Eric Schiller's Books on Chess

Chess Books by Eric Schiller

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Learn from Bobby Fischer's Greatest Games (new 2nd edition 2009)

A book about the great American chess champion Bobby Fischer written for the average player-90% of the chess playing audience- Schiller focuses on the lessons players can learn from his games. Packed with diagrams and easy-to-understand pointers showing what fischer was thinking and how players can apply these concepts and strategies to their own games, this great learning tools borrows from the wisdom and beauty of Fischer's greatest games and passes it on to new generations. 

 
Standard Chess Openings

Based on the powerful Caro-Kann, a favorite weapon of great players, you’ll learn how to come right out of the gate and defend against 1.e4, the most popular first move in chess. This is a great beginner’s book because readers need to learn just one strong opening system, and it can be used to combat all of White’s 1.d4 openings. You’ll learn every option and strategy White can throw on the board, the correct plan to combat them all, and how to seize the initiative and take control of the game. Up-to-date analysis includes examples from world-class games. Includes more than 350 diagrams and clear explanations. 300 pages

Complete Defense to King Pawn Openings

  
Learn from Garry Kasparov's
Greatest Games

Before his retirement, Garry Kasparov held the number one position in chess for nearly twenty years. He is considered the greatest player of all time. Now, beginning and intermediate players—ninety percent of the chess playing audience—can benefit from his wisdom. Packed with diagrams and easy-to-understand pointers showing what Kasparov was thinking during his matches and how you can apply these concepts and strategies to your own games, this great learning tool borrows from the grace and power of Kasparov’s greatest games. 240 pages

 
Gambit Chess Openings

Gambits, where one side sacrifices material for an advance in development, are the most exciting and popular openings in chess! This book contains every important gambit opening and variation ever played—more than two thousand opening strategies in all! Each gambit is covered in detail with a diagram showing the standard position representative of the gambit, the move orders taken to get there, and an explanation in plain language of the thinking behind the moves. More than one hundred games show you how the ideas behind the gambit influence the development of the game. 784 pages

 
Complete Defense to Queen Pawn Openings

This aggressive counterattacking repertoire covers Black opening systems against virtually every opening except for 1.e4 (plus most flank games), based on the exciting and powerful Tarrasch Defense, which helped win Kasparov and Spassky championships. Black learns the Classical Tarrasch, Symmetrical Tarrasch, Asymmetrical Tarrasch, Marshall and Tarrasch gambits, and Tarrasch without Nc3, to achieve early equality or even an outright advantage in the first few moves. This is an important opening book for aggressive players looking for an edge. 288 pages

 
Killer Chess Tactics

This is a book for players who want to play killer chess using the insights, concepts, tactics and combinations used by the greatest players who ever lived. This fascinating book teaches you how to learn from the incredible combinations and sacrifices of fourteen World Champions, how the champions used these brilliant stratagems to bring opponents to their knees, and how they themselves fell prey to these deadly surprise attacks. Packed with fascinating ideas, two hundred fully annotated games, one thousand diagrams, and great practical advice for any player’s own games, you’ll learn how to use these powerful weapons, in easy-to-understand language and game situations from the champions themselves. This brilliant book will take any player’s game up several notches. 416 pages

 Unorthodox Chess Openings

This exciting guide to all the major unorthodox openings used by chess players, contains more than 1,500 contentious, unconventional, arrogant, and outright strange opening strategies. From their tricky tactical surprises to their bizarre names, these openings fly in the face of tradition. You’ll meet such openings as the Orangutang, Halloween Gambit, Frankenstein-Dracula Variation, Double Duck, and even the Drunken King. These openings are an exotic way to spice up a game and a great weapon to spring on unsuspecting and unprepared opponents. Includes more than 100 completely annotated games and more than 750 diagrams showing essential positions. 576 pages

