Books published by Thinkers Publishing

'1.e4! The Chess Bible’ (in three volumes) is a complete and authoritative repertoire for White based on sound main lines and the latest cutting-edge analysis. Existing theory is revisited and expanded with several fresh ideas, novelties and refutations which will appeal to dedicated 1.e4 players and theoreticians alike. However, each section is also carefully designed to be easily digested by players of all standards, with an opening overview, illustrated diagrams of key concepts, and instructive and annotated games.This book is an essential practical resource for any 1.e4 player and will greatly reward those who are looking to master their understanding of the open games.The openings covered in this volume are: The Scandinavian Defence, The Alekhine’s Defence, The Nimzowitsch Defence, The Pirc & Modern Defences andThe Philidor Defence.

The Winawer variation of the French is reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4. This is one of the most exciting openings in the game. It's an alternative universe with alternative rules. In return for the Bishop Black gets a rock solid pawn structure and lots of dynamic capabilities. It should not come as a surprise that in these unbalanced fights Black can really play for a win. The groundwork was done by Nimzowitsch, Botvinnik and Kortchnoi in the old days. Nowadays players like Carlsen, So and Mamedyarov still use their ideas with success. People often ask, "does true love exist?" Well, Miedema and the French might be one of those rare examples. Fortunately the love has translated to countless novelties and fighting lines. This is his first volume on the French defence and his debut as an author.

Most chess games are decided by tactics. Grandmaster Thomas Luther brings a structured approach to capturing the subtleties of any tactical theme. The reader is challenged to regularly solve his exercises and in doing so improve his skills of motif recognition. This book is aimed at chess players of all ages and levels who want to significantly improve their results. This is the first book in the Thinkers¿ Chess Academy trilogy.

The middle game of chess is arguably the most complicated aspect of the game. Through carefully selected examples from real games, Alexey wants to make you more familiar with various aspects of the middle game. He believes that through careful reading and study of his book, any player regardless of which level will significantly improve their game. Even if you are unable to solve some of his exercises, they will regardless be of inevitable use for improving your understanding of chess. Therefore it is his hope that this book will be useful for the club player but the professional chess players as well.

Co-author Michael Basman has been reputed to be an original and independent chess player and thinker for the whole of his chess career. However, around 1978 he mobilized his creativity to develop new ways in chess strategy, based on a personal set of avant-garde opening systems such as the St.George (early b4.. of ..b5) and Grob (early g4.. or ..g5). Consistently employing his new ideas, a whole new system of chess playing gained recognition among his colleagues, and generated a cult following among chess amateurs. Around 1990 Mike took the next step by creating the Global opening and it's pincer movements from the flanks. This constituted the final stage in the ultra-hyper-modern school of flank-strategy that he started 12 years earlier.Pressed by popular demand, Mike Basman has written several popular works on his ideas such as 'St. George's opening', 'The Killer Grob' and 'The Global opening' but these bestsellers have gone out of print a long time ago. So both authors felt it was about time to revive interest in the "Basmanic" school of chess. Mike has supplied most of the material, and co-author Gerard has accepted the task (as a former cult-follower in his younger days) to do a critical selection and examination of everything available. We hope that 2021, the year that Mike Basman turns 75, will see a revival of Basman's avant-garde ideas in chess among players of the new generations.

The Benko Gambit is the ideal way to fight and seize the initiative for Black. Grandmaster Perunovic revisited all the modern lines and provided unbiased coverage of the more recent ideas, the most important being the delay of the recapture on a6. He found and tested in practical play, many new but still typical Benko manoeuvres. If you wanna surprise the 1.d4 player, this book and opening is the perfect tool!

I decided to write about something that I would be interested to learn myself. In this book I show what preparation for a game by a 2650 player looks like. In chess, we only see the game on the stage, and can only guess at what is hidden behind the scenes. Top players can't reveal this, nor can their seconds, so I decided – who, if not me? I show my preparation for games, accompanied by analyses that I consider enough to apply the opening line. I show how I outplay opponents, not with powerful opening preparation, but by leading them into positions that are pleasant for me or unpleasant for them. I explain things that many players do not pay attention to in terms of opening preparation and preparation for an opponent. Aleksandr Rakhmanov, May 2021.

