Sam Collins Boeken

The Advance Variation is a popular and direct way of meeting the ultra-solid French Defence. This book explains the strategies and tactics of this dynamic opening, studying both the main lines as well as the more offbeat variations. Through the use of model games for both White and Black, it provides a grounding in the key plans and ideas.

This major new work surveys all chess openings, providing a guide to every critical main line and featuring descriptions of the typical strategies for both sides. These commentaries will be welcomed by all club and tournament players, as they will help them to handle the middlegame positions arising from each opening better, and will equip them to find the best continuation when their opponents deviate from the standard paths.As it covers all openings, Understanding the Chess Openings will also prove invaluable to those who are seeking to create a repertoire. At a glance, readers will get a feel for the character of an opening, and an idea of whether it might suit their style. Potential theoretical problem areas and move-order issues, so critical when creating a repertoire, are also highlighted.Features * Main lines explained move by move* Guidance against rare but dangerous sidelines* Special emphasis on lines popular at club level* Brief description of both sides’ aims at the end of each main line* General introduction to each major opening* Complete games are given to illustrate key ideas* More than 400 diagrams

International Master Sam Collins selects and examines his favorite games from Anatoly Karpov, one of the greatest chess players of all time, and shows us how we can all learn and improve our chess by studying Karpov's masterpieces.

Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.The c3 Sicilian is one of White's most popular and poisonous ways to avoid the main lines of the Sicilian. With the forcing line 1 e4 c5 2 c3, White denies his opponent the chance to demonstrate his preparation in some chaotic system; instead Black will have to fight carefully for equality in a more rational position of White's choosing. There are plenty of tricks and traps in the c3 Sicilian, and the open piece-play that often results can lead to quick attacks and means that careless play will rarely go unpunished.

Sam Collins explores gambit play and facing aggressive chess: how to beat unsound gambits, how to deal with pressure, how to counterattack and how to make your extra material count.

Do you instinctively know what to do in every type of chess position or are you often uncertain about how to proceed? Wouldn't it be really useful to know the best chess strategies and to recognise when they should be used? In this book Sam Collins examines key games from both the classical and modern eras. He analyses the major strategic ideas that have stood the test of time and notes their considerable influence on his own games. Studying classic examples from great players allows us to create a personal library of standard ideas. This helps us recognize key positions, making it easier to determine the most effective ways to attack and defend. Crucially, it helps us find the right path much more quickly than we would by relying on calculation alone. * An essential guide to chess strategy* Covers opening, middlegame and endgame play* Ideal for players of all levels

Twenty eight original and engaging characters to help children learn to identify the consonant blends and digraphs. Delve into the world of the Blendies, where each cute, unique character has their own special personality and story that reflects the initial blend or digraph of their name. From Blinkie to Whispery, children will love each and every Blendie while learning valuable decoding strategies. Quickly reading Initial blends when faced with new words is a cornerstone of competent reading. Come and meet the Blendies and find out for yourself!

Sam Collins highlights the typical plans and tactics for both sides, presents repertoire options for Black and provides answers to all the key questions.