Chess in the Greater Manchester area
Book Reviews page 2
The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked
By Andrew Soltis
McFarland, 2006
ISBN 978-0-7864-2741-3
This is one of those rare books that can be read solely for pleasure, although it can hardly fail to instruct as well. The games are wonderful, as you would expect, but whether these are ‘the 100 best games’ or ‘100 of the best games’ of the last century is open to question.
In the introduction, Soltis takes some pains to explain the procedure by which he arrived at his selection. Briefly, he established five criteria, such as ‘Originality’ and ‘Breadth and Depth’, and then rated about 7000 games on each, assigning a score of from 1 to 20. What this meant was that the maximum possible score for any one game was 100 (i.e. 5 x 20), though in actual fact the highest score awarded was 92 (and it was achieved by only two games, one being Polugayevsky-Nezhmetdinov, Sochi 1958, which featured a magnificent mating attack).
Soltis remarks that some of the games in the top 100 surprised him, which is encouraging,
By Andrew Soltis
McFarland, 2006
ISBN 978-
This is one of those rare books that can be read solely for pleasure, although it can hardly fail to instruct as well. The games are wonderful, as you would expect, but whether these are ‘the 100 best games’ or ‘100 of the best games’ of the last century is open to question.
In the introduction, Soltis takes some pains to explain the procedure by which he arrived at his selection. Briefly, he established five criteria, such as ‘Originality’ and ‘Breadth and Depth’, and then rated about 7000 games on each, assigning a score of from 1 to 20. What this meant was that the maximum possible score for any one game was 100 (i.e. 5 x 20), though in actual fact the highest score awarded was 92 (and it was achieved by only two games, one being Polugayevsky-
Soltis remarks that some of the games in the top 100 surprised him, which is encouraging,
because it suggests that the games don’t represent a purely personal preference. Even so, one can ask: Would others have given the same or similar scores to each game? Because there has been no attempt to calibrate the aforementioned criteria, this question cannot be answered. So Soltis’ conclusions must be regarded as, in some sense, subjective.
There are two ‘aperitif’ chapters before we come to the main course. ‘The Most Overrated Games’ gives five games with a large reputation but, according to Soltis, little of genuine world-class quality. ‘Near Misses’ has six games that fall just outside the top spots.
As for the century of games from the previous century, they’re all top-notch, substantial and well worth studying in depth. Actually, the more you study these superlative games, the greater the pleasure that you’ll get out of them. Soltis’ pithy introductions often give pen portraits of the two players and his annotations are never less than entertaining and enjoyable to read. The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked is an unimaginative title,
There are two ‘aperitif’ chapters before we come to the main course. ‘The Most Overrated Games’ gives five games with a large reputation but, according to Soltis, little of genuine world-
As for the century of games from the previous century, they’re all top-
certainly, but it is also a terrific book which every chess lover will cherish.
Here is one of the shorter games in the book, Taimanov-Polugayevsky, Leningrad 1960, with some brief notes:
Here is one of the shorter games in the book, Taimanov-
Squeezing the Gambits: the Benko, Budapest, Albin and Blumenfeld
By Kiril Georgiev
Chess Stars, March 2010
ISBN-13: 978-9548782753
This is an outstanding opening book and it could also be viewed as a case study based textbook on strategy and positional play. It is written for the player who opens with 1.d4 and who wants a principled and practical way of meeting four gambits: the Benko, the Budapest Defence, the Albin and the Blumenfeld.
Georgiev’s general approach is to recommend lines that have a sound positional basis, that minimise Black’s counterplay and allow White to gradually take control of the game. The recommended lines are easy to play (relatively speaking) and they make no undue demands on memory; there are few forcing variations.
Against the Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5) Georgiev gives 4.Nf3 as his main recommendation, intending to meet 4…g6 or 4…d6 with 5.cxb5 a6 6.b6: the king’s knight will often find an inviting square at c4 in this variation (Nf3-d2-c4). He also gives the direct 4.cxb5 a6 5.b6, but believes that after 5…e6 6.Nc3 Nxd5 the position is rather dry and drawish. Still, if this is Black’s best, the
By Kiril Georgiev
Chess Stars, March 2010
ISBN-
This is an outstanding opening book and it could also be viewed as a case study based textbook on strategy and positional play. It is written for the player who opens with 1.d4 and who wants a principled and practical way of meeting four gambits: the Benko, the Budapest Defence, the Albin and the Blumenfeld.
Georgiev’s general approach is to recommend lines that have a sound positional basis, that minimise Black’s counterplay and allow White to gradually take control of the game. The recommended lines are easy to play (relatively speaking) and they make no undue demands on memory; there are few forcing variations.
Against the Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5) Georgiev gives 4.Nf3 as his main recommendation, intending to meet 4…g6 or 4…d6 with 5.cxb5 a6 6.b6: the king’s knight will often find an inviting square at c4 in this variation (Nf3-
opening can hardly be said to be a success for him.
If the Benko player meets 4.Nf3 with 4…e6, then we reach the Blumenfeld Counter Gambit by transposition. White should now play Duz-Khotimirsky’s move 5.Bg5! in order to enable e2-e4, according to Georgiev.
The remaining two gambits, the Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) and the Budapest Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5), involve the sacrifice of the king’s pawn. In both cases, Georgiev’s remedy (as before against the Benko) is to return the pawn in such a way as to place Black in a passive or strategically suspect position, then to slowly drain it of all vital possibilities.
This is quite a focused work and the lion’s share of it is devoted to the Benko, the most reputable of the gambits on show. Georgiev demonstrates that these gambits are not to be feared; so no need to avoid the Albin or Budapest by playing 2.Nf3. Indeed, by playing sound and sensible chess you can get the upper hand and win.
The author is occasionally disdainful (or just candid?), as when he opines that ‘nowadays the Budapest Gambit is played mostly by weaker players who do not care too much about the strategic laws of chess’ (page 141), but on the whole he comes across as
If the Benko player meets 4.Nf3 with 4…e6, then we reach the Blumenfeld Counter Gambit by transposition. White should now play Duz-
The remaining two gambits, the Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) and the Budapest Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5), involve the sacrifice of the king’s pawn. In both cases, Georgiev’s remedy (as before against the Benko) is to return the pawn in such a way as to place Black in a passive or strategically suspect position, then to slowly drain it of all vital possibilities.
This is quite a focused work and the lion’s share of it is devoted to the Benko, the most reputable of the gambits on show. Georgiev demonstrates that these gambits are not to be feared; so no need to avoid the Albin or Budapest by playing 2.Nf3. Indeed, by playing sound and sensible chess you can get the upper hand and win.
The author is occasionally disdainful (or just candid?), as when he opines that ‘nowadays the Budapest Gambit is played mostly by weaker players who do not care too much about the strategic laws of chess’ (page 141), but on the whole he comes across as
an engaging, perspicacious and impressive writer and thinker about the game. This is especially apparent in his annotations to the 20 or so illustrative games, a fair few of them own. Georgiev’s outline of the basic plans, pawn structures and typical tactical motifs, to be found in the 4.Nf3 line versus the Benko in particular, is masterly and gives a revealing insight into the thinking and preparation of a world class grandmaster.
It was welcome also to see a bibliography and a comprehensive index of opening variations. You don’t always get that.
It was welcome also to see a bibliography and a comprehensive index of opening variations. You don’t always get that.
Counter Gambits: Black to Play and Win
By T. D. Harding
Dover Publications, March 2003
ISBN-13: 978-0486415789
The main purpose of Harding’s book is to demonstrate that Black can fight for the initiative right from move one.
There is no requirement to first of all quietly equalise, only then taking the battle to White. That is not necessary, not by a long chalk. Instead, Black can complicate matters, and test the player of the White pieces, right in the opening stages of the game.
The book came out originally in 1973, although this edition includes an update from 2001, so the analysis is in many cases out of date: incomplete, or even incorrect. It is, however, a remarkable resource since it
By T. D. Harding
Dover Publications, March 2003
ISBN-
The main purpose of Harding’s book is to demonstrate that Black can fight for the initiative right from move one.
There is no requirement to first of all quietly equalise, only then taking the battle to White. That is not necessary, not by a long chalk. Instead, Black can complicate matters, and test the player of the White pieces, right in the opening stages of the game.
The book came out originally in 1973, although this edition includes an update from 2001, so the analysis is in many cases out of date: incomplete, or even incorrect. It is, however, a remarkable resource since it
contains myriad black gambits in virtually all of the major openings. And the philosophy underlying the book – strive for dynamic counterplay, not static equality! - is inspiring. We see this philosophy in action through the 100 plus illustrative games, about 75 of which are annotated.
Certainly, it is a stark contrast in outlook to that found in Georgiev’s Squeezing the Gambits. Although it should be said that some of the gambits here are probably suitable just for blitz or bullet games.
Harding’s book is part battle-manual and part thought-provoking manifesto. In all respects, however, it is an entertaining and enjoyable read.
In this game, taken from the book, Black achieves victory in a mere 11 moves: Floyd Halwick, Jr.-Bobby Ang.
Certainly, it is a stark contrast in outlook to that found in Georgiev’s Squeezing the Gambits. Although it should be said that some of the gambits here are probably suitable just for blitz or bullet games.
Harding’s book is part battle-
Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking
From the First Move to the Last
By Neil McDonald
ISBN: 9-780-7134-8894-4
Batsford, 2004
In this book, Neil McDonald presents 30 relatively modern games – all were played from 1978 to 2002 - and adds a comment to each and every move. It is a nice idea and Irving Chernev wrote a book along these lines, Logical Chess: Move by Move, quite some time ago. He may even have created the genre, come to that. Nunn’s Understanding Chess Move by Move took a similar tack.
The games are aesthetically pleasing and educational and have clearly been chosen to illustrate the variegated splendours of chess. There are smooth positional victories and explosive attacks on the king; there are games that could well serve as models of their type, while others are simply spectacular, original and inimitable. The endgame is a prominent feature of a fair few of them. For ease and convenience, the games have been grouped according to
From the First Move to the Last
By Neil McDonald
ISBN: 9-
In this book, Neil McDonald presents 30 relatively modern games – all were played from 1978 to 2002 -
The games are aesthetically pleasing and educational and have clearly been chosen to illustrate the variegated splendours of chess. There are smooth positional victories and explosive attacks on the king; there are games that could well serve as models of their type, while others are simply spectacular, original and inimitable. The endgame is a prominent feature of a fair few of them. For ease and convenience, the games have been grouped according to
opening and, to some extent, theme - and most games open with either 1.e4 or 1.d4.
A difficulty with the book, and with the whole genre actually, is that there are only a limited number of things that you can say about the opening moves, about 1.e4 and 1.d4, say, or about 3…cxd4 in the open Sicilian, before you begin repeating yourself. When you’ve said of 1.e4 that it frees the queen and king’s bishop, facilitating quick development and early kingside castling, and that the pawn advance seizes space and controls the d5 and f5 squares, you are pretty much at a loss as to how to continue.
That McDonald has recourse to flights of fancy, metaphors (If White were seeking to build a house, then 1.e4 is the first stone laid at its foundation), digressions, conceits (the pieces are akin to Dracula entombed in a coffin…), historical waffle and such like rhetorical devices is hardly surprising. And this is not necessarily a bad thing, of course. His notes to 1.e4 never take the form of a haiku though, or any instance of fixed form poetry, so maybe he has missed a trick here.
A difficulty with the book, and with the whole genre actually, is that there are only a limited number of things that you can say about the opening moves, about 1.e4 and 1.d4, say, or about 3…cxd4 in the open Sicilian, before you begin repeating yourself. When you’ve said of 1.e4 that it frees the queen and king’s bishop, facilitating quick development and early kingside castling, and that the pawn advance seizes space and controls the d5 and f5 squares, you are pretty much at a loss as to how to continue.
That McDonald has recourse to flights of fancy, metaphors (If White were seeking to build a house, then 1.e4 is the first stone laid at its foundation), digressions, conceits (the pieces are akin to Dracula entombed in a coffin…), historical waffle and such like rhetorical devices is hardly surprising. And this is not necessarily a bad thing, of course. His notes to 1.e4 never take the form of a haiku though, or any instance of fixed form poetry, so maybe he has missed a trick here.
This is an excellent collection of beautiful, instructive and interesting games and Neil McDonald does a sterling job of elucidating and explaining their finer points. To end, here is a game taken from the book, an attacking gem from the late Mikhail Tal:
Wojo's Weapons: Winning With White, Volume 1
By Jonathan Hilton and Dean Ippolito
Mongoose Press, March 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0979148200
A piece of advice that one quite often hears, with regard to the problem of deciding on an opening repertoire, is to take a famous player as a model – a player whom one admires or feels an affinity towards – and to adopt his openings en masse. The idea is that one will thereby benefit from the great player’s experience. For why reinvent the wheel, when there is a perfectly acceptable wheel that you can profitably emulate?
In this book, the authors have made use of this notion and they present the opening repertoire of the late Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (1963-2006), a strong and successful grandmaster. As the subtitle indicates, we are looking at matters from White’s perspective. Also, this is the first of a projected series of volumes: it only covers the position following 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4.
If the 40 of his games assembled here are in any way characteristic, Wojtkiewicz had an attractive positional style, with an emphasis on technique. He had as well an impressive feel for the coordination of his pieces. On the whole, the opening systems reflect this in that they are solid and carry very little risk for White. Barring a gross error, there is always the possibility of a draw if matters do not turn out as well as expected.
The lynchpin of the repertoire is the Catalan (reached usually after 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6
By Jonathan Hilton and Dean Ippolito
Mongoose Press, March 2010
ISBN-
A piece of advice that one quite often hears, with regard to the problem of deciding on an opening repertoire, is to take a famous player as a model – a player whom one admires or feels an affinity towards – and to adopt his openings en masse. The idea is that one will thereby benefit from the great player’s experience. For why reinvent the wheel, when there is a perfectly acceptable wheel that you can profitably emulate?
In this book, the authors have made use of this notion and they present the opening repertoire of the late Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (1963-
If the 40 of his games assembled here are in any way characteristic, Wojtkiewicz had an attractive positional style, with an emphasis on technique. He had as well an impressive feel for the coordination of his pieces. On the whole, the opening systems reflect this in that they are solid and carry very little risk for White. Barring a gross error, there is always the possibility of a draw if matters do not turn out as well as expected.
The lynchpin of the repertoire is the Catalan (reached usually after 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6
4.g3) and the authors devote the bulk of the book (just short of 250 pages on my reckoning) to this opening system. Although the emphasis throughout is on strategical themes and ideas, there is quite a lot of detailed analysis too, spread amongst the 75 annotated games. Wojtkiewicz’s efforts on the White side are supplemented by guest appearances by the likes of Kasparov, Kramnik, Gelfand and others, in the remaining 35 games.
Wojtkiewicz had certain favoured ways of meeting the Slav Defence (he went with 4.Qc2 rather than the standard 4.Nc3), the Queen’s Gambit Accepted (he played 7.dxc5, a move Spassky essayed a fair few times in the 1992 match versus Fischer) and the Tarrasch Defence (where he played 9.b3), among other defences, and all of these lines are fully covered. I would have welcomed a consideration of 2…Bg4, Chigorin’s other defence, that’s my only slight criticism of the book. It is a curious omission, actually, since chapter 17 looks at 2…Bf5 fairly thoroughly.
This book serves as a good introduction to the Catalan and the games are generally attractive and instructive, though unspectacular. It can be recommended for players who open 1.d4 or 1.Nf3 and who don’t mind sometimes playing a slightly boring position, so long as their opponents are bereft of counterplay. All in all, a thumbs-
To end, here is a quietly impressive game taken from the book:
The Scandinavian Defence
By James Plaskett
Batsford, 2004
ISBN-13: 978-0713489118
This is a useful and helpful monograph on the Scandinavian Defence, or the Centre Counter Defence as it was called in olden times, though it must be said that the presentation sometimes lacks clarity. It is unclear, at a glance, who the players were in the game quoted on pages 112-114, as a ‘for instance’.
James Plaskett’s snappy idiomatic prose, his occasional digressive asides and throwaway insights, may not be to everyone’s taste, but that is because they are wrong. The man has an eye for good chess, and an enthusiastic appreciation of the same. Indeed, he has played quite a lot of good and interesting chess himself in his time.
