Your Kingdom for My Horse: When to Exchange in Chess

The great Mikhail Botvinnik, world champion said: 'The foundation of chess is exchanging/' Knowing when and what to exchange or trade in chess is essential to improve your game, and this is the only book to help you do that. In chess an exchange or trade of chessmen is a series of closely related moves, typically sequential, in which the two players capture each other's pieces. All chess pieces may be exchanged or captured in an exchange - apart from the king which however can capture an opponent's piece. Either the player of the white or the black pieces may make the first capture of the other player's piece in an exchange, followed by the other player capturing a piece of the first player, often referred to as a recapture. These maneouvres happen throughout chess, but understanding when and how to do this to your best advantage can improve your game significantly. Written by the hugely popular chess writer, Andrew Soltis, My Kingdom for a Horse tells you whether you should exchange your bishop for a knight, which pair of bishops you should exchange, when you should keep rooks on the board and when should you refuse to trade anything. This unique book will provide the answers on an important and integral part of chess strategy.

Andrew Soltis is an International Grandmaster, a chess correspondent for the New York Post and a highly popular chess writer. He is the author of many books including 500 Chess Questions Answered, The Chessmaster Checklist and How to Swindle in Chess - snatch victory from a losing position. He lives in New York.