'Like The Queen's Gambit, this isn't really about chess, but power' Sunday Times What does it take to make it to the top of your game? As a chess champion, Jennifer Shahade has travelled the world playing major tournaments. At the top, she finds rivalry and friendship; sexism and feminism; ecstatic highs and excruciating losses. Chess Queens invites us behind the scenes of this ultra male-dominated sport. We meet today's elite, as well as the pioneering female players in history who fought against the odds to get to the top. An essential guide for all aspiring chess queens, Jennifer's story reveals what it takes to break through the glass ceiling. 'Jennifer Shahade is a brilliant, insightful thinker who never fails to entertain and engage' Maria Konnikova 'An astoundingly intimate, thoughtful and inspirational book by a person who has seen it all from the inside' Angela Saini

Netflix’s most watched limited series to date! The thrilling novel of one young woman’s journey through the worlds of chess and drug addiction.​ When eight-year-old Beth Harmon’s parents are killed in an automobile accident, she’s placed in an orphanage in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Plain and shy, Beth learns to play chess from the janitor in the basement and discovers she is a prodigy. Though penniless, she is desperate to learn more—and steals a chess magazine and enough money to enter a tournament. Beth also steals some of her foster mother’s tranquilizers to which she is becoming addicted. At thirteen, Beth wins the chess tournament. By the age of sixteen she is competing in the US Open Championship and, like Fast Eddie in The Hustler, she hates to lose. By eighteen she is the US champion—and Russia awaits . . . Fast-paced and elegantly written, The Queen’s Gambit is a thriller masquerading as a chess novel—one that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. “The Queen’s Gambit is sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years—for the pure pleasure and skill of it.” —Michael Ondaatje, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The English Patient

A collection of tactical positions from the world's best women chessplayers. Chess lovers of all levels can enjoy the puzzles, as the difficulty goes all the way from one-move killer blows to deep, complex combinations.

Ideal for those wanting to understand the basics of the Queen's Indian. The Queen's Indian is one of Black's most dependable and respected defenses to the queen's pawn opening. It's an established favorite among world-class Grandmasters such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and Judit Polgar, not to mention Anatoly Karpov, who has been a loyal Queen's Indian supporter and theory developer for over three decades. Using a hypermodern approach, and endeavors to control this key area with pieces rather than using the classical method with pawns. This procedure leads to rich and complex positions that will appeal to aggressive and positional players alike. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and Queen's Indian expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Queen's Indian and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. *User-friendly lay out to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the key principles of the Queen's Indian *Ideal for the improving player

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. The Queen's Indian is an important and popular opening at all levels of play. Black's flexible stance allows him to choose between a range of solid and dynamic structures. In turn, White can play flexibly, opposing Black's fianchetto, or can try to force the pace in the centre and start a hand-to-hand fight. It is an opening rich in nuances, and many of the modern main lines involve moves that look extravagant, but are backed up by a deep underlying logic.

John Cox presents a repertoire for Black with the ever-popular Queen's Gambit Declined. He covers the sophisticated Tartakower Variation, the easy-to-learn Lasker Variation and how to play against White's other options.

Chess Explained 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. The Queen's Gambit Declined is one of the most important and popular of chess openings. While an immensely solid and classical choice for Black, it has remained highly topical for more than a century. Both sides have ways to create imbalance and test their opponent's skills and knowledge in a full-blooded struggle. Most of the World Champions have taken both sides of the QGD, with Spassky and Karpov especially notable defenders of Black's cause. In addition to the traditional main lines with Bg5, White has at his disposal the Exchange Variation, and the Bf4 system, both of which can be handled in highly aggressive style if he wishes. Rizzitano covers all these lines and a plethora of other important lines, focusing on the fundamental ideas on which they are based.

Grandmaster Damian Lemos presents a repertoire for White in the Queen’s Gambit, one of the most famous chess openings. The Queen’s Gambit enjoys a long and illustrious past. It has been played by virtually all the strongest grandmasters in the history of chess, and today it remains a popular choice for players of all levels. White’s opening moves in the Queen’s Gambit are built on sound strategic principles, and it can lead to positions rich in both tactical and positional play. It’s a perfect opening to use in order to develop your chess understanding. It’s a perfect opening to use in order to develop your chess understanding. There are many defences that Black can employ against the Queen’s Gambit and it’s easy to become confused by the countless options for both White and Black. Lemos tackles this problem by providing a concise, easy-to-learn and practical repertoire that is suitable for players of all levels. Using illustrative games, Lemos examines the typical tactics and strategies for both sides, and highlights the key move order issues. This book tells you everything you need to know about playing the Queen’s Gambit. * A complete repertoire with 1 d4 d5 2 c4 * Over 50 games with grandmaster analysis * Written by a Queen’s Gambit expert

Grandmaster Nigel Davies presents a major study of the Catalan, providing a reliable and dynamic repertoire for White and covering the main plans for both sides.