The English chess explosion of the 1970s lit the fuse for a golden era in the 1980s, when a wave of brilliant British players rose to the very top of world chess. England became a major force in international competition, producing players who could stand head-to-head with the traditional superpowers of the game. The movement culminated in Nigel Short’s World Championship challenge in 1993 — but its true legacy lay in the astonishing creativity of its leading lights.

This book celebrates the play and influence of Tony Miles, John Nunn, Jon Speelman, Nigel Short, Michael Adams and Matthew Sadler, all of whom achieved world class status. Although all of them had a very clear understanding of the principles of classical chess they all very much ploughed their own creative furrows. Their extraordinary creativity created immense practical problems for even the strongest opponents and gave rise to some of the most memorable games of the modern era. As well as featuring numerous amazing games, this book will demonstrate how you can harness some of this creativity and introduce it into your own play.