Simon Williams

Do you want a simple and practical method to counter Black's kingside fianchetto defences after 1 d4? A line that takes the initiative from a very early stage and creates difficult practical problems? If so, then The Harry Attack (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 h4!) is for you. At first this looks like some sort of joke or, at the very least, a weird outlandish line. Aren't we all taught to focus on development and control of the centre in the early stages? What's 3 h4 got to do with that? Perhaps surprisingly, this is a very difficult line for Black to counter effectively. This applies not just in practical play but also theoretically, where it is far from straightforward for Black even to find a route to equality. And when Black gets it wrong they are often on the receiving end of a very unpleasant miniature. You may be thinking that surely the best chess engines can show how to counter this line? No! One of the unexpected features of leading engine play is their enthusiasm for shoving the h-pawn up the board and they fully concur that 3 h4! is a very decent move for White. Many leading players have taken the hint and 3 h4 is frequently seen at elite level. Richard Palliser and Simon Williams (the GingerGM) provide a thorough guide to this fascinating line. They show how to adapt when Black chooses a King's Indian set-up, a Grunfeld set-up, a Benoni set-up or even plays in Benko style. The Harry Attack is easy to learn and is perfect for unsettling players steeped in the theory of their favourite Indian defences.

Simon Williams presents an ambitious opening repertoire for Black based on the ever-popular French Defence. In this book one of the world's most imaginative Grandmasters combines his unique attacking ideas with the traditionally solid French structure, resulting in a powerful armoury of weapons. This will prove ideal for players who like to seize the initiative and cause problems for their opponents from the outset. Williams' recommendations are based on his own practical experience, where his ideas have stood the test of time against powerful grandmaster opposition. Attacking Chess is a brand new series of opening repertoire books. It focuses on traditional attacking openings, as well as creative and forceful ways to play openings that are not always associated with attacking chess. It provides ambitious repertoires designed for players of all levels. *A Grandmaster's repertoire in the French Defence *Packed with new ideas, analysis and novelties *Illustrative games explain typical plans and tactics

Let's face facts: everyone enjoys winning. And the only thing better than winning is to win quickly! Mistakes are often made in the early part of the game - at all levels of chess - but a key skill is to recognise these critical moments as they happen and to exploit them with maximum efficiency. This is a skill which Grandmaster Simon Williams addresses in this book. Using instructive and entertaining games in which one side wins quickly, he examines all the typical mistakes chess players make in the opening and early middlegame, how you should look to exploit them, and how to avoid falling into similar traps yourself. All too often opponents are let off the hook, mistakes go unpunished and the game drags on. Don't let this happen to you - become a ruthless winner!

The GingerGM (Simon Williams) is back and is keen to show you how to dismantle players who open 1 e4. This book features a complete repertoire, based on meeting 1 e4 with 1...e5, that enables you to cope with all White's possible tries. These vary from the traditional Ruy Lopez and Italian Game to the wild and wacky gambits such as the Danish Gambit, the King's Gambit and the Vienna Gambit.This is a repertoire that is designed for ambitious players who want to neutralise their opponent's favourite lines with lesser-known but perfectly playable responses. Many players are put off playing 1 e4 e5 as White has so many aggressive and tricky gambits. This repertoire focuses on taking the fight back to White by drawing the fangs from these lines, often with well-timed counter-gambits.* A complete repertoire after 1 e4 e5.* Easy-to-learn systems with a minimum of theory.* All key variations analysed in detail.

Captured by Napoleon’s forces off the coast at Brighton in the year of Trafalgar, the fourteen year old Scot, Alexander Stewart, survived ten years in often appalling conditions in French prisons. He stood up to the bullies, taught himself French and discovered Voltaire. He made four attempts to escape before returning to England where he became an inspirational Congregational minister, who played a full part in the Evangelical revival. The Nonconformists returned from the margins of society to help transform the political and moral landscape of the nation. In two seismic years, the landed classes lost their virtual monopoly of power and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Spearheaded by preachers such as Stewart and educators such as the Anglican Thomas Arnold, the political nation underwent a moral revolution, asking the question of what ought we to do rather than what do we want to do. Simon Williams, is the great-great-grandson of Alexander Stewart. He has drawn on the manuscript written by Stewart for his children to provide an exciting, new perspective on nineteenth century British history.

