New Releases by Raymond Keene

Anyone - beginners of all ages - can learn how to play chess with the help of this clear manual, now in its second edition.

Includes everything you need to learn and play, including a board, pieces, and a book. Chess is the game of kings, an ancient competition that continues to delight and intrigue young and old alike. Mammoth tomes have been written in pursuit of the perfect game, but everyone needs to start somewhere. With the Learn Chess Fast gift set, you can have your kids playing chess in minutes. Starting with the very basics, young minds will learn how to set up the board, the abilities of the various pieces and how they move, and how the game is played. As they progress through the basics, they will also learn basic strategies such as the Scholar’s Mate and the Legall’s Mate and how to read chess notation and diagrams. With a seventy-two-page book written by experts Raymond Keene and Nancy Stewart and chock-full of lively illustrations by Roxie Munro, a game board, and thirty-two chess pieces all contained in a metal case, the Learn Chess Fast gift set is great for developing young players and perfect for family game night. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to be introduced—or introduce someone else—to this wonderful game. Get your kids off the computer and engage their minds with this beautiful set This is the perfect introduction to chess for children age 7 and up. The tone is fun and light-hearted, but the instruction is detailed enough to help children develop their skills.

Including all games from the World Chess Championship Match, plus previous games between Anand and Carlsen and a ground breaking history of the World Chess Champions, including representative games by each of the 19 prior holders of the world title. All annotated by Grandmaster Raymond Keene, OBE. Includes 40 annotated chess games, 243 chess diagrams, plus puzzles and quizzes based upon the games of the match.

Chess is the most popular mind sport in the world played regularly by over 600 million people. This book will teach you through the actual gameplay and tactics employed by world champions such as Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov and Anand. Interspersed with the examples are informative notes on the history, culture and personalities of chess. Beautifully produced, The Times Little Book of Chess Secrets is a treasure in itself and makes a perfect gift for all word enthusiasts and aspiring chess players the world over. The Times Little Book of Chess Secrets is produced in Association with The Times. Raymond Keene OBE is a former British champion, gold medallist in the European Championship and author of over a hundred books on chess, translated into twelve different languages, the world record. He is chess correspondent for The Times, The Sunday Times and The Australian (Sydney). His daily chess column in The Times regularly tops the polls for most readers.

The epic 1995 match for the World Chess Championship between Kasparov and Anand with all games deeply annotated by Grandmaster Raymond Keene.

Howard Staunton (1810 - 22 June 1874) was an English chess master who is generally regarded as having been the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851. He promoted a chess set of clearly distinguishable pieces of standardised shape that is still the style which must be used for competitions. He was the principal organizer of the first international chess tournament in 1851. From 1840 onwards he became a leading chess commentator, and won matches against top players of the 1840s. However, the achievement of Staunton have been neglected or even ignored by his own countrymen and this book seeks to rectify that.

This book contains 71 deeply annotated chess victories of Tigran Petrosian (World Champion from 1963 to 1969) against the leading players of his day, some of which are in print for the first time. The authors' authoritative but accessible language makes it a good read for the amateur as well as a cast-iron network of interlocking variations to satisfy the professionals. Petrosian was underrated as world champion in his day (many of his achievements were drowned out by the furore surrounding Bobby Fischer) but he is now being critically reappraised – Garry Kasparov paid fulsome tribute to him at a recent London lecture. This insightful book aims to restore him to his rightful position in the pantheon of chess greats.

Howard Staunton was the iconic polymath who essentially founded British chess. He was the dominant player of his time and after his 1843 victory against St Amant in Paris he would undoubtedly have been hailed as world champion, had anyone thought of creating the title at that time. Staunton's name also goes down into history as the man after whom the standard Staunton pattern chess pieces are named.The year 2003 was the 175th anniversary of the foundation of Simpson's in the Strand, the great 19th century home of chess. The Staunton Society, therefore, decided to organise a chess tournament to celebrate both Staunton and this great venue. This book gives all the games and a potted history of chess in London. The greatest London events are recorded as well as games played in London by every World Champion. Raymond Keene OBE, chess correspondent of The Times, was London's first official Grandmaster. Artist Barry Martin is the Honorary Secretary of the Staunton Society.This book also includes all the games from the second Staunton Tournament.

