This new book by the many-times world champion Anatoly Karpov and the author of more than fifty books, grandmaster Nikolay Kalinichenko, is devoted to one of the most complicated and strategically deep openings & mdash; the Queen's Gambit Declined. Using games played by the strongest grandmasters, it describes the interesting ideas which have appeared in the main development systems of this opening. Along with games from recent years, the book presents the most important encounters from the chess heritage. And of course, it includes games by Anatoly Karpov himself & mdash; a great expert on the Queen's Gambit, who generously shares with the reading his unique understanding of the concepts involved. The book is aimed at strong players, but it will also be of interest to a wide range of chess enthusiasts.

An outstanding theorist and successful coach shares his memories of communication and cooperation with Mikhail Tal, Anatoly Karpov, Isaac Boleslavsky, Elena Akhmylovskaya and other outstanding chess players. Separate large chapter – a story about many years of work with Boris Gelfand: over these years (1980-1993) the student went from a 12-year-old candidate for master to the holder of the 3rd rating in the world. Albert Kapengut – winner of 6 gold medals at the World Student Olympics, seven-time champion of Belarus, participant in the individual and team championships of the USSR among men, champion of the USSR as part of the Burevestnik team. The book includes 70 games commented in detail by the author, a careful study of which will help the reader not only better understand popular opening schemes, but also get a taste for serious analytical work. “My story is not so much about a career, although “you can’t erase words from a song,” but about memorable situations, often funny, sometimes absurd, and dotted about people I met along the way, sometimes with touches of biography, prompting readers to become interested in more complete information.” ;" (A. Kapengut). For a wide range of chess lovers.

The vast majority of opening guides are written for adult readers. This book is also devoted to the theory but it is junior. The structure of the book is simple and attractive: openings are examined using examples from actual games, each of which is presented in the form of a lesson with its own name. Several such lessons form an opening theme, and the examination of each theme concludes with exercises. In each opening, attention is drawn to its characteristic tactical and strategic ideas of combinations for independent solution strictly corresponds to the opening theme. Written in clear and easy language, the book is furnished with a large number of diagrams. Colored explanatory arrows on the diagrams and the selection of individual pages with a colored background make the book easier to understand. Regular work solve two problems: deepen the student's knowledge and develop his tactical vision, thus improving his skill and results.

The authors continue to study typical opening and middlegame positions. Royal Fortress No. 2 has pawns on squares f7, g6, h7 (or f2, g3, h2), and they are usually joined by another defender – bishop on g7 (g2). This formation is called fianchetto, it is found in many popular openings, such as the Catalan Opening, King's Indian Defense, Grunfeld Defense and a number of others.  The authors analyze in detail the techniques of attack, defense and counterattack. Most examples – from the creativity of modern chess players (for example, a separate chapter is dedicated to the strongest Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi); they are complemented by parts that have become a classical heritage. The book contains about 300 positions for independent solution, so it is not only a textbook, but also a solid problem book. Grandmaster Konstantin Chernyshov, head of the Interregional Grandmaster School in Kostroma, and his daughter International Master Natalya Kareva – experienced coaches, whose students include grandmasters and masters, champions of Russia and Europe among juniors.  The book is addressed to young chess players and their mentors. 

The 2nd edition, revised and supplemented, of the popular monograph, which is dedicated to one of the most combat modern debuts – the Old Indian defense. The author meticulously builds the entire defensive line of black (including on the territory of "adjacent" openings, such as the English beginning or the London system), explains standard plans and tactical techniques, offers a number of novelties in current schemes. Carefully selected positions for the solution will help the reader to consolidate the acquired knowledge. The book is addressed to chess players of any level, since the laws of Old Indian are the same for both amateurs and super grandmasters.

The Caro-Kann defense is one of the most popular modern openings, which is firmly included in the repertoire of most elite chess players. The author of the book, a well-known grandmaster and theorist, offers a full repertoire for black in response to 1.e4, explains in detail the main strategic ideas of each option and gives the exact order of moves, offers a number of novelties in current schemes. In each chapter, alternative plans for black are considered, so that the reader can make a choice according to his taste, and it was more difficult for the opponent to prepare. Much attention in the monograph is paid to correspondence games in which players use all the achievements of modern technology. All analyses during the work on the manuscript are checked on powerful computers. Carefully selected positions for the solution will help the reader to consolidate the acquired knowledge. The 2nd edition supplements the section with the 10 most interesting current parties. The book is addressed to chess players of any level – from amateurs to professionals.  

Igor Yanvarev "Tactical Mastery of a Chess Player. Volume 2. Basics of Calculation Techniques". Andrey Elkov Publishing House, Moscow, 2025 - 392 p. Before you is the second book from the three-volume work by International Master I.K. Yanvarev, a famous trainer, author of the fundamental work "The Old Indian Played by Tigran Petrosian" (2010), which received recognition from readers and was republished abroad. The three-volume work is united by a common idea - tactics and combinations in chess. In fact, this is a turnkey textbook, it explains everything from scratch to an advanced level. The second volume is devoted to the basics of calculation techniques, such topics as the tactical "spectrum" of a position, concentration of attention, inclusion of imagination are considered, the "tree of variations" is interpreted in a new way, the practical component is emphasized - the economy of calculation. A separate chapter allows the reader to assess their ability to calculate variations and outline ways to eliminate weaknesses. Each chapter ends with a large number of carefully selected examples for independent solution. Unlike other similar publications, the author examines chess tactics as a single whole, in combination with strategy and elements of psychology. It is based on the original author's methodology, which has proven itself well when working with chess players of various qualifications. Excellently selected examples, a clear logical structure and consistency in the presentation simplify the understanding of the material. For a wide range of chess fans.