Chess in the Movies


Book Description




Chess Movies 1


Book Description

Lights! Action! Chess! Chess Movies represents a new idea in the Pandolfini Chess Library series. It offers instructional material with every single move diagrammed and explained. Thus a chessboard and pieces are not needed to follow through. This makes it possible to rely solely on the book itself, as one would with a text on tactics and problems, without having to set up the positions, even though the present volume, Quick Tricks, contains games of ten full moves or more. It’s almost as if one is sitting in a movie theater, watching the film roll by, with the narrative carried along by subtitles. But whereas a film seen in the theater just keeps going, here you can “stop” the action and take time thinking about what you’re seeing and what’s being explained to you, as if you were home watching on your own DVD. In this first offering of the series, Quick Tricks, the reader (viewer) is provided with a collection 64 neat traps and shots in the opening, illustrations often stemming from the practice of the world’s best players. There’s a variety too, so that you can sample different openings and variations. All you have to do is read the beginning paragraph, sit back in your living room, on your favorite flight, commuter bus or train ride, and pleasure your way through each informative film. It’s also a great way to prepare for upcoming competition. Just find a comfortable chair and spend a few hours watching, learning, and enjoying your way into shape.




Philosophy Looks at Chess


Book Description

Chess, the ancient strategy game, meets the latest, cutting-edge philosophy in this unique book. When 12 philosophers weigh in on one of the world's oldest and most beloved pastimes, the results are often surprising. Philosophical concepts as varied as phenomenology and determinism share the page with a treatise on hip-hop chess tactics and the question of whether Garry Kasparov is, in fact, a cyborg. Putting forth a remarkable array of different views on chess from philosophers with varied chess-proficiency, Philosophy Looks at Chess is an engaging read for chess adherents and the philosophically inclined alike.




Chess Movies 2


Book Description

The Pandolfini Chess Library Chess Movies represents a new idea in the Pandolfini Chess Library series. It offers instructional material with every single move diagrammed and explained. Thus a chessboard and pieces are not needed to follow through. This makes it possible to rely solely on the book itself, as one would with a text on tactics and problems, without having to set up the positions. It’s almost as if one is sitting in a movie theater, watching the film roll by, with the narrative carried along by subtitles. But whereas a film seen in the theater just keeps going, here you can “stop” the action and take time thinking about what you’re seeing and what’s being explained to you, as if you were home watching on your own DVD. In this second volume of the Chess Movies series, The Means and Ends, the enthusiast is presented with an assortment of 64 precisely finessed and well-executed endgames from the oeuvres of the world’s foremost chess gladiators. Lasker, Rubinstein, Capablanca, Karpov, Fischer, Anand and other chess gods, offered in stratagem, maneuver, and insightful simplification, provide the subject matter for this newest collection of chess cinema. Taking off from volume 1 of the Chess Movies series, the present volume shows the other end of successful chess play, the actual final moves of winning endgames. Read and watch on, and may all of you play happily ever after.




ChessBase Complete


Book Description

ChessBase Step-by-Step There’s a general recognition among chess players at all levels that the ChessBase software application is critical for serious chess improvement, but many chess players are intimidated by the software. Now, for the first time, former U.S. correspondence champion Jon Edwards has created real-life scenarios that focus upon why the software is so important for chess players of every class, along with clear explanations of how to use ChessBase. The author will show you how, with ChessBase: (1) Opening preparation is quick, comprehensive, fully-up-to-date, and effective; (2) You can quickly locate and review important games in every opening, middlegame type, and endgame; (3) You can instantly see what worldwide engines think about most opening and many middlegame positions; (4) You can instantly see where you and your opponents erred; (5) You can reliably prepare chess books for publication in print or on the web... And much, much more! There is in fact no aspect of using ChessBase which Edwards does not cover. It is all here, and all in one volume! Know simply that ChessBase is instrumental to every aspect of chess. This book explains how the software can help you to improve your play, your learning, your teaching, your writing, or simply your love of and enthusiasm for the game. Jon Edwards explains all that you will need to know with concrete examples and simple instructions. After that, how strong a chess player, how good a chess teacher, how good a chess author you become is truly up to you. Note: ChessBase 12 is featured in this book. The new ChessBase 13 will be available near the end of 2014. ChessBase has confirmed that the program features and interface described within this book are not expected to change.




Chess Lists, 2d ed.


Book Description

The best, the worst, the shortest, the oddest, the longest, the most deceitful, the most memorable, the most brilliant, the dumbest--of players, games, matches, tournaments, books, ideas, etc. The lists are replete with background detail and exact facts--this second edition of Soltis's classic 1984 book is altogether an essential part of any chess collection and a browser's delight. The new edition contains 25 percent more lists, games, diagrams and annotations. The majority of lists from the first edition have been updated or expanded--or both.




Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess


Book Description

From America’s foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit comes a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of the game, to improve your technique whether you are a newcomer or a longtime fan. One of America's best-known chess masters, Bruce Pandolfini has helped millions learn the intricacies of chess through his acclaimed books and workshops. In this exciting volume, he presents a complete overview of the entire game and its culture. Structured as a dialogue between a beginning student and an expert teacher, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess takes the student step-by-step from fundamentals to advanced, highly strategic play. Combining easy-to-follow diagrams with trenchant and up-to-date analysis, Pandolfini puts a new twist on accepted chess theory, offering a seamless beginning-to-end approach, including: • a short introductory history of the game • the moves, rules, and contemporary notation forms • the basic principles of chess • how to develop an opening repertoire • the art of tactical play • pattern recognition and memory aids • traps and pitfalls to be avoided • middlegame play, strategy, and planning • defense and counterattack • transitions to the endgame and the endgame itself • computers and the future of chess • the best websites for playing chess online With Pandolfini's expert insight into the history and modern world of chess, as well as several appendices to enhance play and appreciation, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess makes the perfect gift for players of all ages and will be the benchmark title for chess players for years to come.




ChessBase Complete


Book Description

Updating a Classic! Five years ago, when ChessBase Complete was released, it was an instant sensation. For the first time ever, a comprehensive manual for one of the most popular chess programs was available. It covered ChessBase through version 12. Since then, ChessBase has introduced three new versions and a remarkable (and free) suite of online tools for the world wide web. Many new and powerful functions have been added, all with an eye towards ease-of-use. This Supplement updates the original ChessBase Complete, and once again gives the chess community the opportunity to make the most of this remarkable software. Searches are much more powerful, analysis has been automated, and we can now take full advantage of storing and sharing our data in a “chess cloud.” While this Supplement should be helpful to all ChessBase users, it builds upon the original edition. If you do not already have the first edition, you may wish to consider getting it. ChessBase Complete and this Supplement should make your chess time much more productive and enjoyable and, with the software at hand, vastly accelerate your chess improvement. About the Author: Jon Edwards recently qualified for the World Correspondence Chess Championship final round. He won the 10th United States Correspondence Championship in 1997 and the 8th North American Invitational Correspondence Chess Championship in 1999. He is a four-time winner of the APCT (American Postal Chess Tournaments) Championship and has been awarded the APCT Game of the Year Award twice. He received his correspondence International Master (IM) in 1997, his Senior International Master (SIM) in 1999. He is currently fighting for his final grandmaster norm in the prestigious ICCF Spanish Masters. He has competed on the United States Correspondence Chess Olympiad team competing, reaching the final round. His correspondence ICCF rating places him the top 100 correspondence chess players worldwide. In addition to the extremely popular ChessBase Complete, Jon has written more than a dozen chess books, including The Chess Analyst (Thinkers Press 1999) which chronicles the success in the US championship; Teach Yourself Visually: Chess (Wiley 2006); a photographically based chess primer; and Sacking the Citadel: The History, Theory, and Practice of the Classic Bishop Sacrifice (Russell Enterprises 2011). He also writes a regular column on Chess Technology for the American Chess Magazine.




Learn Chess the Right Way


Book Description

The Polgar Way to Better Chess! Learn Chess the Right Way is a five-volume chess puzzle book series aimed at the novice, beginner and intermediate level player, using the unique methods of the award-winning coach and former world champion Susan Polgar. It introduces the most important checkmate and material-winning tactics, as well as defensive techniques to the new chess player. Each of the five volumes consist of over 500 puzzles. Book 5 focuses on learning how to find the right continuation in critical positions of a chess game. The first part of the book includes learning about “quiet” but powerful moves, including ones that result in “Zugzwang.” Building on the knowledge acquired throughout the entire series, in the second part of this volume, in the “Grand Test,” the reader can practice on familiar patterns with real-game-like situations emphasizing how to gain a significant material advantage or checkmate. With over 40 years of experience as a world-class player and coach, international grandmaster Susan Polgar has developed the most effective way to help young players and beginners – Learn Chess the Right Way. Let her show you the way to understanding the most common and critical patterns and let her show you the way to becoming a better player. SUSAN POLGAR is a winner of four Women’s World Championships and the top-ranked woman chess player in the United States. She became the #1 woman player in the world at 15 and remained in the top 3 for over 20 years. In 2013, she received the U.S. Coach of the Year Award and the following year, she was named the Chess Trainer of the Year by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). She thus became the first person in history to be accorded both honors. Under her guidance, SPICE chess teams at both Texas Tech University and Webster University have won a combined seven consecutive National Division I Collegiate Chess Championships.




Bullet Chess


Book Description

Chess in the Fast Lane! Can anyone play a decent game of chess in one minute? Surprisingly, the answer is "Yes" as this unique book reveals. "Bullet” chess, where each player has one minute for the entire game, has attracted thousands of followers since it was popularized on the internet a decade ago. In this book the authors discuss the relationship between the position on the board and time on the clock, the techniques and dangers of "pre-moving,” bullet openings, the importance of the initiative and consistent strategy, and how endings are different in bullet chess. The authors also explore the psychology of bullet chess and the most common causes of tactical oversights and blunders. The many examples illustrate the principles of bullet chess and how they may even apply to blitz chess and time scrambles in standard chess. Most of all, bullet chess is shown to be entertaining and addictive, and not at all as random as it first appears.