Bask In 17 Years Of
Glorious Attacking Chess
Join former world #3 Alexei Shirov as he relives his “scorched earth” campaign to the chess summit, and awaken the creative aggressor in you.First published in 1997,
Fire On Board by
Grandmaster Alexei Shirov quickly became a must-read classic for connoisseurs of attack.
It’s a memoir of Shirov’s 17-year trek to the top of the world rankings — told through his brilliancies and instructive losses.
His relentless aggression and intuitive sacrifices earned him a peak rating of 2755 FIDE… first place finishes in international tournaments… and a shot at the World Chess Championship in 2000.
By revisiting Shirov’s best and most instructive games, you’ll see his thought process for…
Launching Attacks And Building Up
The Winning Combinations
You See In Books
The first chapter of
Fire On Board takes you back to Shirov’s “growing up” years — from 1979 when he first stepped into a chess school — to 1987 when he began testing his mettle against national champions and grandmasters.
Next, you’ll watch him rise above a year of disappointments like a phoenix… then turn around a busted position to win the
1988 World Cadet U16 Championship.
And in the 4 chapters which follow, you’ll get a year-by-year account of his wild adventures until 1996.
Each of the
246 games and fragments inside is a mini-masterclass on grandmaster-level tactics and decision-making. You’ll learn about:
🔥 Paradoxical attacking play. Daring sacrifices combined with unreal maneuvers whisk opponents into Planet Shirov, where the normal rules of chess don’t apply.
Shirov undermined his own kingside,
dropped a pawn, and crashed
through after 12 moves
🔥 Jedi mind tricks for beating younger players, lulling opponents into a false sense of security, and turning around lost positions.
🔥 Masterful handling of space and the bishop pair. Shirov routinely snowballed these positional factors into a raging initiative. And soon, you will, too.
🔥 How a super-GM evaluates compensation… and how to ensure you gain enough dynamic trumps for the sacrificed material.
🔥 Practical tips for managing off-the-board factors… including time trouble, facing a 200-rating-point favorite, and declined draw offers.
You’ll also get an
opening workshop on one of Shirov’s favorite lines against 1.d4 — the razor-sharp Botvinnik Variation of the Slav.
And to prove that brilliance in chess knows no bounds, the final chapter serves a selection of Shirov’s
endgame combinations and unexpected saves.
The Chessable edition of
Fire On Board has all of the honest reflections and eye-opening commentary of the original… plus more!
The
246 MoveTrainer® variations allow you to review the games’ highlights and exhilarating tactics until they become a part of your game.
And for the first time:
Shirov not only added
12 hours of video. He also updated the analysis, aided by the latest engines and 26 years of hindsight.
If tactical fireworks and daring attacks excite you — but you could use a jolt of inspiration to play them yourself — then you’ll love
Fire On Board.
See for yourself when you take the course for a month-long test drive.
Our 100% satisfaction, 30-day money-back guarantee will shoulder all of the risk. So if you decide that
Fire On Board isn’t for you, whatever the reason may be, we’ll rush you a refund. No questions asked.
