Becoming a Grandmaster is the dream of every young chess talent. Thomas Luther achieved this goal despite the added challenge of being born with a disability. Luther's Chess Reformation provides a wealth of practical tips and suggestions for chess players of all levels. Using the experiences and insights gained from his remarkable career, Luther offers an insider's view into the world of grandmaster chess. Readers will enjoy his chatty style, while also benefiting from invaluable advice about what it takes to achieve one's chess goals.

In conversations about the Reformation, the name Martin Luther towers above all others. And rightly so. His work, vision, and writings set Christianity on a course of events that would forever change the way that most believers live and understand their faith. And yet, the Reformation was far more than Martin Luther. Around Luther were hundreds of people - fellow teachers and priests, politicians, artists, printers, and spouses - without whose activity and work the Reformation would have progressed much differently. These women and men make up Luther's Wittenberg world, and there is much to be learned from engaging their work. In this monumental work, Robert Kolb introduces us to those individuals. Engaging and informative essays on the social, political, and economic realities of the sixteenth century frame brief introductions to over two hundred supporting "cast members" whose lives played out around Martin Luther. Comprehensively illustrated, with maps, bibliographies, and other resources, Luther's Wittenberg World is a treasure.

We like to remember the Middle Ages as a magical time of knights in shining armor, fair damsels in distress, and heroic quests to worlds unknown. Actually, life in the Middle Ages was dirty, disgusting, and downright dangerous. Death was everywhere in the 1500s. Because lives were short and unpredictable, people clung to the hope of eternal life. There was only one church in Western Europe""the Roman Catholic Church. The leaders of the church taught people to fear God. And people feared God and Hell above all else. They saw God as distant and remote. When they attended church, the service was in Latin, not the language of the people. They observed but did not participate in the Mass. Some leaders of the church were deceitful. Monks, friars, and even the pope swindled people out of their life savings. One of the worst offenders was Johann Tetzel. In his one-man show, he hawked "tickets to heaven" or indulgences. Many people paid large sums for these worthless pieces of paper. When a young monk discovered that members of his parish were being deceived, he became angry. His name was Martin Luther. He challenged the practices of the church. His actions would change not only the church but the world forever.