Chess Duels


Book Description

He describes and analyses, in depth, his most memorable encounters-both famous victories and painful defeats, against the best chess players of the last 50 years. --




The Best I Saw in Chess


Book Description

At the U.S. Championship in 1989, Stuart Rachels seemed bound for the cellar. Ranked last and holding no IM norms, the 20-year-old amateur from Alabama was expected to get waxed by the American top GMs of the day that included Seirawan, Gulko, Dzindzichashvili, deFirmian, Benjamin and Browne. Instead, Rachels pulled off a gigantic upset and became the youngest U.S. Champion since Bobby Fischer. Three years later he retired from competitive chess, but he never stopped following the game. In this wide-ranging, elegantly written, and highly personal memoir, Stuart Rachels passes on his knowledge of chess. Included are his duels against legends such as Kasparov, Anand, Spassky, Ivanchuk, Gelfand and Miles, but the heart of the book is the explanation of chess ideas interwoven with his captivating stories. There are chapters on tactics, endings, blunders, middlegames, cheating incidents, and even on how to combat that rotten opening, the Réti. Rachels offers a complete and entertaining course in chess strategy. At the back are listed 110 principles of play—bits of wisdom that arise naturally in the book’s 24 chapters. Every chess player will find it difficult to put this sparkling book down. As a bonus, it will make you a better player.




Bobby Fischer's Games of Chess


Book Description

This is the only book ever written entirely by Bobby Fischer. It is not to be confused with other books with similar names that were written by other authors. Here is the blurb on the original dust jacket, as published in 1959: THERE ARE 34 games in this book. The 13 from the U.S. Championship Tournament of 1957-58 and the prize-winning "Game of the Century" from the Third Rosenwald Trophy Tournament are penetratingly analyzed by Bobby Fischer, whose annotations provide invaluable instructions to the chess player of either average or advanced ability. In addition, this book includes the scores of Bobby Fischer's 20 games from the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal Tournament in which he played against the world's elite in chess, among them Tal, Gligorich, Petrosyan, and Bronstein. The games in this book reveal Bobby Fischer's brilliance in middle and end-game strategy, and also the latest and soundest treatments of popular openings-in particular, the Sicilian and King's Indian defenses. By playing these games over, the reader will become familiar with the patterns of the latest and soundest lines in chess, and will automatically begin to make stronger moves in his own games. At the age of fifteen, Bobby Fischer was the youngest international grandmaster of all time. He lives in Brooklyn, was a junior at Erasmus Hall High School, and looking forward to the 1959 Candidates' Tournament, the winner of which challenges Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship. About the Author At the age of fifteen, Bobby Fischer was the youngest international grandmaster of chess of all time. He lived in Brooklyn, was a junior at Erasmus Hall High School, and was looking forward to the 1959 Candidates'Tournament, the winner of which challenged Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship.




Bobby Fischer Goes to War


Book Description

'The most famous chess match of all time reconstructed in a style as compelling as that of a thriller.'Irish Times For decades, the USSR had dominated world chess. Evidence, according to Moscow, of the superiority of the Soviet system. But in 1972 along came the American, Bobby Fischer: insolent, arrogant, abusive, vain, greedy, vulgar, bigoted, paranoid and obsessive - and apparently unstoppable. Against him was Boris Spassky: complex, sensitive, the most un-Soviet of champions. As the authors reveal, when Spassky began to lose, the KGB decided to step in . . . 'The authors build to a crescendo with fascinating details, taking the reader inside the two camps in Reykjavik . . . General readers will savor a marvelous portrait of East against West, with perceived societal superiority as the real prize.' Kirkus Reviews 'Pure drama . . . The most cool, ruthless and rational player the world has ever seen.' Independent 'Fischer seemed to thrive on complaints, tantrums and ultimatums, treating the exercise as a game, not of chess but of Chicken . . . It is precisely these factors that make for such a gripping read.' Sunday Times




Spassky


Book Description

Cafferty covers the career of the brilliantly aggressive and stunningly speculative Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky through where he conquers Petrosian, on to the celebrated match of the century against the mercurial Bobby Fischer. Contains the very best of Boris Spassky.







Spassky: Move by Move


Book Description

Boris Spassky is one of the greatest chess players in the history of the game. He was the World Champion for three years, after winning the title by beating Tigran Petrosian. His name is forever linked with his great rival Bobby Fischer and their epic 1972 ‘Match of the Century’, which did so much to popularize the game throughout the world. Over the board, Spassky is renowned for his universal style, as he was equally skilled in all phases on the game. In Spassky’s best games his pieces seemed to combine together in perfect harmony, and he produced a number of memorable masterpieces. In this book, Grandmaster Zenón Franco examines in detail Spassky’s chess style, selects and studies his favourite Spassky games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Spassky’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




Both Sides of the Chessboard


Book Description

The definitive analysis of this seminal chess match in 1972, with a new introduction by Sam Sloane.




He's Got Moves


Book Description

Chess prodigy Oliver Boydell breaks down 25 of the most riveting games ever played. From Adolf Anderssen's victory over Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851 to Magnus Carlsen's online triumph against Anish Giri in 2020, Boydell educates and entertains fellow lovers of the game with his sharp analysis. Among the legendary players included in this volume are: Mikhail Botvinnik, Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Judit Polgar, Akiba Rubinstein, Boris Spassky, and many more. ADVANCE PRAISE: "Oliver has assembled some of the world's best chess games into a superbly integrated volume. Young or old, new to the game or experienced, readers will find Oliver Boydell's first book to be a touchstone for challenge and inspiration." -NM Bruce Pandolfini "Oliver has taken the classics and put his personal spin on them for chess lovers everywhere to understand." -GM Maurice Ashley "There are big moments, thematic lessons, and Socratic questioning. Above all, you'll feel the joy of a young chess player's passion in the analysis. How could you not be inspired?" -FM Mike Klein ("FunMasterMike")