Within the second and third decades of this century the most controversial topics in chess were the novel theories of Aron Nimzovich, the stormy petrel of the chess world. It seemed to many that Nimzovich was trying to demolish the classical Steinitz-Tarrasch chess system on purely irrational grounds, for many of his moves seemed arbitraty and even ridiculous. Yet, using his system, Nimzovich won game after game, and when Nimzovich cam to be rated among the top three or four players in the world, the ridicule that had greet his system changed to serious questions. It is now recognized that hypermodern chess, as Nimzovich's ideas came to be called, is an integral part of the chess configuration, broadening and deeping chess enormously.

One of the great chess masters of all time provides a systematic guide that tells the beginner how to become an accomplished chess player. While many books on chess are either for the novice or for the advanced student, A Primet of Chess is invaluable for its clear instruction at various levels of the game. The book is divided into three sections. Part I discusses the object of the game, the men and their moves, elementary openings, and rules and ethics. Part II considers endings, the middle game, and openings? By the time the reader has reached Part III he should find himself an adept player.

In this autobiographical chess manual, Edward Lasker traces his successful chess career from his early interest in the game as a boy in Germany through more than 50 years of tournament play. No chess enthusiast can fail to be entertaines as this chess master and winner of five world capital championships describes the giants of the chess world whom he met and played against in tournament after tournament in the major cities of the Americas and Europe. Included are amusing anecdotes and first-hand impressions of many of the great players who have now become legendary figures, plus record of the hints given him by his intimate friends Dr. Emanuel Lasker, José Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine.

Readers of his earlier books will know that the Russian grandmaster has always put great emphasis on understanding, planning and training. Success in chess, as in any sport, depends on hard work as well as talent. In this new book Kotov looks at the ways in which grandmasters prepare for different aspects of the game and shows how current Soviet training methods can help the club or tournament player of whatever strength. As in his earlier books, Kotov tackles the great problems and challenges of chess head on, and succeeds in producing a thoroughly practical book, pithily written.