Hypermodern Opening Repertoire For White

 
Whiz Kids Teach Chess:
Chess for young Players
by Ten Child Prodigies

Today’s greatest young stars, ranging from ten to seventeen years old—some perhaps to be future world champions—present a fascinating look at the world of chess. Learn from their stories of successes, failures, world travels, and love of the game. They show off their best moves and admit to their most embarrassing blunders. This basic chess primer features diagrams, explanations, and winning ideas written for kids by their prodigal peers. Features Jordy Mont-Reynaud (14), who smashed Fischer’s record to become the youngest USCF Master, to be eclipsed by Vinay Bhat (13), and then Hikaru Nakamura, a 10-year-old superstar, and others. Photos, Illustrations. 142 pages

World Champion Openings (3rd edition)

The long-awaited revision is updated to include the latest world champions. This major revision lowers the price under the $20 price point, and at the same time, concentrates on a much simpler presentation, more targeted to the average chess player. The book is divided into key opening groups where the readers learn the key points of the opening and how the world champions would play them. Reading as much like an encyclopedia of the must-know openings crucial to every chess player’s knowledge as a powerful tool showing the insights, concepts and secrets as used by the greatest players of all time, WCO covers an astounding 100 variations of crucial openings in full conceptual detail with many actual games from the champs themselves.
424 pages    $19.95    ISBN #9781580422536

  100 Awesome Chess Moves

This collection of brilliant ideas from real tournaments is not just regular combinations or tactical swindles, but moves of stunning originality. Schiller has selected one hundred awesome moves, and through game positions, examples, and clearly explained concepts, shows players how to improve their grasp of deep positional understandings and swashbuckling tactics. You’ll learn how to reinforce your gut instincts, to not just reach for the best move, but the inspired one. 288 pages.

 
The Official Rules of Chess

A complete guide to the rules of chess according to the World Chess Federation with additional coverage of scholastic and blitz rules. Includes explanaytions of ratings and titles.

 
Survive & Beat Annoying Chess Openings

This is the chess doctor’s handbook to the very popular traps and pitfalls faced by beginning and intermediate chess players. Opening traps are the single most annoying stratagem, that is, for unprepared players. This book shows you how to handle these traps as both Black and White and to set the same traps yourself. Schiller and Watson provide practical remedies from both the White and Black perspectives to the annoying variations that opponents will often choose instead of the well-known main lines. For key openings, the authors provide two separate remedies to appeal to both the attacking and positional player. Unique charts and graphics make learning these remedies easy and fun! 266 pages

 
639 Essential End Game Positions

From basic mates to sophisticated double-rook endgames, every important endgame concept is explained. Topics include every key combination of king and pawn endgames, bishops, knights, rooks, and queens, plus tricky endgames with no pawns. The thinking behind every position is explained in words—unlike diagram-only books—so that you’ll learn which positions are winning, which are drawn, and which cannot be saved. Diagrams show starting and target positions, so you can visualize goals and steer the middlegame to a winning conclusion. 400 pages

Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom  (3rd Edition)

From opening, middlegame, and endgame strategy, to psychological warfare and tournament tactics, you are taken through the thinking behind each essential concept. Examples, discussions, and diagrams show the full impact on the game’s direction. Tons of diagrams, examples, sidebars, and sample games illustrate the concepts, making this book easy-to-read and a joy for players looking to delve deeper into the mysteries of chess and become a better player. Called one of the ten best chess books ever written, readers will learn the thinking and concepts behind every aspect of a chess game. An absolute must for players who love the game of chess. 432 pages

 
Handbook of Tricky Opening Strategies in Chess

First published in 1995, with the title 'The Big Book of Busts'. There are a large number of chess openings which, while not entirely sound or objectively dangerous, nevertheless strike fear into the hearts of some players. The Smith-Morra Gambit ( 1.e4 c5 2,d4), Budapest Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2,c4 e5), Torre Attack ( 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 with 3.Bg5), Grob (1.g4), and other aggressive lines are not easy to meet, especially since much of the literature on these openings is written from the point of view of the aggressor. 
In this book, noted theoreticians John Watson and Eric Schiller have combined forces to provide a thorough examination of over 70 of these annoying openings, presenting refutations, clever lines which are outside the normal paths, and methods of avoiding the opponent's preferred positions. After studying this book, you can greet these openings with confidence and emerge from the opening with a fully satisfactory position. In fact, the authors present so many novel solutions that is your opponent who gets caught by surprise.  (Hugh Davies)

