Byron Jacobs

540 chess puzzle positions to solve. Think like a grandmaster with this ultimate test of chess skill, drawn from the pages of The Times. Byron Jacobs challenges you to find the critical move that turned the tide or sealed the win. Pit your wits against the likes of Kasparov, Carlsen and other elite players. Can you spot the breakthrough they found? Whether you're sharpening your tactics or looking for a daily brain workout, this collection of puzzles will train your eye, stretch your mind, and deepen your understanding of the game. · Aimed at chess players looking to improve their game strategy · Positions drawn from tournament games between top players · Commentary on each scenario

The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure, while at the top it's played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich. With his first two moves Black obtains a substantial foothold in the centre, and a structure that is incredibly difficult to break down. In this user-friendly book, International Master Byron Jacobs revisits the basic principles behind the French Defence and all of its variations. Throughout the reader is helped along by a wealth of notes, tips, warnings and exercises. This book is ideal for the improving player. The Caro-Kann Defence has a well-deserved and established reputation as an incredibly solid and, at the same time, dynamic defence to 1 e4. The Caro-Kann appeals to all types of players, but is especially useful to black players who prefer a sound platform on which to build and who are resourceful in both defence and counter-attack. Star players who enjoy using the Caro-Kann include Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and the legendary Anatoly Karpov. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster Joe Gallagher goes back to the basics of the Caro-Kann, studying the key principles of its many variations. Throughout the book there is an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while important strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, play 1…b6! a dynamic and hypermodern opening system for Black by Christian Bauer and Nimzo Larsen Attack by Byron Jacobs and Jonathan Tait, brought together in one volume. ----- Fed up with getting difficult positions with the black pieces? Tired of always having to keep up with all the latest developments. Take a break from the mountains of opening theory and play 1...b6! With the move, preparing a bishop fianchetto, Black immediately directs the game into relatively uncharted territory, one where White players are not able to sit back and rely on their 'opening book' knowledge. ----- The real beauty of 1...b6 is that it can be played against virtually every single first move by White, so it is a perfect choice for Black players with neither the time nor inclination to memorise a multitude of different defences. Despite being relatively unexplored, 1...b6 has been the weapon of some dynamic and uncompromising world-class players, including Britain's first Grandmaster, the late Tony Miles. ----- In this revolutionary book, Christian Bauer reveals for the first time the secrets of how to play 1...b6 with success. He takes an in-depth look at both the main lines and White's more offbeat tries, creating a comprehensive repertoire for the Black player and highlighting the tactical and positional ideas for both players. ----- In Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Byron Jacobs and Jonathan Tait explain how you can use this dynamic opening to attack your opponent from move one. The Nimzo-Larsen Attack has been unfairly neglected in recent times, and this book aims to redress the balance.

This match between the number one and number two ranked players in the world is one of the most eagerly-awaited World Championship clashes of recent years. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen first gained the title in 2013 when he beat Viswanathan Anand. He has already successfully defended his title twice, against Anand in 2014 and against Sergey Karjakin in 2016. Carlsen has been the highest ranked player in the world since July 2011. ***** His challenger, Fabiano Caruana, has been playing brilliantly in the run-up to the championship, registering numerous tournament victories against elite competition. He gained the right to challenge Carlsen thanks to a superb victory in the Berlin Candidates event early in 2018 where he scored 9/14, finishing a point clear of the best players in the world. Prior to the match he has drawn to within three points of the champion on the current ratings (Carlsen is 2835, Caruana 2832). Caruana is the first American since the legendary Bobby Fischer to play a match for the supreme title. ----- * All match games analysed in great detail. --- * Portraits of the protagonists with key games and moments from their careers. --- * History of the World Chess Championship.

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, French Classical by Byron Jacobs and French Winawer by Neil McDonald, brought together in one volume. In French Classical International Master Byron Jacobs offers a fresh look at the Classical variation of the French Defence, which has been popular for nearly a century and is championed by such fighting players as Victor Korchnoi and Alexander Morozevich. All of the important variations are considered in detail with particular emphasis on those which are most fashionable. A modern look at the highly fashionable French Winawer, which remains the sharpest variation of the French Defence. It leads to the kind of dynamic positions in which the better prepared and more aggressive player will invariably prevail. Leading expert Neil McDonald explains the strategy and tactics of this exciting opening in a clear and concise manner.

