John Nunn's Chess Course (Chess World Champions)

WINNER OF THE 2014 CHESSCAFE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDGrandmaster John Nunn provides a complete chess education, covering decision-making methods and psychological factors in addition to the most important strategic and tactical methods.Following on from his successful books Understanding Chess Endgames and Understanding Chess Middlegames, John Nunn fleshes out the theory by showing how World Champion Emanuel Lasker handled a wide variety of practical situations. We see how Lasker’s play, which his opponents found so unfathomable, was based on logic, extreme pragmatism and a deep understanding of how chess-players think.Covers topics not usually considered, such as queenless middlegames and manoeuvringDissects strategic issues including piece activity, pawn-structure and bishop vs knightLooks at psychological aspects of chess, such as choosing lines which are most uncomfortable for the opponentDiscusses how to handle inferior positionsExplanations focus on general ideas rather than detailed analysisFeatures more than 100 of the most instructive examples from Lasker’s careerConcludes with a selection of exercises, with full commentary and explanationEmanuel Lasker from Germany – chess player, mathematician and philosopher – held the world title for 27 years, longer than any other champion. His victories against many of the all-time greats were based on an ahead-of-his-time understanding and had a subtle but profound influence on modern chess thinking.Dr John Nunn is one of the best-respected figures in world chess. He was among the world’s leading grandmasters for nearly twenty years, winning four gold medals in chess Olympiads. He is a much-acclaimed writer, whose works have won ‘Book of the Year’ awards in several countries. In 2004, 2007 and 2010, Nunn was crowned World Chess Solving Champion, ahead of many former champions.“Lasker’s games are fun and instructive, and Nunn is a sure guide” – John Hartmann, Chess Life“An outstanding achievement ... Nunn’s writing truly explores Lasker’s reasoning, explaining in concise text why both good moves and errors occur. He explains how Lasker managed and adjusted to circumstances at the board, and how we can learn from such thinking. This book is special and I give it the highest recommendation” – Ross Jackson, New Zealand Chess“John Nunn’s Chess Course is a wonderful book. It is genuinely instructive and should conclusively prove that the old masters and their games still have a lot to offer ... very much one of the books of the year” – Sean Marsh, Chess Magazine Read more