exact evaluation of critical lines.
The most instructive games on 672 pages!
Small Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings 2nd Edition 2003 - Informant $59.95
These abbreviated two-move problems will help chess players sharpen their mind and improve their game. In every one, White has already made its first move, and it's up to the puzzler to figure out Black's defenses and the mating moves that refute them. Plan for the unexpected, and remember: the real fun of solving these puzzles will be in discovering how ingeniously their composers have accounted for every detail.
Award Winning Chess Problems - Hochberg (2005 Sterling) $9.95
This is the second book in the series, in which it deals with open games. This volume is devoted to the main lines of one of the most popular and interesting openings in the chess theory - the Ruy Lopez.
Opening for white according to Anand 1.e4 Vol 4 2005 (Chess Stars) $45.95
Building on the earlier 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles, this collection of fun chess exercises provides a rigorous practice regimen designed to develop players' strategic abilities. One hundred scenarios for each of 3 levels (advanced beginner, intermediate, and tournament) challenge players to resolve chess problems requiring multiple "ply" (a movement for one side only) solutions. To facilitate concentration, only 2 illustrations appear on each page, with a slight parenthetical hint at the top of each position. Answers to each puzzle and a tactics index allow players to study examples of individual strategies.
About MENSA:-
Mensa is the internationally renowned high IQ society which has a worldwide
membership of almost 100,000 members in more than 100 countries. There are
28,000 members in the UK, including 2,200 Junior Mensans under the age of 16. To
join Mensa, the only requirement for membership is that an individual’s IQ falls
within the top 2% of the population.
303 Perplexing Chess Puzzles - Wilson (2004 Sterling) $19.95
Miguel Najdorf has been described as a flamboyant poet of the chessboard. A
celebrated Grandmaster, his playing career spanned six decades. He is perhaps
best known for the eponymous Najdorf opening variation of the Sicilian Defence –
often used to good effect by Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. A highly
influential chess writer he won many International tournaments although never
played for the World Championship.
Here we have an informed biography complemented by one hundred selected games
that demonstrate his originality and brilliance. The games are fully annotated
by the well-respected authors.
Najdorf Life and Games (2005 Batsford) $39.95
The Benoni is a dynamic, counter-attacking opening that often leads to highly
tactical positions. The great world champion Mikhail Tal enjoyed confusing his
opponents with the Benoni's intricacies. Bobby Fischer employed it to win a
critical game against Boris Spassky in the 1972 world championship in Reykjavik.
Recently, the current world champion Vladimir Kramnik unexpectedly essayed the
Benoni in his title fight against Peter Leko. Typically, it was in a situation
where he needed to go all out for the win. With such role models, the Benoni has
always been popular with club players.
This book is the latest in a new and innovative series of chess opening books.
Using fresh,clear presentation, they explain the openings' key ideas in an
entertaining and accessible way. The aim of the series is to provide the
essential knowledge to play the opening, while at the same time revealing the
current thinking of the world's elite players. 'First Moves' leads you through
the basic opening moves. 'Heroes and Zeroes' gives the best and worst
performances with the opening and features some of the leading exponents of the
Benoni. 'Tricks and Traps' reveals how you might catch out your opponent.
'What's Hot' pinpoints the very latest ideas from the world's top players.
The Modern Benoni Revealed - Palliser (2005 Batsford) $39.95
This book is in every way a definitive guide: Efstratios Grivas provides the inside story on a variation of the Sicilian Defence that he has worked for more than 20 years to perfect, and which rightly bears his name. The Grivas Sicilian (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Qb6) has proved itself sound and reliable in practice, but is also far less well investigated than most Sicilian systems. This gives it an extra sting in practice, which readers will be able to use to their advantage over the board - it is most unlikely that their opponents will have a well-worked-out response ready. The Grivas Sicilian generally leads to positions akin to the Scheveningen, but with some subtle differences. Grivas explains these subtleties at length, helping readers to exploit all their chances to seize the initiative.
Grandmaster Efstratios Grivas lives in Athens and is also an International Arbiter and Organizer. He has represented his country on a great many occasions, winning an individual gold medal at the 1989 European Team Championship and an individual silver medal at the 1998 Olympiad. He is a federal trainer and an experienced writer, though this is his first book in the English language.
Complete Guide to the Grivas Sicilian (2005 Gambit) $39.95
Zenon Franco guides readers through 50 top-level games, challenges them to guess key moves correctly, and poses questions at critical moments. Points are awarded for good answers, and at the end of each game, a score-chart rates the reader's performance. This material has never appeared in the English language before, and represents the pick of monthly articles that Franco has written for a quarter of a century in Spanish-language magazines, revised and rechecked for this book.
Zenon Franco is a grandmaster from Paraguay who now lives in Spain. He is an experienced chess trainer, his most notable pupil being Paco Vallejo, now one of the world's top grandmasters, whom he taught from 1995 to 1999.
Chess Self Improvement - Franco (2005 Gambit) $52.95
In his previous work, Secrets of Chess Defence, Mihail Marin examined the task facing the defender. Now he considers the other side of the coin. In this wide-ranging treatise, he discusses many topics including: the balance between attack and defence; the premises for starting a successful attack; advantage in development; intuitive sacrifices; typical scenarios. The book features many practical examples from top-level play.
Mihail Marin is a strong grandmaster from Romania. He achieved his first major success in international chess by qualifying for the interzonals in 1987. He has won the Romanian Championship on two occasions and has played in seven Olympiads. For several years he was editor of the magazine Chess Extrapress.
