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Gambit books by subject

Use our breakdown of Gambit books to find the Gambit book that is right for you:

 

General Opening Books
Title Author
101 Chess Opening Traps Steve Giddins Keep a straight face when playing these lines
125 Chess Opening Surprises Graham Burgess An arsenal of ideas to shock and confuse your opponents
Chess Openings for Kids John Watson & Graham Burgess Explains the 50 most important opening systems in a straightforward style
A Cunning Chess Opening Repertoire for White Graham Burgess A flexible repertoire to take Black well away from his comfort zone
An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire for Black Jouni Yrjölä & Jussi Tella A complete system for Black based on 1...d6
FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings Paul van der Sterren A new one-volume guide to all the chess openings
How to Beat the Open Games Sverre Johnsen A repertoire for Black after 1 e4 e5 (excluding the Ruy Lopez)
How to Build Your Chess Opening Repertoire Steve Giddins A goldmine of general advice
An Idiot-Proof Chess Opening Repertoire Graham Burgess You can hardly go wrong with this repertoire!
A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire - new enlarged edition Aaron Summerscale & Sverre Johnsen An easy-to-learn repertoire for the chessboard assassin
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 1 John Watson A definitive guide from the guru of modern chess on 1 e4
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 2 John Watson Covering lines beginning 1 d4
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 3 John Watson Covering flank openings
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 4 John Watson Draws together many themes in a wide-ranging discussion of general opening topics
Modern Chess Opening Repertoire for White James Rizzitano A repertoire based on 1 e4 using lines currently popular with top players
Play the Open Games as Black John Emms All lines after 1 e4 e5 except for the Ruy Lopez
A Rock-Solid Chess Opening Repertoire for Black Viacheslav Eingorn Defend with a repertoire based on 1...e6
A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White Sam Collins Based on 1 e4
A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire – New Edition Chris Baker & Graham Burgess A repertoire of offbeat opening lines for White based on 1 e4
A Strategic Chess Opening Repertoire for White John Watson Based on c4 and d4
Understanding the Chess Openings Sam Collins A concise overview with helpful explanations covering all major openings

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Specific Opening Books - King’s Pawn Openings
Title Author  
Anti-Sicilians: A Guide for Black Dorian Rogozenko Beat those irritating White tries
Chess Explained: The c3 Sicilian Sam Collins One of White’s most popular and poisonous ways to avoid the main lines of the Sicilian
Chess Explained: the Classical Sicilian Alex Yermolinsky One of the most popular and respected Sicilian systems
Chess Explained: the French Viacheslav Eingorn & Valentin Bogdanov Two experts explain the workings of a profound opening complex
Chess Explained: the Taimanov Sicilian James Rizzitano Be amazed at how quickly and easily Black can win with this opening
The English Attack Tapani Sammalvuo A ferocious response to the Sicilian Najdorf
Grandmaster Secrets: the Caro-Kann Peter Wells At last, a book on the Caro!
How to Beat the Open Games Sverre Johnsen A repertoire for Black after 1 e4 e5 (excluding the Ruy Lopez)
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 1 John Watson A definitive guide from the guru of modern chess on 1 e4
My Secrets in the Ruy Lopez Lajos Portisch A world-class player reveals his secrets
Mastering the Najdorf Julen Arizmendi & Javier Moreno Everything you need to know to play the Najdorf
Play the Alekhine Valentin Bogdanov A life-long specialist explains an uncompromising chess opening
Play the Najdorf Sicilian James Rizzitano A new guide to the King of Chess Openings
Play the Sicilian Dragon Edward Dearing A guide to the sharpest line of the Sicilian
The Ruy Lopez: A Guide for Black Sverre Johnsen & Leif Johannessen A reliable defence with more than a spark of aggression
Understanding the Marshall Attack David Vigorito A layman’s guide to the supergrandmasters’ favourite gambit
Understanding the Scandinavian Sergey Kasparov A complete defence to 1 e4
Understanding the Sicilian Mikhail Golubev An expert guide to the most popular chess opening
Win with the Caro-Kann Sverre Johnsen & Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen A complete repertoire against 1 e4