In essence, there are two different opening systems here, according to whether (after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5) Black plays 2…Qxd5 or 2…Nf6.
On 2…Qxd5 3.Nc3, Black has four distinct possibilities:
• 3…Qd6 is the edgiest and current flavour of the month; Plaskett devotes a good 51 pages to it. No complaints here.
By James Plaskett
Batsford, 2004
ISBN-
This is a useful and helpful monograph on the Scandinavian Defence, or the Centre Counter Defence as it was called in olden times, though it must be said that the presentation sometimes lacks clarity. It is unclear, at a glance, who the players were in the game quoted on pages 112-
James Plaskett’s snappy idiomatic prose, his occasional digressive asides and throwaway insights, may not be to everyone’s taste, but that is because they are wrong. The man has an eye for good chess, and an enthusiastic appreciation of the same. Indeed, he has played quite a lot of good and interesting chess himself in his time.
In essence, there are two different opening systems here, according to whether (after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5) Black plays 2…Qxd5 or 2…Nf6.
On 2…Qxd5 3.Nc3, Black has four distinct possibilities:
• 3…Qd6 is the edgiest and current flavour of the month; Plaskett devotes a good 51 pages to it. No complaints here.
• 3…Qa5 is the most well established move, Anand even essaying it against Kasparov in the 1995 World Championship match, and it gets 21 pages. Perhaps it should have received more?
• 3…Qe5+ is a mite provocative and is given 11 pages: Black follows up with 4…c6 and retreats the queen to …c7 once it is attacked by 5.d4 or 5.Nf3.
• Finally, all of 8 pages are devoted to the stolid and frankly fairly dull 3…Qd8.
On 2…Nf6 3.d4 Nxd5, Black has fair chances after both 4.c4 and 4. Nf3; the two moves are covered in chapter 8 (which has 16 pages, for the record). Black can also meet 3.d4 with 3…Bg4, the Portugese Variation, but although this can yield some spectacular victories (see the game featured in the review of Counter Gambits: Black to Play and Win above) it is most likely inadequate against best play. If White plays 3.c4 (rather than 3.d4), Black should respond with 3…c6 and be prepared to transpose into the Panov-Botvinnik or the 2.c4 variation of the Caro-Kann following 4.d4 or 4.Nc3. The Icelandic Gambit (3.c4 e6) is a dubious alternative, although undoubtedly great fun for blitz games. There is also a chapter devoted to a minor White alternative on move three, 3.Bb5+ (9 pages, should there be any query) and Black comes out OK here.
• 3…Qe5+ is a mite provocative and is given 11 pages: Black follows up with 4…c6 and retreats the queen to …c7 once it is attacked by 5.d4 or 5.Nf3.
• Finally, all of 8 pages are devoted to the stolid and frankly fairly dull 3…Qd8.
On 2…Nf6 3.d4 Nxd5, Black has fair chances after both 4.c4 and 4. Nf3; the two moves are covered in chapter 8 (which has 16 pages, for the record). Black can also meet 3.d4 with 3…Bg4, the Portugese Variation, but although this can yield some spectacular victories (see the game featured in the review of Counter Gambits: Black to Play and Win above) it is most likely inadequate against best play. If White plays 3.c4 (rather than 3.d4), Black should respond with 3…c6 and be prepared to transpose into the Panov-
Overall, this book is a good survey of Black’s various options in the Scandinavian Defence. If I were to play the opening as Black, I’d take two approaches. One would be to go 2…Nf6 3.d4 (or 3.c4 c6) Nxd5: this is a sound, straightforward, low-maintenance defence to 1.e4. A second approach would be to play 2…Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 (3…Qa5 is OK, but there is more to learn), which looks interesting and complex and not at all easy to meet. Is the queen a target for White’s minor pieces or a sleeping tiger that should be left well alone?
The Colle-Koltanowski System: Deceptive Peace behind the Stonework
By Valerij Bronznik
Schachverlag Kania, June 2004
ISBN: 3-931192-25-3
This is an excellent monograph on the Colle-Koltanowski System (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3), which should not, of course, be confused with the Colle-Zukertort System (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3); as though anyone would be silly enough to do that. The Colle-Koltanowski is a ‘plain bloke speaking on a radio phone-in’ kind of opening; White plumbs for quiet, straightforward development and will only later turn his (or her) attention to active operations in the centre, typically with e3-e4 or Nf3-e5. Even so, the opening has more than a drop of poison and has produced its fair share of sparkling miniatures.
There are five chapters in total and the format is to present most of the detailed analysis within a series of annotated games, and then to end with a summary of variations, findings and evaluations. In chapter 1, Bronznik devotes close to 100 pages to lines involving …Nbd7. Play goes 5…Nbd7 6.Nbd2 and now the king’s bishop can go to …d6 (which is covered in games 1-14) or …e7 (games 15-21), or Black can take a different tack entirely and play 6…Qc7 in order to forestall Nf3-e5 at the earliest opportunity. If Black goes 6…Be7, White will have quite a difficult job to get an advantage out of the opening.
Schachverlag Kania, June 2004
ISBN: 3-
This is an excellent monograph on the Colle-
There are five chapters in total and the format is to present most of the detailed analysis within a series of annotated games, and then to end with a summary of variations, findings and evaluations. In chapter 1, Bronznik devotes close to 100 pages to lines involving …Nbd7. Play goes 5…Nbd7 6.Nbd2 and now the king’s bishop can go to …d6 (which is covered in games 1-
Bronznik considers the other knight development, 5…Nc6, in the second chapter. Against this, White usually takes on c5 and pushes e3-
These first two chapters are quite substantial, clocking in at 93 pages and 73 pages respectively, and the theory of both lines seems to be well-
Chapter 3 (13 pages) examines lines where Black plays an early …b6, followed by …Bb7 or perhaps …Ba6, the latter move made possible with the queen’s knight on its home square. Chapter 4 (8 pages) looks at an early …c4 for Black, including the line 5.0-
QID); you need more than one gun in your arsenal.
Bronznik provides plenty of original analysis and suggested improvements throughout in his notes to the games. He also discusses certain common strategic and tactical motifs arising out of the opening, such as the queenside pawn majority, the isolated queen’s pawn, the Pillsbury Attack and the Bxh7+ sacrifice. It is all very interesting, useful and insightful. His book ends with a bibliography and a comprehensive index of variations: efficient organisation, you’d expect no less from a German publisher. This is a book you really need to read and study if you play the Colle-Koltanowski System.
Bronznik provides plenty of original analysis and suggested improvements throughout in his notes to the games. He also discusses certain common strategic and tactical motifs arising out of the opening, such as the queenside pawn majority, the isolated queen’s pawn, the Pillsbury Attack and the Bxh7+ sacrifice. It is all very interesting, useful and insightful. His book ends with a bibliography and a comprehensive index of variations: efficient organisation, you’d expect no less from a German publisher. This is a book you really need to read and study if you play the Colle-
The Scotch Game Explained
By Gary Lane
Batsford, 2005
ISBN: 9-780-7134-8940-8
The Scotch Game, which arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4, is a relatively straightforward opening. By advancing the d-pawn on move three, White gains an advantage in space and more central control. He can also look forward to a harmonious development of his forces.
Formerly, the Scotch seemed too naïve, a poor relation to the Ruy Lopez, but ever since Kasparov revitalised it in the 1990s its stock has risen. Now, it must be regarded as on a near-parity with the Ruy Lopez, especially since Magnus Carlsen, the current world number one, has recently been converted to the cause. Could this possibly be the influence of his present coach, one Garry Kasparov?
Lane’s book is a good introduction to the Scotch Game, a useful and helpful first port of call. He provides White with a choice of ways of meeting Black’s two main moves, 4…Nf6 and 4…Bc5. Against 4…Nf6, he recommends Mieses’ Variation with 9.Nd2
By Gary Lane
Batsford, 2005
ISBN: 9-
The Scotch Game, which arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4, is a relatively straightforward opening. By advancing the d-
Formerly, the Scotch seemed too naïve, a poor relation to the Ruy Lopez, but ever since Kasparov revitalised it in the 1990s its stock has risen. Now, it must be regarded as on a near-
Lane’s book is a good introduction to the Scotch Game, a useful and helpful first port of call. He provides White with a choice of ways of meeting Black’s two main moves, 4…Nf6 and 4…Bc5. Against 4…Nf6, he recommends Mieses’ Variation with 9.Nd2
(rather than the heavily analysed 9.b3, a move that Vladimir Barsky plumbs for in his recent monograph on the Scotch, which has also been reviewed on this site) and the Scotch Four Knights (with 5.Nc3, etc.). After 4…Bc5, Lane devotes a chapter to each one of White’s three main responses: 5.Nxc6, 5.Be3 and 5.Nb3. Black’s less common alternatives on move four, chief among them Steinitz’s 4…Qh4 and 4…Bb4+, also receive adequate coverage.
All told, there are eight chapters in The Scotch Game Explained and they follow pretty much the same format: a brief historical introduction and then an outline of the basic plans for White and Black; a series of illustrative games (there are just under fifty in total) to add meat to the bones, showing how these conflicting plans work out in practice; and finally, a conclusion and some recommendations to end.
In the main, this book is a more wide-ranging presentation of the Scotch than is to be found in Barsky’s rather focused repertoire book. There are lines to be found in Lane’s book (e.g. the Scotch Four Knights, 5.Be3 and 5.Nb3 in response to 4…Bc5) that are not in Barsky’s. But, equally, there are
All told, there are eight chapters in The Scotch Game Explained and they follow pretty much the same format: a brief historical introduction and then an outline of the basic plans for White and Black; a series of illustrative games (there are just under fifty in total) to add meat to the bones, showing how these conflicting plans work out in practice; and finally, a conclusion and some recommendations to end.
In the main, this book is a more wide-
lines in Barsky’s book (e.g. 9.b3 in Mieses’ Variation, as mentioned above, and 4…Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qf3) that are not in Lane’s (Lane gives only 6.Qd2 in response to 5…Qf6). What one should conclude from this, I think, is that the Scotch remains a rich and still largely untapped resource for the player who opens with 1.e4.
If you are seeking an accessible and lucid survey of the Scotch, you need look no further than this book.
If you are seeking an accessible and lucid survey of the Scotch, you need look no further than this book.
Opening for White According to Anand, Volume 13
By Alexander Khalifman
Chess Stars, July 2010
ISBN-13: 978-9548782784
This is the latest volume of the grandmaster (or super-grandmaster) repertoire series for White, essaying 1.e4 and taking Anand as a model: his actual practice, his presumed style. It focuses on the English Attack set-up against both the Scheveningen (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6) and the Najdorf (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6), but it omits consideration of those Najdorf lines where Black meets 6.Be3 with 6…e5 or 6…Ng4. A full examination of these two moves is promised for volume 14, and one can surmise why they’ve been omitted here. They quite often lead to positions markedly different in character to those that arise after 6…e6. Also, they’d take up a fair amount of space.
Against the Scheveningen, then, Khalifman plumbs for 6.Be3. White will develop further by playing f3, Qd2, 0-0-0 and, typically,
By Alexander Khalifman
Chess Stars, July 2010
ISBN-
This is the latest volume of the grandmaster (or super-
Against the Scheveningen, then, Khalifman plumbs for 6.Be3. White will develop further by playing f3, Qd2, 0-
follow up with g4 and a pawn storm on the kingside. In Part 1, the author looks at the few lines where Black does without the a-pawn’s small spurt forward (e.g. 6…Be7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5). If Black goes …a6 at any point soon though, as usually happens (there are a mere 21 pages in this first section), then we transpose to the Najdorf. This is one reason why it is sensible to look at these two Sicilian defences in the same volume; they share a clear kinship. And, certainly, it is more economical and efficient (and integrated, with regard to the repertoire as a whole) to meet the Scheveningen with 6.Be3 (rather than Keres’ 6.g4, which many may view as a sharper and more testing move) if you’re going to play the English Attack against the Najdorf.
We are given full coverage of the English Attack proper in Parts 2 and 3 and these sections make up the lion’s share of the book (altogether, we are given an immense 344 pages). Each and every chapter features detailed, intricate and comprehensive analysis of the myriad variations under consideration, and ends with a conclusion and summary of findings.
We are given full coverage of the English Attack proper in Parts 2 and 3 and these sections make up the lion’s share of the book (altogether, we are given an immense 344 pages). Each and every chapter features detailed, intricate and comprehensive analysis of the myriad variations under consideration, and ends with a conclusion and summary of findings.
Throughout, Khalifman presents numerous improvements on recent games and established theory. His examination of these various lines can fairly be described as exhaustive, and what we have here is cutting-edge opening theory of a very high order indeed.
Opening for White According to Anand, Volume 13 is a world-class analytical work; and you should be prepared to sacrifice a couple of months of your life if you want to comprehend its contents fully…
Opening for White According to Anand, Volume 13 is a world-
The Complete Hedgehog, Volume 1
By Sergey Shipov
Mongoose Press, November 2009
ISBN13: 978-0-9791482-1-7
In this book, Sergey Shipov surveys and examines the Hedgehog when it is used as a defence against the English Opening. On 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 e6 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7, he mainly looks at 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 (8.Nxd4 gives Black a comfortable position and easy equality after 8...Bxg2) and 7.Re1 (with the plan of playing e4 and only then d4 and of meeting ...cxd4 with Nxd4: the pawn on e4 making it impossible for Black to now exchange bishops); and he touches very briefly on 7.b3. His coverage can fairly be described as exhaustive, for over 250 pages are devoted to 7.d4 (which is Part 1 of the book) and just a little less than that number are allocated to 7.Re1 (Part 2).
It is clear that Shipov is an advocate, or perhaps more accurately a zealot, when it comes to the Hedgehog, but he gives White a fair shout; his analyses and evaluations have integrity and approach objectivity. As he writes, ‘I love the Hedgehog dearly, but the truth means more to me.’ The story is told through a slue of deeply annotated games; and it is a story that Shipov relates, for he looks at the genesis and history of each variation, not just its current theoretical status. This approach aids strategic understanding and it adds as well an intellectual excitement to the work, as though one were alongside these pioneers (Uhlmann, Andersson, Ljubojevic and others)
By Sergey Shipov
Mongoose Press, November 2009
ISBN13: 978-
In this book, Sergey Shipov surveys and examines the Hedgehog when it is used as a defence against the English Opening. On 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 e6 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-
It is clear that Shipov is an advocate, or perhaps more accurately a zealot, when it comes to the Hedgehog, but he gives White a fair shout; his analyses and evaluations have integrity and approach objectivity. As he writes, ‘I love the Hedgehog dearly, but the truth means more to me.’ The story is told through a slue of deeply annotated games; and it is a story that Shipov relates, for he looks at the genesis and history of each variation, not just its current theoretical status. This approach aids strategic understanding and it adds as well an intellectual excitement to the work, as though one were alongside these pioneers (Uhlmann, Andersson, Ljubojevic and others)
as they grappled with the problems of the opening for White and Black.
Shipov demands much of his readers. He doesn’t simplify matters unnecessarily, and in fact he seems sometimes to delight in making things problematical. You’d like to urge, on occasion: Give it a rest, Sergey lad, don’t think too deeply! But he gives a lot to the reader too. His writing has wit and candour, and he clearly has a deep understanding of the opening and an enthusiasm for it. Along the way, Shipov acquaints us with the philosophy behind the Hedgehog, an inkling of which can be garnered from Sergey Makarichev’s musings on the origin of the opening, as quoted on page 39 of Revolution in the ‘70s by Garry Kasparov:
There is also another version of how the legendary system was born. Long, long ago, back in the 1960s, one of the future grandmasters – perhaps the young Ljubomir Ljubojevic – was so captivated by the play of Inter Milan under the management of Helenio Hererra, that he firmly decided: ‘When I grow up, I will think up something similar in chess. My pieces, just like the Italian footballers, will completely concede space, but at the same time, when standing in defence, they will be constantly pressing, and when my opponent hesitates, even for an instant, they will punish him with a deadly counterattack.’
