Étape 4: manuel de l'entraîneur

The English Opening arises after 1.c4, and is a great practical weapon for players of all levels. White dictates the opening from the very first move, and often reaches positions where understanding themes and plans is more important than the latest computer-generated analysis.

Nikolaos Ntirlis has been Playing the English successfully for many years in high-level correspondence events, as well as teaching it to students ranging from club players to Grandmasters. While his analysis is first-rate, Ntirlis also understands the differing needs between correspondence and human play, and this repertoire is specifically tailored towards practical players.

Playing the English – A World-Class Repertoire provides a complete repertoire with 1.c4, showing how to meet every major option that Black may try. Each section of the book begins with an introduction outlining the main plans and concepts, so you will be equipped with both the strategic and theoretical knowledge needed to crush your opponents.

Nikolaos Ntirlis is an award-winning author, openings expert, and Correspondence IM. He has worked as an openings adviser to numerous GMs, including the Danish Olympiad team.

440 pages

The variation of the French that starts 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) 3 ... dxe4 is often called the Rubinstein Variation. It is a great way to simplify the position and ensure that the middlegame battle rewards strategic understanding rather than rote memorisation of opening moves. It is also a very useful weapon to defuse the attacking intentions of aggressive White players who plan an all-out assault in the main lines of the French Defence. 367 pages

They did it! Dejan Antic and Branimir Maksimovic have created a complete chess opening repertoire for Black players in only two books. 

First they wrote the acclaimed The Modern French (against 1.e4). Now The Modern Bogo provides Black players with a comprehensive answer to 1.d4. The two books complement each other perfectly.

The point is that the authors recommend to answer 1.d4 with the direct 1...e6, for the follow-up  2.c4 Bb4+. In this way they avoid complex theoretical Nimzo-Indian lines and enable both amateur and professional players to find their own way in little-explored variations. 

The Modern Bogo covers all the possibilities for White after 1.d4 e6... except for 2.e4, after which you should play the French!

Antic and Maksimovic have done a massive amount of research, and found many new strategic concepts and attacking plans. All of them are explained clearly and thoroughly. 

You will find that this opening not only gives you good chances to equalize as Black, but also many opportunities to play for a win. 

Processeur Pentium à 300Mhz ou +
64MB RAM
Windows XP, Windows VISTA, Windows 7
Lecteur de DVD, souris, carte son

In Black and White is probably the most honest autobiography ever published by a chess grandmaster. It covers Paul van der Sterren’s rise to the chess elite, but above all, his struggle to become a better player, his insecurities and the difficulties he encountered.

This book provides a hugely illuminating insight into the life of a chess professional, but there is a lot in his story that will resonate with players of any level. From his first moves on the chess board to his Candidates Match against Gata Kamsky, only four steps away from the World title – everything is described in great detail and with the utmost frankness by the Dutch grandmaster. The story doesn’t end there – the book’s final part describes the slow decline of an ageing pro and his eventual shift to meditation and mindfulness.

The Dutch edition of In Black and White, which contains more than 300 deeply analysed games and fragments, was published in 2011 and has achieved cult status. With this English translation, it will finally get a well-deserved wider audience.

Paul van der Sterren (1956) was a professional chess player for over twenty years. He won the Dutch Championship in 1985 and 1993 and played for the Dutch team at eight Olympiads. Van der Sterren lost to Gata Kamsky after a great fight in a Candidates Match in 1994. He has written several chess books, of which Fundamental Chess Openings (2009) is the best known. In Dutch, he has also written several books on mindfulness. 768 pages