The Najdorf Sicilian has a unique place amongst chess openings: for several decades it has been regarded by the top grandmasters as the best way for Black to play soundly for a win against 1 e4. It was a particular favourite of World Champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov, and plays a vital role in the repertoires of current top players such as Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov. Black's stance is totally uncompromising. He accepts no organic weaknesses and stays flexible, ready to counterpunch in any part of the board. White has no safe or easy option. On the other hand, he does have a vast array of extremely dangerous attacking options, such as the old 6 Bg5 main line, which can lead to the Poisoned Pawn, a variation that has undergone much development in the 21st century. The current main line is 6 Be3, intending the English Attack. But given the Najdorf's importance, White has tried almost everything imaginable in the search for an advantage, with considerable bodies of theory evolving for lines that contain merely a drop of poison. In the ever-changing Najdorf landscape, it is easy to lose sight of the strategic backbone that underpins the Najdorf. In this book, James Rizzitano, a battle-hardened Sicilian warrior, distils the most important ideas and themes from current practice to provide an ideal guide for those looking to succeed as White or Black in the Najdorf in the modern scientific era.

The Sicilian Najdorf is one of Black's best and most combative responses to 1.e4. The Najdorf was championed by Fischer and Kasparov during their respective periods of dominance over the world chess scene, and has been used extensively by many other World Champions and elite GMs, including Anand, Gelfand, Topalov and Vachier-Lagrave to name but a few.Despite the Najdorf's obvious pedigree, many players are intimidated by the highly tactical and theoretical nature of some of its main lines. In Playing the Najdorf, IM David Vigorito shows that this need not be a problem, as he offers a complete repertoire for Black based on positional principles, offering sound recommendations which lead to a fighting game without turning the battle into a memory contest.

The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence continues to be extremely popular. Advocated by great fighting champions like Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer, this flexible, wonderfully rich system offers one of the best ways for Black to play for a win. Young Armenian grandmaster Zaven Andriasyan has developed and successfully employed his very own attacking repertoire for Black in the Najdorf. In this book he points out ways to avoid the most dangerous white systems, such as the English Attack, and presents ideas for Black to fight for the initiative the start. Revisiting all major Najdorf battlegrounds, Andriasyan challenges accepted views and sheds new light on this great opening. In his search of new paths he has found a great number of radical improvements, resulting in a complete, surprising and punchy repertoire. After you have read and studied Winning with the Najdorf Sicilian, you will be ready and happy to take on 1.e4 players at all times! Book jacket.

Chess Tactics Can Be Fun! This book is an introduction to the various kinds of basic chess tactics. With instructional material, examples, and problems of all types, the subject of chess tactics is covered comprehensively. There are approximately 500 examples ranging from too easy to very difficult! Tactics are usually why most people find chess fun! This book will greatly enhance your enjoyment learning about - and benefiting from - the recurring patterns of tactics. It is well established that the study of basic tactics is probably the single most important thing any beginner can do to improve at chess. This book will help you do that!

The Najdorf Sicilian is one of Black’s most respected and popular responses to 1 e4. It was favoured by those two titans of the game, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and in the modern game it features in the repertoire of many elite players. This rich opening creates a wealth of opportunities for vigorous attacks, causing most games to be tense and engaging. The Najdorf is that very rare thing – an opening for Black that is highly aggressive but is also recognised as being objectively sound. In this book, FIDE Master John Doknjas and National Master Joshua Doknjas navigate through the main lines of the Najdorf 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 middle-game plans. With thorough variations and explanations on pawn structures and piece placement, this book provides insight to both strong masters and less experienced players alike. The format is ideal for the chessplayer keen to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions – a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess 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 study chess while providing the best possible chance to retain what has been learnt.

As cutting edge opening theory and one of Black's most exciting defenses, the Najdorf variation is a favorite of counter-attacking players worldwide. An ideal battle manual with complete illustrative games that highlight both sides. Intermediate

The book you hold is the first work of GM Sethuraman and contains his efforts to find new paths and fresh perspectives on these two variations of these famous Sicilians. We hope you gain from information in this book as well as simply enjoy the games themselves.