- 1200 highly entertaining and instructive miniature games played since 2014
- Classified according to the ECO system of codes
- Detailed coverage of opening tricks and traps
Almost a decade ago we published the highly acclaimed Encyclopaedia of Chess Miniatures that contained 1636 games, fully annotated, played between as early as 1650 and 2014. The Encyclopaedia proved to be quite a useful source of reference and rich collection of games that evoke both a sense of surprise and delight for the readers.
Now, the time seems ripe for the continuation of that book, as a great number of entertaining and instructive miniature games embellished chess boards across the globe over the last few years. But, what is a miniature game? For the purpose of this collection we tried to focus on the games that did not go beyond the 20th move, with some exceptions. Usually, miniature games last less than 25 moves, but that is purely a subjective criteria, as in many cases players were reluctant to accept humiliating defeats and prolonged their own suffering. Therefore, we present you Encyclopaedia of Chess Miniatures II with total number of 1220 annotated games, played between 2014 and 2021. The new era brought new ideas and trends, as well as exceptional popularity of online chess, so we had to address all of those factors. However, the prime objective of the Encyclopaedia remains the same – promoting an acute awareness of the many potential disasters that threaten the unsuspecting chess player in the early stages of the game. Naturally, each one of these miniatures spells danger and requires caution and vigilance from the very first moves. Reading this book should not only protect the players against devilish traps and pitfalls, but also enable them to plant a few surprising
tactical devices themselves. All chess players and enthusiasts will learn valuable lessons from these miniature games, as these are always a concrete reasons why a game ended so rapidly. In actual fact, even grandmasters sometimes fall victim of such sudden and quick defeats.
All the games in this book are classified according to the Chess Informant ECO codes. That should make it easy for readers to navigate their way around the large amount of presented material and quickly find games played with the openings that are integral part of their own repertories.
Finally, we firmly believe that playing through these miniature games will bring much joy to diligent reader because of their pure entertainment value. The miniatures feature efficient checkmates and well-coordinated combinations, as well as highly instructive mistakes caused by the subtle art of deception. Now, armed with both tomes of our Encyclopaedia of Chess Miniatures you should be fully equipped to face any opening trap and cast “spells” on your chess rivals in the early phase of the game.
Editorial Board, December 2021.
Excerpt
