Böcker av Zenon Franco

Lasker was, essentially, a complete chessplayer and his games feel thoroughly modern. Indeed many contemporary elite players (the most obvious one being the current world champion Magnus Carlsen) exhibit a very similar style.

The idea behind this book is for you to‘play’ as in a real game, and it is my job to ensure you have a pleasant timewhile training. I suggest you take at least an hour and a half for eachgame and as your coach I will indicate when to guess the moves. Sometimes therewill be suggestions — including tricky ones — to measure your concentrationlevel. The ideas behind the moves are always explained. Points are awarded forthe ‘right answers’ as well as for some other moves, and at the end there is ageneral assessment plus a review of some of the things to be learned from thegame. During my coaching period I was able to witness how motivating it is forkids to receive points for the right answers, their ‘lives are at stake’ whenthey try to find the answers, and it is a challenge much appreciated by them.Later I also noticed a similar effect with adults although, unlike the kids,the older students try to hide it. The final score is not that important; it isnot scientifically based. But of course the more points you get the better you‘would have played’. The effort you put into trying to find the best moveevery time is what matters most. I firmly believe it really helps to learn alittle more about playing chess with every game. The methodology recommendedfor solving the exercises is the ‘old-school’ one of using a piece of paper tocover the text and scrolling down the page as you advance.

I was lucky enough to play against six world champions and several top players in my modest chess career, but the greatest player I feel privileged to have known, to have spent time with him, was Miguel Najdorf, "El Viejo".This is a chess book, with 275 commented games, it covers all his chess career, but it has also many stories. Najdorf was the most important Argentinean chess player, and he was an exceptional person. Oscar Panno said that Najdorf reminded him of Don Quixote, in the part of the book where he tells Sancho Panza, "Wherever I am, that is where the head of the table is going to be". He successfully overcame the most terrible setbacks, as few are capable of doing. Writing about Miguel Najdorf is one of my greatest pleasures as a chess journalist and writer! Zenon Franco Ocampos, April 2021.

Planning is of crucial importance in chess and yet this is an area that has not been well discussed or explained to ambitious players who wish to improve.

Grandmaster Zenon Franco examines in detail Morphy's chess style, selects and studies his favourite Morphy games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Morphy's masterpieces.

Paraguayan grandmaster, Zenon Franco has long been a fan of Paul Keres and has now collected together 38 of his finest games, along with numerous extracts from other encounters.

In Grandmaster Zenon Franco selects and examines his favorite games by chess legend Akiba Rubinstein, and demonstrates how we can all learn and improve our chess by studying Rubinstein's masterpieces.

Grandmaster Zenon Franco examines in detail Anand's chess career to date. He selects and studies his favourite Anand games, and demonstrates clearly how we can all improve our chess by learning from Anand's play.

Superb defensive technique is a hallmark of all great chess-players. With a few deft counterstrokes, they not only deflect what looked like an overwhelming offensive, but also expose the darker side of their opponent's build-up. Is this sheer black magic, or are these skills that ordinary players can develop?While some of the key defensive skills follow well-established principles, modern players ally this with an appreciation of chess dynamics that is a good deal more subtle. Zenon Franco provides a wide-ranging course in how to handle difficult positions, seeking not only to hold them together but to go on the counteroffensive, exploiting to the full the commitments and concessions the opponent has made to launch his attack. The methods he advocates are varied: often a countersacrifice is the key, while simplification can also employed as a subtler, but equally deadly weapon.Chapters include:* Lasker, the Master of Defence and Counter-Attack* Refuting Premature Attacks* Fighting Blow by Blow* Regrouping* Prophylactic Thinking* Simplification