Your First Move – Alexei Sokolsky

I.	RULES OF THE GAME
	The Board and Notation
	Initial Position
	Moves
	Capture
	Pawns
	Notation
	The King's Special Features. Check
	Checkmate
	Castling
	Stalemate
	Other Kinds of Draws. Perpetual Check
	The Method of Notation
	Comparative Value of the Pieces
	Additional Rules
II.	THE SIMPLEST ENDINGS
	Three Stages in Chess Play
	Mating a Lone King
		Queen Mates
		Mate by Two Rooks
		Mate by Rook
		Mate by Two Bishops
		Mate by Bishop and Knight
		Mate by Two Knights
		King and Bishop (or Knight) Versus King
		King and Pawn Versus King
	Conclusions
	A Remote Passed Pawn
	Positional Advantage
III.	SOME BASIC CONCEPTS
	The Pin
	Discovered Attack
	Discovered Check
	Double Check
	Variation. Combination
IV.	HOW TO START A GAME
	The Centre
	Fast Development of Pieces
	Setting Up a Good Pawn Structure
	Mistakes in the Opening
V.	SHORT GAMES AND TRAPS
	The Perfidious Pin
	Attention: Square f7!
	An Ill-Starred Queen
	A Sudden Encirclement
	A Mistaken Raid
	The Exultant Knight
	Opening Finesse
	A Poisoned Pawn
	A Knight Better Than a Queen
	"Modernised Légal Mate"
	Pseudosacrifice
	The Queen as a Spectator
	Roaming King
	Unpleasant Surprise
VI.	MIDDLE GAME
	Typical Combinations
	Mate on the First, Two and Last Two Ranks
	Smothered Mate
	The "Wheel"
	Trapping Combinations
	Diversion
	Blocking Combinations
	Obstruction
	Combinations to Destroy Defence Forces
	Square Clearance Combinations
	Line Clearance Combinations
	Pawn Promotion Combinations
	Combinations for a Draw
	Several Ideas Combined
	Attacking the King in the Centre
	Attacks Against the Castling Side
		Mate by a Major Piece Supported by a Pawn or Piece
	Combinations for Destruction
		Sacrifice on h7 (h2)
		Sacrifice of Two Bishops
		The Attack After Castling on Opposite Sides
	Elements of Positional Play
		The Battle for an Open File and the Seventh Rank
		Pressure Along a Semi-Open File
	Distribution of Pawns
	Weak Square
	"Good" and "Bad" Bishops
	How to Exploit Material Advantage
VII.	ENDGAME
	King and Pawn Versus King and Pawn
	Endings with Several Pawns
	King and Queen Versus King and Pawn
	Queen and Pawn Versus Queen
	Queen Endings with Many Pawns
	Rook and Pawn Versus Rook
	Rook and Two Pawns Versus Rook
	Rook Endings with Many Pawns
	Queen Versus Rook
	Rook Versus Minor Piece
	Bishop and Pawn Versus Bishop
	Endings with Bishops and Several Pawns
	Endings with White and Black Bishops
	King, Bishop and R-Pawn Versus King
	Knight Endings
	Intricate Endings
VIII.	CHESS COMPOSITION
	Problems
	Endgame Studies
IX.	THE OPENING
	Open Openings
		Philidor's Defence
		Petroff's Defence
		Scotch Game
		Giuoco Piano
		The Greco Analysis
		Two Knights' Defence
		Ruy Lopéz
		King's Gambit
	Semi-Open Openings
		French Defence
		Sicilian Defence
		Caro-Kann Defence
		Alekhine Defence
		Ufimtsev Defence
	Closed Openings
		Queen's Gambit
		Veresov Opening
		Group of Indian Defences
		Dutch Defence
		English Opening
		Réti Opening
		Sokolsky Opening
X.	CHESS: PAST AND PRESENT
XI.	SOLUTIONS TO EXERCISES