Sergei Tiviakov was unbeaten in a streak of more than a hundred chess games as a professional
player. Who better to share the secrets of Rock Solid Chess and the activity and value of
pieces than Tiviakov? The highly acclaimed first volume of his chess strategy trilogy dealt
with pawn structures. In this second volume Sergei moves on to discuss piece play and unique
chessboard situations. Topics covered include the bishop pair opposite-coloured bishops
centralization and the almost-ignored question of when and whether to castle. Tiviakov also
demonstrates how the value of pieces can vary drastically depending on their exact position. He
shows how the entire assessment of a position and the correct strategy for playing it can be
changed by moving a single pawn from one square to another. In the final chapters Tiviakov
discusses how to play cramped and passive positions how to play for a win with Black and how
to choose your strategy based on the opponents style and other psychological factors.
Illustrated with examples from classic games and from his own games and supported by
instructive exercises Volume Two of Rock Solid Chess offers invaluable and unique instruction
on topics not covered in traditional textbooks. These strategy lessons will significantly
improve your chess and are suitable for all readers from club players to grandmasters. Sergei
Tiviakov is a grandmaster Olympic gold medallist three-time Dutch Champion and European
Champion. Yulia Gökbulut is a FIDE Women's Master chess author and sports writer from Turkey.
