John Emms

Are you tired of constantly following the same old opening moves? Fed up with always having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or perhaps you simply wish to try something new and exciting, but cannot decide between the numerous choices available? We have the answer! In this book, John Emms, Chris Ward and Richard Palliser team up to examine one of the most popular and respected openings at all levels of chess: the Nimzo-Indian. Instead of pursuing the well-trodden paths, they choose an original approach, concentrating on fresh or little-explored variations of the Nimzo, and selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover! "Dangerous Weapons" is a brand-new series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. Many of the carefully chosen weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced opponent off balance.

Are you bored of playing the same old openings time and time again? Fed up with constantly having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or perhaps you simply wish to play something new and exciting, but cannot decide between the numerous choices available? Don't despair - help is on hand!' In "Dangerous Weapons: The Sicilian", John Emms and Richard Palliser team up to investigate by far the most popular and widely-played chess opening, but in a revolutionary way. They concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations of the open Sicilian, selecting a wealth of ideas and options for both colours. Many of the carefully chosen weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced opponent off balance. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you assured and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover! "Dangerous Weapons" is a brand-new series of opening books that provide the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire.

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.

John Emms reveals the secrets of how to maximize potential and improve results in competitive play. Drawing upon years of his own experience, Emms tackles the all-important practical aspects of chess playing: studying ones own strengths and weaknesses, and those of prospective opponents; concentration and manner at the chessboard; handling time trouble; tackling cheats; playing for a win or a draw; saving difficult positions; avoiding silly mistakes; building an opening repertoire; using chess computers and software; choosing the right tournaments and much more besides.

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 positions that are full of dynamic possibilities for both sides. In this easy-to-use guide, King's Indian Attack expert Angus Dunnington goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of this attack and its numerous lines. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings to help improving players, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

The Scotch Game is one of the oldest openings in chess and has a great history, but more recently it was catapulted back into the limelight due to the enterprise of World number one Garry Kasparov, who completely rejuvenated the opening with an abundance of original ideas for White. He utilized the opening in World Championship matches and other elite events, with very successful results. As a direct result of this, the Scotch Game, a dynamic and sharp opening, has once again become popular at all levels of chess. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and openings expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Scotch Opening and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings to guide improving players, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

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 board, and these are included here.

The Queen's Indian is one of Black's most dependable and respected defences to the queen's pawn opening. It's an established favorite amongst world-class Grandmasters such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams, and Judit Polgar, not to mention Anatoly Karpov, who has been a loyal Queen's Indian supporter and theory developer for over three decades. Rather than classically occupying the central squares with pawns, Black adopts a hypermodern approach and endeavors to control this key area with pieces. This procedure leads to rich and varied positions that will appeal to players who like complex play. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and Queen's Indian expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Queen's Indian and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings to guide improving players, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. Highlights include: *User-friendly lay out to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the key principles of the Queen's Indian *Ideal for improving players

Endgames with kings, bishops, knights, and pawns are generally considered among the most complex and can seem quite bewildering to improving players. This is hardly surprising given that even Grandmasters have been known to struggle in some areas of these endgames, with some examples resulting in embarrassing failure to deliver elementary checkmates! In this user-friendly book, Grandmaster and notable endgame authority John Emms begins with the absolute fundamentals of minor piece endings. This slowly but surely arms readers with the essential knowledge and confidence to move onto slightly trickier positions. Using examples from practical play, Emms highlights the correct procedures as well as the typical mistakes made by both attacker and defender. As is normal with the famed Starting Out series, there are an abundance of notes, tips, and warnings throughout the book to help improving players. Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames is perfect for those who have previously honed their chess skills with the earlier books Starting Out in Chess, Tips for Young Players and Improve Your Endgame Play. Key features: *Covers all crucial minor piece endings *Easy step-by-step guide to better endgame play *Ideal for improving players *User-friendly layout to help readers absorb the key ideas

The 125 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British experts and illustrated with over 1,000 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and develop your own chess-playing skills - whatever your current standard. Instructive points at the end of each game highlight the lessons to be learned. First published in 1998, a second edition of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games in 2004 included an additional 12 games. This edition includes a further 13 games as well as some significant revisions to the analysis and information regarding other games in earlier editions of the book, facilitated by the use of a variety of chess software.

Most experts agree that to reach a high standard at chess, one must not only be able to calculate properly but also master the many positional points of the game. However, while tactical ability is clear-cut and can be improved simply by the continual practice of puzzles, learning the finer points of positional play that come so naturally to Grandmasters can seem like a frightening task for the less experienced player. In this book, Grandmaster John Emms aims to solve this problem, giving the reader a thorough grooming on all the crucial aspects of chess strategy. Moving on from the basic principles, Emms draws upon both his own experiences and those of other international players to unravel the mystery surrounding positional chess. This book will be particularly helpful for those who have previously honed their chess skills with the highly popular Simple Chess. *An advanced course in chess strategy *Written by an experienced chess professional *Ideal for club and tournament players

In this book Grandmaster and opening expert John Emms produces a comprehensive but workable black repertoire against all of White's possible options in the Najdorf.The Najdorf is one of the most sharp, dynamic, and popular openings that Black can pla

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 employing it in the last couple of years. In this book, Grandmaster John Emms considers both the popular main lines and the tricky sidelines of the Sicilian Kan. Using illustrative games, Emms guides the reader through the positional and tactical intricacies of this modern opening. *Written by a leading openings expert *Includes games from world class grandmasters *An ideal weapon at all levels

It's been said many times before that chess is an easy game to learn, but a difficult one to master. The game is full of difficult questions such as, 'What do you do when your opponent is skilful enough to prevent both checkmate and material loss?' However, once the principal strategic ideas are recognised, then everything becomes much clearer and the game becomes much simpler. In this book Grandmaster and experienced chess writer John Emms provides the reader with the fundamental knowledge required to enter every game with confidence. * A complete introduction to chess strategy * Important positional ideas are covered * Ideal for club and tournament players

Fed up with having to learn so much opening theory? Struggling to keep up with all the latest developments? Then this book may well be the answer to all your problems! Grandmaster John Emms offers a new arsenal of opening weapons with which to attack to your unaware opponents. Starting with the move 1 e4, the reader is armed with systems against all possible black defences. In each case learning ideas is more important than memorising long variations, so this repertoire should be ideal for players who don't have the luxury of being able to spend countless hours studying theory. Each line is easy to learn and play, but will they will still pose your opponent with difficult problems to solve over the board. *All possible defences to 1 e4 are covered *Written by a battle-hardened 1 e4 player *Ideal for club and tournament players

This book provides a wealth of puzzle positions to test just about every facet of your tactical skills. The puzzles in this book have been selected by analysing games new and old in search of original puzzle positions. It is very unlikely that even seasoned solvers will recognise many of these positions. Emms, by allying his skills with those of powerful computers, has also made every effort to ensure that the solutions are sound, and that there are no unmentioned alternative solutions.The book begins with 100 relatively easy positions suitable for novices, and ends with 100 extremely tough puzzles, which provide a mind-bending challenge even for top-class players. There are 1001 puzzles in all.