Mikhail Tal, the 'magician from Riga,' was the greatest attacking World Champion of them all, and this enchanting autobiography chronicles his extraordinary career with charm and humor.

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 on...

Mikhail Tal is one of the all-time chess greats. In 1960 he became the youngest champion in world history at the age of 23, sweeping to victory at his first attempt. His extraordinary tactical ability has never been bettered, and his reputation goes from strength to strength.This absorbing book, first published in the early 1980s, is based on diaries kept by Tal's coach from their training sessions, and this unique perspective makes it a fascinating and effective chess instructor, ...

The legendary Mikhail Tal was the finest ever exponent of attacking chess. His all-out sacrificial style took him all the way to the World Championship title. Dogged by ill-health, Tal's reign was a short one, and he was never able to regain his crown, but Tal remained an outstanding player right up to his death in 1992. His departure has taken away one of the chess world's most charismatic figures; a player who excited chess passions wherever he went. In this, his last book, written toget...

The Luck of the Draw!? We have all seen games – and perhaps even played them – in which a difficult or lost game is salvaged by a brilliant drawing combination. In the early 1970s, Soviet International Master Leonid Verkhovsky collected some of the most fantastic draws ever played. You will be captivated by combinations and threats, as inexhaustible imagination in defense and attack counterbalance each other. The chess prowess of one player is basically in equilibrium with the mastery ...

It’s been estimated that around 24 billion tonnes of fertile topsoil is lost each year due to historic and ongoing pollution. With increasing pressure placed upon land as a resource, there is an urgent need to make better use of existing agricultural land, as well as remediate contaminated land for farming use.Contaminants in agricultural soils: Challenges and solutions provides a comprehensive overview of the major types of contaminants in agricultural soils. It considers...

Every chess player needs to know how to handle his pawns. Pawns form the 'playing fields' of chess games, a semi-permanent 'structure' that can determine whether a player wins or loses. This comprehensive guide to pawn structure teaches the reader where pieces are best placed, which pawns should be advanced further or exchanged, and why certain structures are good and others disastrous. This invaluable book is a major update of this chess-world classic, first published in 1975 and unavaila...

Chess is the art that expresses the science of logic. Mikhail BotvinnikGrandmaster Neil McDonald explains every single move made by White and Black in 30 striking tactical or strategical games played over the last quarter century.These games have been carefully chosen for their consistent logical thread, thereby providing the reader with prime instruction in the art of conceiving appropriate plans and attacks and carrying them out to their natural ...

This is a well-established training manual which encourages the average player to understand how a grandmaster thinks, and even more important, how he works. Kotov tackles fundamental issues such as knowing how and when to analyze, the tree of analysis, a selection of candidate moves and the factors of success.

Improve your chess by studying the greatest games of all time, from Adolf Anderssen's 'Immortal Game' to Anand versus Kramnik 2008, and featuring a foreword by World Champion Vishy Anand.The 125 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British experts and illustrated with over 1,000 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and de...

Lasker's Manual of Chess" is one of the greatest chess books ever written. The fact that it was first published over 80 years ago has diminished neither its relevance nor significance in today's modern chess world. Lasker was both a wonderful fighter and a deep thinker; his book is the quintessence of the exceptionally successful experiences he had over many long years and his thoughts about them. He teaches what he himself considers most important: general principles and methods a...

The English Opening, from the Flank Games group, was developed by Howard Staunton. In this opening, white avoids or delays the occupation of the centre with Pawns. Once considered a minor diversion, the English is now one of the main openings and all modern world champions have played it. One of the most famous world champions, Anatoly Karpov, brings his sharp eye and extensive experience to bear in this concise introduction to the opening. Like the previous volumes from Karpov on the Caro...