Secrets of Attacking Chess (2005) Marin $52.95
NIC Forum
YB/75:Readers from all over the world join in discussions of previous surveys. Both (grand)masters and club players shed their light on new opening developments and search for the truth together. With contributions by Ruslan Scherbakov and an afterthought by Viktor Kortchnoi, who solves an intriguing riddle around a 1963 game against Matanovic!
Sosonko's Corner
YB/75:In this extended column, Genna Sosonko provides us with a bird’s eye view of the enormous impact that Garry Kasparov has had on opening theory. From his younger years, through his famous World Championship matches with Karpov, right to his last novelties in Linares 2005. Kasparov’s theoretical approach was revolutionary. He used the computer but did not overestimate its abilities. The man from Baku could beat all his rivals with his home preparation, which was an extraordinary broad mixture of modern, ancient and half-forgotten opening lines. Kasparov has stopped playing chess, but his work could keep top grandmasters, who cannot sit still for one week as it is, busy for years. And like many of his colleagues, Sosonko doesn’t rule out a comeback…
Book Review
YB/75:Supply and demand has motivated proficient writer Stefan Kindermann to write his The Spanish Exchange Variation in English instead of his mother tongue, as Glenn Flear explains. Admiring its clarity, Flear regrets that this book is too thin! In Konstantin Sakaev and Semko Semkov’s profound Latest Trends in the Semi-Slav: ANTI-MERAN, Flear has spotted some amazing insights. And he finds Gary Lane’s Ideas Behind Modern Chess Openings: Black more relevant than Lane’s version for White. Who could better review Play the Sicilian Dragon by Edward Dearing than our guest author Sergey Tiviakov? Read his expert opinion, but perhaps you should read the book first!
33 NIC Surveys Yearbook 75
Sicilian Defence: Moscow Variation 3...Bd7, by Boersma
Sicilian Defence: English Attack 6.Be3, by L'Ami/Smeets
Sicilian Defence: Sozin Variation 6.Bc4, by Van der Weide
Sicilian Defence: Rauzer Variation 9...h6, by Avrukh
Sicilian Defence: Rossolimo Variation 3...g6, by Greenfeld
Sicilian Defence: Taimanov Variation 5...a6, by Langeweg
Sicilian Defence: Paulsen Variation 6...Qb6, by Fogarasi
Pirc Defence: Shirov Gambit 5.g4, by Olthof
Pirc Defence: Austrian Attack 6.e5, by Afek
Pirc Defence: Austrian Attack 6.Bd3, by Tzermiadianos
King's Fianchetto: Anti-Maroczy 4...d6, by Marin
French Defence: Rubinstein Variation 4...Nd7, by Fogarasi
Ruy Lopez: Anti-Marshall 8.d4, by Karolyi
Ruy Lopez: Breyer Variation 9...Nb8, by Olthof
Ruy Lopez: Open Variation 9.Be3, by Van der Tak
Scotch Opening: Mieses Variation 8...Nb6, by Van der Wiel
Scotch Opening: Classical Variation 4...Bc5, by Panczyk/Ilczuk
Two Knights Defence: 5...Nd5, by De Zeeuw
King's Gambit: Bishop's Gambit 3...Nc6, by Narings
Various Openings: English Defence 3.e4, by Stohl
Various Openings: Chigorin Defence 3...e5, by Karolyi
Queen's Gambit Declined: Blackburne Variation 5.Bf4, by Karolyi
Queen's Gambit Declined: Anti-Tartakower Variation 8.Qc2, by Morgado
Slav Defence: Chameleon Variation 4...a6, by Lukacs/Hazai
Slav Defence: Krause Variation 6.Ne5, by Lukacs/Hazai
Slav Defence: Meran Variation 8....Bb7, by Nikitin
Nimzo-Indian Defence: Classical Variation 4...c5, by Anka
Nimzo-Indian Defence: Classical Variation 4...d5, by Van der Stricht
Nimzo-Indian Defence: Queen-Nimzo Hybrid 6.Nd2, by Scherbakov
Bogo-Indian Defence: 4.Bd2 Qe7, by Hansen
Grünfeld Indian Defence: Exchange Variation 7.Nf3, by Van der Tak
King's Indian Defence: Fianchetto Variation 3.g3, by Dautov
English Opening: Double Fianchetto Variation, by Marin
New in Chess Yearbook 75 (NIC) $51.95
Software
Back in stock
For Beginning and Intermediate Players
Master
the grandest board game of all through the innovative coaching of one of the
highest-ranked International Masters. Experience, one-on-one, world-renowned
Maurice Ashley's proven method for creating tournament champions. Learn to excel
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First, learn everything you need in order to think and win like a seasoned player...
Maurice teaches you chess in a fun and non-intimidating way - from beginning
moves to advanced strategies
Thousands of fast-paced, interactive challenges sharpen your game skills and
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Classic Master Games - analyzed with our exclusive "video chalkboard" feature -
put you inside the minds of chess masters
Learn strategies you can use to slam-dunk your opponents
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Five 3-D-rendered sets of chess pieces and thematic boards
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Intuitive user interface and controls, including customizable play level,
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Import and export of games in a variety of formats.
Windows: Window 95 or Windows 3.1 or higher, 8MB RAM, 33 MHz 486 or faster, 256 color SVGA graphics, double speed CD-ROM drive, hard drive and mouse, 8-bit Windows compatible sound card, printer optional.
Macintosh: Motorola® 68030/25 or Power PC™ computer with 8MB of RAM 256-color graphics with 14" monitor System 7.1 or higher Double-speed CD-ROM drive 19 MB free space for hard disk install
PC Gamer, December 1996
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