Dr John Nunn, the Chess Director of Gambit Publications writes:
"At Gambit we are always on the lookout for good new ideas for chess
books, and who better to suggest ideas than the readers of the ChessBase
web site? Please submit the title for a chess book which would most persuade
you to buy the book. Your title can be serious or humorous. The three readers
submitting the best entries will each receive a prize of a free Gambit
book chosen from our list."
So turn on your creative imagination and come up with some interesting titles
for chess books. They should be clever, witty, funny, maybe even a wee bit
indelicate or naughty (we will not prejudice your choice with any suggestions
here). Send them in, at the most five per entry, using the following link:
- Feedback form for the Gambit Challenge [the
competition is now closed]
Entries must be received no later than January 31st. The best three suggestions
will be selected by the Gambit team (see below).
About Gambit Publications

Gambit Publications
was founded early in 1997 to produce a list of high-quality chess books. In
the years since then it has grown to be one of the world’s leading chess
book publishers.
Gambit’s genesis is connected to the fate of B.T. Batsford, a well-known
general publisher which started a chess list in the late 1960s. Back in 1996,
Graham Burgess was chess editor for Batsford while John Nunn was doing a considerable
amount of typesetting work for the company.
Batsford had for many years been considered the world’s leading chess
book publisher, but despite this success the company’s star was on the
wane. Unhappy with developments at Batsford, Graham approached John with the
idea of setting up a new chess publishing company. Since neither had any experience
in running a business, John approached Murray Chandler, who at the time was
owner and managing director of the British Chess Magazine, to sound him out
about the new venture. Murray was enthusiastic, and so Gambit Publications
was born.
The three had an ideal combination of skills to get the new company off the
ground. Murray’s long experience with running small businesses enabled
Gambit to avoid many of the mistakes which often endanger start-up companies,
Graham was able to transfer his commissioning and editorial skills from Batsford
to Gambit while John Nunn proved invaluable in solving the technical problems
associated with publishing.
A few years after Gambit was founded, Batsford went into receivership, owing
its authors, including the chess authors, a considerable backlog of unpaid
royalties. Chrysalis, a large media company, bought the assets of Batsford
from the receiver, but unfortunately the missing royalties were never paid.
Gambit always intended to publish its own books, but it takes time to build
up a chess list until it is large enough to be viable. While Gambit’s
own list was being developed, it undertook some work for other publishers such
as Cadogan Chess (now Everyman Chess). However, since 1999 Gambit has focused
solely on its own books.
At the time of writing, Gambit’s English-language list contains over
80
titles and, in addition, Gambit has translated eleven
books into German and five
into Spanish. By publishing exclusively chess books, Gambit has been able
to maintain the high standard which was one of the key motivations behind the
foundation of the company. Its best-selling titles include
There are always new books in the pipeline, including new translations, so
it is worth keeping an eye on the pages devoted to forthcoming
books and recently
published titles.
These are the people behind Gambit Publications
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Dr John Nunn is an English grandmaster. He has won four individual
gold medals and three team silver medals at Chess Olympiads and was at
one time ranked in the world top ten. Two of his books have won the prestigious
British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award. |
Murray Chandler is a grandmaster who was born in New Zealand,
but has lived in England most of his life. He played six times for the
English team in Chess Olympiads. His entertaining book How to Beat Your
Dad at Chess is one of Gambit’s best-selling titles.
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Graham Burgess is a FIDE Master from England with extensive experience
in chess publishing. He also won the British Chess Federation Book of the
Year Award, and holds the world record for marathon blitz chess.
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