If it has taken a long time, you also have to know the distance the book has covered! It has travelled 14,130 km, as the first page was written when I was about to complete my Master’s degree at Webster University in St Louis in the USA, and now, as I write my preface, I am a full-time chess trainer, currently living in Bengaluru, India.

So how did I fall in love with this beautiful Berlin Defense? In mid-2003, when I was preparing for the World U-10 Championship, I found that my Philidor Defense wasn’t good enough to be played in a tournament of such stature, and my coach at the time, IM Raja Ravi Sekhar, suggested the Berlin to me as it was at the peak of its popularity after the 2001 World Championship match between Kasparov and Kramnik.

The Berlin was a good fit for me then, as it didn’t have extensive theory (unlike now!) and the lines given in ECO were simple and easy to remember, which made me very happy, as I never really enjoyed memorizing moves in the opening.

Since then, the Berlin has been my go-to, rain or shine opening against 1.e4, and has given me the chance to play a whole bunch of memorable games against players of all rating levels. An incident that is still fresh in my mind happened in the World U-16 Championship in 2009, when I was paired against an opponent who was 200 points lower rated than me. I was scared to play the Berlin as I thought he might hold me to a draw, but my coach, GM R.B. Ramesh, told me to go and play it confidently, and the result was a 31-move victory!

The Berlin Defense has had a significant impact on my chess career, as it made me a positional player who would happily exchange queens in the firm belief of outplaying his opponents in practical endgames. The Berlin has made me enjoy these endgames and has had a huge impact on my playing style.

When I set out to write this book, I was clear on certain aspects, like keeping the moves simple and giving as much explanation as possible at the critical moments, as I wanted to ensure that someone interested in learning the intricacies of the Berlin doesn’t get swamped by long theoretical lines, but acquires a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the positions. If you manage to grasp the dynamics of these lines, then you can play not just the systems recommended in the book, but also other popular Berlin variations that have not been covered in this book for the Black side.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

216 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2019

Understanding the strategic ideas of this complex variation is also a middlegame improvement ?tool? and a must for anyone wanting to take his or her chess to the next level.

This "Chigorin bible" aims to be the ultimate improvement ?tool? for club and tournament players in the variation. Th e fi rst part provides the reader with a good understanding of general plans and strategic concepts and the second part provides direct theoretical knowledge.

349 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2018

It has been played countless times since and remains a popular opening at all levels of play. Some of the lines are incredibly theoretical, but rather than burden you with a ton of theory in lines you will have limited chance of using in your own games, the emphasis is on the lines that are more likely to occur in your games.

100 main games

Carsten Hansen is a Danish-American FIDE Master & FIDE Trainer who has written extensively on all phases of the game, but is particularly recognized for his thorough books on chess openings, most recently on the Sicilian Dragon and the Closed Sicilian.

301 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2017

Not so The Schliemann. The Schliemann (3 ... f5) is a ferocious beast that immediately takes the fight to White. The swift counter with ... f7-f5 is undoubtedly risky but has the advantage of disturbing White’s equanimity and setting difficult problems to solve as early as move three. Any White player who is not highly attuned to the nuances of this system can quickly find themselves in very hot water. This makes the Schliemann an ideal practical weapon for the aggressively-minded tactical player.

• A thorough theoretical coverage of a dynamic counter-attacking system
• Discusses strategic themes as well as analysing complex tactical variations
• Written by an expert on the Schliemann

Openings expert Junior Tay examines the Schliemann Defence and its many variations. He provides repertoire options for Black, answers all the key questions and tells you all you need to know about successfully playing the Schliemann.

400 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2018

Quality Chess

 328 Seiten, kartoniert, englisch, 2008

Zustand : sehr gut

Yet that is what eight-time world championship candidate Lajos Portisch has done. In this book, he opens his extensive opening files and presents the most important games and unused novelties in the Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Game). He also explains the strategies and ideas behind these lines, and places the key games in their historical settings. Anecdotes abound, as do reflections on his key rivals, including Fischer, Karpov, Tal, Larsen and Smyslov.