Shipov makes the point that, to play the Hedgehog well, you need to play purposefully and accurately, paying close
Shipov demands much of his readers. He doesn’t simplify matters unnecessarily, and in fact he seems sometimes to delight in making things problematical. You’d like to urge, on occasion: Give it a rest, Sergey lad, don’t think too deeply! But he gives a lot to the reader too. His writing has wit and candour, and he clearly has a deep understanding of the opening and an enthusiasm for it. Along the way, Shipov acquaints us with the philosophy behind the Hedgehog, an inkling of which can be garnered from Sergey Makarichev’s musings on the origin of the opening, as quoted on page 39 of Revolution in the ‘70s by Garry Kasparov:
There is also another version of how the legendary system was born. Long, long ago, back in the 1960s, one of the future grandmasters – perhaps the young Ljubomir Ljubojevic – was so captivated by the play of Inter Milan under the management of Helenio Hererra, that he firmly decided: ‘When I grow up, I will think up something similar in chess. My pieces, just like the Italian footballers, will completely concede space, but at the same time, when standing in defence, they will be constantly pressing, and when my opponent hesitates, even for an instant, they will punish him with a deadly counterattack.’
Shipov makes the point that, to play the Hedgehog well, you need to play purposefully and accurately, paying close
attention to the minutest detail; you need always to be aware of your opponent’s possibilities as well as your own. Of course, you need to do this anyway in chess, but with the Hedgehog these qualities are accentuated because there is such constricted space in which to operate and manoeuvre. He concludes that the opening breeds good habits and makes you a better chess player and, no doubt, a nobler person.
As a final passing shot, let me praise the terrific translation by James Marfia; he has done much to make this such a lively and vibrant book and to give Sergey Shipov an English, albeit an American English, voice. It is impossible to recommend the book too highly.
If the Hedgehog has a poster boy, it is this spectacular game:
As a final passing shot, let me praise the terrific translation by James Marfia; he has done much to make this such a lively and vibrant book and to give Sergey Shipov an English, albeit an American English, voice. It is impossible to recommend the book too highly.
If the Hedgehog has a poster boy, it is this spectacular game:
How to Play Against 1.d4
By Richard Palliser
Everyman Chess, August 2010
ISBN: 9781857446166
Yet another excellent opening book from the pen of Richard Palliser. Within its pages, Palliser examines two closely related defences to the queen’s pawn:
By Richard Palliser
Everyman Chess, August 2010
ISBN: 9781857446166
Yet another excellent opening book from the pen of Richard Palliser. Within its pages, Palliser examines two closely related defences to the queen’s pawn:
The Czech Benoni: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5. This is an old system, but one that has been revived and revitalised in recent years by the likes of Nisipeanu and Marin especially. Palliser provides a repertoire for Black from his second move; in other words, he looks at White’s third move alternatives (e.g. 3.Nf3), but not any alternatives on move two. Note that if White plays 2.Nf3, Black cannot reach the Czech Benoni.
The Closed Benoni: 1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6. It is a neglected and underestimated defence, this one. In the given position White can profitably omit 4.c4 (which would transpose to the Czech Benoni after 4…Nf6) by playing 4.Nc3 immediately,
but Black has as well the additional option of an immediate …Be7-g5 (after say 4…Be7 5.Nf3 a6 6.a4 Bg4, he can follow up with …Bxf3 and …Bg5, etc.). Once the bishops are exchanged by …Bg5, White will be left with the worse bishop and will be a little vulnerable on the dark squares as well. Here, Palliser provides a complete repertoire for Black; he even examines 2.e4, transposing to the Sicilian!
From Palliser’s considered analysis, it seems that the Czech Benoni leads to approximate equality provided Black plumbs for 9…Nh5! versus the so-
Both defences are certainly playable and they would suit players with a sound positional understanding who are not afraid of tactics, since Black’s …f5 break when it comes can create quite hair-
particular requires of a player is strategic focus: the ability to carry out a plan in the most efficient way possible. That is what it mainly asks of you. If you can do it, you will excel with the opening.
To read the publisher’s description of How to Play Against 1.d4 and download a sample from the book please click here:
http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/How_to_Play_against_1d4
To read the publisher’s description of How to Play Against 1.d4 and download a sample from the book please click here:
http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/How_to_Play_against_1d4
The French Defence: A Complete Black Repertoire
By Nikita Vitiugov
Chess Stars, May 2010
ISBN-13: 978-9548782760
In this book Nikita Vitiugov does a fairly good job of giving Black a dependable defence to 1.e4. He gives the second player a choice of two or three ways of meeting White’s two main moves against the French Defence, 3.Nd2 and 3.Nc3, while dealing satisfactorily with White’s minor options and less critical alternatives.
On move two (after 1.e4 e6), White can go for a KIA set-up with 2.d3 or Chigorin’s 2.Qe2, or he can essay Reti’s interesting gambit idea 2.b3 d5 3.Bb2 dxe4 4.Nc3, etc. Another possibility is 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3, bringing the two knights speedily to the centre of the action. Vitiugov gives adequate Black responses to these systems, as well as a couple of others, in chapters 1-3.
Two minor options on move three (following 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5) round off Part 1 of the book: 3.Bd3, a move fondly embraced by Tartakower, is the topic of chapter 4; whilst the exchange variation, 3.exd5, is covered in chapter 5. Black comes out OK in both cases.
By Nikita Vitiugov
Chess Stars, May 2010
ISBN-
In this book Nikita Vitiugov does a fairly good job of giving Black a dependable defence to 1.e4. He gives the second player a choice of two or three ways of meeting White’s two main moves against the French Defence, 3.Nd2 and 3.Nc3, while dealing satisfactorily with White’s minor options and less critical alternatives.
On move two (after 1.e4 e6), White can go for a KIA set-
Two minor options on move three (following 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5) round off Part 1 of the book: 3.Bd3, a move fondly embraced by Tartakower, is the topic of chapter 4; whilst the exchange variation, 3.exd5, is covered in chapter 5. Black comes out OK in both cases.
The Advance Variation (3.e5) is the subject of Part 2 and Vitiugov devotes most attention to 6…Nh6 (this in the position after 3…c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.a3). However, as a kind of Plan B, chapter 10 covers 6...Bd7 as well. Naturally, he also discusses 6.Be2 and 6.Bd3, White’s important sixth move alternatives.
There is a thorough examination of Rubinstein’s Variation (3…dxe4) in Part 3. Although this super-
Against Tarrasch’s 3.Nd2, Vitiugov gives two further options. First, there is 3.Nd2 Be7, which for some curious reason he calls the Morozevich Variation. Surely the credit for this interesting system should go to Oleg Romanishin? It seems that Vitiugov, fine player and analyst though he is, has little knowledge of history or, indeed, just attribution. The second option is 3..c5, intending to meet a later exd5 with …Qxd5. Black gets comfortable equality with this latter line, but with Romanishin’s 3…Be7 equality is less certain.
Finally, against 3.Nc3, perhaps White’s best move, Vitiugov discusses the mainline Winawer and Steinitz’s 3...Nf6. But if White
should meet 3…Nf6 with 4.Bg5, the author’s recommendation is to transpose to the Rubinstein Variation with 4…dxe4, rather than to go 4…Be7 or to raise a little hell with McCutcheon’s 4…Bb4!? This cuts down on the time needed to prepare the opening, at any rate.
On the whole, I enjoyed Vitiugov’s principled survey of this venerable yet still vital opening. The young author’s efforts in sculpting a set of workable weapons versus 1.e4, out of the complex morass of French Defence theory, can only be admired. His grasp and understanding of the material is plain to see. This is a book that is as sound and solid as the opening that is its subject.
On the whole, I enjoyed Vitiugov’s principled survey of this venerable yet still vital opening. The young author’s efforts in sculpting a set of workable weapons versus 1.e4, out of the complex morass of French Defence theory, can only be admired. His grasp and understanding of the material is plain to see. This is a book that is as sound and solid as the opening that is its subject.
Capablanca: A Primer of Checkmate
By Frisco Del Rosario
Mongoose Press, October 2010
ISBN-13: 9781936277025
Capablanca, renowned for his endgame technique, positional understanding and skill in playing 'simple positions', could also be a fearsome attacker. Furthermore, he had a sharp eye for tactical opportunities, as Fischer himself observed.
What Frisco Del Rosario does in this book is to outline a number of typical checkmates or checkmating patterns (e.g. the smothered mate, the back-rank mate) and tactical devices (e.g. the double check, the Bxh7+ sacrifice) and illustrate them with, in the main, Capablanca’s games. There are 58 complete games altogether, 48 of them games by Capablanca, although one should add that often his opponents are weak or play poorly. And this diminishes somewhat the instructional value of the games, it has to be said.
By Frisco Del Rosario
Mongoose Press, October 2010
ISBN-
Capablanca, renowned for his endgame technique, positional understanding and skill in playing 'simple positions', could also be a fearsome attacker. Furthermore, he had a sharp eye for tactical opportunities, as Fischer himself observed.
What Frisco Del Rosario does in this book is to outline a number of typical checkmates or checkmating patterns (e.g. the smothered mate, the back-
The book follows more or less the same sequence of checkmates as set out in Renaud and Kahn’s classic The Art of the Checkmate (1953); indeed, Del Rosario will more often than not stick with the same chapter titles and nomenclature in Renaud and Kahn’s book (one notable exception: Del Rosario plumbs for the more common ‘back-rank mate’ rather than their rather idiosyncratic ‘corridor mate’). It is a well-known, straightforward and widely accepted taxonomy, of course, so why reinvent the wheel?
On the whole, this is an engaging and very readable introduction to checkmating patterns and tactics that players with an ECF grade up to about 150 will get a lot out of. Stronger players will enjoy the book as a refresher course, but may be irritated by the occasionally imprecise and superficial annotations. One serious error occurs in the score of game 38, a win against Raubitschek played at New York in 1906. In the actual game, Capablanca announced mate in three after Black’s 31st move (which could occur by
On the whole, this is an engaging and very readable introduction to checkmating patterns and tactics that players with an ECF grade up to about 150 will get a lot out of. Stronger players will enjoy the book as a refresher course, but may be irritated by the occasionally imprecise and superficial annotations. One serious error occurs in the score of game 38, a win against Raubitschek played at New York in 1906. In the actual game, Capablanca announced mate in three after Black’s 31st move (which could occur by
32.Rxa7+ Qxa7 33.Ra5 Rb7 34.Qxb7#, for example, or 33…Qxa6 34.Rxa6#). For some reason, Del Rosario gives a game score which continues past Black’s 31st move and allows a draw by perpetual check (after 33…Qf2+ 34.Kh1 Qf1+ 35.Kh2 Qf4+, etc.), a possibility which Black missed and the author fails to notice. Where did these additional moves come from? Who knows? Incidentally, the Raubitschek game is number 169 in The Unknown Capablanca by Hooper and Brandreth.
Beating 1.e4 e5: A Repertoire for White in the Open Games
By John Emms
Everyman Chess, June 2010
ISBN: 9781857446173
If you are a 1.e4 player looking for a relatively quiet, positionally based way
of meeting 1…e5, Emms’s book is well worth perusing. For he recommends playing the Italian Game with d2-d3 (i.e. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3), reaching this system via the Bishop’s Opening (2.Bc4) and so avoiding the Petroff Defence (2.Nf3 Nf6), the Latvian Gambit (2.Nf3 f5) and the Elephant Gambit (2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 Bd6). Of course, if you have no qualms about meeting any of these personages, you can play 2.Nf3 immediately. It is a good move.
In the quiet form advocated by Emms, the Italian Game is an opening that is flexible and probing, restrained yet with a discernible drop of poison. Later, in the early or late middlegame say, White will aim to create tension in the position. However, this will be at a moment when he chooses. For the present, White avoids any early opening of lines which may simply lead to exchanges, a dissipation of tension and a simplified, sterile position.
The book has a clear and comprehensible structure and Emms’s prose is
perspicacious and enthusiastic, as befits a long-time adherent of the system; four of his
By John Emms
Everyman Chess, June 2010
ISBN: 9781857446173
If you are a 1.e4 player looking for a relatively quiet, positionally based way
of meeting 1…e5, Emms’s book is well worth perusing. For he recommends playing the Italian Game with d2-
In the quiet form advocated by Emms, the Italian Game is an opening that is flexible and probing, restrained yet with a discernible drop of poison. Later, in the early or late middlegame say, White will aim to create tension in the position. However, this will be at a moment when he chooses. For the present, White avoids any early opening of lines which may simply lead to exchanges, a dissipation of tension and a simplified, sterile position.
The book has a clear and comprehensible structure and Emms’s prose is
perspicacious and enthusiastic, as befits a long-
games are included in the book. Of the other players on the white
side, Tiviakov has the majority of the 46 illustrative games, clocking in at
seven all told; while Bologan and Nevednichy have a couple apiece. Curiously, Movsesian is not represented (in the book itself, at any rate: see below). He has certainly played some fine games with this line in recent years.
It is through an astute selection of instructive games that the theory is set out and the story told. White can hardly count on an overwhelming advantage, but he will reach a position where he enjoys a niggling edge.
Emms excels at writing these kinds of opening books. His introductions to each chapter lucidly explain the respective plans for each side, the annotations are meaty and substantial with an emphasis on the opening moves and, when he outlines his conclusions at the end in the form of a number of ‘Key Notes’, well, these are take-home messages which you would do well to heed.
Beating 1.e4 e5: A Repertoire for White in the Open Games is a super-competent survey of an opening system that is unlikely to ever really be abandoned, it’s too sound and sensible for that.
To read the publisher’s description of the book and download a sample from it, please click here:
side, Tiviakov has the majority of the 46 illustrative games, clocking in at
seven all told; while Bologan and Nevednichy have a couple apiece. Curiously, Movsesian is not represented (in the book itself, at any rate: see below). He has certainly played some fine games with this line in recent years.
It is through an astute selection of instructive games that the theory is set out and the story told. White can hardly count on an overwhelming advantage, but he will reach a position where he enjoys a niggling edge.
Emms excels at writing these kinds of opening books. His introductions to each chapter lucidly explain the respective plans for each side, the annotations are meaty and substantial with an emphasis on the opening moves and, when he outlines his conclusions at the end in the form of a number of ‘Key Notes’, well, these are take-
Beating 1.e4 e5: A Repertoire for White in the Open Games is a super-
To read the publisher’s description of the book and download a sample from it, please click here:
http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/Beating_1e4_e5%3A_A_repertoire_for_White_in_the_Open_Games
There is also a rather nifty update to the book here:
http://www.everymanchess.com/updates/beating1e4e5up1.htm
And the update does include a Movsesian game, and quite a good one at that.
Chess Training Pocket Book: 300 Most Important Positions and Ideas, Third Edition
By Lev Alburt
W.W. Norton & Company, July 2010
ISBN: 9781889323220
In essence, a book of 300 positions of the White (or Black) to play variety; you have to decide on the best move and work out the most accurate continuation.
The positions vary in difficulty and are arranged in quartets: four diagrams to a page, with the respective solutions on the page facing. Most positions are taken from actual play but a few are composed or are standard, theoretical endgames. As well, there are a fair number of tricky endgames, though it has to be said that tactical middlegame positions predominate.
Alburt’s introduction sets out some training tips and methods; he also discusses the
By Lev Alburt
W.W. Norton & Company, July 2010
ISBN: 9781889323220
In essence, a book of 300 positions of the White (or Black) to play variety; you have to decide on the best move and work out the most accurate continuation.
The positions vary in difficulty and are arranged in quartets: four diagrams to a page, with the respective solutions on the page facing. Most positions are taken from actual play but a few are composed or are standard, theoretical endgames. As well, there are a fair number of tricky endgames, though it has to be said that tactical middlegame positions predominate.
Alburt’s introduction sets out some training tips and methods; he also discusses the
skills (intuition, calculation, etc.) that the positions are intended to develop. Certainly, solving these kinds of positions is an effective form of active learning. They provide concrete examples of tactical motifs that frequently arise in practice. And studying them will help and enable you to seize such opportunities when they come up in your own games.
It is a nice size, also, this book and very portable. During the interval at the theatre, sitting through the adverts and trailers before the start of a film, travelling on train and tram – I’ve studied this book on these occasions and a fair few others.