Captured by Napoleon’s forces off the coast at Brighton in the year of Trafalgar, the fourteen year old Scot, Alexander Stewart, survived ten years in often appalling conditions in French prisons. He stood up to the bullies, taught himself French and discovered Voltaire. He made four attempts to escape before returning to England where he became an inspirational Congregational minister, who played a full part in the Evangelical revival. The Nonconformists returned from the margins of society to help transform the political and moral landscape of the nation. In two seismic years, the landed classes lost their virtual monopoly of power and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Spearheaded by preachers such as Stewart and educators such as the Anglican Thomas Arnold, the political nation underwent a moral revolution, asking the question of what ought we to do rather than what do we want to do. Simon Williams, is the great-great-grandson of Alexander Stewart. He has drawn on the manuscript written by Stewart for his children to provide an exciting, new perspective on nineteenth century British history.

This book explores the concept of disfluency in speech production, particularly as it occurs in the context of second language acquisition. Drawing on examples from learner speech at three levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), the author argues that acquiring target language norms for performing disfluency is essential to an individual being recognized as fluent in a language by fellow-speakers. Starting with a survey of the psycholinguistic research in this area, he then applies a sociolinguistic lens to examine how a learner's social and educational background impacts the types of disfluencies in their speech. This book will be of interest to readers in fields such as (applied) linguistics and second language acquisition, psychology and education.

'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.

A comprehensive guide that helps students develop an understanding of Advanced Kata (for Brown beltabove). It intends to supplement Dojo training and increase skill by preparing students for grading exams! It covers such topics as: Bassai Dai; Bassai Sho; Kanku Dai; Kanku Sho; Jion; Jitte; Jiin; Hangetsu; Gangkaku; Empi; Sochin; and, Wankan.

A Symphony of Wings: Book One of the Heralds of Misfortune dark fantasy series.The lost artar, objects of immense power passed almost out of myth, are sought not only by those few mortals who remember the name, but also by the hyyr, formless and ancient spirits of the Void who seek to grant their dark God dominion over all Theya.Outworlders from hellish, condemned Ilentra also seek the world for their own- but the faer, first sentient beings and custodians of Theya, are sworn to defend their home against those they see as enemies.Thus begins the Heralds of Misfortune saga, a chronicle of dark times and broken worlds.

This book explores the concept of disfluency in speech production, particularly as it occurs in the context of second language acquisition. Drawing on examples from learner speech at three levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), the author argues that acquiring target language norms for performing disfluency is essential to an individual being recognized as fluent in a language by fellow-speakers. Starting with a survey of the psycholinguistic research in this area, he then applies a sociolinguistic lens to examine how a learner's social and educational background impacts the types of disfluencies in their speech. This book will be of interest to readers in fields such as (applied) linguistics and second language acquisition, psychology and education.

Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is passionate about the Dutch Defence. He has played it all his life, knows it inside out and is considered one of the world's leading experts on this very dynamic Black counter. In this book he shares his extensive knowledge, holds nothing back and carves out a formidable repertoire for aggressive black players.The great thing about the Dutch is that it solves several opening problems with Black. What to do against 1 d4? Play 1...f5! How to counter the English (1 c4)? Play 1...f5! again. What about the transpositional Reti Opening 1 Nf3? Yep. You've guessed it. Play 1...f5! Get the f-pawn to f5 and then plan to follow up with ...d6 and ...e5, creating a dynamic central pawn wall. If White doesn't counter accurately (and many players won't) this lays the foundations for a powerful middlegame kingside attack. The Killer Dutch Rebooted is a swash-buckling opening that favors the brave and fearless chess player.- A dangerous system where Black can easily whip up a deadly kingside attack.- Latest updates on Dutch theory.- Plans against all major variations and sidelines.Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Killer Dutch.

