Karpov On Karpov

One of the chess world's greatest champions describes his early start in the game, his winning of the world championship at age twenty-four, his bitter rivalry with Gary Kasparov, and his encounters with Bobby Fischer

• One of the world's greatest chess players reveals the secrets of how he plans his play • Packed with invaluable information on how to mobilise your forces, avoid threats and win the game • Illustrated with a wealth of annotated examples from the author's own games The legendary Anatoly Karpov has won over 250 Grandmaster tournaments, many more than any other player in chess history, and his games are characterised by his gradually and patiently pushing an opponent back to the wall, before finally finishing him off with a deadly blow. In this unique book, aimed at ordinary club players, Karpov gives a wealth of tips on how to incorporate this dramatic style of play into your own repertoire, through careful planning and evaluation of positions: looking at the fire-power of your forces, being aware of threats to your own king and how to safeguard it, and careful control of open lines. As he says himself: 'Finding the right plan is the key to success'. Warmily and accessibly written, but with Karpov's usual air of authority, this book makes you feel like you are spending an evening with the man himself, and will help you to absorb a little bit of the Karpov magic.

Anatoly Karpov is considered by many to be one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was the undisputed World Champion from 1975 to 1985, and also FIDE World Champion from 1993 to 1999. He was ranked the World's number one player for 90 months - second only to his greatest rival Garry Kasparov - and he won well over a hundred elite tournaments. Karpov possessed a deep positional understanding of the game and a fabulous intuitive feel for positions. His boa-constrictor style left many opponents wondering where exactly they went wrong. In this book, International Master Sam Collins selects and examines his favourite Karpov games, and shows us how we can all learn and improve our chess by studying Karpov's play. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge. Learn from the games of a chess legendImportant ideas absorbed by continued practiceUtilizes an ideal approach to chess study

64 chess games that chart Anatoly Karpov's illustrious career, from his early games as a young grandmaster on his way to the world title, through his ten years as undisputed champion, and the marathon battles against Kasparov. Karpov's play is shown to have become much more combative in the 1990s.

Károlyi has selected Karpov's most entertaining and instructive strategic wins from 1961-1985 as the Russian star proved he was a worthy successor to Bobby Fischer."--Page 4 of cover.