7 Steps to Better Chess

 
Chess is a game of mistakes; if you can cut down on them, your game will get much stronger. This unique approach shows the mistakes Schiller has made in his own games at each stage of chess developmentfrom early scholastic challenges to professional encounters with grandmastersto illustrate the types of errors typically made in real games. In each case, you'll learn how such errors could have been avoided. You will also see how professional players fall prey to the same problems as amateurs! Featuring instructive lessons in the opening, basic tactics, basic strategy, middlegame, endgame and lessons learned. reviousdly published as Development of a Chess Master. 

 
First Chess Openings

This great beginning book shows players how to confidently start out a chess game with solid near-foolproof openings. Easy-to-read and targeted to novice and new chess players, the oversized format is filled with large diagrams, clear explanations, and ideas and concepts that are easy for new players. Even better, no knowledge of chess notation is required, nor does the reader need to memorize variations. Everything learned becomes common sense and the game becomes fun. Schiller, an ardent teacher of children and beginning players, shows the top ten most important chess openings and teaches readers the importance of focusing on the four clear goals of the opening. This book makes us want to learn chess all over again! 160 pages

 
How to Win with
Hypermodern Chess Strategy

In the 1920's the hypermodern school (primarily Nimzowitsch, Reti, Tartakower, Breyer and Grünfeld) introduced strategies which relied for their impact on fianchettoed bishops and a delayed assault on the centre. Perhaps the most provocative of the new openings was Alekhine's defence 1e4 Nf6 which positively encouraged a huge white pawn centre to lumber forwards and then self destruct. In their treatise the authors - between them responsible for 200 books on chess - outline and explain these theories and show how they remain valid as point scorers to the present day. Originally published as Winning with the Hypermodern. 
Eric Schiller has a long involvement in world chess championships, having been a championship arbiter and head of the press room . He is one of the most prolific authors on chess and has written extensively on all aspects of the game. 
 (Hugh Davies)

 
Secrets of the Sicilian Dragon (2nd edition)

The Sicilian Dragon is one of the most exciting and popular openings in all chess—one that all chess players need to be familiar with—featuring games with brilliant combinations and exciting attacks. This new edition features bigger diagrams and discusses all of the important principles of the Dragon from the opening, including the latest moves and developments, to the endgame maneuvers. Readers learn all the key strategic and tactical ideas, but unlike most modern chess books, massive amounts of theory are eschewed in favor of presenting the critical opening ideas so that readers understand how to play the popular opening lines with skill, gusto and winning results

Gambit Opening Repertoire for White

Chess players who enjoy attacking from the very first move are rewarded here with a powerful repertoire of brilliant gambits. Starting off with 1.e4 or 1.d4 and then using sharp weapons such as the Göring gambit (accepted and declined), Halasz Gambit, Alapin Gambit, Ulysses Gambit, Short Attack and more, you’ll learn how to put pressure on opponents. Schiller presents a complete attacking repertoire against the most popular defenses including the Sicilian, French, Scandinavian, Caro-Kann, Pirc, Alekhine, and other open game positions. 192 pages

Gambit Opening Repertoire for Black

For players that like exciting no-holds-barred chess, this versatile gambit repertoire shows Black how to take charge with aggressive attacking defenses against any orthodox first White opening move: 1.e4, 1.d4, and 1.c4. Learn the Scandinavian gambit against 1.e4, the Schara gambit and Queen’s gambit declined variations against 1.d4, and some flank and unorthodox gambits also. Black learns the secrets of seizing the initiative from White’s hands, usually by investing a pawn or two, to begin powerful attacks that can send White to early defeat. Illustrations. 176 pages

 
Secrets of the King's Indian

The King's Indian is the most popular chess opening and offers great opportunities for spectacular attacks and clever defenses. You'll learn the fundamental concepts, critical ideas, hidden resources, opening traps, and typical tactical and strategic mistakes. All major variations are covered, including Classical, Petrosian, Saemisch, Averbakh, Four Pawns, Fianchetto, and unconventional lines.

