Welcome to The Chess Puzzle Book 4! - It mostly deals with the important technical question of how to convert a static advantage. As noted by Mark Dvoretsky in his Foreword: "I cannot think of any books with high-quality exercises regarding such topics as domination, the - do not hurry” principle, the principle of two weaknesses, etc., all of which are discussed by Müller and his co-author Alexander Markgraf ... I hope that you enjoy this new book by Müller and Markgraf and I encourage you to seriously study the positions discussed in the book. As a result, you will significantly progress in your understanding of chess and improve your results.” Topics include Prophylaxis, The Principle of Two Weaknesses, The Right Exchange, Domination, Do Not Rush, and Converting an Advantage. There are also many well-chosen exercises with comprehensive solutions to help guide and instruct the reader. The Chess Puzzle Book 4 is the fourth volume in the series formerly known as the ChessCafe Puzzle Books.

Most chess puzzle books put you in an artificial situation: you are told a combination exists, what the theme is and what you are required to achieve. This one is different. In a real game, a player may sometimes need to find a combination. On the other hand he may have to reject a tactical idea and simply find a good positional move. His task is to find the right move, whatever it may be. The 300 puzzles in this book put you precisely in that situation. Spectacular ideas abound in these positions, but it is for you to decide whether to go in for them, or whether you would be falling into a trap. If you need them, there are hints to help you on your way. The book ends with a series of tests to measure your skills against those of other players. For this new edition, John Nunn, a top-class grandmaster and a solving world champion, has added 50 new puzzles (with hints and detailed solutions) to test your skills to the full. For ease of following, extra diagrams have been added to the solutions throughout. Overall the book is 60 per cent bigger than the first edition.

This book provides a wealth of puzzle positions to test just about every facet of your tactical skills. The puzzles in this book have been selected by analysing games new and old in search of original puzzle positions. It is very unlikely that even seasoned solvers will recognise many of these positions. Emms, by allying his skills with those of powerful computers, has also made every effort to ensure that the solutions are sound, and that there are no unmentioned alternative solutions. The book begins with 100 relatively easy positions suitable for novices, and ends with 100 extremely tough puzzles, which provide a mind-bending challenge even for top-class players. There are 1001 puzzles in all.

365 chess-themed puzzles – one to solve every day of the year

The Journey Continues! Mark Dvoretsky has long been considered one of the premier chess coaches and trainers in the world. He is renowned for taking talented masters and forging them into world-class grandmasters and champions. His literary achievements are also quite distinguished. For example, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, now in its fourth edition, established itself as the sine qua non of endgame theory from the moment it appeared over a decade ago. In this second volume of his highly-acclaimed autobiographical work, the author focuses on his early development as a player, issues which challenge chess coaches, as well as varied topics related to improving one’s play. Whether you are a player, coach, fan or passionate aficionado, you will find this second volume as enjoyable and enlightening as the first. Here’s what the critics had to say about Volume 1: “[Volume 1 is]an insightful glimpse into the mind of one of the strongest coaches in any sport ever to walk the face of the earth. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, especially for students of chess history.” – Chris Wainscott, ChessIQ.com “If you are interested in a first-hand account of some very important events and persons in chess history, it’s hard to find a better book than this one. Few have influenced modern chess like Dvoretsky has, and Profession: Chess Coach reads like his valedictory address.” – John Hartmann in the January 2015 issue of Chess Life.

The 21st Century Edition of Spielmann’s Classic Work Austrian Grandmaster Rudolf Spielmann’s The Art of Sacrifice in Chess first appeared in the mid-1930s. It was immediately recognized as a classic, a masterpiece that examined the nature of chess sacrifices. In this modernized, 21st century edition, all of Spielmann’s original work has been preserved. The antiquated English Descriptive Notation has been replaced with modern Figurine Algebraic, and German grandmaster Karsten Müller has added his own notes to Spielmann’s original text. But the German grandmaster has gone far beyond simply inserting clarifying commentary. Müller has virtually doubled the size of the original work by adding eleven new chapters, including: The Greek Gift Sacrifice Bxh2/7+; Disaster on g7; The Achilles’ Heel f7; Strike at the Edge; Destroying the King’s Shelter; Sacrifices on f6; Sacrifices on e6; The Magic of Mikhail Tal; Shirov’s Sacrifices; and The Fine Art of Defense. There are exercises at the end of each new chapter to help you hone your skill of sacrificing. “Grandmaster Karsten Müller’s notes to the original text, along with the new material, brilliantly complements Spielmann’s classic work. A welcome addition to any chessplayer’s library...” – Garry Kasparov

