--- product_id: 133588959 title: "Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1" price: "18 zł" currency: PLN in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pl/products/133588959-mastering-the-chess-openings-volume-1 store_origin: PL region: Poland --- # Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 **Price:** 18 zł **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 - **How much does it cost?** 18 zł with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pl](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/133588959-mastering-the-chess-openings-volume-1) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In 2022 John Watson was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame as "one of the greatest writers in the history of American chess". New ebook feature: every diagram in the book is now also a link to a lichess analysis board featuring that same position! "...promises to unlock the mysteries of modern opening play and as usual Watson is great in explaining the fundamentals and the basic ideas." - GM Lubomir Kavalek, Washington Post For many chess-players, opening study is sheer hard work. It is difficult to know what is important and what is not, and when specific knowledge is vital, or when a more general understanding is sufficient. Tragically often, once the opening is over, a player won't know what plan to follow, or even understand why his pieces are on the squares on which they sit. John Watson seeks to help chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. In his previous books on chess strategy, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy and Chess Strategy in Action , he explained vital concepts that characterize modern chess. Moreover, he did so in ways that have enabled these ideas to be understood by club players. Here he does likewise for the openings, proceeding from the fundamental ideas that apply to all openings to more advanced concepts that are essential for substantial improvement. "If you are a young chess player who wishes to learn the openings in a proper way, you will give yourself a big boost toward developing into the strong player you want to be by studying this book." - Pete Tamburro, Chess Life In this major four-volume work, Watson explains not only the ideas and strategies behind specific openings, but also the interconnections of chess openings taken as a whole. By presenting the common threads that underlie opening play, Watson provides a permanent basis for playing openings of any type. "The publication of this series is a bellwether event in chess publishing, and all players should avail themselves of the opportunity to read these books." - Mark Donlan, Chess Horizons International Master John Watson is one of the world's most respected writers on chess. His groundbreaking four-volume work on the English Opening firmly established his reputation in the 1980s, and he has produced a string of top-quality works since. In 1999, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy , Watson's first book for Gambit, won the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award and the United States Chess Federation Fred Cramer Award for Best Book. His former pupils include the 1997 World Junior Champion, Tal Shaked. "This is a book that belongs in every chess library. Highly Recommended." - IM John Donaldson, USA Team Captain "To say that these books are about opening strategies or opening theory would be a disservice to the importance of the material covered in them. ... I found his chosen examples excellent and his commentary instructive and very enlightening. ... His discussions of pawn structures and their interconnected strategies are worth the price of both books. ... The books convey an understanding of the opening that even specialized opening works do not provide." - Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe Review: Excellent coverage of 1. e4 openings - It took joining a local chess club and repeatedly getting clobbered right out of the opening to realize that in order to stand much of a chance I needed to invest more time in the study of opening theory. I already have a copy of MCO but it is heavy on spewing out moves, light on explanation and has more than a few typos that sometimes make following the variations difficult. I researched books on opening theory and finally settled on Watson's Mastering the Chess Openings series. This is a somewhat more costly resource than many of the others available (four volumes instead of a single book) but it's a worthwhile investment. Volume 1 of the series deals with the majority of king pawn openings, 1. e4. It is certainly not exhaustive in that it does not cover every single variation of every king's pawn opening, but it has the large majority of what most chess players will encounter over the board. The openings covered include: - Giuoco Piano - Two Knights Defense - Philidor's Defense - Ruy Lopez - King's Gambit - Sicilian Defense - Caro-Kann Defense - French Defense - Pirc Defense Watson does a great job of explaining all of these opening systems (or opening defenses as appropriate). That is, rather than give a summary blurb about the opening and then just prattling on with move after move, he walks the reader through the opening, explaining the purpose behind each move. Then, once finished with the main sequence of moves, he includes one or more instructive games with relevant analysis and variations. This is so much more helpful than a cold and clinical presentation of silent moves. Watson's writing style is very clear and approachable. He neither talks down to his readership nor does he assume that everyone has a doctorate in chess. This is a superb series on chess openings which will leave the reader with a much clearer understanding of not just the moves involved in the openings but also an understanding of the purpose and goals of any given opening and variation covered. Although the cost of the series is more than that of a single volume it is well worth it. Review: Best General Reference on the Ideas of Chess Openings! Huzzah! - For years I have been looking for a good general opening reference book that