The Rubinstein Attack

The Rubinstein Attack is a basic formation for White, with kingside castling, a bishop at d3, queenside fianchetto and usually knights at f3 and d2. It is known by many names, including: Colle with b3, Modern Colle, Yusupov-Rubinstein Variation, Rubinstein Opening, Zukertort-Yusupov Opening, Zukertort-Rubinstein Opening, etc. Rubinstein was clearly the most significant proponent of the opening, and we honor his contributions by adopting the names Rubinstein Opening and Rubinstein Attack.
White has several strategies from the basic formation. A stonewall attack with Ne5 and f4 is the most common, but there are alternative strategies involving c2-c4 or e3-e4, which can also be quite useful.
Black, on the other hand, has a big menu of defenses to choose from.
Black will, in almost all cases, place a knight at f6, a pawn at e6, and castle on the kingside. It is the position of the other knight, the bishops, and the c-pawn that define Black’s formation. A “Classical” position has the bishop at e7, while a “Bogoljubow” position has the bishop at d6. A queenside fianchetto by Black is a “Tartakower” line. When the knight goes to d7, instead of c6 after the advance of the pawn to c5, then we have a “Modern” line, if Black fianchettoes at b7, or a “QGD” (Queen’s Gambit Declined) line otherwise. Black can mix and match these ideas.

One Move Checkmates

This great book for beginning players covers the most basic of all mates—the one move mate! Schiller presents different game positions where you must find the move that instantly wins the game. You’ll learn how to make the final move with all the pieces—knights, bishops, rooks, pawns, queens and even the king. This great training tool is perfect for players new to the game of chess! If you’re looking for a fun and easy workbook to challenge yourself and use as a learning tool; the 200 instructive and challenging mates are a perfect compliment to the chessboard! 144 pages

Weapons of Chess Destruction

Synopsis

A eBbook on attack strategy for advanced beginners who know the basic opening ideas and want to learn how to build an attack after the opening goals have been achieved. demonstrates launch a successful attack builds on a sound opening foundation. Each game is presented with commentary that swings the fundamental ideas in simple language. All of the gains in the book are also presented popular portable game notation. So they can be copied and pasted to a chess program for easy viewing. Suitable for players rated between 600 and 1200 on the Elo scale.

Of Kings and Pawns

Queen's Gambit Accepted: Smyslov Variation

The Smyslov Variation was developed by World Chess Champion Vasily Smyslov and used in top level competitions by him and by other World Champions. One advantage is that it can be used frequently. If White plays 1. d4 and Black responds with 1. … d5, White will almost always play 2. c4. Then after the natural moves 2. … dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3, Black can play 4. … g6 which is the Smyslov Variation. The Smyslov Variation is a form of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Smyslov's Variation is inspired by the Gruenfeld Defense but easier to play because there isn't a lot of deep theory to absorb. The basic idea is to establish a safe castled position and aim to undermine White's center with an eventual ...e5 or play on the queenside, using knights to infiltrate the light squares. Smyslov's preferred plan is to bring the Nf6 to the queenside via d7, bring the bishop to g4 to eliminate the Nf3, and then play ...e5.

The Big Book of Chess

This book tells you all about the game of chess from the elementary rules to sophisticated strategies. You’ll learn how to attack and defend, set devious traps, win material, and checkmate the opponent. Schiller shows you how to plan moves in advance, anticipate opponents’ moves, and get the most out of your pieces. The many ways of beginning each game are discussed at length, and you’ll learn what to do when you have gained the advantage. Then, when it’s time to finish off the enemy, Schiller discusses the ways to end the game. Toward the end of the book, more advanced techniques are presented that will pave the road to chess mastery. This book is presented with an easy-to-read format, with big print, sidebars, and clear explanations. 313 pages

Attack with the Boden-Kieseritzky-Morphy Gambit