'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.

The Black Lion is a thoroughly modern counterattacking system that is a nightmare to face. This wild and aggressive line attempts to take away White's initiative from a very early stage and is guaranteed to throw your opponents off balance. The Black Lion is essentially a contemporary and aggressive interpretation of the Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6). The Black Lion starts with a slightly different move order, 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3, and now the lion family splits into two different animals: the risky lion (3...Nbd7) or the tame lion (3...e5). Both treatments are thoroughly investigated in this book. Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is the ideal guide to explain how to whip up an extremely dangerous attack using either treatment. Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and the Black Lion suits his style perfectly. His commentary and annotations are always instructive and entertaining. * The Black Lion is an unusual and dangerous system with little established theory. * White cannot rely on simple, safe moves as such a strategy is liable to be overrun. * The Black Lion is fun and exciting to play!

Most chess openings have been around for centuries; the first book on the Ruy Lopez was written in 1561. Not so the Jobava System. This is a thoroughly modern opening that has only achieved prominence in the last decade or so. It is named after the Georgian chess visionary Baadur Jobava, a highly imaginative and creative grandmaster. The Jobava System is based around the opening moves 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bf4. For many years this was considered to be a quiet and unassuming backwater of chess theory. No longer!Thanks to the efforts of Jobava and others this system has been honed into a fierce attacking weapon. As this opening is so new the correct defensive methods are not well understood. This makes the system extremely dynamic and dangerous.In this book, Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) delves deep into the Jobava and offers up a complete repertoire based on this exciting new system. The advantages are clear: - There is very little existing theory- Black cannot play safely on "auto-pilot"- It is fresh and it's fun!Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Jobava System.

Are you bored with playing it safe in the opening? Had enough of developing your pieces sensibly, aiming to control the centre and getting your king castled? Do you yearn to tear the opposition apart in the style of the great 19th century masters? Then Grandmaster Gambits 1 e4 is the book for you! The highly successful writing duo of Richard Palliser and Simon (GingerGM) Williams have teamed up again to create a repertoire based on jettisoning a pawn (and often a whole lot more) very early on. Whatever opening your opponent favours against 1 e4, the authors have a dynamic gambiteering counter which will throw them onto their own resources. * The Sicilian Defence? Attack it with the Wing Gambit. * 1...e5? Tear Black apart with the Max Lange Attack. * The French? Suffocate Black with the Advance Variation including Magnus Carlsen’s souped-up version of the Milner-Barry Gambit. * The Caro-Kann? Play the Hillbilly Attack with 2 Bc4! Your opponent might laugh but they won’t be laughing when you crash through on f7. Forget about playing “properly” in the opening. Open 1 e4, play the Grandmaster Gambits and rip your unprepared opponents apart!

Grandmaster Simon Williams was taught the English Opening at the age of six and 1 c4 was his weapon of choice until long after he became an International Master. For this new work, he teamed up with acclaimed theoretician International Master Richard Palliser to explore his old favourite. 1 c4 remains an excellent choice for the club and tournament player. This book focuses on the set-up popularised by the sixth world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, the so-called Botvinnik formation with 2 Nc3, 3 g3, 4 Bg2, 5 e4 and 6 Nge2. This system is compact but still aggressive and rewards an understanding of plans and strategies rather than rote memorisation of moves. In Opening Repertoire: The Iron English leading chess authors Simon Williams and Richard Palliser guide the reader through the complexities of this dynamic variation and carves out a repertoire for White. They examine all aspects of this highly complex opening 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 middlegame plans. * A dynamic and easy-to-play repertoire for White * Complete coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!