After his first two most successful volumes of Chess Middlegame Strategies, Ivan Solokov explores in his final volume ideas related to the symbiosis of the strategic and dynamic elements of chess. He combined the most exceptional ideas, strategies and positional play essentials. These three volumes will give you a serious head start when studying and playing a middlegame. A book and series that cannot be missed in any serious chess library!
Magnus Carlsen's mastery of the middlegame is astonishing, even by the standards of World Champions. But how did this power develop, and what can the rest of us learn from it? Magnus Carlsen's Middlegame Evolution allows the reader to celebrate the brilliance of the highest-rated chess player in history while learning from his example. With insightfully annotated games, Ivan Sokolov takes us inside the mind of a chess genius.
The Nimzo-Indian Defence continues to be one of the most important chess openings, an immensely popular choice both at club level as well as with almost all top players. It is a solid but flexible opening which gives rich tactical and positional play with winning chances for both sides. In this ground-breaking and well-structured book, one of today's greatest Nimzo-Indian experts, Ivan Sokolov, presents a complete guide to the important 4.e3(Rubinstein) Variation and clearly explains the plans and counterplans for both sides. The Rubinstein is the historical main line and the most consistently popular. It requires a through positional understanding and Sokolov, renowned author of Winning Chess Middlegames: An Essential Guide to Pawn Structures, clearly presents the ideas, structures and plans in the various continuations. Besides in-depth explanations of strategy and concepts The Strategic Nimzo-Indian also contains quite a few new ideas and previously unknown resources for both Black and White. Ivan Sokolov not only provides you with crucial up-to-date information and strategic lessons in the Nimzo-Indian Defence; after studying this book you will have become a better allround chess player as well.
Back in Print! Ever wondered why grandmasters take only seconds to see what's really going on in a chess position? It's all about structures, as Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explains in this groundbreaking book. With his highly accessible verbal explanations and deep analysis of top-level games, Sokolov helps you to solve the basic problems of the middlegame: space, tension and initiative. Club players studying 'Winning Chess Middlegames' will greatly enhance their middlegame skills, develop an accurate feeling as to which particular positions suit their style and acquire new strategic and practical opening knowledge. Ivan Sokolov explains matters profoundly, honestly and objectively, including lots of inside stories from top-level chess.
Have you ever wondered why it takes grandmasters just seconds to see what's happening in a chess position? It's all about pawn structures, as Ivan Sokolov explained in his groundbreaking book Winning Chess Middlegames. In his 2010 bestseller, Grandmaster Sokolov focused on structures arising from 1.d4 openings; in this new companion guide, 1.e4 players get their turn. This new volume covers a dozen topical structures including various pawn formations in the flexible Ruy Lopez, Italian and Petroff openings. But also Black's doubled f-pawn in the Rauzer Sicilian, the notorious Maroczy Bind, the mysterious Hedgehog, the versatile Sveshnikov and the paradoxical French Winawer. Deeply analysed top-level games illustrate the motifs in all these structures. Club players who study Winning Chess Middlegames 1.e4 or 1.d4 will: significantly improve their middlegame skills develop an accurate sense of which positions suit their style gain new strategic and practical knowledge of openings Ivan Sokolov's analysis is profound but accessible, and he doesn't take anything for granted. As reviewer Sean Marsh wrote of the first volume: "The lucid and informative explanations convey a large amount of genuine Grandmasterly wisdom. This is easily one of the best middlegame books of recent times."