When should we exchange a piece in the endgame and when should we keep it? Why is it so important? How to make a right choice? Different types of endings and guidance on how to make the correct decision were the subject of my book The Correct Exchange in the Endgame. Two editions were very well accepted by chess players of different levels.I am especially happy that many chess coaches and teachers found it useful for their training programs. The book was announced as a silver winner of the Boleslavsky Award 2016 by the FIDE Trainer¿s Commission. Many readers and coaches expressed a wish to see more instructive exercises, so together with Thinkers Publishing we decided to make an exercise book. It can be widely used by chess teachers in schools, coaches in chess clubs and all chess players. Trying to solve 120 instructive exercises and then going through the correct solutions, you will certainly improve your decision-making ability and analyzing skills, as well as enrich your knowledge and understanding of the final stage of the chess game.

In this book Grandmaster Vladimir Tukmakov describes his experiences as captain of national and club teams. He coached also individuals players such as Karpov, Korchnoi, Eljanov, Giri and So, to name some.To improve and grow, every chess player needs to address the issues that prevent him from moving on to a higher level. Collaboration with an experienced mentor can greatly accelerate the player's creative growth and improve his results. In this book the author give the reader a close-up opportunity to witness his coaching experiences with the chess stars.

This book marks the start of a series of four on 1.d4 in which Ivan will share the secrets from two decades spent analyzing and playing it at the pinnacle of world chess. This volume in particular deals with two of the most popular replies Black can play after 1.d4: the King¿s Indian & Grûnfeld Defense. This repertoire book is cutting-edge theory, recommending f3 for White against the fianchetto systems.

A game as complex as chess can be approached in an infinite number of ways. Nowadays, in the era of computer chess, GMs generally tend to focus their preparation on looking for playable ideas rather than outright refutations. In his second volume of work, Alex Ipatov once again shows his expertise and creative approach in this regard. The reader is presented with an abundance of interesting ideas for White which can pose real practical problems for Black.

By going through the chapters, you will get acquainted with my way of grandmaster type thinking. I can assure you of one thing: there are better and weaker grandmasters, but you won¿t find a GM who is playing without ideas or, let¿s say, without his way of thinking! As you will find out, I am basically trying to detect the problem or goal of the position and then I am starting to scan factors which can lead to the solution. That process you will find in many examples in the book. GM Alojzije Jankovic, April 2020.

The Reti opening has been most popular in the most recent years. In his 'Modernized Reti', Adrien shows how this refined opening needs to be handled. With many transpositions into different types of positions, it is one of the richest choices White has when starting the game. If you are looking for a refined, tricky and dynamic way to play as White, Adrien will surely show you the way in his first book for Thinkers Publishing!

I was lucky enough to play against six world champions and several top players in my modest chess career, but the greatest player I feel privileged to have known, to have spent time with him, was Miguel Najdorf, "El Viejo".This is a chess book, with 275 commented games, it covers all his chess career, but it has also many stories. Najdorf was the most important Argentinean chess player, and he was an exceptional person. Oscar Panno said that Najdorf reminded him of Don Quixote, in the part of the book where he tells Sancho Panza, "Wherever I am, that is where the head of the table is going to be". He successfully overcame the most terrible setbacks, as few are capable of doing. Writing about Miguel Najdorf is one of my greatest pleasures as a chess journalist and writer! Zenon Franco Ocampos, April 2021.

The Sveshnikov is undeniably one of the most dynamic and aggressive Sicilians available these days. Most recently, it was made popular again by World Champion Magnus Carlsen in his match against Fabiano Caruana at the end of 2018. The main lines lead to complex positions, and a deep knowledge and understanding of the opening is a real necessity for any player who wishes to enter this battlefield. Our author, Robert Ris, focuses on all the current developments, highlighting the most important and instructive games from recent years, using his own over-the board experiences. Ris is well known for his theoretical knowledge and overall opening expertise. And we are quite convinced that he provides Sicilian players with an up-to date arsenal for playing the Sveshnikov.

