Sabot en bois

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

Une version parodique et délirante de donjons et dragons. Des monstres à trucider, des dragons à étriller, des donjons à piller, mais la dure réalité vous apparaît enfin : les armuriers vous arnaquent, vos compagnons sont des pitres, les monstres vous prennent pour des tocards... Le tout sur fond d'alliances, trahisons et bastons.

Un deuxième tome principalement consacré aux ouvertures associant un point-étoile et un point 3-4 - en particulier l'ouverture chinoise. Plus copieux que le premier tome, il en conserve évidemment la forme et les objectifs - c'est-à-dire qu'il s'agit, bien au-delà d'un simple dictionnaire de fuseki, d'un véritable traité complet de la stratégie d'ouverture et de la gestion de l'ensemble du goban. Pas très facile évidemment, mais richissime, à la fois technique (inévitablement) et vivant, un livre unique, somme irremplaçable sur un sujet essentiel. Indispensable à tout amateur sérieux, naturellement.

The seconds tick down relentlessly toward zero just as your game approaches the critical stage. Your higher-rated opponent is putting your game under severe pressure, so extreme accuracy is needed to hang tough and avoid falling into a losing position. What do you do now – should you exchange pieces to relieve the pressure, lash out with a sacrifice, probe for weaknesses in the opponent's camp, or maybe just give up and get a lesson on how to bring the point home?

The answer is… none of these! At such do-or-die moments, says Steve Hrop, the first thing to do is to sit on your hands and take a few deep breaths. In Defending Under Pressure and Managing Your Emotions at the Chessboard, the author uses critical moments from his own tournament games (most of them against players rated above 2200) to describe the difficulties of thinking straight when the enemy is at the gates, and then outlines methods and techniques to clear your head, evaluate the position, and find your way to the best move. Techniques include how to avoid redundant pieces that critically limit your mobility; when visualization is more important than calculation: and “freeze-framing” positions to eliminate blunders.

Save the draw – or turn a looming defeat into an astonishing victory – with the tips in this practical training manual! 236 pages