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Specific Opening Books - Queen’s Pawn Openings
Title Author  
Attack with Black Valery Aveskulov If White avoids the Benko, that’s when we hit him with the Blumenfeld
The Cambridge Springs Krzysztof Panczyk & Jacek Ilczuk A detailed study of a combative antidote to the Queen’s Gambit
Chess Explained: the Main-Line Slav David Vigorito Exploring the dynamics of an intricate and robust opening
Chess Explained: the Meran Semi-Slav Reinaldo Vera The Semi-Slav immediately presents White with a ‘man or mouse’ decision
Chess Explained: the Modern Benoni Zenon Franco A perennial favourite among players looking to create winning chances with Black
Chess Explained: the Nimzo-Indian Reinaldo Vera The Nimzo has provided the backbone of the opening repertoire of a large portion of the world’s top players over the last 80 years
Chess Explained: the Queen’s Gambit Declined James Rizzitano An immensely solid and classical choice for Black
Chess Explained: the Queen’s Indian Peter Wells One of the best writers in the world shows you exactly what to do
A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire - new enlarged edition Aaron Summerscale & Sverre Johnsen An easy-to-learn repertoire for the chessboard assassin
King’s Indian and Grünfeld: Fianchetto Lines Lasha Janjgava Key battlegrounds of modern grandmaster play
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 2 John Watson Covering lines beginning 1 d4
The Slav Graham Burgess Everything you need to know about the Slav
Understanding the Grünfeld Jonathan Rowson Explains the ideas behind one of the most double-edged openings
Understanding the King’s Indian Mikhail Golubev An expert guide to the most dynamic counter to 1 d4
Understanding the Leningrad Dutch Valery Beim Explains the ideas behind this ambitious opening
Win with the London System Sverre Johnsen & Vlatko Kovačević Subtle move orders and new variations to use
Win with the Stonewall Dutch Sverre Johnsen, Ivar Bern & Simen Agdestein Rock solid or flexible - your choice!

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Specific Opening Books - Flank Openings
Title Author  
Beating the Fianchetto Defences Efstratios Grivas How to tackle the Grünfeld, King’s Indian, Benoni, Benko and Modern, with the white pieces
Chess Explained: the English Opening Zenon Franco Your own personal trainer in a book
The Dynamic English Tony Kosten A repertoire for White which will reduce your workload
Mastering the Chess Openings volume 3 John Watson Covering flank openings

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Endings
Title Author  
101 Chess Endgame Tips Steve Giddins Golden nuggets of endgame wisdom
The Chess Endgame Exercise Book John Nunn 444 challenging exercises to extend your endgame knowledge
Chess Endgame Workbook for Kids John Nunn Teach yourself chess endgames with these carefully graded exercises
Chess Endgames for Kids Karsten Müller An introduction to chess endgames, and not only for kids!
Endgame Challenge John Nunn Prepare to be amazed
Fundamental Chess Endings Karsten Müller & Frank Lamprecht The award-winning comprehensive guide to modern endgame theory
How to Play Chess Endgames Karsten Müller & Wolfgang Pajeken The practical side of playing endgames
Nunn’s Chess Endings volume 1, volume 2 John Nunn The skills that are most important to success in practical endgames
Rook Endgames from Morphy to Carlsen Valentin Bogdanov Learn rook endings from the games of the world champions
Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings John Nunn The final volume in John Nunn’s classic endgame trilogy
Secrets of Pawn Endings Karsten Müller & Frank Lamprecht The definitive modern work on pawn endings
Secrets of Pawnless Endings John Nunn Not as simple as you might think
Secrets of Rook Endings John Nunn An expanded reissue of an endgame classic
The Survival Guide to Rook Endings John Emms A practical course in the most important type of chess endgame
Understanding Chess Endgames John Nunn Featuring the 100 most important endgame ideas
Understanding Pawn Endgames Valentin Bogdanov A practical approach to king and pawn endings
Secrets of Queen Endgames Ferenc Berkes and Tibor Karolyi Detailed coverage of one of the most difficult types of endgame
Understanding Rook Endgames Karsten Müller & Yakov Konoval Including the latest tablebase discoveries

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Puzzles and Studies
Title Author  
365 Ways to Checkmate Joe Gallagher Plenty of mating practice
1001 Deadly Checkmates John Nunn Checkmate ends the game...
1001 Deadly Chess Puzzles James Rizzitano A wide-ranging puzzle book to test your chess
400 Chess Strategy Puzzles Martyn Kravtsiv A book of strategic puzzles to improve your all-round play
600 Modern Chess Puzzles Martyn Kravtsiv A wide selection of puzzles from recent games
Chess Puzzles for Kids Murray Chandler 100 fun puzzles to entertain and instruct
Desert Island Chess Puzzle Omnibus So, Adams, Nunn & Burgess 400 puzzles selected by top players and authors
Endgame Challenge John Nunn Prepare to be amazed!
The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles Graham Burgess Improve your chess with these 300 carefully selected puzzles
The Giant Chess Puzzle Book Zenon Franco 1001 brand new chess puzzles to challenge and entertain players from novices to grandmasters
John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book New Enlarged Edition John Nunn 250 carefully-selected puzzles ranging from the fairly straightforward to the extremely challenging
Jon Speelman’s Chess Puzzle Book Jon Speelman His personal selection of chess puzzles will infuriate, entertain, test and instruct
The Most Amazing Chess Moves of All Time John Emms These 200 positions will astonish you
Perfect Your Chess Andrei Volokitin & Vladimir Grabinsky Learn from the training methods of a young champion
Problem Chess Göran Forslund An introductory guide to the beauty and challenge of chess problems
Solving in Style John Nunn Baffled by all those ‘Mate in 3’ and ‘White to play and win’ positions? John Nunn explains all
The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book John Emms 1001 puzzles - plenty of bedtime reading here