ChessBase Step-by-Step There’s a general recognition among chess players at all levels that the ChessBase software application is critical for serious chess improvement, but many chess players are intimidated by the software. Now, for the first time, former U.S. correspondence champion Jon Edwards has created real-life scenarios that focus upon why the software is so important for chess players of every class, along with clear explanations of how to use ChessBase. The author will show you how, with ChessBase: (1) Opening preparation is quick, comprehensive, fully-up-to-date, and effective; (2) You can quickly locate and review important games in every opening, middlegame type, and endgame; (3) You can instantly see what worldwide engines think about most opening and many middlegame positions; (4) You can instantly see where you and your opponents erred; (5) You can reliably prepare chess books for publication in print or on the web... And much, much more! There is in fact no aspect of using ChessBase which Edwards does not cover. It is all here, and all in one volume! Know simply that ChessBase is instrumental to every aspect of chess. This book explains how the software can help you to improve your play, your learning, your teaching, your writing, or simply your love of and enthusiasm for the game. Jon Edwards explains all that you will need to know with concrete examples and simple instructions. After that, how strong a chess player, how good a chess teacher, how good a chess author you become is truly up to you. Note: ChessBase 12 is featured in this book. The new ChessBase 13 will be available near the end of 2014. ChessBase has confirmed that the program features and interface described within this book are not expected to change.

Defend to the End! One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In this third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merij van Delft examine and expound upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. Major topics include (1) Principles and methods of defending; (2) Defending against a direct attack on the king; (3) Countering the initiative; (4) Saving the draw; (5) Passive versus active defense; and (6) Use and development of counterplay. Many of the world s greatest players Steinitz, Lasker, Petrosian were famous for their legendary defensive skills. Now International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merijn van Delft will show you how you can Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill.

Practice Makes Permanent! You have no doubt heard the saying that practice makes perfect. Actually, practice makes permanent. If you practice badly, you will perform badly. It is practice in the pursuit of perfection that leads to better performance. Accurate practice is the essential ingredient in achieving success in any complex endeavor. With almost 300 checkmate exercises, My First Book of Checkmate Workbook offers the opportunity for accurate practice at the all-important task of finding checkmate. Beginning with the simplest checkmate patterns, this companion of My First Book of Checkmate proceeds gradually and methodically through ever more complex puzzles until you are solving problems that can take four, five or six moves to unfold. This is truly practice that will lead to perfection in the exciting field of checkmate.

The Genius of Alekhine In chess literature, there have only been a very few chess books that have immediately - and permanently - established themselves as classics. Lasker's Manual of Chess by Emanuel Lasker, Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Réti and Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual by Mark Dvoretsky are three that come to mind. There are of course others, among them My Best Games of Chess, 1908-1937 by the fourth world chess champion, Alexander Alekhine. The original English edition, published three-quarters of a century ago, used English descriptive notation, contained one photograph, no crosstables and was released in two separate volumes. This new 21st-century edition, presented with modern algebraic notation, has combined both books into a single volume, added more than three dozen archival photographs, crosstables, Alekhine's complete match and tournament records, a foreword by Russian grandmaster Igor Zaitsev, as well as many more diagrams. A comprehensive computer-assisted analytical supplement has also been prepared and is available for download at no extra charge, so that, if you wish, you may compare Alekhine's impressive notes with the preferences of the silicon monster. Whether you feel as if you are revisiting an old friend, or being introduced to this splendid game collection for the first time, you will marvel at how Alekhine's games and works remain in many respects extraordinarily consonant with the modern approach. And you will not fail to be impressed by the genuine genius that is Alekhine.