Timothy Taylor

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor presents weapons for Black against the hugely popular Spanish Opening, basing his repertoire on the Modern Steinitz Defence. This opening can lead to razor-sharp lines, such as the Siesta Variation, where one slip by either player could prove to be fatal. But a major attraction of the Modern Steinitz is its flexibility, as Black can also choose to play in a more positional manner. Taylor studies in depth the critical main lines, and also what to do if White avoids these. Read this book and be ready to slay the Spanish!

A breakthrough theory that tools and technology are the real drivers of human evolution. Although humans are one of the great apes, along with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, we are remarkably different from them. Unlike our cousins who subsist on raw food, spend their days and nights outdoors, and wear a thick coat of hair, humans are entirely dependent on artificial things, such as clothing, shelter, and the use of tools, and would die in nature without them. Yet, despite our status as the weakest ape, we are the masters of this planet. Given these inherent deficits, how did humans come out on top? In this fascinating new account of our origins, leading archaeologist Timothy Taylor proposes a new way of thinking about human evolution through our relationship with objects. Drawing on the latest fossil evidence, Taylor argues that at each step of our species' development, humans made choices that caused us to assume greater control of our evolution. Our appropriation of objects allowed us to walk upright, lose our body hair, and grow significantly larger brains. As we push the frontiers of scientific technology, creating prosthetics, intelligent implants, and artificially modified genes, we continue a process that started in the prehistoric past, when we first began to extend our powers through objects. Weaving together lively discussions of major discoveries of human skeletons and artifacts with a reexamination of Darwin's theory of evolution, Taylor takes us on an exciting and challenging journey that begins to answer the fundamental question about our existence: what makes humans unique, and what does that mean for our future?

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor takes a contemporary look at one of Black's most ambitious counters to 1 e4, the Alekhine Defence. This is a sharp, creative opening in which Black attacks from the very beginning, luring White's central pawns forward in the expectation of destroying them later on. In this book Taylor constructs a practical repertoire for Black, ideal for the modern-day player. All the key tactical and positional ideas are covered and important move-order nuances are highlighted. This book provides everything you need to know in order to play the Alekhine with confidence.

The Budapest Gambit is an ambitious and adventurous opening for Black, who offers a pawn as early as the second move in return for active and rapid development. It has always been a particular favourite at club level, where it still provides a surprise weapon, but it has also been utilized with success by top-class Grandmasters. In this book Timothy Taylor offers an in-depth study of the Budapest Gambit. He presents up-to-date analysis, makes recommendations for Black and White, and covers the typical plans for both sides. This book provides everything you need to know about this fascinating opening.

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor draws upon his wealth of personal experience to offer an instructive and entertaining account of how to improve your chess. This book is awash with invaluable advice on all stages of the game. Taylor emphasizes the practical aspects of chess: how to really make the most of your ability; how to win at all costs; and how to absorb the lessons of defeat to come back stronger. Grab every advantage over your opponents and be in the best possible shape for battle. True Combat Chess will show you the way.

From the author of 'The Prehistory of Sex' - a coruscating, insightful history of the human soul.

Pawn sacrifices are incredibly common in chess games, and yet for some unknown reason they have been rather neglected in chess literature...until now. In this pioneering work, Timothy Taylor uncovers the secrets of pawn sacrifices, highlighting the many reasons for their success and indicating the ideal situations in which pawn sacrifices work. The ability to handle pawn sacrifices is one of the most important skills in chess, and enhancing this skill will undoubtedly improve your understanding and results. This book will show you how to do this.

In this book, Timothy Taylor gets to grips with the King's Indian and Grunfeld, providing White with a number of easy-to-learn and effective weapons which are specially designed to cause Black maximum discomfort. Taylor examines the typical tactical and positional ideas for both players, highlighting the tricks and pitfalls one must look out for. A study of this book will allow the reader to battle against the King's Indian and the Grunfeld with renewed confidence. *Written by a renowned openings expert *Weapons against two of Black's most popular defences *Ideal for club and tournament players International Master Timothy Taylor is an experienced tournament player who has enjoyed several notable successes, including winning the US Open. He is also a skilled chess writer, one of his previous books, How to Defeat the Smith-Morra Gambit, becoming a US Chess Federation bestseller. This is his second book for Everyman Chess; his first was Bird's Opening. Outside of chess, he is the author of two published novels, Elaine the Fair and Amanda, while he directed the film Wicked Pursuits.

Bird's Opening is an underrated and dynamic choice for White that immediately directs the game into relatively unexplored territory, setting Black players early problems and forcing them to think for themselves rather than having the luxury of relying on the theory of more mainstream openings. It's also a very flexible option that can lead to both sharp gambit play, such as the notorious From's Gambit, as well as quieter positional lines. In this book International Master Timothy Taylor unearths the secrets of Bird's Opening and its many deviations. Using illustrative games, he examines tactical and positional ideas for both colours and recommends the best paths in both the "main lines" and the lesser-trodden paths. A study of this book will give readers the required knowledge and confidence to play the Bird's Opening with either color.

The author explores the evolution of the idea of death and its various phenomena, including human sacrifice, near-death experiences, cannibalism, and vampirism, as well as theories about ghosts and the afterlife. Reprint.