The Sicilian Kan is one of the most flexible and easy-to-play variations of the entire Sicilian complex. In contrast to opening monsters such as the infamous Dragon and Najdorf Variations, Black players are not forced to memorize massive chunks of opening theory. Success in the Sicilian Kan is more dependent on understanding certain principles and a system of development. Another point in its favor is that even more experienced White players are often flummoxed by Black s elastic approach. Recently the Kan has received a seal of approval from the highest places, with both Kasparov and Kramnik...

From a theoretical backwater to a fully blown main line opening, the rise of the Scandinavian Defence (1 e4 d5) has been nothing short of meteoric. Over the past 15 years the Scandinavian has become more and more popular both at club and Grandmaster level. It even managed to obtain an ultimate seal of approval when Vishy Anand employed it in his World Championship match with Garry Kasparov This book provides a complete update of Emms's original and best-selling edition of The Scandinavian, published in 1997. Since then there have been many new and important discoveries from both sides of the...

The King's Indian Attack was a firm favorite of the legendary Bobby Fischer, and more recently it has been utilized with great success by world-class Grandmasters such as Alexander Morozevich. The renowned chess coach Mark Dvoretsky regards the King's Indian Attack as a perfect weapon on which to base an opening repertoire. Its great advantage over other openings is that it's a thematic system that can be employed against many different lines, while the emphasis is on the understanding of ideas rather than the dry memorization of moves. The King's Indian Attack leads to rich middlegame...

In Discovering Chess Openings John Emms argues that studying openings doesn't have to be hard work - it can be both enjoyable and enlightening. The key to successful opening play is not simply learning lines off by heart; instead it's the understanding of the basic principles, and here the reader is guided through the vital themes: swift development, central control and king safety.

It is generally agreed that one of the best ways for a chess-player to improve is by constant practice and testing. The puzzles in this book provide a wealth of positions to test every facet of the reader's tactical skills, and have been selected by analyzing games new and old in search of original puzzle positions (rather than simply trawling through previous puzzle books as is all too often the case). It is therefore very unlikely that even seasoned solvers will recognize many of these positions

Everyman Chess present three new books in their highly praised and best-selling Starting Out series. The series continues with coverage of two very popular openings among club and tournament players: the Trompowsky Attack and the Torre Attack. Added to this, there s an updated and largely expanded edition of Starting Out: The Sicilian, the much acclaimed guide to the most popular opening in chess. The Starting Out series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming chess players. These books are ideal for enthusiastic players who have little...

Grandmaster John Emms revisits the Nimzo-Indian, his favourite opening for over 30 years. He shares his experience and knowledge, and continually challenges the reader to answer probing questions, thereby encouraging the learning and practising of vital opening skills.

Following the success of the 'Mammoth Book of Chess', this volume contains 125 of the greatest games of all time, analysed by a team of experts and illustrated with over 1000 diagrams.

Grandmaster John Emms presents a repertoire for White after 1 e4 e5, based on the Italian Game and the Bishop's Opening. The lines he recommends are built upon a sound yet aggressive system of development which can be deployed against virtually every Black defence. The emphasis is firmly on understanding and executing key positional and tactical ideas, rather than the arduous process of memorizing theory. Emms covers both the main variations and the tricky sidelines, and highlights crucial move-order subtleties. This book provides everything you need to know about playing the Italian Game and...

First Steps books are based around carefully selected instructive games which demonstrate exactly what both sides are trying to achieve. There is enough theory to enable the improving player to get to grips with the opening without feeling overwhelmed.