Description
Paperback, 240 pages
- Alekhine’s Block
- Combination Cross
- Lasker’s Combination
- Mitrofanov’s Deflection
- The Steeplechase
They were very well-received by chessplayers everywhere. And, in fact, Charushin had written two more books in the series, Domination, and Less Common Combinations, but these were never released. For this edition of The Tactician’s Handbook, German grandmaster Karsten Müller has carefully reviewed and then selected the material he thought most enlightening. Then instructive exercises were added.
All the analysis has been checked by the silicon monster, while Charushin’s notes and comments were revised where necessary. All seven titles were then combined into one comprehensive volume. Add to that a foreword by one of the great tacticians of our time, Hungarian grandmaster Judit Polgar, and the result is an excellent, instructive handbook covering some of the most exciting tactics in chess.
The Hypermodern Game of Chess by Savielly Tartakower
Paperback, 412 pages, 2015 Russell Publishing
The decade after the First World War was one of exciting change for the royal game. A new wave of dynamic chess was taking shape, led by the young lions Alekhine, Réti, Nimzowitsch, Breyer, Euwe, Tartakower and others. They were successfully asserting their new ideas against the Old Guard.
It was in this period that Savielly Tartakower’s magnificent work Die Hypermoderne Schachpartie was first released. A massive tome of over 500 densely packed pages, the first edition was published in German in 1924. It was an instant best-seller and a second edition soon followed with corrections and additional material.
At first glance, it appears to be an opening manual with incredibly comprehensive notes. But in fact it is much more. There are essays on strategy, tactics, endings, history and other chess-related topics, all presented in Tartakower’s wonderful writing style.
However, don’t be fooled by the witty aphorisms and humor. The scope and depth of Tartakower’s annotations would be unmatched until ChessInformant came along in the 1960s. And the rise of the silicon monsters notwithstanding, there is much fertile opening theory to be found and explored.
The Hypermodern Game of Chess is the first English-language work of the Second Edition. Several hundred diagrams have been added and some reformatting of the text has been done to meet the expectations of 21st century readers. In every other respect, it preserves all the comprehensive content.
The Hypermodern Game of Chess is now available in English. See why it has inspired generations of chessplayers. See why Tartakower’s magnum opus is, as they say, the stuff of legend...
The Art of Bisguier: Selected Games 1961-2003 by Arthur Bisguier and Newton Berry
Forward by Lev Alburt
Arthur Bisguier is a living legend in American chess, having met and defeated some of the greatest players in the world. This is a collection of his best games - annotated by Bisguier himself - from 1961 through to 2003. Each game is introduced with an anecdote and brief comment about Art's opponent and combined with many archival photos, makes this one of the great chess game collections. What sets this book apart from other game collections are the stories that preface each encounter.
Bisguier, who has lived American chess history for over 60 years, has always been known as an excellent raconteur and his memory for the clever observation and ability to bring to life Caissa's departed soldiers is second to none. He quotes the Seattle master Olaf Ulvestad for the answer to the difference between a master and a grandmaster: "A master studies the board, calculates, deliberates and at last makes the correct move. A grandmaster tosses a piece in the air and it lands on the proper square." This explanation struck a chord with Bisguier who has always strongly relied on his intuition when selecting a move.The Art of Bisguier: Selected Games 1961-2003 has opening and player indexes and many black and white photographs. It is neatly typeset with a clean two column layout..
ISBN: 978-1-888690-36-1, Paperback, 272 pages, Russell Enterprises
The Fearsome Four Pawns Attack
283 pages, paperback, 2005 Russell Publishing
Facing the King's Indian? Take No Prisoners!
Ever fancied playing the most aggressive system imaginable against one of Black's most popular defenses? Suiting the type of player that concerns himself only with full points and thinks 'Coach's Favourite' is a type of poker. The aim of the system is clear; white is claiming as much central space as possible and aims to suffocate black before a powerful central pawn thrust. Uncomfortable for the black player to meet this opening puts the defense back into the King's Indian Defense. An excellent book with thorough research and detailed annotations covering a much neglected variation.
Jerzy Konikowski is one of the most prolific chess authors in the world, with dozens of publications in several languages to his credit. He holds the FIDE Master title as well as titles in correspondence chess and chess composition.
Marek Soszynski is a Master of Philosophy and co-author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed How to Think in Chess.
"The Fearsome Four Pawns Attack may not be a necessary purchase for all King's Indian players, but it's definitely worth having. And for someone who plays the White side of the Four Pawns it would be risky to do without it." - From the review by John Watson on TWIC
The KGB Plays Chess - Gulko, Korchnoi, Felshtinsky & Popov
176 pages, paperback
The KGB Plays Chess is a unique book. For the first time it opens to us some of the most secret pages of the history of chess.The battles about which you will read in this book are not between chess masters sitting at the chess board, but between the powerful Soviet secret police, known as the KGB, on the one hand, and several brave individuals, on the other.
