Neil McDonald

El Gambito de Dama es una apertura de gran importancia histórica. La jugada 2.c4, que define su nombre, es la respuesta fundamental tras 1.d4 d5. Desde el primer movimiento, el negro obtiene un firme apoyo en el centro, algo muy difícil de minar para el blanco. Por otra parte, en ocasiones el negro basa su estrategia en ese control del centro. La solidez del Gambito de Dama nunca se ha puesto en cuestión, y entre sus defensores encontramos Grandes Maestros del más alto nivel: Kasparov, Kramnik, Karpov y Short, como también otros maestros del pasado. Este libro es una nueva incorporación a la serie Aprenda Aperturas, en él McDonald vuelve a los orígenes del Gambito de Dama, introduciendo movimientos clave, ideas, y fundamentalmente haciendo hincapié en los razonamientos que hay detrás de cada jugada. En esta guía el lector contará con la ayuda de abundantes notas, advertencias y consejos que en conjunto ilustrarán las características más importantes del Gambito de Dama y de las aperturas en general. Este libro es una herramienta perfecta para jugadores que desean iniciarse en esta apertura. El Gran Maestro inglés Neil McDonald es un jugador experimentado y exitoso del circuito internacional. Es además un respetado entrenador, que ha tenido como pupilos a los más fuertes jugadores ingleses junior. También es un talentoso escritor: este es el tercer libro de esta serie que publica La Casa del Ajedrez: La apertura inglesa y Gane con 1.d4.

The Kings Gambit is the most daring and dangerous opening. White throws caution to the wind, and Black must know what he is doing to avoid early defeat. The Kings Gambit was all the rage in the 19th century, but has an enduring popularity throughout the chess world. Remarkably, it is once more the focus of the top grandmaster attention, for example when Nigel Short played it three times in a row against the worlds best at the Madrid 1997 tournament.

Chess is the art that expresses the science of logic. Mikhail BotvinnikGrandmaster Neil McDonald explains every single move made by White and Black in 30 striking tactical or strategical games played over the last quarter century.These games have been carefully chosen for their consistent logical thread, thereby providing the reader with prime instruction in the art of conceiving appropriate plans and attacks and carrying them out to their natural conclusion. Watching games unfold in this way will be both an education and inspiration to readers who can then try to play in the same purposeful way in their own games with a corresponding increase in their playing strength.

There are plenty of chess books that cover openings, but not so many that tell you what to do next. Every player has encountered problems once the opening phase of the game has ended, and this book provides solutions. Renowned chess author Neil McDonald guides you through a selection of over 40 recent instructive and entertaining Grandmaster games, all of which illustrate how sound planning and a clear head can help you through that crucial post-opening phase.

Damien Parer was without doubt Australias greatest war photographer. He helped create the Anzac legend and many, many of our iconic war images are his photographs. He served his apprenticeship as a stills photographer on the famous Chauvel film, Forty Thousand Horsemen, and was appointed Official Photographer covering the Australian fighting in the early days of World War II in Greece and Syria, and Tobruk. His most famous documentary is Kokoda Front Line! , made during the darkest days of the campaign in mid-1942 (it went on to win Australias first Academy Award). His photographs and films brought the war home to Australians and are now an integral part of our military history. He died in action shot by Japanese machine gun fire, as he filmed an American advance on Peleliu. Originally published as WAR CAMERAMAN: THE STORY OF DAMIEN PARER, and later in an expanded form as DAMIEN PARERS WAR, this colourful and authoritative story of a great Australian includes many of his most iconic photographs.

In Starting Out with 1 e4! Grandmaster Neil McDonald provides the reader with a strong and trustworthy repertoire with the white pieces based on the opening move 1 e4. The recommended lines given here have stood the test of time and are regularly employed

In this user-friendly book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Dutch Defence and its many variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings, and exercises to help improvi

The chess world has been blessed by a number of wonderful strategists, and in Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy, Neil McDonald decides upon his selection of the most prominent ones, highlighting the major contributions they have made. McDonald examines their differing approaches and styles, and from Nimzowitsch to Kramnik, how they followed in each others footsteps.Throughout history there have been many famous players who have dazzled the chess world with their swashbuckling approach to opening play. In Chess Secrets: The Great Gambiteers, John Cox picks out his selection of famous gambiteers and studies the mark they made in the sphere of attacking play in the opening. Themes include attacking the opponents king, exploiting a lead in development, controlling the centre, as well as the significant enhancement of opening theory through the invention of numerous dangerous gambits.*Learn from the greats of the game*Discover how famous chess minds work*Written in an easy-to-read format*Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players*

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess: strategy, attack, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have undeniably influenced those who have followed. In The Giants of Power Play, Neil McDonald selects five players who have excelled in the field of power play the art of putting opponents under constant pressure. The methods of doing so are numerous, including gaining rapid development in return for material to build up an initiative, preparing powerful opening ideas in advance, or even developing completely new opening systems. McDonald examines the contributions made by each player, their differences in approach and style, and from Morphy to Topalov, how they followed in each others footsteps. A study of this book will help you to enhance your skills in one of the most crucial elements of the game. *An entertaining and instructive guide to power play*Learn from the greats of the game*Discover how famous chess minds work

These days the move 1 d4 is often used as the precursor to quieter opening choices such as the London System, the Colle System or the Trompovsky. In this book the highly experienced chess author and coach Cyrus Lakdawala goes back to basics, outlining an aggressive repertoire for White based on 1 d4, following up with the traditional 2 c4. The emphasis of the repertoire is to gain space as quickly as possible and set Black the task of finding quick counterplay or face the risk of being overrun. Lakdawala recommends lines with f2-f3 against the Nimzo-Indian, the Petrosian System against the Kings Indian and the Flick Knife (f4 with Bb5+) against the Benoni. With thorough explanations on pawn structures and piece placement, this book provides insight to both strong masters and less experienced players alike. The format is ideal for the chessplayer keen to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. * Presents a powerful, aggressive repertoire starting at move one. * Thorough explanations of typical pawn structures and piece manoeuvres. * Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study.

