Chris Ward

Feeling up to a challenge? In this highly original and instructive self-test book, Grandmaster Chris Ward presents a selection of carefully chosen puzzles to solve. Hot on the heels of his very successful It's Your Move and Improvers It's Your Move, comes It's Your Move: Tough Puzzles, which this time aims to rack the brains of even the most experienced chess players. The puzzles might be a bit more difficult this time but, in the same style of the previous two books, the reader is once again helped by the choice of five plausible plans and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. Instead of opting for the traditional 'check, check, mate ...mate!' type of puzzles, Ward concentrates on situations which are much more likely to occur in practical games.

The Nimzo-Indian is one of the soundest and most popular defences against 1 d4, offering Black the chance to unbalance the game early on and play for a win without undue risk. Advocates include virtually all of the world's top players, including Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand and Anatoly Karpov. In this revolutionary book, Grandmaster Chris Ward revisits the basic principles behind the Nimzo-Indian and its many variations. Throughout this easy-to-read guide the reader is helped along 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.

In the unusual Queen's Gambit, grandmaster Chris Ward covers three offbeat but nevertheless important defences to this ancient opening. The Chigorin Defence (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6) creates dynamic imbalance in the position. White often ends up with a big centre but Black's active pieces can create havoc. The Albin Counter Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5) is a tricky tactical line which can be deadly against an unprepared White player. The final variation (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Bf5) is an interesting way to try to sovle immediately the age old problem of how to develop the queen's bishop in the Queen's Gambit Declined. * Provides detailed coverage of unusual but dangerous counters to the Queen's Gambit * Full coverage of all recent developments

This book provides the reader with a selection of puzzles to solve. However, unlike other books of the White to play and mate in three' variety, it simulates real game scenarios, offering readers a choice of tempting alternatives and requiring them to pick the best.

Here, Grandmaster Chris Ward explains the important ideas behind every major opening, unravelling among others, the secrets of the Sicilian, the mysteries of the Modern and the fundamentals of the French. He emphasises the need to understand the key elements of each opening rather than memorising a series of complicated variations that can leave you stranded.