Some of Alburt’s solutions could be embellished upon or might possibly require correction. For example, in position 230 I don’t think 1…Qxf2+ 2.Qxf2 d2 (as suggested by Alburt) is actually very good; after 3.Rf1 Re1 4.Bd4 White extricates himself from the pin. Place this and a few
It is a nice size, also, this book and very portable. During the interval at the theatre, sitting through the adverts and trailers before the start of a film, travelling on train and tram – I’ve studied this book on these occasions and a fair few others.
Some of Alburt’s solutions could be embellished upon or might possibly require correction. For example, in position 230 I don’t think 1…Qxf2+ 2.Qxf2 d2 (as suggested by Alburt) is actually very good; after 3.Rf1 Re1 4.Bd4 White extricates himself from the pin. Place this and a few
other minor blemishes aside, however, and what you have is an enjoyable collection of mainly tactical puzzles that doubles as a useful training tool as well.
Dynamic Chess Strategy
An Extended & Updated Edition
By Mihai Suba
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-90-5691-325-0
This very fine book is at once a memoir, a games collection and an innovative and intriguing reengineering of chess strategy.
Suba writes about his life as a chess professional, and in particular about living and surviving in Romania during the communist period. It makes for a fascinating read, does this aspect of the book.
Among the 36 games there are victories over Kortchnoi, Larsen, Portisch and others. The games are generally strategic in nature, with lots of flank openings on show and not least Suba’s beloved Hedgehog. One of my favourite quotes from the book concerns the wily woodland creature:
I like to play it from both sides; as White you must always introduce some new tricks because over the years the Hedgehog has proved to be rock-solid. Playing it as Black gives more satisfaction – it’s like defending truth, justice and the poor simultaneously. (75)
An Extended & Updated Edition
By Mihai Suba
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-
This very fine book is at once a memoir, a games collection and an innovative and intriguing reengineering of chess strategy.
Suba writes about his life as a chess professional, and in particular about living and surviving in Romania during the communist period. It makes for a fascinating read, does this aspect of the book.
Among the 36 games there are victories over Kortchnoi, Larsen, Portisch and others. The games are generally strategic in nature, with lots of flank openings on show and not least Suba’s beloved Hedgehog. One of my favourite quotes from the book concerns the wily woodland creature:
I like to play it from both sides; as White you must always introduce some new tricks because over the years the Hedgehog has proved to be rock-
When tactics do occur in Suba’s games, they are quite often strikingly original – as, for example, the rook sacrifice in one of the two victories over Timman (game 15) and the move 19…Bh3!! in the brilliant win against Ward (game 36). Perhaps this is a consequence of his unique approach to strategy.
Taken on their own, some may find Suba’s thoughts on strategy to be abstract and even arid; chapter 4, for example, consists of 13 pages of solid prose with only three chess diagrams in sight. But link these thoughts with the given games and they come alive. Also, the strategic reflections in the notes are unfailingly interesting. One admirable aspect of the book, to my mind, is the way Suba links strategy to psychology; I think this is necessary in a game like chess, for both impact on the practical business of decision-
As well as the games, there are 17 or so quiz positions with solutions and explanations of the same.
All in all, Dynamic Chess Strategy is an attractive package and a thought-provoking read. It radiates intelligence, humour and integrity.
The author recommends his book for players with an ELO rating of above 1900, but lower rated players could get a lot out of it as well, I feel. Very highly recommended indeed.
The author recommends his book for players with an ELO rating of above 1900, but lower rated players could get a lot out of it as well, I feel. Very highly recommended indeed.
10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess
By Nigel Davies
Everyman Chess, July 2010
ISBN: 9781857446333
Any player of whatever strength, who is seriously seeking to improve, will find this an extremely useful book.
It does pretty much what it says on the cover: there are 10 chapters, each one focusing on a specific way to become a better player and, crucially, to win more chess games. All of the chapter titles are in the form of an imperative: ‘Study the Endgame’, for example, or ‘Create a
Pre-Game Ritual’. Each chapter includes a case study, outlining the experience of one of Nigel Davies’s students or of Davies himself, and ends with a list of key points. For some reason, on reading key point 4 at the end of chapter 7, I thought of a comment that Hilary Putnam once made: ‘The smarter I get, the smarter Aristotle gets.’ In other words, the stronger you become as a chess player, the more you are able to appreciate the great players of the past.
Davies uses a variety of approaches in tackling the problem of how to improve at chess. He zeroes in on the skills and knowledge (tactical awareness, endgame
By Nigel Davies
Everyman Chess, July 2010
ISBN: 9781857446333
Any player of whatever strength, who is seriously seeking to improve, will find this an extremely useful book.
It does pretty much what it says on the cover: there are 10 chapters, each one focusing on a specific way to become a better player and, crucially, to win more chess games. All of the chapter titles are in the form of an imperative: ‘Study the Endgame’, for example, or ‘Create a
Pre-
technique) that will yield most dividends. The importance of one’s behaviour, as it impacts on performance during a game, is addressed in at least three of the chapters (chapters 5, 6, and 10); chess is primarily a sport, after all. And Davies also places an emphasis on seeking out a challenging environment that will allow you to learn and develop as a player, and give you the opportunity of appropriate competitive practice (chapters 3, 4 and 8 come under this heading).
However, the crucial chapter is undoubtedly ‘Know your Enemy’, the enemy being not so much your current opponent as yourself, your own biases and blind-spots and ability to make mistakes and mess up positions no matter how favourable. Honest self-appraisal is the basis of all progress and improvement.
This is one of Nigel Davies’s best books, maybe his best so far. With it, he draws on all his experience as a chess coach to present his own ‘top ten’ paths to improvement. His suggestions and recommendations have been tried, tested and found to work – the case studies provide proof of
that. So why not follow the advice of chapter 7, ‘Read a Good Book’, and seek it out? You won’t be disappointed.
However, the crucial chapter is undoubtedly ‘Know your Enemy’, the enemy being not so much your current opponent as yourself, your own biases and blind-
This is one of Nigel Davies’s best books, maybe his best so far. With it, he draws on all his experience as a chess coach to present his own ‘top ten’ paths to improvement. His suggestions and recommendations have been tried, tested and found to work – the case studies provide proof of
that. So why not follow the advice of chapter 7, ‘Read a Good Book’, and seek it out? You won’t be disappointed.
To read the publisher’s description of the book and download a sample from it, click here:
http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/10_Great_Ways_to_Get_Better_at_Chess
The Modern Philidor Defence
By Vladimir Barsky,
Chess Stars, May 2010
ISBN: 978-9548782777
Barsky’s book is an excellent study of the Hanham Variation of the Philidor Defence in its modern guise - when it is reached, that is, via the Pirc move order: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 (the author considers other moves as well, such as 3.Bd3 and 3.f3) e5. The opening is sound, easy to learn and it gives rise to a range of complicated and interesting positions.
There is the queenless middlegame that occurs after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8; both players are still able to set problems for their opponent here. There are the various double-edged options for White, such as Shirov’s bayonet thrust (4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.g4!?) and the fair few lines involving a bishop sacrifice on f7 and the king’s knight landing on e6 (two ways in which this can happen are 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Ng5+ and 6.Ng5 0-0 7.Bxf7+ Rxf7 8.Ne6). Black can equalise here, rest assured, but only if he defends (and counterattacks) accurately. Finally, there is the complex and strategically rich middlegame that arises in the mainline of the opening (that is, after 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0
By Vladimir Barsky,
Chess Stars, May 2010
ISBN: 978-
Barsky’s book is an excellent study of the Hanham Variation of the Philidor Defence in its modern guise -
There is the queenless middlegame that occurs after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8; both players are still able to set problems for their opponent here. There are the various double-
0-0 7.Re1 or 7.Qe2, etc.). The best player is certain to come out on top here.
Alekhine used to play the Hanham Philidor in his early days and some grandmasters who essay the opening now are Ivanchuk, Morozevich and in particular Bologan: 6 of the 50 illustrative games in this book see Bologan taking the black pieces. It was a bit perturbing, therefore, to see Bologan’s loss to Gashimov at Poikovsky 2009 in a recent Informant. But it occurred when he played 9…exd4 in the mainline (i.e. after 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 a5 9.h3); he fared better with 9…Nb6 against Efimenko (game 48 in the book).
To end, it might be helpful to compare The Modern Philidor Defence to The Black Lion, which has also been reviewed on this site (on page two, fourth review down). Naturally, there is some overlap of material between the two books and in many key lines (involving Bxf7+, say) similar conclusions are reached. The Black Lion gives Black the further option of 3…Nbd7, so avoiding the exchange of queens after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8; however, Black need not fear this simplifying line. But The Black Lion focuses on Marco’s antiquated and, to my mind, not very sensible plan of
Alekhine used to play the Hanham Philidor in his early days and some grandmasters who essay the opening now are Ivanchuk, Morozevich and in particular Bologan: 6 of the 50 illustrative games in this book see Bologan taking the black pieces. It was a bit perturbing, therefore, to see Bologan’s loss to Gashimov at Poikovsky 2009 in a recent Informant. But it occurred when he played 9…exd4 in the mainline (i.e. after 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 a5 9.h3); he fared better with 9…Nb6 against Efimenko (game 48 in the book).
To end, it might be helpful to compare The Modern Philidor Defence to The Black Lion, which has also been reviewed on this site (on page two, fourth review down). Naturally, there is some overlap of material between the two books and in many key lines (involving Bxf7+, say) similar conclusions are reached. The Black Lion gives Black the further option of 3…Nbd7, so avoiding the exchange of queens after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8; however, Black need not fear this simplifying line. But The Black Lion focuses on Marco’s antiquated and, to my mind, not very sensible plan of
A Universal Weapon 1.d4 d6
By Vladimir Barsky
Chess Stars, January 2011
ISBN: 978-9548782791
In a sense, this book completes a picture. It can be seen as a companion volume to Vladimir Barsky’s work on the Philidor Defence, reviewed above. For if, following 1.d4 d6, we get the further moves 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5, it is the Philidor Defence that arises.
Other second moves (after 1.d4 d6) are set out in the present book as follows:
a) The system with the moves 2.c4 e5 is covered in chapters 1-6. Now White may exchange (3.dxe5) or advance (3.d5) or recapture on d4 with the queen (e.g. following 3.Nc3), but it is probably best to defend d4 with the king’s knight, even though the black e-pawn can then advance with tempo (3.Nf3 e4 4.Ng5 f5 and so on). Black’s space advantage ensures her (or him) of good chances in the middlegame.
b) Wade’s system, 2.Nf3 Bg4, is the subject of chapters 7-10. This is a line that has been successfully employed by both Miles and Hodgson – so it has a bit of an English
By Vladimir Barsky
Chess Stars, January 2011
ISBN: 978-
In a sense, this book completes a picture. It can be seen as a companion volume to Vladimir Barsky’s work on the Philidor Defence, reviewed above. For if, following 1.d4 d6, we get the further moves 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5, it is the Philidor Defence that arises.
Other second moves (after 1.d4 d6) are set out in the present book as follows:
a) The system with the moves 2.c4 e5 is covered in chapters 1-
b) Wade’s system, 2.Nf3 Bg4, is the subject of chapters 7-
tradition. By playing sensible, straightforward developing moves, Black obtains a solid position. If White pushes too hard, matters can easily back fire; the system has some poison.
c) All the rest of White’s reasonable moves are set out in chapter 11 (e.g. 2.c3, 2.Bg5, etc. - one nice thing about 1..d6 is that it avoids the Trompowsky, not that it is to be feared). None of them should trouble Black unduly, truth to tell.
Many of these lines can arise out of both the English Opening (after say 1.c4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 e4 4.Ng5, etc.) and the Reti Opening (1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Bg4, and so forth), so it makes sense, and is probably justified, to speak of 1...d6 intending ...e5 as a universal or near-universal weapon. Although maybe it’s pushing it a bit. The Old Indian would lead to a more familiar opening set-up for a player who meets 1.e4 with the Philidor, in my view.
As with his previous two books (on the Scotch Game and the Philidor), Barsky’s deep understanding of the opening shines through. That the English translation reads more smoothly than in previous Chess Stars
c) All the rest of White’s reasonable moves are set out in chapter 11 (e.g. 2.c3, 2.Bg5, etc. -
Many of these lines can arise out of both the English Opening (after say 1.c4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 e4 4.Ng5, etc.) and the Reti Opening (1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Bg4, and so forth), so it makes sense, and is probably justified, to speak of 1...d6 intending ...e5 as a universal or near-
As with his previous two books (on the Scotch Game and the Philidor), Barsky’s deep understanding of the opening shines through. That the English translation reads more smoothly than in previous Chess Stars
books is very likely due to Phil Adams; he gave advice regarding the translation, which is duly acknowledged by the publishers.
This is an excellent opening book. Barsky gives a detailed account of the the opening, its various nuances and subtleties, and he consideres as well the kinds of middlegames that can arise from it.
This is an excellent opening book. Barsky gives a detailed account of the the opening, its various nuances and subtleties, and he consideres as well the kinds of middlegames that can arise from it.
Play like a Girl!
By Jennifer Shahade
Mongoose Press, February, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1936277032
A book of tactical puzzles, but with a difference: in each and every position a female chess player delivers the decisive blow. Most positions are not too difficult, although towards the end of each chapter they become trickier; and the positions in the last chapter (chapter 15), a fair number of them anyway, are quite challenging.
A really enjoyable way of improving at chess, as Nigel Davies notes in the first chapter of 10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess, is to develop your tactical vision and your ability to calculate variations. This book, and others like it (such as Alburt’s Chess Training Pocket Book), will help you to do this - and so enable you to recognize tactical opportunities when they arise in your own games.
The positions are arranged by theme (double attack, back-rank mate, pawn promotion, etc.) and each chapter includes a short profile of a famous or not so well-known female chess player (Vera Menchik, Judit
By Jennifer Shahade
Mongoose Press, February, 2011
ISBN-
A book of tactical puzzles, but with a difference: in each and every position a female chess player delivers the decisive blow. Most positions are not too difficult, although towards the end of each chapter they become trickier; and the positions in the last chapter (chapter 15), a fair number of them anyway, are quite challenging.
A really enjoyable way of improving at chess, as Nigel Davies notes in the first chapter of 10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess, is to develop your tactical vision and your ability to calculate variations. This book, and others like it (such as Alburt’s Chess Training Pocket Book), will help you to do this -
The positions are arranged by theme (double attack, back-
Polgar and Alexandra Kosteniuk are among the more famous names). Of the 15 players profiled, 5 - that is to say, a third - live in the USA, as against 3 from Russia and only 1 from China. There's a little bit of a bias here, I'd suggest.
In appearance, the book has a predominantly purple/pink cover and it is a large format hardback (about 22cm x 28.5cm), rather like an annual. The pages are spacious and there are as many as 6 large diagrams to a page. It is attractively designed and fun to read and study. In fact, it doesn’t feel like an ordinary chess book at all; they’re usually paperbacks with dense analysis and lengthy annotations.
I’d guess that the intended or ideal reader would be a girl or young woman, perhaps a promising junior, who’d be inspired by the players’ profiles and therefore be well motivated to use the tactical puzzles to get better at chess. Yet anyone with a liking for chess tactics will enjoy and be entertained by the puzzles in this book, even (dare I say it) boys who are normally allergic to pink. The book opened my eyes to Irina Krush’s chess, anyway; she seems, on this evidence, to get a lot of attractive, attacking positions.
In appearance, the book has a predominantly purple/pink cover and it is a large format hardback (about 22cm x 28.5cm), rather like an annual. The pages are spacious and there are as many as 6 large diagrams to a page. It is attractively designed and fun to read and study. In fact, it doesn’t feel like an ordinary chess book at all; they’re usually paperbacks with dense analysis and lengthy annotations.
I’d guess that the intended or ideal reader would be a girl or young woman, perhaps a promising junior, who’d be inspired by the players’ profiles and therefore be well motivated to use the tactical puzzles to get better at chess. Yet anyone with a liking for chess tactics will enjoy and be entertained by the puzzles in this book, even (dare I say it) boys who are normally allergic to pink. The book opened my eyes to Irina Krush’s chess, anyway; she seems, on this evidence, to get a lot of attractive, attacking positions.
