"Fundamentals of Practical Chess"
Most chess books teach you what to think about. This series teaches you what to actually do when the clock is running and the result is on the line. Compiled from GM Jan Markos's acclaimed "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" column in ChessBase Magazine, Volume 1 covers the decisions every tournament player faces before the position ever gets complicated: how you use your time, how you handle pressure, and how you think when the stakes are real.
Across these episodes, Markos addresses the situations opening books skip entirely: using your clock effectively instead of losing to time trouble, approaching a must-win game without overpressing, playing a stronger opponent without intimidation, and handling a second wave of opening surprises once your prepared lines run out. He also covers the practical judgment calls that decide tournament results: when to accept or decline a draw offer, how to hold a lost position instead of collapsing, how to navigate symmetrical positions where nothing seems to be happening, how to manage emotions under pressure, how to convert a winning position simply, and the patience it takes to wait for the right moment.
These aren't abstract lessons. They're the recurring, practical moments that separate players who understand chess from players who can actually perform at the board.
What you'll get:
11 complete episodes covering the fundamental practical skills of tournament play
Concrete guidance on time management, emotional control, and decision-making under pressure
Real games and positions illustrating each theme
The foundation volume of the "Excel at the Board" series
The skills that decide games before the position even gets interesting.
Ján Markoš, born in Banská Bystrica in 1985,
is a Slovak chess grandmaster, coach and author.
In 2000, he became European Under-16 Champion and won the first of his three Slovak Championship titles;
he earned the grandmaster title in 2007.
His book Under the Surface was named Book of the Year by the English Chess Federation in 2018.
Together with David Navara, he also wrote The Secret Ingredient: How to Live and Learn from Chess,
which received the FIDE Averbakh-Boleslavsky Award.
For ChessBase, Markoš writes the article series The Winning Academy,
presents the video column Practical Tips for the Tournament Player and produces the training series Middlegame Secrets.
In his work, he explains complex chess concepts through clear and practically applicable rules of thumb.
Contents
How to Use Your Time Effectively
Draw Offers: Accept or Decline?
How to Win in a Must-Win Situation
How to Play in a Lost Position
How to React to an Opening Novelty
How to Play a Stronger Opponent
The Danger of Symmetrical Positions
How to Deal with Emotions
Simple Wins
Traps
Be Patient like Carlsen
