Last week’s poll question was ‘Who will win the 2017 US Championship?’ As expected, the Big Three collected almost all the votes. Wesley So was top, getting over half the vote, with Caruana on 30% and Nakamura on a surprisingly low 10%. The games start a couple of days from now, so we shall see.
I will take a break from asking poll questions this week to announce that four of Jacob’s Grandmaster Preparation books – Calculation, Attack & Defence, Endgame Play and Strategic Play – are now available on Forward Chess. The remaining two books in the series – Positional Play and Thinking Inside the Box – will appear on FC in due course. So if you prefer ebooks to physical books (they do take up less room) then now is your chance to catch up on Jacob’s series.
Jacob is of course on his Asian tour, and we will keep you updated on where he is and what he is up to.
Is there still a plan to offer the full set at a discount on FC? (Hopefully my memory is correct Jacob once mentioned here)
@Paul H
When all 6 GM Preparation books are available, there will certainly be a special offer on the physical books – we put 6 for the price of 5 on many booklets and catalogues over the years.
It is not so simple on FC, whatever Quality Chess or Forward Chess want to do. As things stand now, it is not possible to offer a discount on a single book or offer a bundle of books at a discounted price. That may change in the future, but it’s not in my control so I cannot promise anything.
@John Shaw
Could you not just sell one mega book on Forward Chess containing all 6 books (admittedly would be big download) at the discounted price (presumably $100 in FC native currency)?
With 5 of the 6 books having been published years ago, charging the standard $19.99 (ÂŁ19.99 on iOS in UK) seems to me ambitious – but of course, just a polite suggestion, as you are the boss!
@Paul H
I was told the bundle of books is not currently possible. One big megabook? I will check.
I know the US/UK price comparison on iOS looks tough on the UK side. It’s partly the changing exchange rate, but largely that the UK charges VAT on ebooks, and that US price is without tax (many US states don’t add a tax on ebooks).
As you said, the UK Apple price is ÂŁ19.99. I believe the UK Android price is ÂŁ14.99. Big difference. That’s because we can vary Android prices country by country to get something normal-looking. With Apple we set a price in one country (the US), and Apple converts it to prices in other countries automatically. It works fine for most countries, but, for the reasons mentioned above, is tough on the UK iOS price.
I would like Apple and Android prices to be the same in the same country, but Apple’s pricing system makes that impossible.
I guess that’s called competition (between retailers)…
Are there any plans to put Marin’s English books on forward chess? or Schandorff’s Caro book?
@Paul
No, they are too old and would not get enough sales to justify it.
The Yusupov series would be great.
and so would the two Karpov books by Karolyi.
@Michel Legein
We don’t have the rights to do the Yusupov series as ebooks, so that’s not a possibility.
We were very happy with the Karpov books, but we don’t plan to go that far back in our list of books (they were from 2011) converting them into ebooks.
Do you have any plans of updating Marin’s books on the English opening? Having the Modern Tiger is a sensation even though the original Tiger’s Modern was excellent!
Hi all,
Is there any more information as to when the 2017 pdf catalogue will be up on the site? I asked Jacob just over a week ago and he mentioned that it was almost done, with Colin to finish it off and put it up?
Thank you.
James
@pabstars
No plans on updating them, as Mihail Marin will be working on new books. But we would like a new book on the English.
@James2
Soon. We just need to finish off a couple of details.
@John Shaw
Great!
I also wanted to ask about 1 d4 d5 by Nikos. After the moves 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 I have speculated before that rather than looking at the well worn lines of 4..Be7, that the book might contain the line 4..Nbd7. I have also looked at the database again and 4..a6 is also popular lately.
I am I getting warm with either 4..Nbd7 or 4..a6 recommended in the book….. ?
James
@James2
I shouldn’t give too many guesses about Nikos’s book. But the fresh 4…Nbd7 may well feature.
I can give a link to the 2017 leaflet.
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/2017-QualityChess-catalog.pdf
We have not printed it yet, so if you spot anything fishy, please let me know!
Note that we call 12-year-old Nihal Sarin an IM because he will be an IM the next time FIDE hold a meeting, so that will be true when the leaflet is printed.
Have another look at the Avrukh KI & GI paragraph. You switch from plural to singular and back in the same sentence. It sounds wrong.
You are killing me.
At least 5 books I will almost surely buy…even though I have about 150 in my to be read list.
@John Shaw
Nice catalogue, unfortunately there is no sight of “Chess From Scratch”, which was “almost finished” and on the 2016 leaflet… Will that first book of the series be published this year?
Thanks and best regards!
@Andre
Thanks. We will change that sentence.
Is there any update on the release of the TITB book on FC? TIA
Great catalogue guys, can’t wait for the Marin Pirc book! Any tentative ETA on that one?
Great line-up – as usual I’ll end up buying (almost) all of them 🙂
Excellent acronym usage. No real update. We are essentially at the end of writing and editing but with typesetting, proofreading and ebook conversion to go, I would just be making bad guesses.
@TonyRo
Glad you like it. And very tentatively, Summer for Marin’s Pirc book.
@FM To Be
The whole project grew and is still growing. It has a very high priority for me.
@John Shaw
Regarding your comment “we would like a new book on the English”…..I’m sure that there are a significant number of your readers that would agree with you on that ….fingers crossed that you find a welling author in the near future..
@Jacob Aagaard
Im quite happy to see that the “From The Scratch” project is bigger now and with a high priority! Now for another quite interesting subject to me, at a more advanced level…
Are there any new for Flores II and III?
Thanks and best regards!
meaning, from White side ? surely Marin’s book are quite reliable, if a bit optimistic at places (e.g. King’s english, karpov line, 4knights with Bb4, Keres line…). Since they we’re published Black often plays 1…e5 (to avoid being move-ordered in d4 lines), and in return some English players go 1.Nf3. I’d rather expect a repertoire with Nf3/g3 rather than c4 🙂
So, in which direction would you see a new English book, updated Marin or non-g3 systems?
@Cowe
Certainly I would hope that any new book is from White’s prospective….(Beating Minor Openings pretty much covers things from Black’s side)…..Not sure that 2g3 offers White that much at present so would like to see some alternatives against 1…e5 and in particular 1….c5.
Have played 1 Nf3/2 g3 for many years (have both the original and re-write of all the Opening for White according to Kramnik books) but 1….d5 seems to be the common response nowadays and White’s choices currently seem a little restricted after 2 g3…just my view.
@ Michael:
I guess that’s why Kramnik plays 2.d4 after 1.Nf3 d5 – which is also recommended in Opening for White according to Kramnik?
@Ray
No doubt, and Kramnik is very good in such positions, but for me after 1 d4 d5, I think 2 Nf3 limits Whites options in the Queen’s Gambit/Slav variations ….
@FM To Be
Mauricio Flores Rios is one of our favourite authors, so yes we plan more books with Mauricio. More details later, but nothing new to say now.
@Cowe
I am imagining the English Opening book from White’s perspective, and a brand new book, not an update of Marin’s books.
Do you expect that the new book on the English Opening will be in 2017?
I have bought TTIB on Forward Chess and have a suggestion. There are some references like “See page xyz”. In a electronic document, such a reference should be supported by a hyperlink because there is no page count… A Name Index without hyperlinks is useless as well.
@Krokohol
Please make this suggestion to Forward Chess and not us 🙂