The book is subtitled ‘Tactics by 9 Queens’, after the 9 Queens website (http://9queens.org) that Jennifer Shahade founded along with Jean Hoffman. It is well worth checking out too.
Bobby Fischer for Beginners
The Most Famous Chess Player Explained
By Renzo Verwer
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-90-5691-315-1
As a first port of call for those wishing to learn about Bobby Fischer‘s life and chess career, this book does a fairly good job. Its great advantage is that it takes in the whole of Fischer‘s life, up until his death on 17 January 2008, while Frank Brady’s better written and more detailed biography ends just after the 1972 match with Spassky.
After considering Fischer‘s contributions to chess (including the invention of the Fischer chess clock and the proposal of Chess 960 or Fischer Random Chess as a way to renew and reinvigorate the game) and outlining what is currently known about his life, 10 of the great champion’s games are given with light annotations. The majority of these games are significant and interesting, but at least one (game 5, a 12 move loss from a simultaneous exhibition in 1964) has only curiosity value. It is included only because it is Fischer’s shortest recorded loss.
Some attempt has been made to set out Fischer’s contributions to opening theory (on
The Most Famous Chess Player Explained
By Renzo Verwer
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-
As a first port of call for those wishing to learn about Bobby Fischer‘s life and chess career, this book does a fairly good job. Its great advantage is that it takes in the whole of Fischer‘s life, up until his death on 17 January 2008, while Frank Brady’s better written and more detailed biography ends just after the 1972 match with Spassky.
After considering Fischer‘s contributions to chess (including the invention of the Fischer chess clock and the proposal of Chess 960 or Fischer Random Chess as a way to renew and reinvigorate the game) and outlining what is currently known about his life, 10 of the great champion’s games are given with light annotations. The majority of these games are significant and interesting, but at least one (game 5, a 12 move loss from a simultaneous exhibition in 1964) has only curiosity value. It is included only because it is Fischer’s shortest recorded loss.
Some attempt has been made to set out Fischer’s contributions to opening theory (on
pages 26, 48 and 62) but this is woefully incomplete. His rejuvenation of the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez at the Havana Olympiad in 1966 is not mentioned - to give but one small instance. Botterill’s chapter in the collection of Fischer’s games published by Batsford is still the best word on this subject; and it was written about 40 years ago.
There’s a reasonably complete set of tournament and match results and the highlighted statistics, such as they are, seem fairly accurate. However, the author seems unaware that Fischer compiled a second top-ten list of great players in 1970 and that this second list included, for example, Botvinnik (who was not in the 1964 list, which is set out in this book on page 119) but excluded the great Alekhine (who was in the 1964 list).
In general, the less you know about Bobby Fischer and in particular his contributions to chess, the happier you will be with this book. This may strike some as a rather back-handed compliment. What I mean is that if you are not ‘a beginner’ when it comes to Fischer, to use Renzo Verwer’s term, then you’ll have an unwelcome awareness of the author’s omissions and of how his
There’s a reasonably complete set of tournament and match results and the highlighted statistics, such as they are, seem fairly accurate. However, the author seems unaware that Fischer compiled a second top-
In general, the less you know about Bobby Fischer and in particular his contributions to chess, the happier you will be with this book. This may strike some as a rather back-
sometimes bald statements need to be qualified. If you are ‘a beginner’ or know very little about Bobby Fischer, then Verwer’s book will serve as an adequate introduction to its subject.
1000 Checkmate Combinations
By Victor Henkin
Batsford, March 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1906388706
This book is apparently a translation of a Russian title which was first published in the late 1970s. Of the very many combinations included in the book, the latest one dates (I’m fairly certain) from 1978. It is as though Kasparov had never lived, or at any rate had never checkmated an opponent’s king.
That being said, 1000 Checkmate Combinations is an excellent book containing a wealth of tactical examples, including 456 (!) exercises. The solutions could perhaps have been more fulsome and detailed, since usually only the main line of a combination is given. However, that’s my only (slight) criticism. The conclusion has to be: better late than never.
The structure of the book is as follows. There are 14 substantial chapters, each one being devoted to a piece (chapters 1-5) or a pairing of pieces (chapters 6-13: for
By Victor Henkin
Batsford, March 2011
ISBN-
This book is apparently a translation of a Russian title which was first published in the late 1970s. Of the very many combinations included in the book, the latest one dates (I’m fairly certain) from 1978. It is as though Kasparov had never lived, or at any rate had never checkmated an opponent’s king.
That being said, 1000 Checkmate Combinations is an excellent book containing a wealth of tactical examples, including 456 (!) exercises. The solutions could perhaps have been more fulsome and detailed, since usually only the main line of a combination is given. However, that’s my only (slight) criticism. The conclusion has to be: better late than never.
The structure of the book is as follows. There are 14 substantial chapters, each one being devoted to a piece (chapters 1-
example, chapter 13 focuses on ‘Queen and Knight’) or ‘Three Pieces’, which is the title of chapter 14. We are given a survey and a discussion of how a particular piece, or a particular combination of pieces, can come to deliver checkmate.
For example, the chapter on the knight focuses quite a lot on the smothered mate, which necessarily introduces the concepts of double check and deflection. Along with these, there are also various motifs and manoeuvres that may arise preparatory to delivering a smothered mate, involving driving defending pieces away from crucial squares or compelling certain defending pieces to occupy squares around their king. All of this is set out by the author in a quite exemplary manner.
On the whole, the prose in this unattributed translation is clear, engaging and very readable. Henkin explains everything very well indeed, and the points he makes are richly illustrated with a bevy of beautiful combinations taken from games, studies and problems.
For example, the chapter on the knight focuses quite a lot on the smothered mate, which necessarily introduces the concepts of double check and deflection. Along with these, there are also various motifs and manoeuvres that may arise preparatory to delivering a smothered mate, involving driving defending pieces away from crucial squares or compelling certain defending pieces to occupy squares around their king. All of this is set out by the author in a quite exemplary manner.
On the whole, the prose in this unattributed translation is clear, engaging and very readable. Henkin explains everything very well indeed, and the points he makes are richly illustrated with a bevy of beautiful combinations taken from games, studies and problems.
One terrific thing about the book is that because there are so many diagrams, and with the combinations being generally quite short (say 7 moves maximum), it can be read by itself, without need of board and pieces.
A wonderful book.
A wonderful book.
The Gambit Files: Tactical Themes to Sharpen Your Play
By Bill Harvey
Mongoose Press, March 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1936277117
A book that kills two birds with one stone, combining as it does opening study and tactical training. In summary, it is a useful tool.
There are 15 chapters all told, each one devoted to a gambit or an attacking opening line. The openings covered include the Scotch Gambit, the Albin Counter-Gambit and the Milner Barry Attack in the French Defence. After an introductory discussion of each opening, we are given a set of tactical puzzles, all of the positions having arisen from games played with the opening in question.
By Bill Harvey
Mongoose Press, March 2011
ISBN-
A book that kills two birds with one stone, combining as it does opening study and tactical training. In summary, it is a useful tool.
There are 15 chapters all told, each one devoted to a gambit or an attacking opening line. The openings covered include the Scotch Gambit, the Albin Counter-
The positions aim to illustrate typical tactical themes, tricks and traps that you are likely to come across if you take up the opening. In most cases, it is the gambiteer who plays to win; but in some positions these roles are reversed. Naturally, you need to be aware of the perils and pitfalls, your opponent’s tactical possibilities as well as your own. There are almost 250 puzzles in total, and they vary in level of difficulty.
The book would be most suited to gambiteers or attacking players who want a profitable way to brush up on their tactics. You can glean a flavour of the book by looking at Bill Harvey’s excellent website, which is devoted to tactical puzzles: http://wtharvey.com. Look in particular at the section ‘Puzzles by Opening (ECO)’. You’ll need to scroll down a little bit to do so.
The book would be most suited to gambiteers or attacking players who want a profitable way to brush up on their tactics. You can glean a flavour of the book by looking at Bill Harvey’s excellent website, which is devoted to tactical puzzles: http://wtharvey.com. Look in particular at the section ‘Puzzles by Opening (ECO)’. You’ll need to scroll down a little bit to do so.
The Complete c3 Sicilian: The Alapin Variation by its Greatest Expert
By Evgeny Sveshnikov
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-90-5691-329-8
At well over 500 pages and containing about 450 complete games, this gargantuan book presents a thorough survey of the variations arising after 1.e4 c5 2.c3 - an opening that Sveshnikov has been playing for over 40 years.
The material is set out in quite an unusual way, creating some redundancy and repetition, but it is an effective form of organisation nonetheless. There are two parts: part 2 is devoted to 2…Nf6, Black’s best move according to Sveshnikov, while part 1 mainly covers 2…d5 but takes in Black’s other second move alternatives too (such as 2…e5, 2…d6, 2…e6, etc.). In each part, an historical overview is followed by an outline of the main lines and variations (in a couple of chapters entitled ‘Basic Plans and Ideas’); and this theoretical outline is then embellished by a large number of complete games (in the two chapters ‘Important Games by Variation’). We are given 175 games in part 2, a mere 121 games in part 1,
By Evgeny Sveshnikov
New In Chess, 2010
ISBN: 978-
At well over 500 pages and containing about 450 complete games, this gargantuan book presents a thorough survey of the variations arising after 1.e4 c5 2.c3 -
and in the vast majority of these games we see Sveshnikov taking the white pieces. As well as
playing 2.c3, he’s been adding to its theory for those 40 years.
A further 120 games have been included because they illustrate typical tactical themes; and these are presented initially in the form of exercises or tactical puzzles, rather as in Bill Harvey’s book reviewed above.
Sveshnikov’s general conclusion is that Black can equalise with both 2…d5 and 2…Nf6, although not after other moves. However, even with best play Black will find it difficult to play for a win without incurring undue risks. Some of Sveshnikov’s recommendations are revealing, for example after 2…d6 3.d4 Nf6 he prefers the quiet 4.Bd3 or even 4.f3, rather than 4.dxc5 Nc6! 5.Bc4 e6!?
This is an opening work of real quality, by a strong grandmaster who is also, like Polugaevsky and Gutman, a formidable opening analyst, researcher and innovator. You could make the case that Sveshnikov perhaps underestimates some of Black’s minor second move alternatives, and in
playing 2.c3, he’s been adding to its theory for those 40 years.
A further 120 games have been included because they illustrate typical tactical themes; and these are presented initially in the form of exercises or tactical puzzles, rather as in Bill Harvey’s book reviewed above.
Sveshnikov’s general conclusion is that Black can equalise with both 2…d5 and 2…Nf6, although not after other moves. However, even with best play Black will find it difficult to play for a win without incurring undue risks. Some of Sveshnikov’s recommendations are revealing, for example after 2…d6 3.d4 Nf6 he prefers the quiet 4.Bd3 or even 4.f3, rather than 4.dxc5 Nc6! 5.Bc4 e6!?
This is an opening work of real quality, by a strong grandmaster who is also, like Polugaevsky and Gutman, a formidable opening analyst, researcher and innovator. You could make the case that Sveshnikov perhaps underestimates some of Black’s minor second move alternatives, and in
particular 2…e5 and 2…Qa5, but that’s a minor quibble.
If you play or meet 2.c3 you’ll want to possess this terrific book. And Stefan Bücker’s article on Tarrasch’s move, ‘More than a Footnote: 2…Qa5’, also makes for an interesting read:
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kaiss64.pdf
If you play or meet 2.c3 you’ll want to possess this terrific book. And Stefan Bücker’s article on Tarrasch’s move, ‘More than a Footnote: 2…Qa5’, also makes for an interesting read:
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kaiss64.pdf
Slay the Spanish! Weapons against the Ruy Lopez
By Timothy Taylor
Everyman Chess, March 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1857446371
This is an excellent book on a neglected opening, though it has to be said that the subtitle is rather vague: Taylor’s weapon of choice against the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) is the Modern Steinitz or the Steinitz Defence Deferred (3...a6 4.Ba4 d6), as it was called in the olden days. I can’t recall a recent book on the Modern Steinitz, or there ever being a standard work on it, come to that. Taylor provides the player of the black pieces with a complete defence to the Ruy Lopez, which is another way of saying that he gives remedies for the Exchange Variation (4.Bxc6) as well. For more about the Exchange Variation, see below.
White’s usual response to the Modern Steinitz is to play c3 and d4, perhaps castling first. Here is a brief outline of how Taylor meets White’s main fifth moves:
By Timothy Taylor
Everyman Chess, March 2011
ISBN-
This is an excellent book on a neglected opening, though it has to be said that the subtitle is rather vague: Taylor’s weapon of choice against the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) is the Modern Steinitz or the Steinitz Defence Deferred (3...a6 4.Ba4 d6), as it was called in the olden days. I can’t recall a recent book on the Modern Steinitz, or there ever being a standard work on it, come to that. Taylor provides the player of the black pieces with a complete defence to the Ruy Lopez, which is another way of saying that he gives remedies for the Exchange Variation (4.Bxc6) as well. For more about the Exchange Variation, see below.
White’s usual response to the Modern Steinitz is to play c3 and d4, perhaps castling first. Here is a brief outline of how Taylor meets White’s main fifth moves:
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5.c3. As well as ‘the Bishop Defence’ (B above), Black can play the Siesta Gambit (5…f5), which seems sound. But it would be wrong to go 5…Bd7 6.d4 Nge7 7.Be3 Ng6 (as in A above) because of 8.h4! and the knight is driven back.
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5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4, the so-
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5.c4. Duras’s move; now 5…Bg4 leads to equality.
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5.d4. Although Black equalizes without too much trouble here, White can get a draw by 5…b5 6.Bb3 Nxd4 7.Nxd4 exd4 8.c3 dxc3 9.Qd5 Be6 10.Qc6+ Bd7 11.Qd5=. These are all best moves by Black, I think. So if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to win at all costs, you shouldn’t play the Modern Steinitz.
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There are a few other minor moves to consider (5.Nc3, 5.d3, 5.Qe2 and 5.h3) but they don’t pose any serious problems for Black. Against 5.Nc3, for example, Black can play the straightforward 5…b5 6.Bb3 Nf6 and if 7.Ng5 d5! - a sharp, testing response.
Finally, a few words about the Exchange Variation (4.Bxc6): Taylor gives two options for Black. The first is 4…dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 h5, which is fairly standard fare. The second – a big surprise, this – is 4…bxc6. Taylor was apparently drawn to this rare move when he saw how easily Black equalises after 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 in the Modern Steinitz, and he devotes a chapter to a move that Kindermann, in his 2005 book on the Exchange Variation, brushes off with perhaps a page and a quarter. Furthermore, he makes a convincing case for the move,
which he christens after the late Bent Larsen.
Throughout, the book focuses in particular on the practice of two exponents of the Modern Steinitz: Paul Keres and, to a lesser extent, Valery Yandemirov. Keres played the Modern Steinitz consistently throughout his long and distinguished career and he has 15 illustrative games proper to Yandemirov’s 11; both players also have a number of games in the notes. If I had to characterise the Modern Steinitz as an opening, I’d say that it is undoubtedly sound but it allows many opportunities for active piece play. So it fits in with both players’ style of play.
All in all, Slay the Spanish! is a fantastic opening book: well organised, instructive and enlightening. Taylor’s lively prose is a pleasure to read and he suggests improvements in a number of key positions. Besides this, the chapter on 4…bxc6 against the Exchange Variation is a revelation.
Throughout, the book focuses in particular on the practice of two exponents of the Modern Steinitz: Paul Keres and, to a lesser extent, Valery Yandemirov. Keres played the Modern Steinitz consistently throughout his long and distinguished career and he has 15 illustrative games proper to Yandemirov’s 11; both players also have a number of games in the notes. If I had to characterise the Modern Steinitz as an opening, I’d say that it is undoubtedly sound but it allows many opportunities for active piece play. So it fits in with both players’ style of play.
All in all, Slay the Spanish! is a fantastic opening book: well organised, instructive and enlightening. Taylor’s lively prose is a pleasure to read and he suggests improvements in a number of key positions. Besides this, the chapter on 4…bxc6 against the Exchange Variation is a revelation.