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, Mastering the Opening by Byron Jacobs and Mastering the Middlegame by Angus Dunnington in one volume. These books are ideal for keen club players who want to improve and are seeking to better their understanding of these key stages of a chess game: the opening, when the battle lines are drawn and the middlegame when the armies commence hand to hand combat. Both books are written in a user-friendly style with plenty of notes, tips and warnings to illustrate key points. The authors are experienced at writing for players of all levels and are particularly noted for their ability to explain ideas in a clear and straightforward fashion. The books are particularly useful for those players who honed their skills with the earlier Everyman Chess books Improve Your Opening Play and Improve Your Middlegame Play.

Three brilliant books from Everyman Chess in One volume and an essential guide to to the new chess player. Starting Out in Chess by Byron Jacobs Rapid Chess Improvement by Michael de la Maza Tips for Young Players by Matthew Sadler Starting Out in Chess: International Master Byron Jacobs provides a thorough grounding of the game. This is the first book in the Starting Out series and is for newcomers to chess and those looking to improve their game. Rapid Chess Improvement is the ideal book for serious adult players who want to improve. It describes a study plan which came about thanks to a re-evaluation of standard chess teaching and includes several unique components aimed at improving deficiencies in the play of adult players.This book is the only one of its kind for the simple reason that it has been written by an author who hugely improved his own rating over a 12 month period by following his own advice. He therefore fully understands the challenges faced by enthusiastic players who are relatively new to the game. This is in sharp contrast to most books aimed at this level which are usually written by very strong players who have long forgotten what it feels like to be starting out in the game. Tips for Young Players: Grandmaster Matthew Sadler, answers key questions such as: Which openings should I play ? How do I learn to spot tactics? What do I need to know about the endgame?

Chris Moorman is the most successful online poker tournament player in history. Leads the industry with more than $11 million in online cashesExcels on the tournament circuit with over $4 million live cashesPlaced in the top three in online tournaments 651 times to dateMany strong poker players have written books explaining their thought processes. However, players at the low- to mid-stakes who want to advance to the highest levels find the leap a daunting one. Chris, through years of hard work, has achieved this advance and now wants to help you do the same. Moorman's Book of Poker has a unique approach. Chris analyzes 80 tournament hand histories played by co-author Byron Jacobs--a typical mid-stakes player. The adoption of a coaching format allows Chris to explain in clear detail exactly what is needed to progress to the next level of expertise.

This book will help plan a campaign in order to join the ranks of the consistently winning players. There is a great deal more to being a successful poker player than simply knowing how to play a good game. Playing good poker is largely a technical skill which can be learned. Being a consistently successful player is much harder and necessitates acquiring expertise in many other areas. Byron Jacobs has been a successful online poker player for seven years. In this book he identifies precisely how this can be achieved and shows how much of the battle actually needs to be conducted away from the table. If you already play a fair game of poker but want to become one of the very few players who consistently play well", then you need this book. The concepts discussed in this book are brought into clear focus on the accompanying 180 minute video CD where the author can be seen explaining his decision-making process.

Five years ago Internet Poker barely existed. Now, a poker revolution has occurred and at any given moment tens of thousands of players are playing poker for real money from their own homes. There are dozens of sites offering hundreds of different games. Whether you want to play for big stakes, modest stakes or just for fun money, you can log on and find a suitable live game within seconds. There are many variants of Poker but Limit Hold'em is the game. Approximately 50% of on-line players are playing Limit Hold'em. If you want to join them, then this is the book for you. Most people have a rough idea how to play poker, but the Beginners Guide to Limit Hold'em assumes no prior knowledge and builds from the absolute basics. Experienced author and successful on-line poker player Byron Jacobs provides newcomers to the game with a thorough grounding in the rules and the basic principles. Beginners Guide to Limit Hold'em deals with every aspect of playing limit hold'em on-line including the rules, etiquette, basic strategy, bankroll management and site and game selection. Poker is a fun game, but it is more fun when you win. This book will provide you with sufficient knowledge to commence your poker career as a winning player at small stakes games. Learn Limit Hold'em from scratch or brush up on the basics Extensive hints and tips make key advice easy to remember Numerous problems allow you to guage your understanding of key ideas

