When Secrets of Grandmaster Play was released in 1987 it was hailed as a modern classic and won the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award in 1988.

“A beautifully eloquent and instructive blend of variations and verbal explanations” – Inside Chess

A new expanded edition, titled Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, appeared in 1997 to much critical approval. This edition included extra biographical material and more complete games and game excerpts. Moreover, the analysis was completely updated and incorporated discoveries from the Dvoretsky/Yusupov school.

The current edition brings one of the classic chess books back into print with a larger, friendlier page size and many extra diagrams.

• 73 games and game excerpts
• Includes Nunn’s award-winning 1985 victory over Beliavsky
• A superb manual of strategy and tactics
• Advice on how to think at the board
• Insights into the world of professional chess
• Over 550 diagrams

Dr John Nunn gained the grandmaster title in 1978 and was one of the world’s leading grandmasters for a quarter of a century. His best individual result was sixth place overall in the World Cup in 1989, while his record as a team player is superb, with three team silver and four individual gold medals in Chess Olympiads. He later earned a second grandmaster title for chess problem-solving, taking the world championship in 2004, 2007 and 2010, and winning the British problem-solving championship ten times, most recently in 2020.

Take a look inside this book on the Amazon website here.

“Autobiographical, in part anyway, there is just so much to admire. Even after so many years the depth will impress and hopefully educate! Now Gambit has re-issued this award-winning title in print format, using a larger B5-size and including many extra diagrams. It is available direct from Amazon and on Kindle” – James Pratt, British Chess Magazine

“A fantastic book for any ambitious player who wants to improve. Nunn has the ability to make his thinking patterns during the game transparent on paper. He supports this with variations, but especially with verbal explanations. It is perhaps this combination that made the book so well received. It won the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award in 1988. The American magazine Inside Chess also praised the book to the skies, confirming the general opinion that this was ‘A beautifully eloquent and instructive mixture of variations and verbal explanations’. Many years later a new expanded edition appeared in 1997 which was also well received. Now the book is apparently ready for another update, published in 2022. The current edition has undergone some cosmetic surgery. It is printed in a larger, friendlier page size and has lots of extra diagrams. Besides the 73 games and game fragments, Nunn’s crowning victory over Beliavsky in 1985 is also included. I would say the young generation especially could benefit a lot from this book. Working through the ‘thinking of a top player’ who was also a great attacker!” – Herman Grooten, www.schaaksite.nl

Gambit books by John Nunn: 1001 Deadly Checkmates, Endgame Challenge, Grandmaster Chess Move by Move, Grandmaster Secrets: Winning Quickly at Chess, John Nunn’s Best Games, John Nunn’s Chess Course, John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book NEW EDITION, Learn Chess,Learn Chess Tactics, Nunn’s Chess Endings volume 1, Nunn’s Chess Endings volume 2, Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, Secrets of Pawnless Endings, Secrets of Practical Chess NEW EDITION, Secrets of Rook Endings, Solving in Style, Understanding Chess Endgames, Understanding Chess Middlegames,Understanding Chess Move by Move, Vishy Anand: World Chess Champion (with Vishy Anand).