My Best Games: Updated and revised anniversary edition
By Victor Korchnoi
Translated and edited by Ken Neat
Edition Olms, March 2011
ISBN13: 978-3-283-01019-5
In this book Korchnoi annotates 110 of his best games, half played with the white pieces, half with the black. Such has been Korchnoi’s strength and creativity, in a career spanning over half a century, that you could easily choose another hundred-odd games of similar quality. Be that as it may, among the opponents Korchnoi has bested here you will find Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov... and those are just the world champions. It has to be said that Kasparov is conspicuous by his absence, though Korchnoi has defeated him too in his time, of course.
There’s the odd walkover here (e.g. game 20, a 19 move win against Karpov) but virtually all of these games are fierce struggles, decent scraps. For Korchnoi, it seems as though the value of a victory is greater if the opponent kicks back, gets in
By Victor Korchnoi
Translated and edited by Ken Neat
Edition Olms, March 2011
ISBN13: 978-
In this book Korchnoi annotates 110 of his best games, half played with the white pieces, half with the black. Such has been Korchnoi’s strength and creativity, in a career spanning over half a century, that you could easily choose another hundred-
his tuppence worth of aggression and resistance. He also has a relaxed attitude towards errors - and from both sides - an acceptance that inaccuracies will inevitably occur; they are all part of the game. Indeed, the difficult to refute error may actually turn out to be stronger than the strictly correct move in an actual game; it sets a vexing problem and if the opponent consumes time in trying to solve it, but can’t... well, so much the better! A little lesson one can learn from Korchnoi.
Certainly, few of these games are perfect in the sense of being free of mistakes on the victor’s side. But all are fiercely competitive, creative, profound and individual, the player’s own. Korchnoi writes here that ‘Chess is my life and these games are fragments of this life’; and you can well believe him. His annotations have integrity, insight and veracity, while remaining for the most part conversational in tone. The notes include his thoughts on many general chess topics, as well as the situations arising in the specific games themselves. One recurring theme: he’ll often confess to an uncertainty concerning the essential soundness of his
position, a feeling of doubt that many players, and not just world-class grandmasters, will be familiar with.
This is a very fine book by perhaps the strongest player never to have become world champion.
The Meran & Anti-Meran Variations: An insider's view
By Alexey Dreev
Chess Stars, February 2011
ISBN-13: 9789548782807
The Meran Variation was invented by Akiva Rubinstein, the author of many opening systems. He introduced it in his game against Gruenfeld at a tournament held in Meran in 1924: hence the name. Although over 85 years have elapsed since then, the opening is still going strong: Anand, Topalov and Ivanchuk are among its current advocates. One reason why they, together with many other top players, have taken up the Meran is because it leads to complex, double-edged positions where Black’s prospects of counterplay have to be taken seriously.
As many will know, the Meran Variation comes about after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5. Once the king’s bishop retreats, and it usually goes to d3, Black will play 8…Bb7 and then speedily advance on the queenside with either …a6 and …c5 or …b4 and …c5. There is an element of risk here because although Black creates counterplay on the queenside and in centre as well, this is at the expense of his kingside development.
Chess Stars, February 2011
ISBN-
The Meran Variation was invented by Akiva Rubinstein, the author of many opening systems. He introduced it in his game against Gruenfeld at a tournament held in Meran in 1924: hence the name. Although over 85 years have elapsed since then, the opening is still going strong: Anand, Topalov and Ivanchuk are among its current advocates. One reason why they, together with many other top players, have taken up the Meran is because it leads to complex, double-
White’s sharpest line involves the sacrifice of his e-pawn: 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.e4 b4 10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 12.0-0 cxd4 13.Nxd4!? (of course 13.Re1 is also possible) Nxe5 14.Bb5+ Nd7 15.Re1, etc. According to Dreev, Black can survive the storm that is brewing around his king.
It could be argued that 6.Bd3 wastes a tempo because the bishop reaches c4 in two moves rather than one. So White has looked around for useful waiting moves and hit upon 6.Qc2, a move which introduces the Anti-Meran Variation. Another alternative is 6.Be2 dxc4 7.a4, intending to recapture on c4 without allowing Black to respond with …b5. In the latter part of the book, Dreev provides coverage of all of White’s attempts to avoid the Meran, including Shirov’s kingside lunge 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4!?
Dreev is a world-class grandmaster and he has plenty of experience of playing the Meran against strong opposition, experience that is evident in his evaluation of several key lines. He has a deep understanding of Meran-style middlegames, a real feel for these positions. Indeed, he has put his name (partly, at any rate) to one particular line, the Dreev-Filipenko Variation: 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Bc2 Bd6!? (Incidentally, Filipenko is Dreev's coach.)
His personal slant is evident everywhere in the book, for example after 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4, Dreev recommends the dynamic 9…a6 (a move also favoured by Anand) rather than the more straightforward 9…b5 or 9…e5, though these moves also seem to equalise.
This is a excellent opening monograph, full of detailed analysis, much of it original, and authoritative judgements. In short, Dreev has written the definitive work on the Meran.
…Nd7-f8-g6–f4, whereas the The Modern Philidor Defence presents mainlines that are more positionally based, sounder and (in my view) more mature. On a bare body count, the Hanham lines in Barsky’s book have more grandmaster adherents. And the ubiquitous ‘branding’ of The Black Lion, an irritating feature of the book, is wholly absent from The Modern Philidor Defence.
Barsky’s fine study will allow you to add the Hanham Philidor to your repertoire of defences against 1.e4.
Barsky’s fine study will allow you to add the Hanham Philidor to your repertoire of defences against 1.e4.
James Mason in America : The Early Chess Career, 1867-1878
By Joost van Winsen
McFarland & Company, October 2010
ISBN: 9780786448920
Nowadays, James Mason is not very well known; but in his day he was a formidable player and a prominent writer on the game.
This book covers the early part of his career, as he made his way in the chess world following Morphy’s retirement from play and in a country still suffering from the ravages of the American Civil War (1861-1865). He had arrived in America in 1860 as a boy of 11, part of a large Irish family, and he left for England in 1878, which is where he lived until his death in 1905.
The American years were where Mason first made his mark and came to international attention, and this was particularly so from the mid-1870s onwards. In 1875-1876 he convincingly defeated Henry E. Bird in a long match (winning 11, losing 4 and with 4 games drawn) and, also in 1876, he won two strong tournaments, one of them the
McFarland & Company, October 2010
ISBN: 9780786448920
Nowadays, James Mason is not very well known; but in his day he was a formidable player and a prominent writer on the game.
This book covers the early part of his career, as he made his way in the chess world following Morphy’s retirement from play and in a country still suffering from the ravages of the American Civil War (1861-
The American years were where Mason first made his mark and came to international attention, and this was particularly so from the mid-
Fourth American Chess Congress, which took place in Philadelphia. At the end, he was rapidly running out of serious competition in the New World; hence his decision to journey to Europe, perhaps.
You get a real flavour of the chess scene in America in the nineteenth century from Joost van Winsen’s excellent book. There is a map of New York with the chess hangouts highlighted; and this was a New York before the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, so travel between Brooklyn and New York proper depended on ferries. Unless you went by dirigible, I guess. Also, there are illustrations of many of the prominent American and foreign players of the day, with more than a few sporting extravagant, steampunk-style moustaches.
As well as an historical narrative, Mason’s tournament and match record for the years 1867-1878 is given, along with all his known games from the period, and a selection of his chess journalism. Among contemporaries, he was second only to Steinitz, perhaps, in his skill at annotating a chess game.
You get a real flavour of the chess scene in America in the nineteenth century from Joost van Winsen’s excellent book. There is a map of New York with the chess hangouts highlighted; and this was a New York before the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, so travel between Brooklyn and New York proper depended on ferries. Unless you went by dirigible, I guess. Also, there are illustrations of many of the prominent American and foreign players of the day, with more than a few sporting extravagant, steampunk-
As well as an historical narrative, Mason’s tournament and match record for the years 1867-
For anyone with an interest in chess history, and especially the landscape of the chess world as it looked in Steinitz’s heyday, this will be an invaluable volume.
Diary of a Chess Queen
By Alexandra Kosteniuk
Mongoose Press, January 2010
ISBN: 9780979148279
There are 64 games here, annotated in an engaging, easy-going style, alongside a personal account - honest and often quite revealing - of the author’s chess career and her ‘ascent of Olympus’, as she puts it in chapter 10. She became the 12th Women’s World Chess Champion in 2008.
By Alexandra Kosteniuk
Mongoose Press, January 2010
ISBN: 9780979148279
There are 64 games here, annotated in an engaging, easy-
The book is well-written and Kosteniuk comes across as a friendly, joyful, and
grounded person who loves life. Since I’ve commented favourably on the prose, I should say that the book has been translated by James Marfia.
A slue of photographs accompany the text and there’s quite a contrast between Alexandra Kosteniuk, the glamorous model in an elegant evening dress and arm-
An attractive and interesting book and quite an inspirational read as well.
Grandmaster Chess Strategy: What Amateurs Can Learn from Ulf Andersson's Positional Masterpieces
By Jurgen Kaufeld and Guido Kern
New in Chess, March 2011
ISBN: 9789056913465
Ulf Andersson has quite a rare style as a player, being closest perhaps to Flohr, Petrosian and Rubinstein. At any rate he is of the same ilk as those three, being an elegant positional player with superb endgame technique. The closest to him among current top players is undoubtedly Kramnik, and the two even share a fondness for the Catalan.
In this book, each chapter is devoted to a particular positional theme (e.g. prophylaxis, the two bishops, control of an open file) or a certain sort of endgame (such as rook endings and minor piece endings), with each topic being illustrated by Andersson’s
By Jurgen Kaufeld and Guido Kern
New in Chess, March 2011
ISBN: 9789056913465
Ulf Andersson has quite a rare style as a player, being closest perhaps to Flohr, Petrosian and Rubinstein. At any rate he is of the same ilk as those three, being an elegant positional player with superb endgame technique. The closest to him among current top players is undoubtedly Kramnik, and the two even share a fondness for the Catalan.
In this book, each chapter is devoted to a particular positional theme (e.g. prophylaxis, the two bishops, control of an open file) or a certain sort of endgame (such as rook endings and minor piece endings), with each topic being illustrated by Andersson’s
games. There are 80 all told, a sizeable number.
Most games include positional themes other than the one emphasised, of course, but the idea behind the book is still a good one. You are given a textbook on strategy and also a timely reminder of what a terrific player Andersson was when in his prime. There is instruction, entertainment and aesthetic pleasure in equal measure.
That Andersson’s games rarely feature an attack on the king or end in mate is well known, and many will recall John Nunn’s remark about how “Ulf characteristically went straight for my little toe” in one of their games. Yet it does sometimes happen that Andersson checkmates his opponent, and here is one example. This is game 45 in the book, taken from the chapter on the positional queen sacrifice:
Most games include positional themes other than the one emphasised, of course, but the idea behind the book is still a good one. You are given a textbook on strategy and also a timely reminder of what a terrific player Andersson was when in his prime. There is instruction, entertainment and aesthetic pleasure in equal measure.
That Andersson’s games rarely feature an attack on the king or end in mate is well known, and many will recall John Nunn’s remark about how “Ulf characteristically went straight for my little toe” in one of their games. Yet it does sometimes happen that Andersson checkmates his opponent, and here is one example. This is game 45 in the book, taken from the chapter on the positional queen sacrifice:
Prepare to Attack
By Gary Lane
Everyman Chess, February 2011
ISBN: 9781857446500
The subject of Gary Lane’s book is attacking play and most club players, provided they are of an attacking bent, will find the book to be very useful indeed, as also will junior players keen to improve. It is written in a way that is clear and accessible, without being simplistic.
Perhaps the best thing about the book is the 50 illustrative games, which have been astutely chosen and engagingly annotated. Best chapter title must go to chapter 2: ‘Carry on Attacking’, where Lane emphasises the importance of seizing the initiative and keeping it. This chapter examines the situation - quite typical in many openings, such as the Samisch King’s Indian and the Sicilian Dragon - where the players have castled on opposite sides.
Those players who like to seize the initiative right from the start will be interested in chapter 3, because it deals with gambit play. We are shown a fair few gambits, looking at why some work and why some don’t, and two Tal miniatures, each one a master class
By Gary Lane
Everyman Chess, February 2011
ISBN: 9781857446500
The subject of Gary Lane’s book is attacking play and most club players, provided they are of an attacking bent, will find the book to be very useful indeed, as also will junior players keen to improve. It is written in a way that is clear and accessible, without being simplistic.
Perhaps the best thing about the book is the 50 illustrative games, which have been astutely chosen and engagingly annotated. Best chapter title must go to chapter 2: ‘Carry on Attacking’, where Lane emphasises the importance of seizing the initiative and keeping it. This chapter examines the situation -
Those players who like to seize the initiative right from the start will be interested in chapter 3, because it deals with gambit play. We are shown a fair few gambits, looking at why some work and why some don’t, and two Tal miniatures, each one a master class
in the exploitation of a lead in development, are given.
Don’t always believe your opponent’s threats are real. If you can suss out that your opponent’s threat is just apparent, you can perhaps use this to your advantage. It’s a straightforward notion but it can yield real dividends, enabling you to read your opponent’s intentions and turn the tables, as Lane explains in chapter 4, ‘Secrets of Success’.
Topics tackled in other chapters include:
Don’t always believe your opponent’s threats are real. If you can suss out that your opponent’s threat is just apparent, you can perhaps use this to your advantage. It’s a straightforward notion but it can yield real dividends, enabling you to read your opponent’s intentions and turn the tables, as Lane explains in chapter 4, ‘Secrets of Success’.
Topics tackled in other chapters include:
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The importance of being clearheaded and realistic; not all attacks end in a glorious mate, sometimes it’s best to settle for a material or positional advantage.
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The necessity of familiarising yourself with common mating patterns, typical combinations and plans of attack, for how else can you recognise them in your own games?
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A simple, self-
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Between the covers of this excellent book you’ll find lots of practical advice, a slue of pithy quotes, and very many terrific games. When proffering advice, Lane draws on his own experience as a junior, an improving player and a seasoned tournament competitor. This highly instructive book is warmly recommended.
Leningrad System: A Complete Weapon
against 1.d4
By Stefan Kindermann
Edition Olms, 2005
ISBN: 9783283004781
Here Kindermann sets out a complete defence to 1.d4, the centrepiece of his repertoire being the Leningrad Dutch with Malaniuk’s move 7…Qe8! - although as Kindermann explains on page 11, the move may actually have been Chernin’s brainchild. (The move is played in the position arising after 1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d6 7.Nc3.)
After an historical overview, we get a good look at typical themes and stratagems for White and Black; the detailed theoretical information is then set out through a series of illustrative games. Naturally, Kindermann looks at various set-ups for White: the Karlsbad Variation, characterised by 4.Nh3 intending Nf4; the system with 4.c3 and 5.Qb3, momentarily preventing castling; lines where White plays b3 or even b4, to fianchetto the queen’s bishop or begin a
against 1.d4
By Stefan Kindermann
Edition Olms, 2005
ISBN: 9783283004781
Here Kindermann sets out a complete defence to 1.d4, the centrepiece of his repertoire being the Leningrad Dutch with Malaniuk’s move 7…Qe8! -
After an historical overview, we get a good look at typical themes and stratagems for White and Black; the detailed theoretical information is then set out through a series of illustrative games. Naturally, Kindermann looks at various set-
concerted pawn advance on the queenside; and so on. He also looks at general anti-Dutch systems at moves two (2.Nc3, 2.Bg5 and the Staunton Gambit, 2.e4) and three (for example, 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5).
In general, Black comes out OK and the Leningrad Dutch itself can be characterised as a complex and indeed curious opening, which leads to positions that are difficult to handle for both sides. You could view it as a hybrid of the King’s Indian and the Dutch proper, or a King’s Indian where Black has already played …f5, saving a tempo or two (the king’s knight no longer has to move) and exerting control on e4, but weakening the king’s position and the e6 square. On …g7, the bishop points towards the centre and the queenside, a different kind of posting to, say, the …Bd6 in the Stonewall Dutch, but hardly less aggressive. If you like to play interesting and unusual chess, the Leningrad Dutch is definitely an opening you’ll want to explore.