This is also a thoroughly modern work. As well as drawing upon games from his own long career, Portisch includes important Ruy Lopez games by modern champions, including Anand and Carlsen, describing them from his own unique perspective. All analysis has been computer-verified, with Portisch’s hand-made variations standing up to scrutiny in most cases, but with the computer adding new and surprising twists. Thus we see how human creativity can remain a vital component in modern preparation.

Lajos Portisch is one of the greatest players of the modern era. An elite player from the 1960s to the 1990s, he qualified for the candidates eight times and was board 1 for the Hungary team that won olympic gold in 1978, ahead of the USSR. He is one of the 12 Hungarian ‘Sportsmen of the Nation’ – the country’s highest sporting honour.

160 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2017

International Master Luis Bernal has unraveled the Berlin and made it accessible for amateur players. His practical guide is fully up to date, explains typical formations and strategies, and presents new ideas and resources in the old Berlin Wall structures. But today, the Berlin is much more than just the Wall. Bernal systematically leads you through the labyrinth of the various modern Anti-Berlins with their constant flow of new ideas. He also presents a number of tricky sidelines that could catch your opponent off guard. This no-nonsense, state-of-the-art guide finally brings this important chess opening within reach of club players. With clear explanations, concise conclusions and didactic exercises.Luis Javier Bernal (1971) is an International Master from Spain, an experienced chess trainer and a well-known journalist.

272 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2017

On the basis of his vast experience of playing and teaching the Zaitsev system, Solozhenkin draws the conclusion that it is a reliable weapon for Black.

This books presents an opening repertoire for Black to players who are not excited by defending the dull endgames in the “Berlin Wall” variation and who strive for initiative, counterplay and a tense fight, having in mind the strategy of reliability defined by Tigran Petrosian.

It is comprised on the principle “The best move for me – against all the reasonable moves for the opponent.”. In some lines we analyse alternatives for Black.

As our main weapon against 9.h3 we recommend the Zaitsev system – 9...Bb7 10.d4 Re8.

At the beginning of the year 2015 the Svidler variation began to gain popularity 9...Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 exd4 12.cxd4 Nd7, which combines elements of the Zaitzev system and the Karpov variation 9...Nd7.

We analyse it in this book as well, as a way for Black to avoid the already famous repetition of moves 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3.

 
Evgeniy Solozhenkin is an international grandmaster, champion of Leningrad and St. Petersburg, a winner of the team championships of Russia, France, Finland and many international tournaments.He is the director of the Russian North-western district's grandmaster school, and he is a Russian Chess Federation coach.

276 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2016.

In this, the second volume of the Kotronias on the King’s Indian series, grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias turns his attention to the main line of the famous Mar del Plata variation, which arises after the opening moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0– 0 6.Be2 e5 7.0– 0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1. This leads to some of the most complicated and theoretically challenging positions in the King’s Indian, but Kotronias provides a world-class repertoire for Black, including a wealth of original ideas and analysis.

As well as providing detailed analysis, the author also shares his considerable knowledge of typical middlegame themes, both positional and tactical. A special selection of test positions is provided, enabling the reader to sharpen his tactical skills and increase his middlegame understanding.

Vassilios Kotronias became Greek Champion for the tenth time in December 2014. He is feared for his profound opening preparation, and is one of the world’s foremost experts on the King’s Indian Defence.

320 Seiten,englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2015

Dreev is the winner of many international tournaments. With the Russian team, he was three times Olympic gold medalist and once he got the silver, he also won two times the World team championship - in 1997 and 2005. European champion for 2012 in rapid chess.

Dreev is a leading expert on opening theory and renown chess author. His previous books, published by Chess Stars, are My One Hundred Best Games  The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations, The Meran & Anti-Meran Variations, and Dreev vs. The Benoni.

195 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2014.