Emanuel Lasker was the longest-reigning world champion (1894-1921) and remained one of the world's top 10 players for nearly four decades. He competed against top players such as Capablanca, Rubinstein and Alekhine at the height of their game, and was consistently successful, yet almost no one studies his games today. Lasker is often overlooked by the modern chess player, and the secrets of his success remain a mystery. Chess journalist Andy Soltis reveals for the first time the winning formula behind Lasker's phenonemal achievements. With over 100 annotated games, Soltis analyses the tricks, traps and techniques behind the winning moves, and makes Lasker's methods accessible to today's players.

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.

Many club players think that studying chess is all about cramming as much information in their brain as they can. Most textbooks support that notion by stressing the importance of always trying to find the objectively best move. As a result amateur players are spending way too much time worrying about subtleties that are really only relevant for grandmasters. Emanuel Lasker, the second and longest reigning World Chess Champion (27 years!), understood that what a club player needs most of all is common sense: understanding a set of timeless principles. Amateurs shouldn’t waste energy on rote learning but just strive for a good grasp of the basic essentials of attack and defence, tactics, positional play and endgame play endgame play. Chess instruction needs to be efficient because of the limited amount of time that amateur players have available. Superfluous knowledge is often a pitfall. Lasker himself, for that matter, also studied chess considerably less than his contemporary rivals. Gerard Welling and Steve Giddins have created a complete but compact manual based on Lasker’s general approach to chess. It enables the average amateur player to adopt trustworthy openings, reach a sound middlegame and have a basic grasp of endgame technique. Welling and Giddins explain the principles with very carefully selected examples from players of varying levels, some of them from Lasker’s own games. The Lasker Method to Improve in Chess is an efficient toolkit as well as an entertaining guide. After working with it, players will dramatically boost their skills – without carrying the excess baggage that many of their opponents will be struggling with.

Becoming a Grandmaster is the ultimate aim for serious chess players, but whatever your chess abilities, this book will take you to the next level. Packed with tips, tricks and practical exercises aimed at players of all skill levels who aspire to greatness. Even an average chess player can find the same moves as a Grandmaster as much as 75 percent of the time. The difference is that only the Grandmaster can find the other 25 percent. This book identifies the kinds of moves and techniques that account for that 25 percent. Among the topics covered in the book are: Mysterious rook pawn moves, Tacking, Piece Nullification, "King Feeling," and how to play for a win without risk. Written by one of our biggest-selling and best-loved chess authors, in his trademark chatty, accessible but always informative style, this book is filled with practical exercises and test games that will reveal the secrets of how to join chess's elite ranks.

Lessons, motivation and coaching to make you a better chess player. In an ideal world, any aspiring chess player, at almost any level, would get better with a coach. If that's not possible, having chess champion coach Thomas Engqvist's book at your side is the next best thing. In his series of lessons, Engqvist guides you through not only the most important elements of chess to master but also the psychology, how to marry knowledge with imagination, and how to stay motivated. Suitable for older children through to adults, the lessons are drawn from chess games through history, from the 16th century to Magnus Carlsen and latest Alpha Zero computer chess. It features a range of key players, including Steinitz, Lasker, Nimzowistch, Botvinnik (Soviet chess school), and Fischer. With clear and accessible annotations to give clarity, the games highlight the most important lessons to learn and, just as importantly, how to 'practise' chess. International Master Thomas Engqvist has travelled the world teaching and coaching chess to a very high level for decades – and with this book, he can be your coach too.

An informative guide to understanding and implementing the fundamentals of the Caro-Kann, the easy way. The Caro-Kann defence, named after the German chess players Horatio Caro and Marcus Kann, is notorious for its simple solidity and is a popular chess opening that players of all levels benefit from having in their arsenal. It is a firm favourite of grand masters past and present, including Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca and Anand. This is the fifth book from International Master Thomas Engqvist, and it avoids overcomplicated details and endless computer variations, focusing instead on key variations of the Caro-Kann that can be committed to memory. Examining classic games to demonstrate key moves in action, Engqvist brings the defence to life and provides you with the knowledge you need to put strategy into practice.

Strategies and examples for beating a superior opponent in chess. Chess history is littered with David vs Goliath chess struggles where the weaker player has prevailed. Chess masters, even international grandmasters, can be defeated by young, improving players who use the right techniques and proper attitude. In David vs Goliath Chess, renowned chess writer Andrew Soltis takes you through 50 annotated games that show how weaker players have scored stunning upsets by overcoming a superior opponent's greater knowledge and experience. He gives tips on everything from the best psychological mindset to take on a strong player, to studying your opponents past games, identifying weaknesses and identifying chess strategies he or she won't expect. A great chess improver book that will benefit any regular chess player, including club players, giving the reader confidence to take on anyone at chess.

In 1973 legendary organizer Bill Goichberg created the model for what would become an iconic American chess tournament. The deal at the World Open was plain and simple: high entry fees, big prizes, and no frills. From that moment onwards grandmasters and amateurs have been flocking to the World Open in an annual pilgrimage. Every year around the 4th of July, Philadelphia – the home of the World Open barring a few excursions to other cities – has been the scene of countless epic battles on the chess board. Joel Benjamin and Harold Scott have delved into the tournament’s history, examined hundreds of games and conducted interviews with what they call the Heroes of the World Open, players that won the tournament on multiple occasions. The question that intrigued them was: why have some players been so consistent in their performances and always battled for the top prizes? Why did they excel among so many other strong grandmasters? They found that many different paths were taken on the road to victory, but that the Heroes definitely had one common factor: their fighting spirit! Benjamin and Scott present the history of the World Open in an entertaining tale of successes and scandals. The fighting spirit is shown in a fantastic collection of the very best and most crucial games that were played over the years. They also include a selection of spectacular tactics. Winning the World Open is as entertaining as it is instructive. Not only the many thousands of players that participated in this great tradition will find it an irresistible read.

Marshall’s Brilliant Victory In the spring of 1904, most of the chess world’s elite gathered in the sleepy northwestern Pennsylvania town of Cambridge Springs, where the first great tournament of the twentieth century was to take place. World Champion Emanuel Lasker topped the field. The champions of America (Harry Pillsbury), Russia (Mikhail Chigorin), France (David Janowski) and the Austria-Hungarian Empire (Carl Schlechter) were also playing. Among the other players in this historic fifteen-round-robin event was a young master from Brooklyn, Frank Marshall. He had some international experience, including defeating World Champion Lasker in their individual encounter at Paris in 1900. However, he certainly was not considered among the favorites at the time. Nevertheless, Marshall finished in first place, two full points ahead of the rest of the field, the only undefeated player. The story of this great tournament is superbly told by author Robert Sherwood. Each game is deeply annotated, while contemporary sources and rare archival photos nicely supplement the round-by-round account. With this victory, Frank Marshall took his place among the world-class players of his era. You are invited to join Marshall on his journey in this splendid account of his magnificent triumph in the first major international tournament of the twentieth century.