Stefan Kindermann’s book is a thorough piece of work and, while a few years old, it is
In general, Black comes out OK and the Leningrad Dutch itself can be characterised as a complex and indeed curious opening, which leads to positions that are difficult to handle for both sides. You could view it as a hybrid of the King’s Indian and the Dutch proper, or a King’s Indian where Black has already played …f5, saving a tempo or two (the king’s knight no longer has to move) and exerting control on e4, but weakening the king’s position and the e6 square. On …g7, the bishop points towards the centre and the queenside, a different kind of posting to, say, the …Bd6 in the Stonewall Dutch, but hardly less aggressive. If you like to play interesting and unusual chess, the Leningrad Dutch is definitely an opening you’ll want to explore.
Stefan Kindermann’s book is a thorough piece of work and, while a few years old, it is
still very useful for getting a grasp of this unusual opening, named after a city that no longer exists.
The Improving Annotator: From
Beginner to Master
By Dan Heisman
Mongoose Press, February 2011
ISBN: 9781936277049
After an introduction in which the author gives some advice about how to annotate a chess game, he presents 28 of his own games, and a further two positions taken from his games (‘snippets’ as he calls them), all fully annotated.
The games were played between 1967 (when Heisman was rather stronger than a beginner, to be frank) and 2006 (when he was undoubtedly of master strength) and
Beginner to Master
By Dan Heisman
Mongoose Press, February 2011
ISBN: 9781936277049
After an introduction in which the author gives some advice about how to annotate a chess game, he presents 28 of his own games, and a further two positions taken from his games (‘snippets’ as he calls them), all fully annotated.
The games were played between 1967 (when Heisman was rather stronger than a beginner, to be frank) and 2006 (when he was undoubtedly of master strength) and
the annotations are unfailingly entertaining and instructive.
In annotating your own games, you are compelled to cast a critical eye over the whole of your play; to examine how you approach the opening, the middlegame and (if the game reaches that stage) the endgame. No wonder, then, that many strong chess players and teachers, notably the great Botvinnik, recommend it as an ideal way to improve. Heisman throws in his lot with them. With this book he explains how it is done and shows you how to go about
In annotating your own games, you are compelled to cast a critical eye over the whole of your play; to examine how you approach the opening, the middlegame and (if the game reaches that stage) the endgame. No wonder, then, that many strong chess players and teachers, notably the great Botvinnik, recommend it as an ideal way to improve. Heisman throws in his lot with them. With this book he explains how it is done and shows you how to go about
AVRO 1938 International Chess Tournament
By Robert Sherwood and Dale Brandreth
Caissa Editions, 2010
ISBN: 0939433699
Although it is difficult to decide exactly how strong a tournament AVRO 1938 was in absolute terms, there is no doubt that it must be ranked amongst the very greatest.
Just take a look at the players present: there was Alekhine, the world champion, and his two immediate predecessors in that august office, Euwe and Capablanca (who at 50 years of age was the oldest contestant); Botvinnik, the future world champion, played as did Alekhine’s official challenger at the time, Flohr; Reshevsky and Keres (who was just 22 years old, and the youngest contestant) were world-class players even in 1938, and both went on to have distinguished careers. That leaves only Fine, who had already decided, some months before the tournament, to retire from serious chess competition (this at 24 years of age). He won the most games – six, including two victories over Alekhine himself - and finished on 8 and a half points, the same total as Keres, who was declared the winner on tie-break. Clearly, this was Fine’s greatest achievement; he went out on a high.
Some people may possess, as I do, a slim booklet from BCM (Classic Reprint No.12)
By Robert Sherwood and Dale Brandreth
Caissa Editions, 2010
ISBN: 0939433699
Although it is difficult to decide exactly how strong a tournament AVRO 1938 was in absolute terms, there is no doubt that it must be ranked amongst the very greatest.
Just take a look at the players present: there was Alekhine, the world champion, and his two immediate predecessors in that august office, Euwe and Capablanca (who at 50 years of age was the oldest contestant); Botvinnik, the future world champion, played as did Alekhine’s official challenger at the time, Flohr; Reshevsky and Keres (who was just 22 years old, and the youngest contestant) were world-
Some people may possess, as I do, a slim booklet from BCM (Classic Reprint No.12)
containing just the bare game scores from the tournament. It is exceedingly poor fare when compared to this handsome, well-produced tournament book, which has deep annotations to all of the games and plenty of fascinating background information, not all of it to do with chess. For example, Flohr’s poor showing in the tournament – he came last – was most likely attributable to concerns about family and friends in his homeland; Hitler had just invaded Czechoslovakia. His mind was elsewhere. And the Second World War would shortly come to cast a shadow over the lives of Alekhine and Keres also, so a match for the world championship was placed out of the question.
The format of the tournament was a very fair one: each player met the others twice, once as White and once as Black. But the schedule involved travel to several Dutch cities – ten in total, by my reckoning – and this inevitably told on the older contestants, especially Capablanca, who anyway had concerns about his health.
As for the chess, there were many fine games played here. The poster game of the tournament was undoubtedly Botvinnik-Capablanca, the one where he played 30.Ba3!! Botvinnik came to consider this the best game of his career, but his victory over Alekhine was equally impressive. Among the many hard-fought draws especially, there
The format of the tournament was a very fair one: each player met the others twice, once as White and once as Black. But the schedule involved travel to several Dutch cities – ten in total, by my reckoning – and this inevitably told on the older contestants, especially Capablanca, who anyway had concerns about his health.
As for the chess, there were many fine games played here. The poster game of the tournament was undoubtedly Botvinnik-
are to be found many forgotten or unjustly overlooked treasures. Take a look, for example, at Fine-Capablanca in round 3. Capablanca’s play in the latter part of this game (say from move 18 onwards) is spellbinding. He achieved the draw, and indeed almost won the game, through force of will more than anything.
This is a terrific tournament book, a sumptuous feast for the mind.
This is a terrific tournament book, a sumptuous feast for the mind.
The Rossolimo Sicilian: A Powerful Anti-Sicilian that Avoids Tons of Theory
By Victor Bologan
New in Chess, May 2011
ISBN: 9789056913458
First, a word about the subtitle. Yes, you can sidestep many theoretical lines if you refrain from entering an open Sicilian with 3.d4 and play instead Rossolimo’s move 3.Bb5. You will thereby avoid the Sveshnikov, the Taimanov, the Accelerated Dragon and the variation with no name (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6), amongst others. But note that Victor Bologan has written a detailed monograph of some 200+ pages on the Rossolimo, so there’s still a lot to learn and absorb. The claim in the subtitle, that you will thereby be able to avoid tons of theory if you play it, must therefore be qualified. Don’t believe that you can escape so easily!
Bologan makes a good case that the Rossolimo gives reasonable prospects of an advantage. Following on from 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, all of Black’s common responses are considered (3…g6, 3…e6, 3…d6 and 3…Nf6), as well as less usual moves such as 3…Na5 and 3…Qb6. Once, players of the white pieces would have baulked at playing 4.Bxc6 in immediate response to 3…g6. Why
New in Chess, May 2011
ISBN: 9789056913458
First, a word about the subtitle. Yes, you can sidestep many theoretical lines if you refrain from entering an open Sicilian with 3.d4 and play instead Rossolimo’s move 3.Bb5. You will thereby avoid the Sveshnikov, the Taimanov, the Accelerated Dragon and the variation with no name (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6), amongst others. But note that Victor Bologan has written a detailed monograph of some 200+ pages on the Rossolimo, so there’s still a lot to learn and absorb. The claim in the subtitle, that you will thereby be able to avoid tons of theory if you play it, must therefore be qualified. Don’t believe that you can escape so easily!
Bologan makes a good case that the Rossolimo gives reasonable prospects of an advantage. Following on from 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, all of Black’s common responses are considered (3…g6, 3…e6, 3…d6 and 3…Nf6), as well as less usual moves such as 3…Na5 and 3…Qb6. Once, players of the white pieces would have baulked at playing 4.Bxc6 in immediate response to 3…g6. Why
give up the bishop that has just been developed? However, here it’s the only move that Bologan considers, and it’s the main option, along with the straightforward 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3, after all of 3…e6, 3…d6 and 3…Nf6.
It was Chebanenko (incidentally, Bologan’s teacher and trainer) who first advocated this treatment (4.Bxc6), damaging Black’s pawn structure immediately (though not ruinously, you would have thought). Kasparov, for a long time resistant to the move, later came around to Chebanenko’s way of thinking, as Bologan explains in the introduction. Just this change in judgement or mindset regarding the move 4.Bxc6 is what’s new in the Rossolimo as it is played nowadays. Not everyone is a convert, mind: Sveshnikov, for one, still thinks it is absurd to immediately exchange the just-developed king’s bishop for a mere knight. You have to concede that he does have a point.
This excellent opening book is clearly of main interest to players of a predominantly positional persuasion who open with 1.e4, but if you play the Sicilian with 2…Nc6 you’ll want to study the book too. What is best about it is that there’s plenty of rigorous explanation, discussion and demonstration (in the form of original analysis) of the
It was Chebanenko (incidentally, Bologan’s teacher and trainer) who first advocated this treatment (4.Bxc6), damaging Black’s pawn structure immediately (though not ruinously, you would have thought). Kasparov, for a long time resistant to the move, later came around to Chebanenko’s way of thinking, as Bologan explains in the introduction. Just this change in judgement or mindset regarding the move 4.Bxc6 is what’s new in the Rossolimo as it is played nowadays. Not everyone is a convert, mind: Sveshnikov, for one, still thinks it is absurd to immediately exchange the just-
This excellent opening book is clearly of main interest to players of a predominantly positional persuasion who open with 1.e4, but if you play the Sicilian with 2…Nc6 you’ll want to study the book too. What is best about it is that there’s plenty of rigorous explanation, discussion and demonstration (in the form of original analysis) of the
positional considerations and plans for each side. Often, this gets quite intricate and involved, yielding a real insight into the thinking of a world class grandmaster.
If you’re thinking of adopting Rossolimo’s 3.Bb5, a move that has received a stamp of approval from the combative trio of Carlsen, Kasparov and Fischer (remember the 11th game of the 1992 match against Spassky), Bologan’s book is a must-read.
If you’re thinking of adopting Rossolimo’s 3.Bb5, a move that has received a stamp of approval from the combative trio of Carlsen, Kasparov and Fischer (remember the 11th game of the 1992 match against Spassky), Bologan’s book is a must-
The Spanish Exchange Variation: A Fischer Favourite
By Stefan Kindermann
Translated by Phil Adams
Edition Olms, 2005
ISBN: 9783283004798
This is an excellent book on an opening line that was a favourite of two world champions, Lasker and Fischer.
Following 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 (as mentioned in the review of Slay the Spanish!, the move 4...bxc6 deserves consideration), Lasker would usually play 5.d4 or 5.Nc3, whereas it was Fischer who gave his stamp of approval to the now universally played 5.0-0 (a move that should perhaps be attributed to Barendregt), adopting it successfully at the 17th Olympiad held in Havana in 1966. It netted him three wins there and Fischer continued to play the Exchange Variation throughout his fractured career. It featured, for example, in his matches with Spassky in 1972 (the 16th game, a draw in 60 moves) and in 1992 (one of them, game 9, being a win in a mere 21 moves).
By Stefan Kindermann
Translated by Phil Adams
Edition Olms, 2005
ISBN: 9783283004798
This is an excellent book on an opening line that was a favourite of two world champions, Lasker and Fischer.
Following 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 (as mentioned in the review of Slay the Spanish!, the move 4...bxc6 deserves consideration), Lasker would usually play 5.d4 or 5.Nc3, whereas it was Fischer who gave his stamp of approval to the now universally played 5.0-
As Stefan Kindermann points out, the Exchange Variation is not for everyone; and if you’re an aggressive tactician or a gung-
The detailed theoretical information is set out in several illustrative games and may need updating slightly, but it is surely robust enough to form the basis of an initial study of the line. Most attention is devoted to Black’s main choices of 5…f6, 5…Qd6, 5…Bd6 and 5…Bg4 but offbeat and unusual fifth moves (such as Smyslov’s 5...Qe7) are adequately covered too.
If you want a speedy, effective and relatively painless way of familiarising yourself with the various intricacies of the Exchange Variation, this book provides the ideal solution. There’s some superb study material here and Kindermann is an excellent writer who clearly knows his stuff. Here, the English prose is perspicacious and even elegant at times, for which we must also thank the translator, Phil Adams.
The Safest Grunfeld
By Alexander Delchev and Evgenij Agrest
Chess Stars, April 2011
ISBN: 9789548782814
The Grunfeld Defence is a dynamic opening which has been played by several world champions, not least the current incumbent, Anand. Fischer himself used it to good effect, notably in two brilliant victories against the Byrne brothers, Donald (1956) and Robert (1963). One reason for this high-level advocacy is that the opening is very testing for White: Black’s active, centralised pieces are fiendishly threatening and the play can become very sharp very fast.
In this book, the authors provide a repertoire based around the Grunfeld (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) and, as well as 3.Nc3, they also look at the Fianchetto Variation (3.g3) and the Anti-Grunfeld (3.f3), against which they recommend the rare 3…Nc6. They also look at the Grunfeld when played versus the English opening (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5) and a few off-beat, SOS lines like the Barry Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4).
You could argue that the title is paradoxical or unintentionally ironic, since the Grunfeld by its very nature is an opening that is dangerous for both sides. It’s uncertain whether White’s pawn superiority in the
By Alexander Delchev and Evgenij Agrest
Chess Stars, April 2011
ISBN: 9789548782814
The Grunfeld Defence is a dynamic opening which has been played by several world champions, not least the current incumbent, Anand. Fischer himself used it to good effect, notably in two brilliant victories against the Byrne brothers, Donald (1956) and Robert (1963). One reason for this high-
In this book, the authors provide a repertoire based around the Grunfeld (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) and, as well as 3.Nc3, they also look at the Fianchetto Variation (3.g3) and the Anti-
You could argue that the title is paradoxical or unintentionally ironic, since the Grunfeld by its very nature is an opening that is dangerous for both sides. It’s uncertain whether White’s pawn superiority in the
centre will turn out to be a strength or a liability. But what’s meant by ‘safest’ here are those lines that are relatively straightforward, positionally based and, insofar as is possible, not dependent on long forcing tactical variations to make them viable. These lines are ‘safest’ because there’s less possibility of them being refuted out right.
Usually, the authors give two Black options versus each White system: one main line and one line as back-up. I’d query one of their back-up lines. Against the Russian System, they recommend an early advance of the e-pawn (4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Nc6 8.Be2 e5!?) and seem to believe that it was first played in Carlsen-Dominguez, Sofia 2009, which they describe as ‘the stem game’; this on page 167. In fact, the move was played as long ago as 1965. After 9.d5 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Qxd4 c6, Uhlmann played 12.Qc4 against Shamkovich (instead of Carlsen’s 12.d6) and came away with an advantage. But their other back-up recommendations seem, to my mind, fairly sound.
As with the majority of opening books from Chess Stars, each separate system is covered in three sections: ‘Main Ideas’ gives you an outline of what’s to come, looks at some strategic themes and typical tactical motifs, and presents a few classic games: it
Usually, the authors give two Black options versus each White system: one main line and one line as back-
As with the majority of opening books from Chess Stars, each separate system is covered in three sections: ‘Main Ideas’ gives you an outline of what’s to come, looks at some strategic themes and typical tactical motifs, and presents a few classic games: it
gives you the gist; ‘Step by Step’ gives you the gen, the detailed must-know information; finally, ‘Complete Games’ gives you an opportunity to see the opening in operation, into the middlegame and through to the endgame.
Overall, this is another excellent opening offering from Chess Stars.
Here is a classic game taken from the book:
Overall, this is another excellent opening offering from Chess Stars.
Here is a classic game taken from the book:
1.d4 - Ratgeber gegen Unorthodoxe Verteidigungen
By Valeri Bronznik
Schachverlag Kania, August 2010
ISBN: 39783931192372
This excellent opening book looks at various unorthodox lines arising after 1.d4 and recommends a particular response to each one. A circumspect response is usually the order of the day, not an overtly aggressive one.
