Steamrolling The Sicilian

Experienced grandmaster Sergey Kasparov presents a surprising way to combat The Sicilian Defence, Black’s most popular choice against 1.e4. White unbalances the position of his opponent right from the start, gains space and prepares to steamroll his way to victory. This repertoire is complete and contains many new ideas and improvements on existing opening theory. Kasparov writes lively, personal and highly instructive prose, and includes many exercises to test the amateur reader.

Doubled Pawns – Triumph or Trouble? There isn’t a chessplayer who hasn’t struggled with doubled pawns. Are they strong because they oversee and surveil important squares or reinforce defensive ramparts? Are they weak, prone to being collected by our opponent in the endgame – or sooner? The easy answer is that it depends on the position. But are there principles that may be applied to help evaluate positions with doubled pawns. “Yes!” says Belarusian grandmaster Sergey Kasparov. In the first work devoted exclusively to this topic, the author examines the various pawn structures in which doubled pawns appear. He also investigates doubled pawns in the context of specific openings. Contents include Doubled Pawns after the Capture g7xf6; Doubled Pawns in the Middle of the Board; Isolated Doubled Pawns; “Spanish” Formations; “French” Structures; Structures of the Sicilian Defense, Rossolimo Variation; Doubled Pawns on the c-file and much more. The discussion and explanation of each topic is carried on in the context of almost 150 annotated games. The author goes about his task in his inimitable style, making for an entertaining yet instructive treatment of his subject matter. About the Author International grandmaster Sergey Kasparov, with his popular writing style and insightful observations, is a favorite author and instructor in contemporary chess circles. Previous books include The Exchange Sacrifice: A Practical Guide (2016); The Dynamic Benko Gambit (2012); Steamrolling the Sicilian (2013); and A Cunning Chess Opening for Black (2015). He lives with his wife, women’s international master Tatiana Kasparova, in Belarus. This is his second book for Russell Enterprises.

Original Opening Ideas Sound – and Dangerous! Opening Originals focuses on both sound and dangerous opening ideas that have escaped wide notice. In some cases, they are artifacts of the past, too soon discarded and without good reason; in others, they are home-cooking, and may anticipate the future of theoretical developments. In all cases, the author’s explanations are concept-based, and little memorization is required. “Daniel Lowinger offers his readers a select menu of opening ideas from which you can pick and choose. Whether you are looking for new ideas to add to your repertoire in 1.e4, 1.d4 or 1.c4 openings; for White or for Black; sharp or quiet lines – this book has something for you! “[He looks] into lines that are not the most common, backing his ideas with thorough research and independent analysis.” – From the Foreword by Danish Grandmaster Lars Bo Hansen American master Dan Lowinger is an active player, coach and teacher. He is the author of the highly acclaimed “The 3...Qd8 Scandinavian.” He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER For millennia, Carthage’s triumph over Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. No general since has matched Hannibal’s most unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory. Now Robert L. O’Connell, one of the most admired names in military history, tells the whole story of Cannae for the first time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle, its causes and consequences. O’Connell brilliantly conveys how Rome amassed a giant army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him, and how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history ultimately led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire. Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the author paints powerful portraits of the leading players, from Hannibal—resolutely sane and uncannily strategic—to Scipio Africanus, the self-promoting Roman military tribune. Finally, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the lessons it teaches for our own wars.

Most chess games of beginners and post-beginners are decided by fairly straightforward tactics. Anyone who wants to progress beyond this level and become a strong club player or a candidate master, needs to understand that somewhat mysterious-looking resource, the positional sacrifice. International Master Merijn van Delft has studied and loved positional sacrifices for as long as he can remember. This non-forcing tool is not just a surprising and highly effective way of creating a decisive advantage during a game. Positional sacrifices are also instruments of superior beauty. Van Delft has created a unique thematic structure for all types of positional sacrifices. He shows the early historical examples, explains which long-term goals are typical for each fundamental theme and presents lots of instructive modern examples. He then concentrates on those sacrifices that have become standard features of positional play. Solving the exercises he has added will further enhance your skills. Playing a positional sacrifice will always require courage. Merijn van Delft takes you by the hand and not only teaches the essential technical know-how, he also helps you to recognize the opportunities when to take the plunge. Mastering Positional Sacrifices is bound to become a modern-day classic.

In many 1.d4 openings, Black has trouble getting his bishop on c8 into play. Former Russian Chess Champion Alexey Bezgodov presents a radical solution to this nagging problem; liberate your bishop right away and put it on f5 on the second move! Play 2...Bf5! against either 2.c4 or 2.Nf3 will surprise your opponent and is also a great way to support your development, because the bishop takes control of the important square e4. If White does not immediately take decisive action, then within a move or two he can relinquish any hopes on an opening advantage. Alexey Bezgodov has found some great antidotes to White's most dangerous reactions in sharp and attractive lines. To test your understanding of his system he has included more than 100 exercises. After studying the fresh ideas and the clear explanations presented in The Liberated Bishop Defence chess players of almost every strength will enjoy the flexibility of a surprising, effective and universal weapon against 1.d4.

Grandmaster Simon Williams was taught the English Opening at the age of six and 1 c4 was his weapon of choice until long after he became an International Master. For this new work, he teamed up with acclaimed theoretician International Master Richard Palliser to explore his old favourite. 1 c4 remains an excellent choice for the club and tournament player. This book focuses on the set-up popularised by the sixth world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, the so-called Botvinnik formation with 2 Nc3, 3 g3, 4 Bg2, 5 e4 and 6 Nge2. This system is compact but still aggressive and rewards an understanding of plans and strategies rather than rote memorisation of moves. In Opening Repertoire: The Iron English leading chess authors Simon Williams and Richard Palliser guide the reader through the complexities of this dynamic variation and carves out a repertoire for White. They examine all aspects of this highly complex opening and provide the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A dynamic and easy-to-play repertoire for White * Complete coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!

Grandmaster Sergey Kasparov presents an original and shrewd opening for Black against 1.e4, the most popular opening move among amateurs. After Black's third move, White is confronted with a stark choice: either to continue on the road of the calm Philidor Defence, or to immediately gain almost two tempi by forcing Black into an endgame that looks better for White, if not close to winning. This second option, however, is a treacherous road. White will walk into the Philidor Swamp in which he runs a big risk of getting stuck. Sergey Kasparov's style is fresh and humorous. He does not bother the amateur reader with variations of 15 or 20 moves deep, but concentrates on the plans and counterplans for both Black and White.