Becoming a master is a goal many chessplayers seek. And for most, it is an unfulfilled dream.

Now, for the first time, the topic is squarely addressed. Not by a super grandmaster or high-powered international master, but by a "regular" national master,  a master who earned his stripes in the trenches, battling his way to the title. 

In Reaching the Top?!, author Peter Kurzdorfer shares his journey to the coveted 2200 Elo mark.

Using his own games, major topics covered by the author include: 

-- Learning From Past Mistakes

-- Choose Openings to Suit Your Style

-- Handling Material Inequality

-- Practical Endgames

-- How Sound Do Your Openings Need to Be?

-- When Things Go Terribly Wrong

-- Overcoming Difficulties

-- How to Win.

This guide shows what it takes to play at the master level. What you need to know. What you do not need to know. It is a practical presentation that will not only help aspiring masters, but in fact any player seeking to improve his game. 

So come on in and sit by the side of a chess master as he plies his craft, marveling at the wonderful, intricate combinations and positional ideas and shuddering at the opportunities that supposedly strong chess players missed time and time again.

Enjoy these every-day, blue-collar battles that do not involve the cutting edge of theory or top professional combatants, but do come out of ordinary amateur chess players who have made it work for them.

However, there is one requirement: you do have to love the game and give it your best shot, every game, every move. Mix in some discipline and concentration, and you too may be able to play master-level chess.

About the Author

Peter Kurzdorfer is a long-time national master, chess teacher, certified coach and tournament director. He is also a former editor of Chess Life magazine and author of 'The Everything Chess Basics Book' and 'The Tao of Chess'.