Sign-In
Cart
Pco: Practical Chess Openings
Paperback
Games & Activities GeneralChessGeneral Board Games
Publisher Price: $34.95
ISBN13: 9781805041047
Publisher: Gambit Publications
Published: Jul 1 2025
Pages: 544
Weight: 2.30
Height: 1.80 Width: 6.70 Depth: 9.70
Language: English
Chess opening theory has changed out of all recognition in the 21st century, yet chess literature has been slow to catch up with this. Martyn Kravtsiv, a grandmaster and trainer of the same generation as Magnus Carlsen, is here to redress the balance.
Prompted by computer investigations, players no longer expect to gain a large advantage as White by force. Few stick to a narrow repertoire. They seek lines that computers underestimate but will cause problems for human opponents. Modest lines with a drop of poison have become fashionable. Yet outlandish gambits and random-looking pawn advances also appear in top-level play. Time-honoured openings have fallen by the wayside, if computers have shown it is too easy to gain an advantage against them, or have simply analysed them to death.
This huge book fully takes on board these developments. The most space is devoted to lines that are popular today, and that deep computer analysis suggests have the brightest futures. If an opening cannot be recommended, Kravtsiv explains why with the minimum of variations. He identifies openings more suitable for rapid chess, and what type of work is needed from readers who are interested in playing each opening. Nothing in this book is dictated by the paradigms of older opening works.
* Covers all openings
* Emphasizes human understanding
* Deals concisely with unreliable lines
* Lavish detail on topical openings
* Explains strategic themes new and old
* Examines ideas from neural networks
Martyn Kravtsiv is a grandmaster from Lviv, Ukraine. He was blitz champion of the 2008 World Mind Sports Games (at age 17), represented his country at the 2017 World Team Championship and was a coach for the team that won silver medals at the 2016 Olympiad. Kravtsiv currently works as a trainer at the children's chess school in Lviv, and has written three books for Gambit.
Also from
Kravtsiv, Martyn
Also in
Chess
Three Days with Bobby Fischer & Other Chess Essays: How to Meet Champions & Choose Your Openings
Alburt, Lev
Lawrence, Al
Paperback
Everyone's First Chess Workbook: Fundamental Tactics and Checkmates for Improvers - 738 Practical Exercises
Giannatos, Peter
Paperback
Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess
Himelfarb, Jordan
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
1001 Chess Exercises for Club Players: The Tactics Workbook That Also Explains All Key Concepts
Erwich, Frank
Paperback
Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How a Lone American Star Defeated the Soviet Chess Machine
Edmonds, David
Eidinow, John
Paperback
A World Champion's Guide to Chess: Step-By-Step Instructions for Winning Chess the Polgar Way!
Truong, Paul
Polgar, Susan
Paperback
How to Beat Anyone at Chess: The Best Chess Tips, Moves, and Tactics to Checkmate
Moore, Ethan
Paperback
1001 Chess Endgame Exercises for Club Players: The Tactics Workbook That Also Improves Your Endgame Skills
Willemze, Thomas
Hardcover
1001 Chess Endgame Exercises for Beginners: The Tactics Workbook That Also Improves Your Endgame Skills
Willemze, Thomas
Paperback
1001 Chess Endgame Exercise for Club Players: The Tactics Workbooks That Also Improves Your Endgame
Willemze, Thomas
Paperback
The Complete Manual of Positional Chess: The Russian Chess School 2.0 - Opening and Middlegame
Sakaev, Konstantin
Landa, Kostantin
Paperback
The 100 Endgames You Must Know Workbook: Practical Endgame Exercises for Every Chess Player
De La Villa, Jesus
Paperback
1001 Chess Exercises for Advanced Club Players - Updated: Spot Those Killer Moves and Stun Your Opponent
Erwich, Frank
Paperback
Chess for Beginners: Know the Rules, Choose Your Strategy, and Start Winning
Orlova, Yelizaveta
Paperback
Bobby Fischer's Endgame Technique: The Iron Logic of the Eleventh World Chess Champion
Colovic, Alex
Hardcover
Beginner Chess Puzzles: 500 Practice Exercises to Take Your Game to the Next Level
Bennedik, Martin
Paperback
The Chess Player's Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game
Lawrence, Al
Eade, James
Paperback
The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games: New, Updated and Expanded Edition - Now with 145 Games
Nunn, John
Emms, John
Burgess, Graham
Paperback
How to Study Chess on Your Own: Creating a Plan That Works... and Sticking to It!
Kuljasevic, Davorin
Paperback
Intermediate Chess Puzzles: 500 Practice Exercises to Take Your Game to the Next Level
Bennedik, Martin
Paperback
Capablanca's Endgame Technique: The Astonishing Chess Logic of the 3rd World Champion
Colovic, Alex
Hardcover
Chess Scorebook: 100 Games - Chess Workbook - Notation Scoresheets to Log Scores, Matches, Tournaments and Results - Score Pad
Press, Red Tiger
Paperback
100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know Workbook: Practical Exercises to Spot the Key Chess Moves
Erwich, Frank
Paperback
Chess from Beginner to Winner!: Master the Game from the Opening Move to Checkmate
Bordi, Kévin
Robin, Samy
Paperback
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy
Chernev, Irving
Paperback
Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition: Key Moves and Motifs in the Middlegame
Van de Oudeweetering, International Master Arthur
Paperback
Chess Opening Essentials: The Ideas & Plans Behind All Chess Openings, the Complete 1. E4
Pantaleoni, Claudio
Djuric, Stefan
Komarov, Dimitry
Paperback
Silman's Chess Odyssey: Cracked Grandmaster Tales, Legendary Players, and Instruction and Musings
Silman, Jeremy
Paperback
Master Your Chess with Judit Polgar: Fight for the Center and Other Lessons from the All-Time Best Female Chess Player
Polgar, Judit
Toth, Andras
Hardcover
Zuke 'Em-The Colle Zukertort Revolutionized: A chess opening system for everyone, now bullet-proofed with new ideas
Rudel, David I.
Paperback
Winning Chess Middlegames: Volume 1: An Essential Guide to 1.D4 Pawn Structures
Sokolov, Ivan
Paperback
Game Changer: Alphazero's Groundbreaking Chess Strategies and the Promise of AI
Sadler, Matthew
Regan, Natasha
Paperback
Chess Tactics for Champions: A Step-By-Step Guide to Using Tactics and Combinations the Polgar Way
Truong, Paul
Polgar, Susan
Paperback
100 Endgame Patterns You Must Know: Recognize Key Moves & Motifs and Avoid Typical Errors
De La Villa, Jesus
Paperback
Grind Like a Grandmaster: How to Keep Pressing Until Your Opponent Cracks
Carlsen, Magnus
Howell, David
Paperback
Winning Chess Middlegames: Volume 1: An Essential Guide to 1.D4 Pawn Structures
Sokolov, Ivan
Hardcover
The New In Chess Book of Chess Improvement: Lessons From the Best Players in the World
Giddins, Steve
Paperback
The Shereshevsky Method to Improve in Chess: From Club Player to Master
Shereshevsky, Mikhail
Paperback
Botvinnik Versus Smyslov and Petrosian: Four World Chess Championship Matches - 1954, 1957, 1958 and 1963
Botvinnik, Mikhail
Paperback
Associative Thinking: How to Connect Patterns and Creativity in Chess
Shereshevsky, Mikhail
Paperback
Rock Solid Chess: Tiviakov's Unbeatable Strategies: Pawn Structures
Tiviakov, Sergei
Gökbulut, Yulia
Paperback