New update includes the exciting games and moves of the newest World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik. This serious reference work covers the essential opening theory and moves of every major chess opening and variation as played by the world champions. Reading as much like an encyclopedia of the must-know openings crucial to every chess player's knowledge as a powerful tool showing the insights, concepts and secrets as used by the greatest players of all time, WCO covers an astounding 100 variations of crucial openings in full conceptual detail with more than 100 actual games from the champs themselves. A must-have book for serious chess players.

This great beginning book shows players how to confidently start out a chess game with solid near-foolproof openings. Easy-to-read and targeted to novice and new chess players, the oversized format is filled with large diagrams, clear explanations, and ideas and concepts that are easy for new players. Even better, no knowledge of chess notation is required, nor does the reader need to memorize variations. Everything learned becomes common sense and the game becomes fun. Schiller, an ardent teacher of children and beginning players, shows the top ten most important chess openings and teaches readers the importance of focusing on the four clear goals of the opening. This book makes us want to learn chess all over again! 160 pages

Wilhelm Steinitz, the winner of the first official World Chess Championship in 1886, would have rubbed his eyes in disbelieve if he could have seen how popular chess is today. With millions of players all around the world, live internet transmissions of major and minor competitions, and educational programs in thousands of schools, chess has truly become a global passion. And what would Steinitz, who had financial problems his whole life and died in poverty, have thought of the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen, who became a multi-millionaire in his early twenties just by playing great chess? The history of the World Chess Championship reflects these enormous changes, and Andre Schulz tells the stories of the title fights in fascinating detail: the historical and social backgrounds, the prize money and the rules, the seconds and other helpers, and the psychological wars on and off the board. Relive the magic of Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, Karpov, Kasparov, Bobby Fischer and the others! Andre Schulz has selected one defining game from each championship, and he explains the moves of the Champions in a way that is easily accessible for amateur players. This is a book that no true chess lover wants to miss.

The Ultimate Fischer Collection! The Chess Publishing Event of the Decade! The years after the Second World War saw international chess dominated by the Soviets Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian and then Spassky held the world crown, treating it as if it were almost an integral part of their country s heritage. There were occasional flashes of brilliance in the West Reshevsky, Najdorf, and later Larsen but no one really mounted a serious challenge to the Russian hegemony. Then, in the mid-1950s, a lone genius from Brooklyn emerged. Obsessed with chess, all his waking hours became devoted to finding truth on the 64 squares. It was an unrelenting, sometimes frustrating quest, but he persevered, eventually emerging as perhaps the greatest natural chess talent ever. It was clear from his early years as a gifted prodigy through his stormy ascent of the Chess Olympus, no one had ever rocked the chess world quite like Bobby Fischer. His raw genius for the royal game, combined with an indefatigable will to win, made him one of the most feared chessplayers of all time a genuine living legend. Now, for the first time, every single one of his tournament and match games is presented with insightful explanations and analysis. Best-selling chess author, German International Grandmaster Karsten Muller, annotates each game of the player many believe to be the greatest of all time. All 736 serious tournament games are supplemented by crosstables of every major tournament and match in which Fischer participated, dozens of archival photographs, along with brief comments and observations putting the play of the great champion into historical perspective.

This aggressive counterattacking repertoire covers Black opening systems against virtually every opening except for 1.e4 (plus most flank games), based on the exciting and powerful Tarrasch Defense, which helped win Kasparov and Spassky championships. Black learns the Classical Tarrasch, Symmetrical Tarrasch, Asymmetrical Tarrasch, Marshall and Tarrasch gambits, and Tarrasch without Nc3, to achieve early equality or even an outright advantage in the first few moves. This is an important opening book for aggressive players looking for an edge. 288 pages