Indian Tactics: Chess Opening Combinations and Checkmates - Paperback

by Tim Sawyer (Author)

This Indian Tactics chess book gives you 500 positions from actual games that use combinations and checkmates. All games in these Indian Defences follow after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4. Indian Defenses include openings like Budapest (2...e5), Benko Gambit and Benoni Defence (2...c5 3.d5), Gruenfeld Defence (2...g6 and ...d5), the Catalan Opening (2...e6 3.g3), Queen's Indian Defence (2...e6 3.Nf3 b6), Nimzo-Indian Defence (2...e6 3.Nc3 Bb4), and King's Indian Defence (2...g6 and ...d6). The Indian Defenses teach you to fight for a win with dynamic pawn structures. When you run toward tactics, you run toward success. Tactics help you to attack and defend accurately. This book shows winning positions played by masters into early 2021. If you're good at tactics, you're good at chess. Opening theory may help you start well. Endgame knowledge may help you finish well. Tactical skill helps you win games and avoid losses. Tactics include pins, forks, removing the defender, attacking two pieces at the same time, and threatening to mate your opponent. The easiest path to tactical success is to recognize patterns that occur frequently in your favorite chess openings. Grandmasters know tactics and can easily slide from one opening to another. Everyone knows a few positions. Here's 500 in Indian Defences. Tactical knowledge helps you to improve your winning chances. Take your opponent's pieces. Pick off the pawns. Mate the king! Don't rely on dumb luck. How can "dumb luck" allow you to win? You can win a few games when your opponent makes dumb moves. That's when your opponent gives up a piece for nothing. You're lucky when your opponent fails to defend a mate in one. To advance, you need more than dumb luck. You need tactics. Fifty years ago Tim Sawyer played the Gruenfeld Defence. Later, he added all the Indian Defences to his repertoire, eventually from both sides. The purpose of this book is to illustrate and teach Indian Defence Tactics. I assume you can read algebraic chess notation. The White pieces are positioned at the bottom of each diagram. Above each diagram note who can move and win. It's either White to play a tactical move or Black to play a tactical move. Some moves are simple and easy. Others are subtle and tricky. That's chess - lots of obvious moves and lots of sneaky moves. Look at each diagram. It's a key position ready for a tactical win. The final moves are in bold with a brief analysis or comment. Chess engines were used to ensure the accuracy of analysis. Follow the moves in your mind. The skill to visualize each new position without moving pieces improves your tactical strength.Indian Tactics is a companion to Queens Gambit Tactics. White plays 1.d4 and 2.c4 to influence the squares e5, d5, c5, and b5. Black hinders 2.e4 by either 1.d4 d5 or 1.d4 Nf6, but White may play for a later e4. Black seeks counterplay in Indian Defences. Discover strong moves after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 with a brief comment. White has many reliable strategies to play for an advantage by controlling the center. Black always has reasonable options to fight back by employing what is called a hypermodern strategy. Black maintains flexibility with the plan to counter attack at the earliest possible moment. Either player may sacrifice a pawn, a piece, or the Exchange to speed up the attack. Any action in the center can turn quickly toward the kingside or the queenside. Games are arranged by ECO (Encyclopedia of Chess Openings) coding (A50 to A79; D70 to E99) proceeding generally from less popular to more popular moves. Note: ECO updates their codes from time to time. I used the codes games had in my database. Ideas in this book come from the Indian Defences, but take note: These same tactical patterns work in other chess openings too. World champions have played Indian Defences from both sides. Improve your chess. Go for the win! Buy Indian Tactics now.