Grandmaster Jon Speelman

Jon Speelman is one of the most successful British chess-players of all time, and is renowned for the creativity of his play and his remarkable calculating ability. He is also an extremely experienced writer and chess coach. His personal selection of chess puzzles will infuriate, entertain, test and instruct chess-players of all levels.

Themed sections include:
* Finger Exercises
* Stalemate
* The Skewer
* The Pin
* Pawn Promotion
* Line Opening and Closing
* Loose Pieces
* Mating Attacks
* The Back Rank
* Knight Forks

Grandmaster Jon Speelman is a world-championship candidates semi-finalist, and has been one of the mainstays of the England team for a quarter of a century, including the period during which the team won silver medals three times at chess Olympiads. He is an extremely respected writer, especially noted for his ground-breaking work on endgame topics. This is his first book for Gambit.

Download a pdf file with a sample from the book.

"The book does not leave anything to be desired, if the goal of the reader is to increase his knowledge in an entertaining way. It is recommended on the grounds of its price-to-content ratio, in terms of entertainment and 'Aha!' moments." - Richard Brömel, Rochade Europa

"You can never know enough tactics!" - Harald Fietz, Schach Magazin 64

"For anyone who wants to stay busy at the beach or on the bus (as a day not chessed is a day not lived), this book of 300 puzzles will cope with even a month-long holiday. And no-one will return home dissatisfied, as the solutions are all given at the back" - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad

"...a brilliant brand-new soon-to-be bestseller" - GM Paul Motwani, The Scotsman

"...its 300 puzzles will provide readers with a plethora of entertaining and educational examples of the vision and calculation Speelman described as being the essence of tactics." - Steve Goldberg, www.chesscafe.com

"Jon's work can be recommended without any restriction." - Gerhard Josten, Rochade Europa

"... Jon Speelman has as a matter of fact done everything right, in progressing from easy to complex puzzles" - E Carl, Rochade Europa

"...lives up to its cover in every way. If you have the slightest desire to brush up your chess calculating prowess, to improve your studies-solving skills, to perform better against Fritz, this is the book for you, as it was for this reviewer. Speelman at his inimitable best." - John Roycroft, EG

"A very handy selection of tactical puzzles from a true connoisseur. A highly recommended example of the genre, useful for honing tactical skills and for sharpening up before an event. Also ideal for journeys, traffic jams, waiting rooms..." - Phil Adams, 3Cs website

"Speelman is a tremendously creative grandmaster and the puzzles in the book support that fact." - Carl Portman, Defence Focus

"I find that books like this can be very useful as a means of sharpening up your tactical awareness in preparation for a quick play tournament, or as a way of fighting boredom on a long train journey" - Alan Sutton, En Passant

"If you should fall victim to chess-fatigue, take this book in your hand and do the puzzles, and you will get a fresh appetite for chess-playing!" - Martin Rieger, www.freechess.info

"This is a traditional puzzle book except for the fact that it is written by Jon Speelman, who is of course one of the most remarkably creative and imaginative chessplayers around. The level of difficulty is quite wide, from the simple/well-known to the highly original/diabolical. ... A most enjoyable selection." - John Saunders, British Chess Magazine

"...a bright and breezy read, ideal for a quick feel-good solving session to warm up before your next game" - Sean Marsh, marshtowers.blogspot.com

"One of the most exciting puzzle books that I ever had in my hands!" - John Elburg, chessbooks.nl

"The book is a tactical delight. Speelman's entertaining selection of game fragments and compositions ranges from simple tactical themes to chess wizardry and can be enjoyed by beginners as well as tournament players." - GM Lubomir Kavalek, Washington Post

"Speelman has organized the material in each chapter so that the student builds on previous knowledge with each quiz position coming with a hint. At the back of the book there are helpful explanations of the solutions. Jon Speelman's Chess Puzzle Book is written by someone who has mastered the game and spent a lot of time passing on this knowledge." - IM John Donaldson, www.jeremysilman.com