Explores the different military responses to popular uprisings during the 2011 Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Libya.

'New (4th) and improved edition of an all-time classic The good news about endgames is: • there are relatively few endings you should know by heart • once you know these endings, that's it. Your knowledge never goes out of date! The bad news is that, all the same, the endgame technique of most players is deficient. Modern time-controls make matters worse: there is simply not enough time to delve deep into the position. Jesus de la Vila debunks the myth that endgame theory is complex and he teaches you to steer the game into a position you are familiar with. This book contains only those endgames that: • show up most frequently • are easy to learn • contain ideas that are useful in more difficult positions. Your performance will improve dramatically because this book brings you: • simple rules • detailed and lively explanations • many diagrams • clear summaries of the most important themes • dozens of tests.

Dictators' Endgames examines the political role of the military in “dictators' endgames”: large-scale nonviolent mass protests in autocracies that demand the regime leader's removal from office. It addresses the question why some militaries defend an embattled autocrat by violently cracking down on the protestors, whereas others side with the opposition or decide to stage a coup d'état. The book introduces a systematic definition and operationalization of the “dictator's endgame” as a situation of non-violent mass mobilization, in which the dictator's political survival depends on the loyalty of the military leaders. The theoretical argument proposed in this book focuses on the strategic calculations of military leaders and offers a systematic explanation why the armed forces opt for repression of the demonstrators, shift their loyalty from the dictator to the opposition, or remove the autocrat in a coup during the mass protests. The theory's predictions are empirically tested in a multi-method research design that combines statistical analyses and case studies, drawing on the original Dictator's Endgame Dataset of all 40 endgames that took place between 1946 and 2014. The study identifies the conditions and processes through which militaries determine the outcome of dictators' endgames, and thus affect the survival and future political development of authoritarian regimes.

Studying chess is about finding patterns and learning from examples that illustrate those patterns best. This e-book focuses on patterns based on material left on the board - bishops of opposite color and rooks. It explains the ideas of bishop endgames alone, and then shows how the strategy changes when rooks are also present on the board. The level of a reader who could benefit from this book the most is between 1600 and 2200 ELO. However other chess players should also be able to learn from it because this topic is not often discussed in chess literature, yet can improvement in playing such simplified positions can dramatically increase one's chess strength. The format was specifically designed for e-readers. Most chapters have examples from practical games of chess champions of the past and present, such as Botvinnik, Kasparov, and Carlsen, followed by puzzles for the reader to solve. That should reinforce newly learned concepts and help get a better sense of the combination of pieces (bishops and rooks) discussed throughout the book. There are also questions for the reader to answer at the key moments of the games. To see solutions for puzzles and questions - just go to the next page. Instructive mistakes by lower rated players are also demonstrated throughout the chapters.

It is in the endgame that the hard-won advantages from earlier play are either converted into a win or dissipated to produce a draw or worse. In Winning Endgames, Tony Kosten illustrates how to take stock of a particular position at the beginning of the endgame stage, how to identify the correct strategy, and how to exploit it effectively. With sections on the strengths and weaknesses of various pieces, positional and tactical themes, and attack and defense in the endgame, this book provides the developing player with the knowledge consistently to improve competition performance.

Analyzes a variety of endgames, discusses strategy, and looks at confrontations between unlike pieces.

The first edition of Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual was immediately recognized by novice and master alike as one of the best books ever published on the endgame. The second edition is revised and enlarged - now over 400 pages - covering all the most important concepts required for endgame mastery. "I am sure that those who study this work carefully will not only play the endgame better, but overall, their play will improve. One of the secrets of the Russian chess school is now before you, dear reader!" - From the Foreword to the First Edition by Grandmaster Artur Yusupov "Going through this book will certainly improve your endgame knowledge, but just as important, it will also greatly improve your ability to calculate variations... What really impresses me is the deep level of analysis in the book... All I can say is: This is a great book. I hope it will bring you as much pleasure as it has me." - From the Preface to the First Edition by International Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard Here's what they had to say about the First Edition: "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual ... may well be the chess book of the year... [It] comes close to an ultimate one-volume manual on the endgame." - Lubomir Kavalek in his chess column of December 1, 2003 in the Washington Post. "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual is quite simply a masterpiece of research and insight. It is a tremendous contribution to endgame literature, certainly the most important one in many years, and destined to be a classic of the literature (if it isn't already one). The famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky has put together a vast number of examples that he has not only collected, but analysed and tested with some of the world's strongest players. This is a particularly important book from the standpoint of clarifying, correcting, and extending the theory of endings. Most of all, Dvoretsky's analysis is staggering in its depth and accuracy." - John Watson, reviewing DEM at The Week In Chess 2003 Book of the Year - JeremySilman.com 2003 Book of the Year - Seagaard Chess Reviews: "This is an extraordinary good chess book. To call this the best book on endgames ever written seems to be an opinion shared by almost all reviewers and commentators. And I must say that I am not to disagree." - Erik Sobjerg

Lawrence and Wishart's comprehensive history of the British Communist Party concludes in this sixth and final volume. Beginning with the 1960s and the influence of social movements such as feminism and student collectives, this history moves through the changing landscape of the British Labour Party, Eurocommunism, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Commentary on the current state of Communism notes that the new generation, more likely influenced by Lennon than Lenin, has formed too wide a constituency to forge sustainable alliances.