Tony Miles was a phenomenon in English chess. From an early age it was apparent that he had no respect whatsoever for the vaunted Soviet School of chess and held their grandmasters in scant esteem. At the very start of his career victories came in quick succession against such renowned opposition as Bronstein, Geller, Smyslov and Spassky. The culmination was a victory at the head of the British Chess Federation team in the European Team Championship at snow bound Skara in Sweden against the reigning world champion Anatoly Karpov. For the very first time in any anthology of Tony Miles' games this win appears here with Tony's own profound notes. This was an historic win with Miles using the iconoclastic 1...a6 to defeat the champion's habitual 1e4. Amongst Tony's exploits were winning the Junior World Championship, becoming the UK's first FIDE grandmaster in over the board play and leading the BCF team to silver medals behind only the USSR in the prestigious Chess Olympiads. Miles also won numerous first prizes in international tournaments. He feared no-one and his will to win was legendary, as exemplified by the front jacket photograph of this book. Taken at the Tilburg 1985 tournament, this shows Miles in play on a form of stretcher against grandmaster Djinjihashvili. Although suffering from terrible back pain, Miles insisted on competing, even from this unorthodox position, the only one in which the pain subsided. Characteristically Miles went on to win shared first prize in the event. Tony Miles died tragically early in November 2001. This book is a memorial to him, written by a Grandmaster rival who faced him many times over the board. Raymond Keene is a British Chess Champion, and the first British Player to achieve a FIDE (World Chess Federation) Grandmaster norm. He was awarded the OBE for services to chess in 1985. He is Chess Correspondent of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The International Herald Tribune. He is a prolific author of chess books, several of which are classics of the genre. He has organised three World Chess Championships

Between 1979 and 1985 seven International Tournaments were held in Brighton, England, as a result of the efforts of Ray Keene and Julian Simpole. Here the two organisers recombine as joint authors to record all games from these events, all results and some notes and comments to the most outstanding clashes. The players invited form a veritable roll call of British illuminati in chess - Nigel Short, Jon Speelman, Dr John Nunn, William Watson, James Plaskett, Dr Jonathan Mestel and Shaun Taulbut. The foreign challenge was also considerable including World Championship Candidate Johann Hjartarson from Iceland as well as Grandmasters Jon Arnason, Gudmundur Sigurjonsson, Heikki Westerinen, Jon Fedorowicz and Jon Tisdall. Many of these games will be unknown to the chess public. They form a treasure trove of ideas and strategies, as well as being an invaluable historical document in their own right, within the context of the celebrated English chess explosion which commenced in the late 1970s and led to an English challenge for the World Title in 1993. Raymond Keene is a British Chess Champion, and the first British Player to achieve a FIDE (World Chess Federation) Grandmaster norm. He was awarded the OBE for services to chess in 1985. He is Chess Correspondent of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The International Herald Tribune. He is a prolific author of chess books, several of which are classics of the genre. He has organised three World Chess Championships. Julian Simpole was top board for the Brighton team that won the 1969 British Lightning Team Championship, while in 2003 he was awarded the title of Official World Chess Federation Organiser, in recognition of his work in creating and running important international tournaments in the UK.

Compiled by three grandmasters and two international masters this scholarly treatise explains in depth the thinking behind a defence that has been a favourite of champions such as Capablanca, Botvinnik, Petrosian and Karpov. Even Kasparov has been known to use the Caro Kann on occasion, for example in one case to defeat Mikhail Tal.

The King's Indian is noted as a dynamic counter-attacking defence par excellence. This book describes the key strategies for both sides in the main lines such as the Fianchetto variation, the Petrosian system, the Sdmisch/ Four Pawns attack and Averbakh. Analysis is backed up with verbal explanation making this book an ideal introduction for those wishing to take up or face the King's Indian in competitive situations.

In early 1985 Florencio Campomanes - the now disgraced former president of FIDE, the World Chess Federation - halted the World Title challenge from Garry Kasparov "without result," thus forcing a rematch in the autumn of that same year. This book recounts Kasparov's determined fresh assault on the world title which made him at age 22 the youngest champion in the history of the game.

Learn how to play chess and obtain a deeper understanding of the game with this comprehensive step-by-step course.

The Nimzo-Indian Defence is one of Black's most dynamic ways of countering 1 d4. From the outset of the game Black seeks to create pawn weaknesses in his opponent's position to be exploited in the middlegame. Usually this involves renouncing the bishop pair, typically leading to positions in which both sides have clear strategic objectives, where the outcome is decided by the skills of the two players in executing these plans.

Moscow, in the autumn of 1984, was the setting for a clash between two of the all-time greats of chess: defending champion Anatoly Karpov, the most deadly tournament player in the history of the game, and Gary Kasparov, the 21 year old from Baku who would become the youngest ever World Champion were he to overthrow his rival. This gruelling test of contrasting character, style and sheer physical reserves roused a wave of media interest and thrust chess into the forefront of public attention.

If you do not yet have a chess rating and are not particularly interested in competing in chess tournaments then this is the book for you! Keene has constructed a self testing rating system which enables the reader to gauge their rating strength. If you do not wish to take the tests simply play over and enjoy fine games.

A complete step-by-step course which shows you how to play and deepen your understanding of chess.

A handbook which provides a step-by-step guide to the game of chess, and explains ways to improve strategic thinking and using it in business matters in an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world.

Since winning the World Championship in 1985 Gary Kasparov has dominated world chess in an unprecedented fashion.

Describes the game of chess, from the basic moves to strategies for attack and defense, with chapters on the history of the game, great champions, competitions, and computer chess.