T-Rex in Cage

During his long journey as a chess player and coach, GM Axel Smith came to the realization that understanding colour-complex strategies is one of the key differences between strong and weak players. After many years of delivering lectures and training material to his students, Smith produced a Chessable course on the topic, which has been extensively edited and reorganized by Quality Chess to produce this book.

In these pages, the award-winning author breaks down colour complexes into various sub-topics such as blockades, opposite-coloured bishops and exchange sacrifices, with carefully chosen exercises to test and reinforce the reader’s newfound understanding. Use Black & White Magic to improve your chess strength!

GM Axel Smith is the award-winning author of The Woodpecker Method, Pump Up Your Rating, e3 Poison and Street Smart Chess, which were all enthusiastically received by readers and reviewers. Using the Woodpecker as part of his training, as an adult he improved from a rating of 2100 to becoming a Grandmaster. 264 pages

Shusaku, disparu à 34 ans, fut le plus grand joueur du 19ème siècle et, pour beaucoup, de toute l'histoire du go. Cet ouvrage de grand format présente 140 de ses parties, la moitié d'entre elles commentées en détail.

Sergei Tiviakov was unbeaten in a streak of more than a hundred chess games as a professional player. Who better to share the secrets of Rock Solid Chess and the activity and value of pieces than Tiviakov?

The highly acclaimed first volume of his chess strategy trilogy dealt with pawn structures. In this second volume, Sergei moves on to discuss piece play and unique chessboard situations. Topics covered include the bishop pair, opposite-coloured bishops, centralization and the almost-ignored question of when and whether to castle.

Tiviakov also demonstrates how the value of pieces can vary drastically depending on their exact position. He shows how the entire assessment of a position, and the correct strategy for playing it, can be changed by moving a single pawn from one square to another.

In the final chapters, Tiviakov discusses how to play cramped and passive positions, how to play for a win with Black and how to choose your strategy, based on the opponent’s style and other psychological factors.

Illustrated with examples from classic games and from his own games, and supported by instructive exercises, Volume Two of Rock Solid Chess offers invaluable and unique instruction on topics not covered in traditional textbooks. These strategy lessons will significantly improve your chess and are suitable for all readers, from club players to grandmasters.

Sergei Tiviakov is a grandmaster, Olympic gold medallist, three-time Dutch Champion and European Champion.
Yulia Gökbulut is a FIDE Women's Master, chess author and sports writer from Turkey. 251 pages

The Modern Defense has been popular for decades. However, within the purview of this defense, there is a system that challenges White right from the get-go. The brainchild of Georgian grandmaster Bukhuti Gurgenidze, Black plays 1...g6 and follows with a timely ...c6 and ...d5. Occasionally classified as part of the Caro-Kann, it draws battle lines immediately.

The move 1...g6 in general is an aggressive approach, throwing down the gauntlet from the very first move. This is why in some lines, even if the reader finds that the engine assesses a position in White’s favor, one should not be put off.

This book, the first one dedicated to the Modern Gurgenidze in many years, consists of 10 theoretical Chapters and 31 sample games. Jaan carefully explains how Black’s plans may change depending on White’s move order, when exactly we should play ...c7-c6 followed by ...d7-d5 (Chapters 1-5) and when we would be better off with ...d7-d6 and ...e7-e5 (Chapters 6-10). You will be treated to Jaan’s insights on Hippo, Dutch, English, King’s Indian and even 1.b3, all through the eyes of Gurgenidze system. – Grandmaster Alex Shabalov in his Foreword.

The Modern Gurgenidze has figured prominently in Jaan Ehlvest’s repertoire as Black for many years. He now shares his expertise and experience in this provocative defense. If you want to play for a draw, this book is not for you. But if you want to play for the full point, this counterpunching defense may be just what you are looking for.

About the Author:

Jaan Ehlvest is a grandmaster from Tallinn, Estonia. He won the 1980 USSR Junior Chess Championship when he was 18 and in 1983, the European Junior Championship. He was champion of Estonia in 1986 and was a member of the gold medal-winning Soviet Union team at the 28th Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki 1988. He played for Estonia in the Chess Olympiads of 1992-2004. This is his first book for Russell Enterprises. 240 pages

« Je voulais, écrit Jean-Philippe Toussaint, que ce livre traite autant des ouvertures que des fins de partie, je voulais que ce livre me raconte, m’invente, me recrée, m’établisse et me prolonge. Je voulais dire ma jeunesse et mon adolescence dans ce livre, je voulais débobiner, depuis ses origines, mes relations avec le jeu d’échecs, je voulais faire du jeu d’échecs le fil d’Ariane de ce livre et remonter ce fil jusqu’aux temps les plus reculés de mon enfance, je voulais qu’il y ait soixante-quatre chapitres dans ce livre, comme les soixante-quatre cases d’un échiquier. »

Construit en 64 courts chapitres, autant que le nombre de cases sur un échiquier, Il y est question  de souvenirs d'enfance, d'amis disparus, de période de confinement, mais c'est aussi, le portrait d'un amateur d'échecs.

Jean-Philippe Toussaint est un écrivain belge auteur de plusieurs romans dont le style se caractérise par un style et un récit minimaliste, dans lesquels les personnages et les choses n'ont d'autre signification qu'eux mêmes.

Il a reçu des prix littéraires, dont notamment le prix  victor Rossel et le prix Médicis. 244 pages

Coffret cadeau représentant des oeuvres d'Alphonse Mucha: Monaco-Monte Carlo.Un rayon de soleil, à  offrir ou à  se faire offrir.