Ideas Behind The Modern Chess Openings

A guide for keen chess players documenting the best attacking and defensive opening moves. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Presents information on the ideas and strategies for chess openings.

Modern Chess Openings is the best and most trusted tool for serious chess players on the market. First published over a half-century ago, this is a completely revised and updated edition of the book that has been the standard English language reference on chess openings. An invaluable resource for club and tournament players, it now includes information on recent matches and the most up-to-date theory on chess openings. Modern Chess Openings is ideal for intermediate players ready to elevate their game to the next level or International Grandmasters who want to stay on top of recent chess innovations.

This fully revised and updated book is a comprehensive examination of all chess openings relevant in today's chess-playing world -- from the classic gambits to the newest innovations -- with up-to-the-minute evaluations of all known variations.

"Speaking for myself and for players of my strength, Chess Openings: Theory and Practice is the greatest aid I have ever seen for preparing for a tournament. Speaking for all other players, the book is a "must." Current thinking on all important lines is meticulously presented, offering myriad, clear-cut ideas a completely new and effective arsenal of weapons. "-Samuel Reshevsky, United States Open Champion." Chess Openings Theory and Practice is a remarkable book, unequaled by any book of that era or since. It is not a mere openings book with long columns of moves followed at the end by punctuation marks such as + -- or =. It presents opening ideas and games, often including the first game where each opening was played, plus the history of the opening, the names of famous players who played this opening and the ideas and plans on which the opening is based. It provides "idea variations." These are variations that may not actually occur in actual practice, but are what you would play if given the chance. No other book does that, at least not in English and not to this extent.

This is an updated and largely expanded edition of the highly acclaimed Starting Out: The Sicilian. John Emms goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Sicilian and its many variations.

* The perfect survival guide to the chess openings * All openings covered * Detailed verbal explanations of plans for both sides * Up-to-date and featuring many tips and recommendations * Insights into the 'character' of each opening * Written by one of the world's foremost opening experts The first moves of a chess game define the nature of the whole struggle, as both players stake their claim to the critical squares and start to develop their plans. It is essential to play purposefully and to avoid falling into traps or reaching a position that you don't understand. This is not a book that provides masses of variations to memorize. Paul van der Sterren instead offers a wealth of ideas and explanation, together with the basic variations of each and every opening. This knowledge will equip players to succeed in the opening up to good club level, and provide a superb grounding in opening play on which to build a more sophisticated repertoire. The strategies he explains will, unlike ever-changing chess opening theory, remain valid as long as chess is played, and so the time spent studying this book will be rewarded many times over. Grandmaster Paul van der Sterren has won the Dutch Championship on two occasions, and in 1993 reached the Candidates stage of the World Chess Championship. He is an internationally renowned chess writer and editor: he was one of the founding editors of New in Chess, for whose Yearbooks he has contributed more than 150 opening surveys.