Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games
Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player of the 21st century. His tactical wizardry, strategic inventiveness, technical expertise and legendary fighting spirit put him head and shoulders above all other players. They also make his games tremendously instructive.

To extract the best lessons from this amazing source material, Gambit has commissioned Martyn Kravtsiv, a Ukrainian grandmaster from the same generation as Carlsen (in fact, they were born just a few days apart). He has annotated these 42 games from a thoroughly modern perspective and with an innate understanding of the impact Carlsen's play has had on modern chess.

In each game Kravtsiv picks out a key point – the Magnus Moment – where he demonstrates the special insight that sets him apart from other players. Perhaps he clarifies a messy situation, confident in his technical ability. Or sacrifices to gain practical chances in a game that has not gone to plan. Throughout, the emphasis is on how Carlsen makes life hard for his opponents in any way he can, whatever the objective assessment of the position on the board.

Each game is a themed lesson on an important chess topic. The bulk of the book addresses the fight for advantage and initiative in the middlegame, but there are also chapters focusing on opening ideas, endgame play and human factors.
1137959094
Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games
Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player of the 21st century. His tactical wizardry, strategic inventiveness, technical expertise and legendary fighting spirit put him head and shoulders above all other players. They also make his games tremendously instructive.

To extract the best lessons from this amazing source material, Gambit has commissioned Martyn Kravtsiv, a Ukrainian grandmaster from the same generation as Carlsen (in fact, they were born just a few days apart). He has annotated these 42 games from a thoroughly modern perspective and with an innate understanding of the impact Carlsen's play has had on modern chess.

In each game Kravtsiv picks out a key point – the Magnus Moment – where he demonstrates the special insight that sets him apart from other players. Perhaps he clarifies a messy situation, confident in his technical ability. Or sacrifices to gain practical chances in a game that has not gone to plan. Throughout, the emphasis is on how Carlsen makes life hard for his opponents in any way he can, whatever the objective assessment of the position on the board.

Each game is a themed lesson on an important chess topic. The bulk of the book addresses the fight for advantage and initiative in the middlegame, but there are also chapters focusing on opening ideas, endgame play and human factors.
21.95 In Stock
Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games

Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games

Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games

Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games

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Overview

Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player of the 21st century. His tactical wizardry, strategic inventiveness, technical expertise and legendary fighting spirit put him head and shoulders above all other players. They also make his games tremendously instructive.

To extract the best lessons from this amazing source material, Gambit has commissioned Martyn Kravtsiv, a Ukrainian grandmaster from the same generation as Carlsen (in fact, they were born just a few days apart). He has annotated these 42 games from a thoroughly modern perspective and with an innate understanding of the impact Carlsen's play has had on modern chess.

In each game Kravtsiv picks out a key point – the Magnus Moment – where he demonstrates the special insight that sets him apart from other players. Perhaps he clarifies a messy situation, confident in his technical ability. Or sacrifices to gain practical chances in a game that has not gone to plan. Throughout, the emphasis is on how Carlsen makes life hard for his opponents in any way he can, whatever the objective assessment of the position on the board.

Each game is a themed lesson on an important chess topic. The bulk of the book addresses the fight for advantage and initiative in the middlegame, but there are also chapters focusing on opening ideas, endgame play and human factors.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781911465669
Publisher: Gambit Publications, LTD
Publication date: 03/31/2021
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 6.80(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range: 11 - 18 Years

About the Author

Martyn Kravtsiv is a grandmaster from Lviv, Ukraine. His tournament results include tied first places at Cappelle in 2012 and the 2015 Ukrainian Championship. He represented his country at the 2017 World Team Championship and was a coach for the team that won silver medals at the 2016 Olympiad.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Symbols 6

1 Opening Themes 7

Game 1 (Vaibhav-Carlsen) - Lead in Development 8

Game 2 (Carlsen-Grandelius) - King in the Centre 12

Game 3 (Carlsen-Hossain) - Poorly-Developed Pieces 16

Game 4 (Kariakin-Carlsen) - Good Preparation 20

2 Middlegame Topics 24

2.1 Attacking Play 24

Game 5 (Carlsen-Giri) - Active Pieces 25

Game 6 (Svidler-Carlsen) - Attack on the Wing 29

Game 7 (Carlsen-Ding Liren) - Combinations 33

Game 8 (Carlsen-Rapport) - Badly-Placed Pieces 37

Game 9 (G.Meier-Carlsen) - Zwischenzug 41

Game 10 (Carlsen-Tomashevsky) - Fight to Open Lines 44

Game 11 (Nepomniashchy-Carlsen) - Unexpected Tactical Blows 49

2.2 Defence 54

Game 12 (Giri-Carlsen) - Simplification as a Defensive Method 54

Game 13 (Carlsen-Aronian) - Protecting a Weakness 58

Game 14 (Carlsen-Topalov) - Do-or-Die Defence 63

2.3 Counterplay 66

Game 15 (Svidler- Carlsen) - Counterattack 66

Game 16 (Carlsen-Grishchuk) - Play on Opposite Wings 69

Game 17 (Carlsen - Vachier-Lagrave) - Sacrifice for Counterplay 73

2.4 Positional and Strategic Chess 79

Game 18 (Carlsen-Amonatov) - Space Advantage 79

Game 19 (Oparin-Carlsen) - Backward Pawn 82

Game 20 (Carlsen-Caruana) - Positional Pawn Sacrifice 86

Game 21 (Carlsen-Granda) - Disrupting Harmony 90

Game 22 (Mamedyarov-Carlsen) - Isolated Queen's Pawn 92

Game 23 (Carlsen-Kariakin) - Prophylaxis 95

Game 24 (So-Carlsen) - Exerting Pressure on a Weakness 101

Game 25 (Carlsen-Sadorra) - Fighting for Space 104

Game 26 (Carlsen-Vitugov) - Outpost 109

Game 27 (Carlsen-So) - Knight Manoeuvres 113

Game 28 (Carlsen-Kramnik) - Quiet Moves 117

Game 29 (Carlsen-Yuffa) - Weakened King Position 121

Game 30 (Carlsen-Shirov) - Finding the Best Squares for the Pieces 124

Game 31 (So-Carlsen) - Exchanging a Key Enemy Piece 129

Game 32 (Ding Liren-Carlsen) - Strategic Exchange Sacrifice 132

Game 33 (Rapport-Carisen) - Too Much Activity 135

3 Endgame Play 139

Game 34 (Dreev-Carlsen) - The Power of a Far-Advanced Passed Pawn 139

Game 35 (Carlsen-Salgado) - Are Opposite Bishops Drawish? 143

Game 36 (So-Carlsen) - King Activity 146

Game 37 (Adhiban-Carlsen) - Connected Passed Pawns 151

Game 38 (Carlsen-Batsiashvili) - The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame 155

Game 39 (Carlsen- Yu Yangyi) - Don't Let Your Pawns Get Blockaded! 159

4 Human Factors 163

Game 40 (Nepomniashchy-Carlsen) - A Hasty Decision 163

Game 41 (Carlsen-So) - 'Obvious' Moves 167

Game 42 (Carlsen-Nakamura) - The Critical Moment 171

Index of Players and Openings 175

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