Naturally, the book will be of greatest practical value to players who open with 1.d4 as white: these are its main, intended readership. Still, those who play the odd offbeat line against 1.d4, or would like to investigate a few at any roads - say the Polish (1...b5), the Albin (1...d5 2.c4 e5) or the Black Knights’ Tango (1...Nf6 2.c4 Nc6) - will find the book to be interesting and suggestive, a useful source of ideas. What Valeri Bronznik provides is a serious and sober examination of opening systems that some other analysts have dismissed as dubious or downright bad, whereas many (though not all, in my humble opinion!) have merit. Often, you’ll end up with positions where both sides have problems to solve – even though White is allegedly ‘better’.
The material is set out in three parts and 19 chapters. Part 1 (chapters 1-8) covers various first moves for Black other than
Schachverlag Kania, August 2010
ISBN: 39783931192372
This excellent opening book looks at various unorthodox lines arising after 1.d4 and recommends a particular response to each one. A circumspect response is usually the order of the day, not an overtly aggressive one.
Naturally, the book will be of greatest practical value to players who open with 1.d4 as white: these are its main, intended readership. Still, those who play the odd offbeat line against 1.d4, or would like to investigate a few at any roads -
The material is set out in three parts and 19 chapters. Part 1 (chapters 1-
1...d5 or 1...Nf6. Among the lines looked at are the Polish, the Englund Gambit (1...e5) and the Dutch Benoni (1...c5 2.d5 f5), which Jonathan Levitt has christened the Clarendon Court Defence; the German author prefers a more descriptive or literal moniker. As for Part 2 (chapters 9-14), there Bronznik examines a number of lines arising after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 and you will find chapters devoted to the Albin, Marshall’s move 2...Nf6, the Schara-Hennig Gambit (2...e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4) and various Stonewall setups (e.g. 2...e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 Bd6, as Ivanchuk played against Carlsen in 2009). Not the Noteboom though, which is a pity: one would like to have learned Bronznik’s thoughts on this double-edged variation. In the final part, Part 3 (chapters 15-19), Bronznik provides coverage of some systems following on from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4; systems such as the Black Knights’ Tango, the Budapest Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 and now either the usual 3...Ng4 or Fajarowicz’s 3...Ne4; both moves are discussed) and the so-called Snake Benoni (e.g. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 Bd6).
Several original analyses are presented throughout the book, 58 to be exact, and there are about that many complete games, their annotations laden with theoretical references and astute judgements. Above all, it is the spirit of serious enquiry that
Several original analyses are presented throughout the book, 58 to be exact, and there are about that many complete games, their annotations laden with theoretical references and astute judgements. Above all, it is the spirit of serious enquiry that
impresses one most about Valeri Bronznik’s book; there is much food for thought.
Just one slight fault, which I can’t help but mention: the apostrophe in the title of chapter 19 comes before rather than after the ‘s’ (i.e. it is ‘Black Knight’s Tango’ rather than the correct ‘Black Knights’ Tango’). English grammar always has the last laugh, even when a book is written in German, as here.
Just one slight fault, which I can’t help but mention: the apostrophe in the title of chapter 19 comes before rather than after the ‘s’ (i.e. it is ‘Black Knight’s Tango’ rather than the correct ‘Black Knights’ Tango’). English grammar always has the last laugh, even when a book is written in German, as here.
Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games
By Eliot Hearst and John Knott
McFarland & Company, 2009
ISBN: 9780786434442
Many players may regard blindfold chess as a parlour game or at best a feat of memory, though sometimes spectacular when many games are played simultaneously. An amusing byway, like many chess variants, but no more than that.
To be honest, I was of this opinion until I read Reti’s account, summarised here on pages 65-66, of how in learning to play blindfold chess well, devising a method that worked always, he increased his playing strength in classical chess tenfold. Because he needed to acquire a deep understanding of the properties of the board and the individual pieces. Larry Christiansen, also, found that blindfold chess had a beneficial effect on his general play:
By Eliot Hearst and John Knott
McFarland & Company, 2009
ISBN: 9780786434442
Many players may regard blindfold chess as a parlour game or at best a feat of memory, though sometimes spectacular when many games are played simultaneously. An amusing byway, like many chess variants, but no more than that.
To be honest, I was of this opinion until I read Reti’s account, summarised here on pages 65-
The strain of calculating variations in over-the-board chess seemed a breeze compared to the rigours of keeping ten games on track without sight of the board. My results shot up during this period. (quoted on page 130).
And Krogius, a grandmaster and psychologist, believed that blindfold chess helped develop the ‘dynamic qualities of thinking and attention’ and that:
…such training helps the development of combinative vision... The reading of chess books without the aid of a board is also to be recommended. Korchnoi has employed just this method for some time. (quoted on page 140).
There may, therefore, be rewards and very real practical benefits to exploring this form of the game.
As for Eliot Hearst and John Knott’s work, it is undoubtedly the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject. It is set out in three parts. Part 1 looks at the history of blindfold chess, taking in Philidor and his few predecessors and many successors, and ending with the Amber series of tournaments which took place between 1992 -
The best blindfold player was undoubtedly Alekhine, though many of the great and the good – e.g. Morphy, Pillsbury, Capablanca, Kasparov -
One especially fine section of the book concerns itself with Miguel Najdorf’s blindfold simultaneous displays of the 1940s; and the authors are to be highly commended for their research in bringing to light the full scale of Najdorf’s achievement. They make a convincing case that Najdorf should be regarded as the holder of the world record (on 45 boards), rather than Koltanowski, the generally accepted record holder. Najdorf’s sole motive in attempting to break the then world record was his need to make his circumstances known to any surviving members of his family, after Hitler had invaded his homeland Poland. Najdorf learnt after the first display that his wife and daughter had perished, but still hoped to hear from other relatives when he undertook a second display. A very moving story.
The King's Gambit for the Creative Aggressor
By Thomas Johansson
Schachverlag Kania, 2005
ISBN: 3931192091
Quite an old book, having made its first appearance in 1998, but the King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) is itself a venerable opening and moreover one that has always promised entertaining and enterprising play, right from the start. It is still nowhere near to being refuted; and this excellent book provides, still, a useful survey of the opening.
The many complex positions that the King's Gambit gives rise to present an ideal opportunity for learning how to exploit an initiative or a lead in development, and of course for learning how to attack. Johansson’s recommended repertoire is quite narrow and focused, as he himself concedes in the introduction, but it is thorough in regard to those lines that he does recommend. And note also that, like
By Thomas Johansson
Schachverlag Kania, 2005
ISBN: 3931192091
Quite an old book, having made its first appearance in 1998, but the King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) is itself a venerable opening and moreover one that has always promised entertaining and enterprising play, right from the start. It is still nowhere near to being refuted; and this excellent book provides, still, a useful survey of the opening.
The many complex positions that the King's Gambit gives rise to present an ideal opportunity for learning how to exploit an initiative or a lead in development, and of course for learning how to attack. Johansson’s recommended repertoire is quite narrow and focused, as he himself concedes in the introduction, but it is thorough in regard to those lines that he does recommend. And note also that, like
Joe Gallagher in Winning with the King’s Gambit (1993), he considers only the King Knight’s Gambit (3.Nf3) not, for example, 3. Bc4, the move favoured by Fischer.
Johansson begins by looking at various ways by which Black can decline the gambit (e.g. 2…Bc5 and 2…Qh4+) or go onto the offensive (with Falkbeer’s 2…d5 or 2…Nc6 3.Nf3 f5!?) at move two. His focus then shifts towards the intricacies of the King’s Gambit proper, where Black accepts the pawn (2…exf4 3.Nf3), including Fischer’s supposed ‘bust’ (3…d6) and the various tendrils that make up the Kieseritzky Gambit (3…g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5; and, incidentally, an interesting original suggestion of Johansson’s is 5.Nd4!? instead of 5.Ne5).
One practical advantage to playing the King’s Gambit is that you cannot get sidetracked into other openings. If you play the Spanish or the Scotch, for example, you have to reckon with encountering the Philidor or the Petroff (amongst others) instead.
Johansson begins by looking at various ways by which Black can decline the gambit (e.g. 2…Bc5 and 2…Qh4+) or go onto the offensive (with Falkbeer’s 2…d5 or 2…Nc6 3.Nf3 f5!?) at move two. His focus then shifts towards the intricacies of the King’s Gambit proper, where Black accepts the pawn (2…exf4 3.Nf3), including Fischer’s supposed ‘bust’ (3…d6) and the various tendrils that make up the Kieseritzky Gambit (3…g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5; and, incidentally, an interesting original suggestion of Johansson’s is 5.Nd4!? instead of 5.Ne5).
One practical advantage to playing the King’s Gambit is that you cannot get sidetracked into other openings. If you play the Spanish or the Scotch, for example, you have to reckon with encountering the Philidor or the Petroff (amongst others) instead.
There’s none of that here: with 2.f4 White sets out his stall and determines the future course of the play.
This book is a good guide to some of the wares that the King’s Gambit has to offer.
This book is a good guide to some of the wares that the King’s Gambit has to offer.
Lessons with a Grandmaster
Enhance Your Chess Strategy and Psychology with Boris Gulko
By Boris Gulko and Dr. Joel R. Sneed
Everyman Chess, May 2011
ISBN-13: 9781857446685
This very instructive book has a unique format, well worth describing in detail.
First and foremost, it is a collection of 25 of Boris Gulko’s best games, each one quite different in character and full of incident and interesting moments. His opponents include Kasparov (in fact, there are two victories against him), Karpov, Korchnoi, Smyslov, Adams and the current world title challenger Boris Gelfand. So, they are of an extremely high-calibre indeed. As far as I can see, there are no gross errors in any of the games; Gulko prevails by gradually outplaying the opposition.
What makes the book special is that the games are commented upon by Dr. Joel R. Sneed, one of Gulko’s students, as well as by Gulko himself. Sometimes, Sneed will ask a question – and more often than not they
Enhance Your Chess Strategy and Psychology with Boris Gulko
By Boris Gulko and Dr. Joel R. Sneed
Everyman Chess, May 2011
ISBN-
This very instructive book has a unique format, well worth describing in detail.
First and foremost, it is a collection of 25 of Boris Gulko’s best games, each one quite different in character and full of incident and interesting moments. His opponents include Kasparov (in fact, there are two victories against him), Karpov, Korchnoi, Smyslov, Adams and the current world title challenger Boris Gelfand. So, they are of an extremely high-
What makes the book special is that the games are commented upon by Dr. Joel R. Sneed, one of Gulko’s students, as well as by Gulko himself. Sometimes, Sneed will ask a question – and more often than not they
are astute questions – which Gulko will answer, authoritatively and (if need be) at length. At other moments Gulko will ask Sneed a question, to test his understanding, and then either praise, gently correct or expand upon his student’s response. It is a continuous Socratic process and, in addition, Gulko sets certain specific exercises, based around the critical positions in each game. On a prosaic note, there are several diagrams to each game, many more than normal (I counted 19 diagrams in one game), so you can easily follow the play without board and pieces.
In comparing Sneed’s often quite reasonable and sensible evaluations and conclusions with Gulko’s, you’re struck by the grandmaster’s deep understanding and seemingly complete grasp of the subtleties of each position, which seems of a different order entirely. He has, of course, lived each and every one of these games and has no doubt analysed them exhaustively.
I believe that all players will learn a lot and otherwise benefit mightily from this book. Essentially, you are given 25 in-depth
In comparing Sneed’s often quite reasonable and sensible evaluations and conclusions with Gulko’s, you’re struck by the grandmaster’s deep understanding and seemingly complete grasp of the subtleties of each position, which seems of a different order entirely. He has, of course, lived each and every one of these games and has no doubt analysed them exhaustively.
I believe that all players will learn a lot and otherwise benefit mightily from this book. Essentially, you are given 25 in-
tutorials by a world class grandmaster. It is a (grand) master class and a half.
It is impossible to recommend this book highly enough. Ten out of ten.
It is impossible to recommend this book highly enough. Ten out of ten.
The Modern Scandinavian
Themes, Structures & Plans in an Increasingly Popular Chess Opening
By Karsten Müller, Matthias Wahls and Hannes Langrock
New in Chess, 2011
ISBN: 9789056913441
This is an outstanding opening book and quite an unusual one because, paradoxical as it might sound, it is mainly about strategy and tactics in the middlegame. It looks at the line 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 (and not 3…Qd6, which one could argue is the more ‘modern’ move) but the recommended repertoire, the baseline opening information as it were, is relegated to a ‘theoretical appendix’ right at the end.
The bulk of the book (to be exact, 15 of the 18 chapters) surveys the different central pawn formations arising from the Scandinavian and the sorts of plans, tactical motifs and positional factors that are called into play because of this (e.g. the key and weak squares, the white bishop pair, important pawn levers available each side). Clearly, some central formations will occur more frequently than others and, because the book aims to be (and succeeds in being) comprehensive, it has rather a lopsided structure. At one extreme there is chapter 2 on ‘the standard centre’ (a white pawn at d4 versus black pawns at …c6 and …e6), clocking in at close
Themes, Structures & Plans in an Increasingly Popular Chess Opening
By Karsten Müller, Matthias Wahls and Hannes Langrock
New in Chess, 2011
ISBN: 9789056913441
This is an outstanding opening book and quite an unusual one because, paradoxical as it might sound, it is mainly about strategy and tactics in the middlegame. It looks at the line 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 (and not 3…Qd6, which one could argue is the more ‘modern’ move) but the recommended repertoire, the baseline opening information as it were, is relegated to a ‘theoretical appendix’ right at the end.
The bulk of the book (to be exact, 15 of the 18 chapters) surveys the different central pawn formations arising from the Scandinavian and the sorts of plans, tactical motifs and positional factors that are called into play because of this (e.g. the key and weak squares, the white bishop pair, important pawn levers available each side). Clearly, some central formations will occur more frequently than others and, because the book aims to be (and succeeds in being) comprehensive, it has rather a lopsided structure. At one extreme there is chapter 2 on ‘the standard centre’ (a white pawn at d4 versus black pawns at …c6 and …e6), clocking in at close
to 200 pages and containing 147 complete games (!), while right at the other end of the spectrum there is chapter 9 on ‘the multi-isolani centre’ (an isolated white pawn at d4 versus an isolated black pawn at …c6 and a pawn at …e6 also), consisting of two short paragraphs only. There is a kinship between the two, of course. If from ‘the standard centre’ White plays c4 and Black responds with …b5 and …bxc4 (as well he might, for example to seize the …d5 square for a knight), then ‘the multi-isolani centre’ will come into being.
Although written very much from Black’s viewpoint, there is a near-objective outline of the plans and pluses for both sides. Naturally, this is a good thing. For as Black you need to be aware of what White is aiming for and what his assets are, else you could easily go wrong. White‘s lead in development and space advantage, combined with Black’s somewhat exposed queen, can make for a volatile cocktail, especially in the early middlegame. And the position may blow up in Black’s face, as has sometimes happened.
In the main, however, the Scandinavian is a sound and solid opening and with accurate play Black will equalize. Of course, it contravenes a cardinal principle of opening play: don’t bring your queen out too early! But you could argue that the knight which chases the queen away is misplaced on c3 – it makes the d4 pawn look
Although written very much from Black’s viewpoint, there is a near-
In the main, however, the Scandinavian is a sound and solid opening and with accurate play Black will equalize. Of course, it contravenes a cardinal principle of opening play: don’t bring your queen out too early! But you could argue that the knight which chases the queen away is misplaced on c3 – it makes the d4 pawn look
ever so slightly shaky. In fact, you could go further and argue that Black saves a tempo, despite having to move his queen, by comparison with the mainline Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4), since the Scandinavian has the same basic pawn structure and the knight is on a less central square (c3 and not e4). Well, perhaps this might be going just a bit too far.
All those who play the Scandinavian, or meet it as White, will benefit from studying this book, which has been ably translated by Ian Adams. A comprehensive guide to the middlegame themes that crop up in the Scandinavian, that’s what’s on offer.
All those who play the Scandinavian, or meet it as White, will benefit from studying this book, which has been ably translated by Ian Adams. A comprehensive guide to the middlegame themes that crop up in the Scandinavian, that’s what’s on offer.
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