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Training, Strategy and Improvement
Title Author  
50 Essential Chess Lessons Steve Giddins Superb instruction based around 50 annotated games
50 Ways to Win at Chess Steve Giddins 50 games that each illustrate an important winning method
101 Tips to Improve Your Chess Tony Kosten A simple guide to positional chess, aimed at club and social players
101 Winning Chess Strategies Angus Dunnington Provides an arsenal of strategic ideas
Applying Logic in Chess Erik Kislik A top trainer explains how to study and improve
The Art of Attacking Chess Zenon Franco 30 inspirational and instructive masterpieces
The Chess Attacker’s Handbook Michael Song and Razvan Preotu Navigate the hidden paths of the chessboard to strike attacking gold
Chess for Life Matthew Sadler & Natasha Regan How to maintain your chess strength throughout life, including several case studies
Chess for Zebras Jonathan Rowson Maybe, just maybe, there is something to be said for being Black?
Chess Logic in Practice Erik Kislik How to find logical solutions to over-the-board problems
Chess Recipes from the Grandmaster’s Kitchen Valery Beim Not a cookbook but a series of essays on important chess techniques
Chess Strategy for Kids Thomas Engqvist The 50 Smart Strategies that help to win games
Chess Strategy in Action John Watson Another award-winning Watson middlegame classic
Decision-Making at the Chessboard Viacheslav Eingorn Original and thought-provoking
Dynamic Pawn Play in Chess Dražen Marović The dynamic side of pawns
Elements of Chess Strategy Alexei Kosikov Develop a disciplined approach to planning
Essential Chess Sacrifices David LeMoir Sometimes it’s the only way to exploit your advantage
Grandmaster Chess Move by Move John Nunn John Nunn applies the ‘Move by Move’ approach to his best games
Grandmaster Secrets: Counter-Attack! Zenon Franco A step-by-step guide to turning defence into victory
Grandmaster Secrets: Winning Quickly at Chess John Nunn 125 of the finest short decisive grandmaster games of the modern era
How Chess Games are Won and Lost Lars Bo Hansen Revitalizing your thinking on the middlegame
How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician David LeMoir An entertaining and instructive guide to improving your chess tactics
How to Calculate Chess Tactics Valeri Beim Make sure you get it right
How to Play Dynamic Chess Valeri Beim Dynamic play can outweigh positional factors - but you need to know how to capture the moment
Improve Your Chess - by Learning from the Champions Lars Bo Hansen A feast of the most instructive chess games of all time - both classical and modern
Improve Your Positional Chess Carsten Hansen Train your mind to appreciate positional subtleties
John Nunn's Chess Course John Nunn A complete chess education based on the games of World Champion Emanuel Lasker
The Road to Chess Improvement Alex Yermolinsky A respected grandmaster shares his self-improvement techniques
S.T.A.R. Chess Paul Motwani Instruction wrapped up in an individual package
Secrets of Attacking Chess Mihail Marin How to win the way we all want to win!
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy John Watson The award-winning book on chess strategy
Secrets of Positional Chess Dražen Marović Winning by subtlety
Secrets of Practical Chess New Enlarged Edition John Nunn A Chess Olympic Gold Medal winner explains how you can dramatically improve your chess results
The Seven Deadly Chess Sins Jonathan Rowson How many do you commit?
Test Your Chess Steffen Pedersen Rate your own play - if you dare!
Understanding Chess Middlegames John Nunn The most useful middlegame concepts and knowledge
Understanding Chess Move by Move John Nunn A true classic - grandmaster games where every single move is explained
Understanding Pawn Play in Chess Dražen Marović Many players find pawns tricky to handle - this book may provide the solution

