It was the chess legend Philidor who wrote: 'The pawns are the soul of chess', and yet it is these modest infantrymen who are always the first to die for the cause. Pawn sacrifices are incredibly common in chess games, and yet for some unknown reason they have been rather neglected in chess literature... until now.

In this pioneering work, Timothy Taylor carries out an in-depth study of this significant subject. Using an abundance of instructive examples, Taylor uncovers the secrets of pawn sacrifices, highlighting the many reasons for their success, indicating the ideal situations in which pawn sacrifices work, as well as showing positions in which they are not so effective. The ability to handle pawn sacrifices is one of the most important skills in chess, and enhancing this skill will undoubtedly improve your understanding and results. This book will show you how to do this.

• An enlightening and entertaining guide to pawn sacrifices
• Covers essential tactical and positional ideas
• Written by a battle-hardened professional player

International Master Timothy Taylor is an experienced tournament player who has enjoyed several notable successes, including winning the US Open. He is also a renowned chess writer; one of his previous books, How to Defeat the Smith-Morra Gambit , became a US Chess Federation bestseller, while his first book for Everyman Chess, Bird's Opening , provoked much positive interest.

Content:
004 Bibliography and Acknowledgments

005 Introduction

013 1 King Attack

044 2 Line Opening

064 3 Development

085 4 Deflecting

101 5 Pawn Cracker

118 6 Obstructive

132 7 Preventive

144 8 Two Bishops

162 9 Vacating

177 10 Charge Up

195 11 Endings

209 12 Confusion

232 13 You Don't Have to be a Master

237 Index of Openings

238 Index of Players