The Chesscafe Puzzle Book 1

This very instructive book combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the emphasis here is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. Tactics is a very important part of the game of chess and conscientious study and application of tactical principles is crucial to success. This book offers every type of tactical motif imaginable, from the more common back rank mates, pins, skewers, forks, up to and including some beautiful and rare combinations. This tactical book will prove exceptionally useful for a wide range of players, intermediate through master strength and beyond.

The ChessCafe Puzzle Books! We are pleased to offer excerpts from three of the most popular chess books available today. They are The ChessCafe Puzzle Books 1 and 2 by German grandmaster Karsten Müller and Book 3, also by Müller, and in cooperation with Dutch international master Merijn van Delft. All three books are available in both traditional, hard copy and electronic editions. The original books are published in figurine algebraic notation, with Informant-style evaluation symbols. For this Puzzle Sampler, we have converted the notation to simple English algebraic and replaced the Informant-style evaluation symbols with text. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 1 combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the great emphasis is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. From CCPB1, four puzzles with different tactical themes (please note that the actual numbering of the puzzles has been changed for this Kindle edition). It is Black to move in Puzzles 1 and 2, White to move and Puzzles 3 and 4. Solutions are immediately after the four puzzles. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 2 takes on the more difficult and less tangible aspect of positional play. As most chess instructors and players know, it is much more difficult to teach and learn strategic concepts than tactics. The author not only presents puzzles to solve, but also presents examples of different strategic ideas. Here is an excerpt from the section about Outposts. One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In the third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, international grandmaster Karsten Müller, along with international master Merijn van Delft, examines and expounds upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. From CCPB3, three puzzles with different themes (please note that the actual numbering of the puzzles has been changed for this Kindle edition). It is Black to move in all three puzzles. Solutions are immediately after the three puzzles.

German Grandmaster Karsten Müller combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the great emphasis is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. From the Author's Preface: "When coaching young players I have always given them a set of tactical exercises as homework, like my trainers did when I was young. I have benefited greatly from this, and still do. I have decided that it is best to sort the tactics by motifs first. This will help your pattern recognition, an extremely important skill." "I strongly believe that tactics is a very important part of the game of chess; the conscientious study and application of tactical principles have helped my sisters and me a great deal throughout our careers. I absolutely agree with the well-known maxim: Chess is 99% tactics. "This book offers every type of tactical motif imaginable, from the more common back rank mates, pins, skewers, forks and the like up to and including some of the most beautiful and rare combinations. This is a tactical book that will prove exceptionally useful for a wide range of players, intermediate through master strength and even beyond. I can heartily give this book two thumbs up. It will help you develop and improve your tactical skills tremendously." – From the Foreword by Women’s World Champion, International Grandmaster Susan Polgar.

Defend to the End! One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In this third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merij van Delft examine and expound upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. Major topics include (1) Principles and methods of defending; (2) Defending against a direct attack on the king; (3) Countering the initiative; (4) Saving the draw; (5) Passive versus active defense; and (6) Use and development of counterplay. Many of the world s greatest players Steinitz, Lasker, Petrosian were famous for their legendary defensive skills. Now International Grandmaster Karsten Müller along with International Master Merijn van Delft will show you how you can Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill.

Defend to the End! One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In this third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, International Grandmaster Karsten Mueller, along with International Master Merijn van Delft, examines and expounds upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. Major topics include (1) Principles and methods of defending; (2) Defending against a direct attack on the king; (3) Countering the initiative; (4) Saving the draw; (5) Passive versus active defense; and (6) Use and development of counterplay. Many of the world's greatest players - Steinitz, Lasker, Petrosian - were famous for their legendary defensive skills. Now International Grandmaster Karsten Mueller along with International Master Merijn van Delft will show you how you can Test and Improve Your Defensive Skill.

Welcome to The Chess Puzzle Book 4! - It mostly deals with the important technical question of how to convert a static advantage. As noted by Mark Dvoretsky in his Foreword: "I cannot think of any books with high-quality exercises regarding such topics as domination, the - do not hurry” principle, the principle of two weaknesses, etc., all of which are discussed by Müller and his co-author Alexander Markgraf ... I hope that you enjoy this new book by Müller and Markgraf and I encourage you to seriously study the positions discussed in the book. As a result, you will significantly progress in your understanding of chess and improve your results.” Topics include Prophylaxis, The Principle of Two Weaknesses, The Right Exchange, Domination, Do Not Rush, and Converting an Advantage. There are also many well-chosen exercises with comprehensive solutions to help guide and instruct the reader. The Chess Puzzle Book 4 is the fourth volume in the series formerly known as the ChessCafe Puzzle Books.

When I decided to make a chess puzzle book I had many ideas in mind: The puzzles should be challenging but not so difficult that a chessboard is needed they can be solved on the train, plane or wherever you happen to be when you have a few minutes to spare. The positions should be educational with some instructive point to the solution. I have generally stuck to that, but I also selected many puzzles just because they were fun. The positions are all from fairly recent games, so that the reader will not have seen them before in older puzzle books. John Shaw is a chess grandmaster who has been Scottish Chess Champion three times.

A unique instructional chess book that aims to help intermediate and advanced players improve their command of one of the most difficult aspects of playing chess - strategy. It does so by offering a large number of examples, carefully selected by the author, German grandmaster Karsten Mller. While there are many books and software programs available to assist chess players in improving their tactical ability, there are relatively few that focus on strategic and positional considerations. And, as most chess instructors and players know, it is much more difficult to teach and learn strategic concepts than tactics. Topics include: Good and Bad Bishops; Domination; Outposts; Undermining; Opening the Position; Blockade; Improving Piece Placement; Prophylaxis; A Second Front and The Principle of Two Weaknesses; Counterplay; Positional Exchange Sacrifice; Simplification; and Weak Color Complex along with targeted exercises.