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Beginners and Intermediate
Title Author  
Chess for Children Murray Chandler & Helen Milligan Teaches the basic moves of chess in a delightfully clear and simple way
Chess Endgame Workbook for Kids John Nunn Teach yourself chess endgames with these carefully graded exercises
Chess Endgames for Kids Karsten Müller An introduction to chess endgames, and not only for kids!
Chess Opening Traps for Kids Graham Burgess 100 ways to win quickly
Chess Opening Workbook for Kids Graham Burgess Improve your opening strategy and tactics
Chess Openings for Kids John Watson & Graham Burgess 50 Mighty Openings
Chess Puzzles for Kids Murray Chandler Chess puzzle super-challenge
Chess Strategy for Kids Thomas Engqvist The 50 Smart Strategies that help to win games
Chess Tactics for Kids Murray Chandler Learn and practise the 50 most common tactical motifs
Chess Tactics Workbook for Kids John Nunn Teach yourself tactics with this carefully structured assault course
Chess Training for Budding Champions Jesper Hall An excellent guide for trainers and those interested in self-improvement
A Complete Chess Course Antonio Gude A comprehensive manual for those new to chess
Extreme Chess Tactics Yochanan Afek The outer limits of chess tactics
Fundamental Checkmates Antonio Gude A complete study of mating patterns and comnbinations
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess Murray Chandler 50 thematic checkmating patterns - a favourite course-book of chess coaches worldwide
Learn Chess John Nunn An intelligently written guide for adults to learn from
Learn Chess Tactics John Nunn Teaches basic tactical ideas
The Most Valuable Skills in Chess Maurice Ashley An inspirational journey through the world of chess tactics
Your First Chess Lessons Paul van der Sterren A concise introduction to chess for absolute beginners

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Tactics, tactics, tactics
Title Author  
365 Ways to Checkmate Joe Gallagher Plenty of mating practice
1001 Deadly Checkmates John Nunn Checkmate ends the game...
Chess Tactics for Kids Murray Chandler Learn and practise the 50 most common tactical motifs
Chess Tactics Workbook for Kids John Nunn Teach yourself tactics with this carefully structured assault course
A Course in Chess Tactics Dejan Bojkov & Vladimir Georgiev A step-by-step approach to mastering tactics and combinations
Essential Chess Sacrifices David LeMoir Sometimes it’s the only way to exploit your advantage
Extreme Chess Tactics Yochanan Afek Prepare to be astonished
Fundamental Checkmates Antonio Gude A complete study of mating patterns and comnbinations
Fundamental Chess Tactics Antonio Gude A comprehensive and systematic guide to tactical ideas
The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles Graham Burgess Improve your chess with these 300 carefully selected puzzles
The Giant Chess Puzzle Book Zenon Franco 1001 brand new chess puzzles to challenge and entertain players from novices to grandmasters
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess Murray Chandler 50 thematic checkmating patterns - a favourite course-book of chess coaches worldwide
How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician David LeMoir An entertaining and instructive guide to improving your chess tactics
How to Calculate Chess Tactics Valeri Beim Make sure you get it right!
John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book New Enlarged Edition John Nunn 250 carefully-selected puzzles ranging from the fairly straightforward to the extremely challenging
Jon Speelman’s Chess Puzzle Book Jon Speelman His personal selection of chess puzzles will infuriate, entertain, test and instruct
Learn Chess Tactics John Nunn Teaches basic tactical ideas
The Most Valuable Skills in Chess Maurice Ashley An inspirational journey through the world of chess tactics
The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book John Emms 1001 puzzles - plenty of bedtime reading here

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Games Collections and General
Title Author  
Chess Highlights of the 20th Century (2nd edition) Graham Burgess The best chess of the 20th century in historical context.
Garry Kasparov’s Greatest Chess Games, volume 1 Igor Stohl 74 of Kasparov’s best and most instructive games from 1973 to 1993, annotated in detail
Garry Kasparov’s Greatest Chess Games, volume 2 Igor Stohl Bringing Kasparov’s career up to date, and to a close
Instructive Chess Miniatures Alper Efe Ataman 53 instructive miniature games from the 1850s to the present day
Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces New Enlarged Edition Igor Stohl 62 outstanding games analysed with scrupulous care
John Nunn’s Best Games John Nunn 40 complete games and many excerpts from the period 1985-93
Magnus Carlsen’s Most Instructive Games Martyn Kravtsiv 42 instructive games by the greatest player of the 21st century
The Quickest Chess Victories of All Time Graham Burgess A comprehensive collection of the shortest decisive games in chess history
Secrets of Grandmaster Chess John Nunn Covers Nunn’s career up to 1985
Vishy Anand: World Chess Champion Vishy Anand & John Nunn Updated with 30 of Anand’s recent games, annotated by John Nunn
World Champion at the Third Attempt Grigory Sanakoev A world champion of correspondence chess presents some truly amazing games

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ECF logo   The following six books have been endorsed by the English Chess Federation (the national body for chess in England) as quality instructional and training guides.
Title Author  
Understanding the Chess Openings Sam Collins A concise overview with helpful explanations covering all major openings
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess Murray Chandler 50 thematic checkmating patterns - a favourite course-book of chess coaches worldwide
Chess Tactics for Kids Murray Chandler Learn and practise the 50 most common tactical motifs
Understanding Chess Move by Move John Nunn A true classic - grandmaster games where every single move is explained
Chess for Children Murray Chandler & Helen Milligan Teaches the basic moves of chess in a delightfully clear and simple way
50 Essential Chess Lessons Steve Giddins Superb instruction based around 50 annotated games

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