Read an excerpt here
Genius in the Background introduces brilliant chess that will be unfamiliar to even well-read chessplayers.
Twelve chess stars are profiled with examples of their greatest achievements, but these stars are not famous – they are geniuses who stay in the background.
For example, Pervakov and Afek are not household names but they compose chess studies and puzzles of such elegance and cleverness that they deserve to be famous.
Top players such as Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov may be famous names to chess fans, but they did not become World Champions without great help – two of their coaches are profiled in this book and provide insights into the education of a chess champion.
A broad range of chess is covered by the twelve profiles – from openings to endgames, puzzles to training. The common thread is beauty and brilliance that deserves to be better known.
Tibor Karolyi is an International Master of chess from Budapest, Hungary. He was Hungarian Chess Champion in 1984 and is also an award-winning author and renowned chess coach.
One of his previous books: "Endgame Virtuoso Anatoly Karpov" published by New In Chess, won the Guardian’s chess Book of the Year prize in 2007.
Karolyi coached Peter Leko, a former World Championship challenger, during Leko’s teenage years when in the space of four years Leko improved from promising junior to grandmaster.
Nick Aplin is a university professor and respected chess author from Singapore.
"Karolyi has managed to write an excellent book about many interesting people that I had never heard about. The interviews in the book are insightful and the games and analysis present in the book show how certain characteristics of the trainers can be recognised in the games of their better-known former protégées." - GM Hedinn Steingrimsson, Chess Today
"A wonderful book about unsung heroes of chess... Genius in the Background is not only filled with wonderful stories it also has lots of great chess from endgame studies to early games by Topalov and Kasparov you won't find anywhere else. This is the sort of book all chess lovers should have in their library. Highly Recommended" - IM John Donaldson
"Quality Chess recently published a remarkable book, Genius in the Background, by Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin. It is a wonderful tribute to the coaches who sacrificed their playing careers and helped young talents to become great players. We are introduced to the creative minds around Veselin Topalov and Kasparov, but also to the extraordinary works of chess composers, analysts and other chess personalities. The book is loaded with many fascinating ideas and attractive games." - GM Lubomir Kavalek, Washington Post
