50% Tactics + 50% Opening Book = 100% Enjoyment! Enter the world of chess miniatures where games are decided in 20 moves or less! Marvelous Modern Miniatures features the largest collection of miniatures chess games played in the last half-century. Over 500 pages of cut and thrust! Although every player is rated at least 2100, the overwhelming majority are strong masters or grandmasters. You will follow them as they do battle with tactical fireworks raging around them. The surprising depth of the annotations (each one of the 2,020 games has meaningful comments) turns this book into a virtual course on tactics. Looking for traps and pitfalls in your favorite openings? You will probably find them here. Marvelous Modern Miniatures will improve your tactical skills and alertness and sharpen your opening play. As a bonus, the entire collection is immensely enjoyable! Carsten Hansen is an Amazon #1 bestselling author, an experienced chess coach as well as both a FIDE Master and a certified FIDE Trainer. He has authored 34 books all phases of the game, but is recognized as a particular expert on the opening phase of the game. (620) Galego (2475) - Blees (2405) B54 Cienfuegos 1997 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 d6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Nd7 [Diagram] 8.Bxe6! This move wins on the spot. But surprisingly, in another game a strong international master rejected this move but nevertheless won rather quickly: 8.0-0 Nc5 9.Re1 Bb7 10.Bd5!? exd5 11.exd5+ Be7 (Or 11...Ne7 12.b4 Nd7 13.a4 and Black will have a hard time completing his development) 12.Nf5 Bc8 13.Nxg7+ Kf8 14.Nh5 Bf5? (14...h6 to play ...Nf6 was necessary) 15.Qd4 f6?? 16.Ne2 Nd7 17.Qf4 Bg6 18.Nd4 Bf7 19.Qg4 Qa5 20.Bh6+ and Black resigned, 1-0, Matikozian-Del Pilar, Los Angeles 2005. 8...fxe6 9.Nxe6 Qb6 Or 9...Qa5 10.Bd2 followed by Nd5. 10.Nd5 Qb7 11.Bf4 Also 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qf3 is completely devastating for Black. 11...Ne5 12.Nec7+ Kf7 13.Bxe5 dxe5 14.Qh5+ g6 15.Qf3+ Kg7 16.Ne8+ 1-0 (621) Vallejo Pons (2666) - Topalov (2804) B54 Leon 2006 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4!? An interesting version of the Keres Attack. 6...Ne7!? 6...Nf6 would have transposed transposed to a regular Keres Attack, but Topalov is not interested in that. 7.a3 Nbc6 8.Nb3 b5 9.h4 Bb7 10.Bf4 Ne5 11.Bxe5 dxe5 12.Qxd8+ Rxd8?! 12...Kxd8 was stronger, bringing the king to assist in the defense of the weak queenside. Now Black gets into trouble. 13.Nc5! Rb8 14.Nxb7 Nc6 15.a4! b4?? [Diagram] 15...Nd4 was necessary. 16.Bxa6! bxc3 17.Bb5! This is undoubtedly the move that Topalov had forgotten when he played 15...b4. 17...Kd7 18.Na5 cxb2 19.Rd1+ Kc7 20.Nxc6 1-0 (622) Karim (2407) - Salgado Lopez (2554) B54 Cappelle la Grande 2009 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 Nge7 7.Nb3 d5 8.Be3 g6 9.Qf3 Bg7 10.exd5 exd5 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.Nxd5?! Nxd5 13.Qxd5?? [Diagram] Obviously, 13.Rxd5 Bxg4 14.Qe4 Qc8 is pleasant for Black, but the text move is even worse. 13...Qf6! Very strong. Now White's position falls apart. 14.Bd4 Qf4+ 14...Nxd4 The immediate, as he plays later, is, of course, best. 15.Be3 Qf6 16.Bd4 Or 16.c3 Bxg4 and Black wins material. 16...Nxd4! 17.Qxd4 Qf3! 18.Qd5 Bxg4! 19.Bg2 Qf6! 20.Rd4 Rad8 0-1