In the latest of his "New Ideas in...." series for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends in the ultimate test of the Sicilian Dragon, the Yugoslav Attack with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4.

The Sicilian Dragon is back in vogue once again thanks to its recent addition to Magnus Carlsen's ever-growing arsenal. Years ago, Bobby Fischer gave his seal of approval to the Yugoslav attack, stating it was simply a case of preying open the h-file and sac, sac...mate! But this caveman approach in the Yugoslav Attack is well-worked out, as GM Ronen Har-Zvi shows that the Dragon still breathes fire for black with plenty of counter-play.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Tune-in for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John's weekly 60+ minute show will feature an interview with leading chess personalities. All shows run on demand for members after airing.

This week (Tue., Dec 23), joining IM John Watson on Chess Talk will be IM Jovanka Houska, one of England's leading female players, who holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster.

In 2006 Jovanka became the first female player to win the English Chess Federation Player of the Year award. She is currently the reigning British and English Women's Champion, and at the EU Individual Open Championship in the summer in Liverpool, she had a third share of the best woman's performance (jointly with Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant and Yelena Dembo). Jovanka is a prolific writer for Chess Monthly magazine, and her first books for Everyman Chess, Play The Caro-Kann was well received and she now awaits the release of her second, Starting Out: The Scandinavian.

Latest Show Preview: IM Jovanka Houska 12.23.08

Tune-in for "Ask the Renaissance Man" with National Master Dan Heisman every Thursday at 21:00 EDT. You send in the questions and Dan provides the answers every week on his Q&A show. Questions on tournament rules, opening play, chess books, chess politics, current events, and more!

Click "Play Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Dan's latest show. To listen to the full show, sign up for membership!

In his weekly video lecture series for ICC, Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide, Boris investigates gambits old and new and show that, while some may not be actively played on the grandmaster circuit these days, they are all exciting to play and at the same time instructive as they teach us all about natural development of the pieces and tactics in chess. GM Boris Alterman has just opened his official blog where, among other things, he'll be discussing some of his choices for his Gambit Guide.

Mastering the Chess Openings (Volume 3) - John Watson

In this highly-acclaimed and popular series, John Watson helps chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. He explains not only the ideas and strategies behind the specific openings, but also the interconnections of chess openings taken as a whole.

This third volume moves on to flank openings. Watson provides in-depth coverage of the English Opening, while drawing upon many themes from the first two books. Patricularly in the context of reversed and analogous forms of standard structures, we understand why certain ideas work and others don't, and experience the concept of 'Cross-Pollination' at work in even more varied froms than seen in earlier volumes.

Soft cover, 351 pages.

Price: $28.95 -   Buy now!

Art of Chess, The: The Wisdom of Chess Strategy - Aptekar

The four volume chess saga 'The Art of Chess' will introduce the reader to the best achievements of many generations of great chess players scattered throughout chess history. Each volume is a unique exhibition gallery where the reader can see beautiful pictures on display and, like all forms of art, it engages emotions of appreciation and admiration. Chess mastery is at its essence an artistic undertaking, but any artist who can create without absorbing and using, in some form, the ideas of others is rare - if such an artist exists at all. Chess art is created using the tactical elements and strategic methods that comprise the raw material of a chess game. These creative ideas combined with inspiration and imagination will guide the player in the heat of chess battles.

This book plays tribute to the great chess players and philosophers from the past. The reader will see their games in the many topics of the book and acknowledge their influence on the best players of today. The games of following generations of chess masters are confirmation of the accuracy of these theories. It is important to read, to understand and to appreciate their views on the variety of typical strategic positions. This work covers many vital issues which are of paramount importance to the development of a player's correct strategic thinking.

Soft cover, 140 pages.

Price: $19.95 -   Buy now!

Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 Volume 1 - Boris Avrukh

Grandmaster Repertoire is a new series of high quality books based on the main lines, written by strong grandmasters.

The aim is to provide the reader with a complete repertoire at a level good enough for elite tournaments, and certainly also for the club championship.

1.d4 Volume One covers the openings after 1.d4 d5 2.c4, particularly the Catalan, Queen's Gambit Accepted, Slav, and other Queen's Gambit lines.

Boris Avrukh is a grandmaster from Israel. He is an Olympiad gold medalist, former World Junior Champion and analysis partner of World Championship finalists.

Soft cover, 449 pages.

Price: $28.95 -   Buy now!

Art of Chess, The: The Power of Chess Tactics - Aptekar

The four volume chess saga 'The Art of Chess' will introduce the reader to the best achievements of many generations of great chess players scattered throughout chess history. Each volume is a unique exhibition gallery where the reader can see beautiful pictures on display and, like all forms of art, it engages emotions of appreciation and admiration. Chess mastery is at its essence an artistic undertaking, but any artist who can create without absorbing and using, in some form, the ideas of others is rare - if such an artist exists at all. Chess art is created using the tactical elements and strategic methods that comprise the raw material of a chess game. These creative ideas combined with inspiration and imagination will guide the player in the heat of chess battles.

This volume introduces to the reader the tactical elements which were strong weaponry in the hands of the masters from the past and still have the same strong powers in the hands of the world's best players today. Remarkably, positions from some games have reappeared 150 years later and bear witness to the agelessness of chess. Some combinations are conducted in the same part of the chess board with mostly the same pieces participating; others are characterized by the same initial moves. The reader will enjoy the beauty of these masterpieces of chess art and appreciate the fine work of their creators.

Soft cover, 151 pages.

Price: $19.95 -   Buy now!