Although my first book in this new series was well received, it turned out that a new updated and revised edition would not be an unnecessary luxury. This was partly due to the fact that it did not seem a bad idea to add more comments to a sub-variant in the Italian Game, the Max Lange Attack, which had received little attention in the first edition, but could be further explored. That has happened in this edition. Furthermore, it turned out from practice that the part in the Ruy Lopez where White can choose to close the center with d4-d5 needed further explanation. This closed position with a pawn chain arisen in the center, as we know that from the King¿s Indian Defense, contains some hidden secrets that could be explored a little more. That is why I have compiled several extra pages in which the most important strategic (and also tactical) details of this type of positions are presented. Of course, two model games had to be added for both colors. These have now become the games Sutovsky ¿ Stefanova, Hoogeveen 2015 (for White) and Bruzon Batista ¿ Morozevich, Biel 2006 (for Black), which I have provided with a broad analysis and will be added right behind this strategic overview.Because this book has also become available on the internet platform chessable.com, it seemed a good idea to generate some extra exercises on top. These should of course not be missing in the printed edition. Since in the original version mainly the tactics were dominant, I have now chosen to split the chapter with the exercises into two parts:¿ Section 1: Tactical exercises¿ Section 2: Strategic exercisesI offer sixteen extra exercises, divided in both sections and adding more than 80 pages to the previous edition. All in all, with this new edition, I hope to have fulfilled the expectations raised in some reviews. I wish the reader a lot of reading and playing fun while working through this book!Herman Grooten, December 2020.

¿Chess is life in miniature.¿(Gary Kasparov, former World Chess Champion)There are numerous similarities between playing a game of chess and living in the game of life. This book describes how psychological aspects that occur during chess playing or any other activity can be used to improve everyday life. Garry Kasparov writes, that self-awareness is essential in order tocombine your knowledge, experience and talent and thus enable you to reach your peak performance (Kasparov, How Life Imitates Chess, 2007). He says that very few people ever take the opportunity to do this kind of analysis. As an active chess player, woman grand master, doctor of psychology and university professor, I frequently monitor my thoughts, feelings and behavior. In doing so I see that I combine experiences and insights I have gained in playing chess with my current academic work. Many times in my life I have realized that my behavior can be traced back to earlier experiences in chess. I have decided to write this book acknowledging and describing all the benefits that chess has brought to my life. Chess has made me who I am! Dr. WGM Jana Krivec

This is the second book of the Thinkers¿ Chess Academy series. In the first book we started at a beginner¿s level with checkmates in 1, 2 or 3 moves and the most common tactical motifs. If you have already worked with the first book you will now be much more experienced and ready for some more difficult lessons. We will start with 50 combinations to refresh our memory of the motifs from the first book. Th e chess friends who have not read the first book can treat it as a kind of self-test. If you cannot solve many of the examples it may be better to go back and work through the first book again. It is not a good idea to leave basic knowledge out. It will certainly hinder your progress if you do so. In this book we will not only show you more tactical motifs, but we will also give you an introduction to the basics of chess strategy. You will learn the most important elements of strategy which will help you to find better plans and to understand positions better. At the end of the book a chapter with 50 checkmates of 5+ moves will show you techniques of how to attack or hunt the opponent¿s king and also how to improve your calculation skills and your imagination at the chessboard. Now enough of the prologue, let us go to work and learn lots about chess tactics and strategy! Have a lot of fun while studying chess and enjoy your improvement! Yours, Thomas Luther Grandmaster and FIDE senior trainer

"There are countless puzzle books available. However, it is very surprising that there is virtually almost none that gives a comprehensive overview with all of the frequent tactical motifs and themes that occur in practice. The ones that I am aware of are either largely incomplete, not systematic, without text, or old, and therefore the analysis contains lots of mistakes. The ambitious goal of this book is to fill this critical gap by addressing all of these issues.Each of the 25 Chapters contains a thorough introduction with the games best showcasing the motif at hand. Next, the puzzle sections specifically aim to reinforce the reader¿s pattern recognition. There are 365 training puzzles in total, and all of them have a 1-5 star value to show the level of difficulty. The solutions are given at the end of every chapter. This book is dedicated to ambitious players who want to improve their game, as well as for coaches to help their students get to the next level.¿ ¿ Peter Prohaszka

