Grand master and prolific chess author Neil McDonald explains every single move made in 30 striking tactical or strategical games played over the last quarter century. Each of these games has been carefully chosen for its consistent logical thread, so that the reader will get prime instruction in th[...]

These books are perfect for enthusiastic chess players who are starting out in the game, and who are seeking to understand the basic principles behind these important openings: the Ruy Lopez and the English. Both books are written in a user-friendly style with an abundance of notes, tips, and warnin[...]

Building and maintaining an opening repertoire can be a demanding task - for a start there are an enormous number of different lines to choose from. There's a strong temptation amongst beginners and improving players to opt solely for tricky lines in order to snare unsuspecting opponents, but this a[...]

"Chess Secrets" is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess: strategy, attack, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particula[...]

There's no doubt that the Dutch Defence is one of Black's most enterprising openings. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating an asymmetrical pawn structure on the very first move, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset. It's no surprise that the Dut[...]

As we progress as chess players we quickly learn a set of guidelines which help us to formulate plans, develop typical strategies and recognize key tactics. However, chess is not an easy game, with fixed 'rules' that can be applied to every single position. In fact, blindly following such rules prov[...]

In this book, part of the exciting new series of opening guides for club and tournament players, Grandmaster Neil McDonald explains the strategy and tactics of the highly fashionable Leningrad variation of the Dutch Defense. Through the use of model games for both sides, McDonald provides a thorough[...]