Their names are famous in the chess world: Viktor Kortschnoi, Boris Spasski, Boris Gulko and Garry Kasparov became subjects of constant pressure, blackmail and persecution in the USSR. Their victories at the chess board were achieved despite this victimization.Unlike in other books, this story has two perspectives. The victim and the persecutor, the hunted and the hunter, all describe in their own words the very same events. One side is represented by the famous Russian chess players Viktor Kortschnoi and Boris Gulko.
For many years they fought against a powerful system, and at the end they were triumphant. The Soviet Union collapsed and they got what they were fighting for: their freedom.Former KGB Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Popov, who left Russia in 1996 and now lives in Canada, was one of those who had worked all his life for the KGB and was responsible for the sport sector of the USSR.It is only now for the first time that he has decided to tell the reader his story of the KGB's involvement in Soviet Sports. This is his first book, and it is not only full of sensations, but it also dares to name names of secret KGB agents previously known only as famous chess masters, sportsmen or sport officials. Just a few short years ago a book like this would have been unimaginable. Read this book. It is not only about chess. It is about glorious victory of the great chess masters over the forces of darkness.
Vienna 1922 - Larry Evans
The First - and, sadly, the Last - Book by Larry Evans.
Paperback, 144 pages, Russell Enterprises 2011
Vienna 1922 is remembered as one of the first great tournaments after World War I. All the stars of the day (Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Gruenfeld, Maroczy, Reti, Spielmann, Tarrasch and Tartakover) played except Capablanca and Lasker, but it was Akiba Rubinstein who was to turn in an outstanding success scoring an undefeated 11 from 14 to finish a point and half ahead of second place Tartakover and two and a half(!) points ahead of Alekhine.
This was the first book ever written by American grandmaster Larry Evans. The then 16-year-old master self-published it in 1948 with English descriptive notation, no diagrams, with a plastic ring binding, mimeographed. He was persuaded to revise and update it, making use of modern figurine algebraic notation, many diagrams, not to mention annotations that have made him one of the most popular chess writers of our era. Just when this book was being prepared to go to press, however, the tragic news flashed around the world: Larry Evans had died. As far as chess in America was concerned, he had been a national treasure. But his loss was not felt only in the U.S. He was admired as a chessplayer, journalist and author worldwide.
As noted by John Donaldson in his Foreword, this book marked the beginning of what turned out to be one of the longest and most productive literary careers in American chess history. It also tragically turned out to be Larry's swan song. It is unlikely that the chess world will ever see another chessplayer who accomplished so much both with the pieces and with the pen.
Historic London 1922!
Paperback, 128 pages
Jose Capablanca was the superstar of chess in 1922 and London was his first serious chess in the 15 months since he had won the championship title from Emanuel Lasker. 'Capa' was the chessplayer whom even non-players could identify. But the tournament signified not only Capa's return to the game, it was also something of a revival of international chess after four years of war and four more of recovery.
The new world champion would ease into first place undefeated ahead of future world champion Alexander Alekhine. The young Dutchman Max Euwe was honing his skills that would also eventually take him to the top of the chess world. And Richard Reti was about to unveil his 'Opening of the Future' - 1.Nf3
London 1922 is important for all these reasons, but it also served as the setting for the creation of the famous 'London Rules' which would for years govern the way in which prospective challengers to the title would have the right to play the champion.
As an added bonus, all fourteen games of the 1921 Capablanca-Lasker title match - with annotations by Capa himself - have been added to this new 21st-century edition. Complemented by more than a dozen archival photographs and a Foreword by Andy Soltis putting things into historical perspective, London 1922 belongs in the library of every chessplayer!
Topalov-Kramnik 2006
On the Edge in Elista Not since Bobby Fischer had faced Boris Spassky in Reykjavik in 1972 had the chess world seen such a controversial title bout with such major implications for the future of world chess. The match had it all: deep positional play, razor-sharp tactics, accusations of cheating and political interference, threats of lawsuits, and even a game forfeited under protest. With the help of co-author Zhivko Ginchev, and complemented nicely by almost 50 photographs, Topalov shares his thoughts, hopes and fears as he fought for the most prestigious title in the chess world.
Paperback, 220 pages, 2007 Russell Publishing
The Art of Checkmate - Georges Renaud & Victor Kahn
Paperback, 160 pages, 2014 Russell Publishing
In the early 1950s, two former French champions authored a book that clearly – and quite comprehensively – explained the basic mating patterns in chess. The Art of Checkmate by Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn was destined to be hailed as one of the most instructive chess books ever written.
The basic elements of dozens of mating patterns are explored. Each is supported by simple, easy-to-understand examples, with additional exercises offered to help the student master this most important core concept – Checkmate.
In this new 21st-Century Edition, the antiquated English descriptive chess notation has been replaced by modern algebraic notation. Otherwise, it has remained true to its roots. Find out why both instructors and students have for decades considered The Art of Checkmate as one of the most illuminating and helpful chess books ever written.
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