In my first volume of the Anti-Sicilians, we will be examining the Rossolimo variation. The Sveshnikov and Classical Sicilians, where Black begins with 2…Nc6, have consistently been a popular way for Black to acquire counter-attacking chances straight from the opening. These openings are the favorites of many top level Grandmasters; none more so than Magnus Carlsen, who most famously fashioned the Sveshnikov Sicilian against Fabiano Caruana in the 2018 World Championship match. The Rossolimo variation with 3.Bb5 is the clearest indication that we are attempting to frustrate Black’s counterplay. By delaying opening the center, we can simply wait for Black to show us how he intends to continue before we make any big commitments. Most importantly, we have the positional threat of Bxc6, which Black has to be wary of if he himself tries to open the center too quickly. In nearly all variations our principal aim is to achieve rapid development, ensuring optimal conditions for a timely central break. In the main three systems (3…d6, 3…e6 and 3…g6), my multiple suggestions are based on the dual concepts of playing as actively as possible, whilst simultaneously frustrating Black’s ideals. Our repertoire against 3…d6 emphasizes our ability to consistently interfere with Black’s co-ordination. We’ll immediately break open the center with 6.c3 and 7.d4, before attempting to create endless practical difficulties in the mainline with an e5- e6 push. It’s important to pay attention to the continuous theme of both pawn and exchange sacrifices, where piece quality is often prioritized over piece quantity. As usual, the various lines continuously offer ‘safer alternatives’ – which are by no means worse, but instead offer the opportunity to take the game in a different direction. Against 3…e6, I offer two alternatives: either playing critically with 4.0-0 and 5.d4, or frustrating Black’s development with 4.0-0 and 5.Re1. The first option will result in positions similar to Open Sicilians, except that Black has a slightly inferior knight on g6, as opposed to f6. The latter aims for optimal piece placement which will make it difficult for Black to open the centre – whereas we are ideally positioned to break with c2-c3 and d2-d4. 3…g6 is arguably the most critical line against the Rossolimo. As usual, I analysed two distinct options – either capturing on c6 immediately or playing 4.0-0 and 5.c3 with the aim of occupying the centre. In both lines, we’ll often encounter themes revolving around Black’s weakened dark-squares, as well as attempts to suppress Black’s g7-bishop with a strong e5-pawn. You will quickly realize that a combination of our own dynamic piece play, alongside attempting to create endless practical difficulties for our opponent, are at the heart of every variation we discuss.

Choosing the subject wasn't easy at all,since the topic of defense requires a comprehensive analysis from differentangles in order to give the chess player under pressure useful guidelinesduring a game. Of course, the technical part is a matter of findingchallenging, new and interesting positions. I was struggling with describingthe emotions that we have during the game, how they influence ourdecision-making process and what we can do about that. Hence, I tried the bestI could to define the issues the defender encounters during a stressful game.Finally I am confidently sharing with you the lessons that I learned from sportpsychologists and literature, and my experience as a player over 30 years.GM Jan Werle November 2021

Endgames with bishops versus knights are one of the most frequently occurring in chess. In his first volume international master and trainer Boroljub Zlatanovic, highlighted in his usual methodological way the concepts that can be mastered with a little effort. The book shows the key elements and different themes. By identifying mistakes made by even the best players, the author indicates the need for correct endgame technique with the light pieces. After practicing his conclusions, you soon will discover you are becoming a far more effective endgame player. This is Boroljub’s second book, after the highly acclaimed ‘Fundamental Chess Strategy in 100 Games’.

This book takes you along a most fascinating journey. Starting with chess games from the 19th Century and the foundation of the Belgium Chess Federation in 1920. Frank Hoffmeister sees this as a personal homage to the KBSB but also explains his personal views on the Belgian chess scene and developments.