Smart 10 : L'impertinent

Ce coffret de cartes contient 2 jeux au format bridge. Les cartes sont marquées aux 4 coins (index américain) et sont illustrées aux dos des cartes. Ed : Piatnik

Rook endgames are the most frequently recurring endgames and also one of the most exciting areas of chess, with mind bending tactical opportunities and dizzying nuances available. They have unsurprisingly been a big topic in endgame literature, with a heavy focus on the set theoretical positions and their logic and fixed conclusions (see the excellent Theoretical Rook Endgames by GM Sam Shankland, published as a sister volume to this book as the peak example of this).

Conceptual Rook Endgames goes in a different direction. Focused on two dozen major concepts, the book explains the mechanisms of rook endgames in a novel way, by building foundations with simple examples, which can be seen in the most complicated examples as well. Rook endgames will remain rich and surprising, as they are for the greats, but armed with this book, your comprehension of them will skyrocket.

Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard is the most talented chess writer of his generation. He won the British Championship in 2007, but is mostly known for his multi-award winning books and his work with students that have won club, country, state, national, continental and world championships, as well as Olympiad golds (board and overall), the World Cup and Candidates tournament. Hardcover. 416 p.

The g2-g4 (or ...g7-g5) pawn push is considered unconventional and often associated with backroom chess games or old-fashioned openings like the King’s Gambit.

Despite being one of the most weakening moves available, g2-g4 has been seen more frequently at the top level of chess.

While g2-g4 (or ...g7-g5) can lead to interesting fights, it also entails considerable risk and often results in messy, non-traditional positions with higher chances of mistakes.

It's crucial to remain objective and not get carried away by the excitement of launching an attack, as aggressive pawn pushes can quickly backfire.

The book aims to cover a wide range of chess openings involving g4 (...g5), regardless of whether the idea is strong, interesting, or unadvisable.

Over 50 games are analyzed, showcasing different scenarios where the g-pawn push is utilized, including attacking a short-castled king, challenging the stability of a knight on f3 (or ...Nf6), and seizing space on the kingside.

The examples illustrate a mix of these three reasons, with one prevailing in each case.

The authors, Pierre Laurent-Paoli & Christian Bauer, hope readers will enjoy exploring the lines presented in the book and implement them into their own play.  359 pages Hardcover

Grey Beige with Yellow Brown and Dusty Ivory.

Leatherette Collection has a refined, elegant appearance while maintaining all of the unique advantages of premium quality eco leather, especially when it comes to noise reduction and durability.

This backgammon is handmade using the art of marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie) which is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns and designs.

Size closed is 48 x 30 cm

Q&A with the author, Alexander Delchev:

What does it take to become an expert in opening preparation? 

How can we learn the secret methods which allow the top players to dominate everyone else in the opening? 

Books can hardly be useful in this regard because modern books on openings, regardless of the level of the author, are very standard and straightforward. The title of this book claims to answer this question. Your author will then back up his claim with proof in the form of analysis from a strong engine. You are then left to decide whether or not to include these ideas in your opening repertoire. 

What is missing is some sort of guidance and advice relating to what sorts of tour­naments and against what sorts of players this idea should be employed. Moreover, every one of you has likely noticed that even the best opening idea still has a rela­tively short life span and can hardly be used in more than a few games. So far I have published about 10 books on openings and for me it is not a problem to publish another 10 or even more. However, in the modern era I believe the lifespan of an opening book is incredibly short as new games are constantly being played and new ideas are being found. 1 feel it would be much more useful to you if I uncover a new approach to opening preparation, which will be more long-lasting and will improve your play as well. 

The method of opening preparation I have used throughout my entire chess-playing career {1997 - 2018) allowed me, with relatively little effort, to be unpredictable the re by winning the psychological battle of the opening. Luring my opponents into prepared opening tricks and traps was great fun !  314 p.

In the method which I will introduce you to in this book, the first and most im­portant aspect is adapting your approach to each individual opponent and perfect prediction of the opponent's opening choice, to the smallest details.