There are numerous variants of Poker but the most popular, both in cardrooms and on-line, is Limit Hold ‘em. There are literally thousands of tables permanently available on-line and anyone who wants a game can play anywhere in the world at any time. This book will be of tremendous value to anyone who has some experience of Limit Hold’Em and is looking to improve their understanding of this exciting game. The material is presented in a novel test-yourself format, which simulates live action play by inviting the reader to consider the best course of action at each stage of a hand. All features of the game are discussed within the hands and readers can assess their understanding by comparing their decisions with those of the experts. * Limit Hold’em is the most popular form of Poker * Highly entertaining and instructive test-yourself format * Ideal primer for both on-line and live action players Byron Jacobs is a publisher and author specialising in games and leisure. As with many Poker players, his enthusiasm for games originates with chess, where he holds the title of international master and is the author of many popular chess books. He has now switched his attention to Poker and has become a successful on-line Limit Hold’em player. Jim Brier is well known to serious hold em players as the author (with Bob Ciaffone) of Middle Limit Hold'em, and also as a columnist for Card Player Magazine.

A companion volume to Two Opening Repertoires for White: Volume 1, this book details some more aggressive strategies in the opening for White again based on the key move 1d4! Together the two volumes give ambitious White players a complete arsenal of choice against all Black defences. The companion volume is Two Opening Repertoires for White: Volume 1: Keeping control with White

The King's Indian is noted as a dynamic counter-attacking defence par excellence. This book describes the key strategies for both sides in the main lines such as the Fianchetto variation, the Petrosian system, the Samisch/ Four Pawns attack and Averbakh. Analysis is backed up with verbal explanation making this book an ideal introduction for those wishing to take up or face the King's Indian in competitive situations.

Interested in chess and computers? Whether readers are talking about the latest chess playing programs or chess database software, this ground-breaking book answers all of their questions. A team of experts, all experienced chess software users, review all the latest software available, highlighting the positives, the negatives, and underline the money value. In addition, they provide fundamental answers to all those niggling little technical problems that always seem to arise with chess software. Whether they are looking for a way to defeat their chess computer, trying to prepare thoroughly against an old adversary, or just wishing to make the most of their chess software--then this is the perfect book for them. *Includes reviews of major chess software programs *Written by a team of expert software users *Ideal for casual, club and tournament players

The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure, while at the top it's played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich. With his first two moves Black obtains a substantial foothold in the centre, and a structure that is incredibly difficult to break down. In this user-friendly book, International Master Byron Jacobs revisits the basic principles behind the French Defence and all of its variations. Throughout the reader is helped along by a wealth of notes, tips, warnings and exercises. This book is ideal for the improving player.

The opening phase of the game throws up difficult questions for those keen to study and improve their chess. Should I open with 1 d4, 1 e4, or something else? What is the best strategy as Black - immediate counter-attack or solid development? Should I learn numerous different systems or concentrate on a few specialist lines? In Mastering the Opening, international master Byron Jacobs asnwers these and other key questions. * Deals with every major opening * Numerous test positions enables readers to guage their progress * Revolutionary layout allows readers to absorb the key ideas

In this book International Master Byron Jacobs offers a fresh look at the Classical variation of the French Defence, which has been popular for nearly a century and is championed by such fighting players as Victor Korchnoi and Alexander Morozevich. All of the important variations are considered in detail with particular emphasis on those which are most fashionable.

Learn chess from scratch or brush up on the basics. This title provides a thorough grounding in the fundamental principles of the game.

In this book, International Master Byron Jacobs explains the basic elements, strategies, and tactics of the Advance variation of the Caro-Kann Defense. Although this variation has always been popular with competitive players, it has lately received revived attention following its recent adoption by Vishy Anand, Alexei Shirov, and Veselin Topalov, who have used it to win several brilliant games. Inspired by their example, several other leading players have added the variation to their repertoires, and it is now perhaps the most fashionable way of meeting the Caro-Kann at all levels of play.