The Polish Defense

The Dawn of the Planet of the b-Pawns! “There can be no Plan B because there is no Planet B,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We disagree when it comes to chess. In this book you will see analyzed not only 1.d4 b5 (the Polish Defense) but also the St. George Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 a6 intending 3...b5), 1.Nf3 b5, also 1.f4 b5 and, most shocking of all, 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5. Grandmasters have lost to these systems; other Grandmasters even try them out themselves when they have the black pieces. No, an early ...b7-b5 is not Plan A. However, if you want to humiliate the opposition by being literally eccentric (off-center) and disrespectful ... Welcome to Planet B! After studying this book, I feel that you should be comfortable using the Polish Defense in your games; it will boost your creativity and will allow you to notch unexpected victories... Although the Polish may not be ideal as a full-time weapon, its version of unorthodoxy will embarrass your opponents, especially if you are well-armed to endure the opening phase. The present work ensures that this is accomplished and gives you valuable tips for the middlegame as well. – Grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias in his Foreword At the end of each chapter, there are fully annotated illustrative games, and at the very end of the book over a hundred unannotated games from recent practice have been added. In many respects, these represent the most important part of the book. These examples show what human players actually play and just how effective this underrated defense is.

2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. Poland Army, National Security and Defense Policy Handbook

This impressive book tracks the progress of twelve countries on five continents in moving resources from defense to civilian activity in the 1990's. Based on intensive field research, thanks to its truly international array of contributors, the book addresses each country with an impressive standard of scholarship. This accessible book is written i

Presents case studies of defense reform initiatives in more than twenty countries.

In early 2007, the Bush Admin. proposed deploying a ground-based mid-course defense element in Europe of the larger Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMD) to defend against an Iranian missile threat. On Sept. 17, 2009, the Obama Admin. canceled the Bush-proposed program. Instead, Defense Sec. Gates announced U.S. plans to deploy a regional BMD capability that can be deployed around the world on relatively short notice during crises or as the situation may demand. Contents of this report: (1) Recent Developments; (2) Historical Background: The Obama Admin.; (3) The Threat; (4) The Bush-Proposed System; (5) The Location; Poland; Czech Republic; (6) Debate in Poland and the Czech Republic; European/Russian Response. Illus.