The Brilliant Originality of Steinitz More than 125 years ago, one of the first great chess books appeared. The Modern Chess Instructor, Part I, written by then world champion Wilhelm Steinitz, was released in 1889. It was his magnum opus, setting forth for the first time the principles of modern chess. It is no exaggeration to say that Steinitz’s writings have influenced every great player since. As American grandmaster Andy Soltis notes in his foreword to this classic: The bulk of The Modern Chess Instructor is devoted to opening analysis and annotated games that illustrate the analysis. But it is filled with original Steinitz ideas. This may be why Bobby Fischer was his greatest 20th century fan. Fischer was always looking for forgotten opening moves. In MCI and Steinitz’s International Chess Magazine he found some that he later revived in tournaments, such as 9.Nh3 in the main line of the Two Knights Defense and 5.Qe2 in the Petroff (after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4). Of course, the opening analysis of MCI is dated and the openings are out of fashion. But unpopular openings are not necessarily bad openings. Ask Magnus Carlsen. When he played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 against Sergey Karjakin in 2016 title match, it was the first time these moves had appeared in more than a century of world championship games. This 21st century edition has converted the archaic English descriptive notation to algebraic and reformatted the text so that it conforms to the expectations of the 21st century chessplayer. The Modern Chess Instructor’s rare second part, published in 1895, has also been added. The result is a genuine treasure trove of original ideas coupled with exposition of the foundation of modern chess theory. Every chessplayer will find The Modern Chess Instructor enjoyable and instructive, a journey back to the theoretical roots of modern chess.

One of the greatest books ever written about a world championship match. In 1960 Mikhail Botvinnik was the pillar of "scientific " chess and the ironwilled champion of the world. The young attacking genius Mihail Tal, the "Wizard of Riga," put the magic back into the game by defeating Botvinnik with spectacular tactics in one of the most dramatic and celebrated world championship matches of all time. This is Tal's own classic work on the contest. In it he sets the stage and explains every one of the 21 games, telling both the on- and off-the-board story of this tatanic clash of styles and thought. Take a trip with the Magician from Riga as he invites you to share his thoughts and feelings as he does battle for the world title. "Mikhail Tal's splendid account of his world championship match victory is one of the masterpieces of the golden age of annotation - before insights and feelings and flashes of genius were reduced to mere moves and Informant symbols. This is simply the best book written about a world championship match by a contestant. That shouldn't be a surprise because Tal was the finest writer to become world champion." - From the Foreword by International Grandmaster Andy Soltis

Long known as one of the greatest chess masters of the nineteenth century, William Steinitz had a rich and elevated career and life, which can now be known as well. Lengthy annotations for the 15 selected games are provided by modern grandmaster Andy Soltis, often augmented by Steinitz's own observations. Three additional games are also included. Each game is illustrated.

A Zeal to Understand “I do not accept an absolute limit to my knowledge. I have a zeal to understand that refuses to die.” — Emanuel Lasker, 1919 Among great chess masters, Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) stands unique for the depth and broad scope of his intellect. Most of the game’s world champions have been single-mindedly chess-obsessed, with few outside interests. Lasker, however, was very much a polymath, making major contributions to mathematics and philosophy, plus writing on many other subjects: science, politics, economics, sociology, board games other than chess, etc. All while retaining his chess crown for nearly 27 years, and ranking among the world’s top ten for over four decades. In this book you get a unique look at Lasker himself – both intellectually and emotionally – through a wide-ranging sampling of his works, with an emphasis on chess but also including much on other topics. A partial list: • Lasker’s magazine London Chess Fortnightly (1892-93). • The Hastings 1895 tournament book. • Common Sense in Chess (1896). • Lasker’s Chess Magazine (1904-1909). • A memorial tribute to Pillsbury, from The Chess Player’s Scrapbook (1906). • Full coverage of the 1907 Lasker-Marshall and 1908 Lasker-Tarrasch World Championship matches. • The St. Petersburg 1909 tournament book. • Lasker’s and Capablanca’s books on their 1921 title match. • The discussion of the theory of Steinitz from Lasker’s Manual of Chess. • An examination of Lasker’s endgame instruction and studies by GM Karsten Müller. • Summaries of and extensive excerpts from two of Lasker’s philosophical works, Struggle (1907) and Die Philosophie des Unvollendbar (The Philosophy of the Unattainable, 1919), and his forgotten sociological rarity, The Community of the Future (1940). • A discussion of Lasker’s mathematical works by Dr. Ingo Althöfer of Jena University. • A look at Lasca, a checkers-like game invented by Lasker. You are invited to enter the mind of this wide-ranging, insightful and outspoken intellect. Lasker was not always right, any more than he always won at the chess board, but he was always interesting. About the Editor Taylor Kingston has been a chess enthusiast since his teens. He holds a Class A over-the-board USCF rating, and was a correspondence master in the 1980s, but his greatest love is the game’s history. His historical articles have appeared in Chess Life, New In Chess, Inside Chess, Kingpin among others.

Great chess master shares his secrets, including basic methods of gaining advantages, exchange value of pieces, openings, combinations, position play, aesthetics, and other important maneuvers. More than 300 diagrams.