Many players are serious about their chess but become stuck at a certain playing strength. Its rarely a lack of talent or practice or opening knowledge that holds them back. Usually they get left behind because they dont know how to make best use of the time they have available to study chess. This book addresses this problem and is your self-improvement plan. It shows you how to work on your own games to root out mistakes. It will sharpen your calculation of variations. You will be challenged to find the best middlegame strategy. Endgame technique is also covered in detail. All topics are discussed with numerous examples and puzzles from the games of modern players such as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Viswanathan Anand. If you want your chess to leap forward its time to Coach Yourself! * A complete self-improvement programme. * All aspects of the game included. * Utilizes a structured approach, making the most of your study time.

Every chessplayer, from beginner to world champion, loves to win a game with a brilliant attacking display. However many, if not most, attacks that end in victory do so due to inaccurate defence. This may be due to simple tactical miscalculation or perhaps a more fundamental misunderstanding of the important principles of defence. Furthermore, many attacks that are launched are simply unsound but succeed because many players feel uncomfortable when forced to defend, get flustered and make mistakes. In this book, highly experienced chess author and coach, Neil McDonald addresses these issues. Defensive skill is crucial in chess. Good, accurate defence can win a game just as well as a fine attacking display can, so expertise in this department is essential for any player wishing to improve their game. With thorough explanations, questions, and exercises, this book provides fascinating material to enable you to hone your defensive skill and not feel intimidated when your opponent hurls pieces at your king.

Having you ever been tortured at the chessboard? If so, then you have probably been a victim of pressure play. Elite players are brilliant exponents of pressure play. In situations where they have either a tiny advantage or no advantage at all they are highly adept at constantly setting problems for their unfortunate opponents. The position on the board may appear lifeless but they can probe and find plans and regroupings that will constantly ask their opponents difficult questions. These can be countered only by continual alert and accurate defence and we all know how difficult and wearing that can be.The arch exponent of pressure play is world champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen is superb in this area of the game and consistently defeats world class opposition from simplified positions where he has no advantage whatsoever. How does he do it?In this book, the highly experienced author and coach Neil McDonald analyses the finest examples of pressure play. In doing so he teases out the fundamental concepts that enable players like Carlsen to torture their opponents mercilessly.Paralyse the enemy pieces.Target the weakest squares on the board.Increase and exploit a space advantage.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. The Kings Indian Attack is a very popular system of development for White, which can be used against many defences. Its easy to learn and play, and is based on understanding ideas rather than move memorization. The Kings Indian Attack usually involves a deliberate and sustained attack on the black king, which often proves to be highly effective and difficult to defend against. In this book Grandmaster Neil McDonald examines in depth the many variations of the Kings Indian Attack. He outlines Whites most promising options and Blacks best defences, and provides answers to all the key questions. Essential guidance and training in the Kings Indian Attack Provides repertoire options for White Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Everyman Chess continues its original and best-selling Starting Out series with detailed coverage of the Queens Gambit Declined, an opening that is very much at the forefront of contemporary chess. The Queens Gambit Declined is Blacks fundamental answer to 1 d4 and an opening of great historical importance.

Ideal for those wanting to understand the basics of the English Opening. The English is a sophisticated and popular opening system that is suitable for all types of players and can lead to both positional and tactical middlegames. Many of the world¿s top players, including Kasparov and Kramnik, include the English in their openings weaponry. In this groundbreaking book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald revisits the basic principles behind the English and its many variations. Throughout this easy-to-read guide the reader is aided by a wealth of notes, tips and warnings from the author, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. This book is ideal for the improving player. * Written by an openings expert * All the important lines are covered * A back-to-basics look at one of the most important openings

Crear y mantener actualizado un buen repertorio de aperturas puede resultar una tarea muy ardua, puesto que el ajedrez ofrece un enorme número de líneas a elegir. Por otro lado, entre los debutantes y jugadores en formacion, existe una fuerte tendencia a plantear solo aquellas lineas que contienen trucos tacticos y que pueden engañar a oponentes desprevenidos. Sin embargo, a medida que el jugador progresa y sus rivales son cada vez mas fuertes, lo normal es que esas astutas lineas no resistan un analisis serio y de pronto se encuentra en la linea de salida sin armas de apertura validas.Las lineas aqui recomendadas han resistido la prueba del tiempo y son regularmente empleadas por Grandes Maestros. La lectura de estos libros le dara confianza para jugar estas variantes contra oponentes de todos los niveles y le permitira disponer de un arsenal de aperturas eficiente, que le servira eficazmente durante muchos años. La obras siguen el formato de la coleccion, con numerosas notas, consejos y advertencias de gran ayuda para el jugador con aspiraciones. Un repertorio de aperturas tipo Gran Maestro Escrito por expertos Ideal para jugadores en formacion

Ante el tablero, el jugador debe mantenerse continuamente alerta a las posibilidades tácticas que pueden surgir, y que deciden el desenlace de la mayoría de las partidas. El dominio de la táctica en ajedrez no solo ofrece numerosos y seductores ejemplos ilustrativos, tomados de la moderna practica de ajedrez, sino que tambien plantea ejercicios con los que el lector puede poner a prueba su destreza tactica.