IM James Rizzitano, one of the most respected players in New England, made an appearance on August 10 at the Metrowest Chess Club in Natick, where he made himself available to sell and autograph his latest book, "Play the Najdorf Sicilian." Rizzitano is the author of four other best-selling Gambit Publications books. His first book, "Understanding Your Chess," appeared in 2004, followed by "How to Beat 1. d4" in 2005. In 2006, his "Chess Explained: The Taimanov Sicilian" was published. And one year later he came out with "Chess Explained: The Queen's Gambit Declined." Rizz the Whiz was a dominant player in New England from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s. He has won five international tournaments, including the 1985 Windy City International, the 1983 Chicago International, and the 1982 Continental Chess Summer International. He was National Open cochampion in 1988, a two-time New England Open champion, a four-time Massachusetts Open champion, and the 1980 U.S. Open Speed Champion. In addition, he was National Junior High School champion in 1976 and National High School champion in 1979. In the mid-1980s, he was a trainer for future grandmaster Ilya Gurevich. Among GMs he has defeated are Lev Alburt, Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Maxim Dlugy, Dmitry Gurevich, Patrick Wolff, and his protege, Ilya Gurevich.