Learn from the Legends is a modern classic. Mihail Marin examines and explains the ideas of the legends who shaped modern chess. ChessCafe chose it as their Book of the Year and IM Jeremy Silman went even further when he wrote: "I can’t recall having seen a better book in the last two decades." Ten years after the original publication, Quality Chess is proud to offer a revised hardback edition with a new chapter on the latest chess legend, Magnus Carlsen.

Learn from the Legends: Chess Champions at their Best

Humor & Entertainment

Marin, Mihail

Puzzles & Games

Quality Chess

Praise for the author's previous work:
Beautifully written and inspirational” – GM Luke McShane

Pirc Defence (Grandmaster Repertoire)

The Dutch chess opening is renowned as a fighting weapon against 1.d4, as 1...f5 immediately sets up an unbalanced struggle. Then Black's kingside fianchetto, which defines the Leningrad Dutch, allows pawn-storming play in similar style to the King's Indian Defense. Mihail Marin is the ideal author to explain both the strategic ideas and the latest theory. Leningrad Dutch covers lines where White also fianchettoes the king's bishop - these lines are the critical test of the Leningrad. The companion volume, Dutch Sidelines, completes Black's Dutch repertoire.

Leningrad Dutch (Grandmaster Repertoire)

The Dutch chess opening is one of Black's most ambitious replies to 1.d4, as with 1...f5 Black creates asymmetrical and richly complex play. Mihail Marin is the ideal author to explain both the strategic ideas and the latest theory. Dutch Sidelines covers lines where White does not fianchetto the king's bishop. These include 1.d4 f5 2.c4 lines, as well as Anti-Dutch options such as 2.Bg5, 2.Nc3 and various gambits. In addition, the author offers extensive guidance on how to meet 1.c4 and 1.Nf3 in Dutch style. The companion volume, Leningrad Dutch, is the cornerstone of Black's Dutch repertoire.

Dutch Sidelines (Grandmaster Repertoire)

Dutch Sidelines

Learn from Bent Larsen

Bent Larsen is one of the most celebrated chess players of the twentieth century. Larsen is the man who pushed Bobby Fischer down to Board 2 on the Rest of the World team in 1970. The Danish grandmaster had spectacular results, but chess fans appreciated even more his creativity and fighting spirit. For Larsen, a drawish-looking position was no reason to halt a game, as he had the ability to create magic out of thin air.Learn from Bent Larsen is a labour of love by award-winning author Mihail Marin. This project was originally planned as one chapter in a book about several players, but as ever more gems emerged, it became clear that Bent Larsen deserved a book of his own.

Bent Larsen is one of the most celebrated chess players of the twentieth century. Larsen is the man who pushed Bobby Fischer down to Board 2 on the Rest of the World team in 1970. The Danish grandmaster had spectacular results, but chess fans appreciated even more his creativity and fighting spirit. For Larsen, a drawish-looking position was no reason to halt a game, as he had the ability to create magic out of thin air. Learn from Bent Larsen is a labour of love by award-winning author Mihail Marin. This project was originally planned as one chapter in a book about several players, but as ever more gems emerged, it became clear that Bent Larsen deserved a book of his own. Mihail Marin is a grandmaster from Romania. His books for Quality Chess have established him as one of the world’s finest chess authors.

When Learn from the Legends was published in 2004, the book became an instant classic and Mihail Marin became known as one of the world's finest chess authors. In this new book, the Romanian GM shines the spotlight on five more all-time-great players: Leonid Stein, Lev Polugaevsky, David Bronstein, Paul Keres and Lajos Portisch. Much like the first book, the ambitious student can learn a great deal from studying the legends of yesteryear, aided by the author's expert insights, while more casual readers will enjoy the biographical and best-games compilation of five wonderful chess players. &nbsp;

Learn from the Legends 2: Chess Heroes at their Best (Volume 2)

Good defensive abilities earn players a great many half-points and full-points. The climax of the defence is the launching of a devastating counter-attack, a skill at which all the great chess champions have been adept. Of particular interest to club players is Marin's discussion of how to defend against unsound attacks, and the problem of how to parry the attack while retaining winning chances. Other topics include attack and defence in equal positions, where both sides must judge carefully how much of their resources to devote to the attack and the counter-attack. The main subject, though, is the case where the defender is fighting for his life, and must decide how to maximise his chances of survival. Marin considers psychological issues and explains the main options available to the defender: simplification, cold-blooded defence, a positional sacrifice, 'blackmailing' the attacker, or a counter-attack.

Secrets of Chess Defence

Gambit Publications

In his previous work, Secrets of Chess Defence, Mihail Marin examined the task facing the defender. Now he considers the other side of the coin. In this wide-ranging treatise, he discusses many topics including: the balance between attack and defence; the premises for starting a successful attack; advantage in development; intuitive sacrifices; typical scenarios. The book features many practical examples from top-level play.

Secrets of Attacking Chess

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marin, Mihail. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Marin, Mihail

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marin, Mihail. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Learn from the Legends: Chess Champions at their Best

Pirc Defence (Grandmaster Repertoire)

Leningrad Dutch (Grandmaster Repertoire)

Dutch Sidelines (Grandmaster Repertoire)

Dutch Sidelines

Learn from Bent Larsen

Learn from Bent Larsen

Learn from the Legends 2: Chess Heroes at their Best (Volume 2)

Secrets of Chess Defence

Secrets of Attacking Chess