explains overarching ideas and strategies! And finally! Finally! I found it. Sadly it has been hear for quite a long time but I let other blog reviews steer me away. Watson writes this and the other 3 volumes (more on those in a minute) so that you can begin understanding an opening right away AND continue many of the sidelines as you and your opening needs grow! SUCH WELL WRITTEN EXPLANATORY PROSE!! I also purchased volumes 2 and 4. I think they are essential. And are just as well written. You can read these books all the way thru for a great chess education or just go opening by opening as your needs dictate. I will eventually purchase volume 3 but I never see the English opening so not yet! I can't say enough about these books!! I tried Emms' "Discovering Chess Opening". It was mediocre. Mednis' "How to Play Good Opening Moves" IS great but limited but still an excellent book. I recently purchased "Openings for Amateurs" and it was HORRIBLE! Watson's books are fabulous. I browsed the explanatory prose in the much ballyhooed Fundamental Chess Openings and it doesn't seem to hold a candle to Watson. Maybe it does?? But I am sold on Watson's books. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #163,773 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #23 in Chess (Kindle Store) #63 in Chess (Books) #88 in Board Games (Books) | ## Images ![Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71uYhDD1zBL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent coverage of 1. e4 openings *by M***N on June 3, 2012* It took joining a local chess club and repeatedly getting clobbered right out of the opening to realize that in order to stand much of a chance I needed to invest more time in the study of opening theory. I already have a copy of MCO but it is heavy on spewing out moves, light on explanation and has more than a few typos that sometimes make following the variations difficult. I researched books on opening theory and finally settled on Watson's Mastering the Chess Openings series. This is a somewhat more costly resource than many of the others available (four volumes instead of a single book) but it's a worthwhile investment. Volume 1 of the series deals with the majority of king pawn openings, 1. e4. It is certainly not exhaustive in that it does not cover every single variation of every king's pawn opening, but it has the large majority of what most chess players will encounter over the board. The openings covered include: - Giuoco Piano - Two Knights Defense - Philidor's Defense - Ruy Lopez - King's Gambit - Sicilian Defense - Caro-Kann Defense - French Defense - Pirc Defense Watson does a great job of explaining all of these opening systems (or opening defenses as appropriate). That is, rather than give a summary blurb about the opening and then just prattling on with move after move, he walks the reader through the opening, explaining the purpose behind each move. Then, once finished with the main sequence of moves, he includes one or more instructive games with relevant analysis and variations. This is so much more helpful than a cold and clinical presentation of silent moves. Watson's writing style is very clear and approachable. He neither talks down to his readership nor does he assume that everyone has a doctorate in chess. This is a superb series on chess openings which will leave the reader with a much clearer understanding of not just the moves involved in the openings but also an understanding of the purpose and goals of any given opening and variation covered. Although the cost of the series is more than that of a single volume it is well worth it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best General Reference on the Ideas of Chess Openings! Huzzah! *by T***M on August 16, 2014* For years I have been looking for a good general opening reference book that explains overarching ideas and strategies! And finally! Finally! I found it. Sadly it has been hear for quite a long time but I let other blog reviews steer me away. Watson writes this and the other 3 volumes (more on those in a minute) so that you can begin understanding an opening right away AND continue many of the sidelines as you and your opening needs grow! SUCH WELL WRITTEN EXPLANATORY PROSE!! I also purchased volumes 2 and 4. I think they are essential. And are just as well written. You can read these books all the way thru for a great chess education or just go opening by opening as your needs dictate. I will eventually purchase volume 3 but I never see the English opening so not yet! I can't say enough about these books!! I tried Emms' "Discovering Chess Opening". It was mediocre. Mednis' "How to Play Good Opening Moves" IS great but limited but still an excellent book. I recently purchased "Openings for Amateurs" and it was HORRIBLE! Watson's books are fabulous. I browsed the explanatory prose in the much ballyhooed Fundamental Chess Openings and it doesn't seem to hold a candle to Watson. Maybe it does?? But I am sold on Watson's books. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Opening Primer *by E***E on July 3, 2007* If you're a club player looking for a good starting point to actually understand the ideas behind the e4 openings, this is it. It may not go as deep as the standards like the Batsford/Modern/Nunn's Chess Opening manuals, but it's really not meant to. While there's a place for the more technical manuals listed above, they can be overwhelming to a club player. Watson goes out of his way to make the openings approachable & understandable, as well as giving some additional ideas you can expand on by yourself. After you've read this and vol 2 of the series (about d4 openings), you should be able to learn enough to get a feel for openings that fit your style and expand your collection into specific opening guides if you feel you need to. Highly recommended. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pl/products/133588959-mastering-the-chess-openings-volume-1](https://www.desertcart.pl/products/133588959-mastering-the-chess-openings-volume-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart Poland* *Store origin: PL* *Last updated: 2026-05-19*