Latest book reviews of 1 December 2006
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.
Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
Caro-Kann defence by Anatoly Karpov
2006
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
284 pages
Price $22,95
ISBN 97807134490107
The cover of this book only shows Karpov as author but this work credits also the chess theoretician Mikhail Podgaets,who is a well known International chess master. It is always difficult for a reviewer to say something about the input of the authors in this book but one thing is certain
this work belongs to the so called extensive written move to move openings books.
All based on the Caro-Kann advanced with the moves 3.e5 and all divided in five heavy loaded readable chapters.
For many years the advanced Caro-Kann was an infrequent quest in important tournaments but over the years many famous chess players have considered 3.e5 as there most important move and there for I would like to mention one of the greatest fan of the advanced and that was the legendary Latvian chess genius Mikhail Tal.
This book covers many fashionable variations as the aggressive 1.e4 c6.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 but also other interesting lines as the gambit system with 3.f3 which gets a important turn from over 24 pages!
Interesting to mention in this book is the old continuation of grandmaster Richard Reti with his super aggressive bayonet move 3.e5 Bf5 4.g4!?
It seems that the old recommendation of Alekhine with 4…Be4 5.f3 Bg6 6.h4 h5 7.e6 Qd6 8.exf7+ Bxf7 9.g5 Qg3+ 10.Ke2 Nd7 11.Be3 Qc7 12.f4 Be6 13.Bh3 Bxh3 14.Rxh3 e6 15.Nf3 Ne7 16.Nbd2 Nf5,Hahn – Alekhine,Krakow 1941 still stands.
As the authors write so nice: The question only can be whether it is black or white who will succeed in defending a draw.
For the interested reader this game did end in a draw: 17.Nf1 0-0-0 18.Qd3 c5 19.c3 Qb6 20.b3 Be7 21.Bf2 Qc7 22.Ne5 Nxe5 23.fxe5 cxd4 24.cxd4 Kb8 25.Ne3 Nxe3 26.Bxe3 Rc8 27.Bd2 Ba3 28.Rf3 Qb6 29.Rb1 Bb4 30.Rc1 Bxd2 31.Rxc8+ Rxc8 32.Qxd2 Qb5+ 33.Ke1 Qc6 34.g6 a5 35.Rf7 a4 36.Rxg7 axb3 37.axb3 Qb5 38.Rf7 Qxb3 39.g7 Qg3+ 40.Kf1 Qh3+ 41.Kg1 Qg4+ ½-½
Included at the end of the book just after the index are 15 illustrated games but I am missing a bibliography to keep abreast of latest developments.
The excellent translation is done by Jimmy Adams.
Conclusion: A very important reference book on the Caro-Kann advance!
Kasparov’s fighting chess 1993 – 1998 by Tibor Karolyi & Nick Aplin
2006
B T Batsford
http://www.Batsford.com
314 pages
Price $22,95
ISBN 07134 8994 4
This book follows Kasparov from the PCA world championship in London 1993 till the EuroTel Trophy in Prague 1998, which belongs to
Kasparov 's most inventive chess years.
We all are aware of Fischer’s amazing run of victories but Kasparov’s best undefeated sequence of 63 games from round 10 at Wijk aan Zee 1999 to the second game of the Kramnik match has been so far nearly not documented.
The annotations to these 60 annotated games are very heavy loaded and come very close to the ones from Stohl on Kasparov,for example the game Short – Kasparov,Londen Worldchampionship 16 th game1993, is good for nearly eight pages of text!
There is by the way a lot attention from both authors to this interesting played world champion match,which cover around 52 pages of this book.
It is interesting to see how Kasparov suffered in this match with Short as we look for example at the 16th game with the Sicilian Sozin, where Kasparov was out played in no time.
Shorts opening choice with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.f4 was brilliant and this openings position gets a lot of attention from both authors,all together around 4.5 pages of text and that is more than some openings books give us on this line!
The endgame lovers shall certainly love the endgame position between Judit Polgar and Garry Kasparov from Dos Hermanas 1996 where we can follow the struggle between two rooks and knight!
This is all is very instructively covered by Tibor Karolyi & Nick Aplin!
In this book you shall find no personal background information about the life of Garry Kasparov or his political activities but it covers an excellent chronological review of his tournament career.
Conclusion: Buy it for the excellent annotations!
Petrosian vs the elite by Ray Keen and Julian Simple
71 victories by the master of manoeuvre 1946-1983
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
299 pages
Price $21,95
ISBN 10: 07134 9049 7
Playing throw the games of Petrosian is always very special seen his deeply prophylactic play has impressed many chess players from over the world, and when we play throw the games of this lovely made book than I only can say this man understood how to play chess!
For example please look at the {unknown game} Terpugov,E - Petrosian,T Moscow Zenit-Spartak Moscow, 1957 that is covered by Keen in the introduction: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Bg4 4.e4 c6 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 Nbd7 7.Be3 e6 8.g4 d5 9.e5 Ng8 10.0-0-0 b5 11.Bd3 Nb6 12.Kb1 Nc4 13.Bc1 Qb6 14.g5 Ne7 15.h4 c5 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.Rhe1 g6 18.b3 Bg7 19.bxc4 bxc4 20.Bf1 0-0 21.Ka1 Rfb8 22.Nb1 Nc6 23.Qg3 Rxb1+ 24.Kxb1 Rb8+ 25.Ka1 c3 26.Bd2 Nb4 27.Bd3 Qc4 0-1,and you get the feeling that black came from a other space.
You get the feeling that Petrosian understood more about chess than any other player of his time. Petrosian had a unique playing style that was for the most players who did meet him at the board difficult to handle,some even spook of witchcraft,but this great man had a natural talent for seeking new paths.
Maybe it is interesting to mention that Petrosian played 129 Olympiad games of which he won 78 drew 50 games and lost just one!
This book covers 71 great games all well analysed with the help from the chess master Julian Simpole.
The annotations to the games are not so extensive as the above mentioned book from Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin but on the other hand this book is a great read!
Conclusion:A very good read on Petrosian!
De wereld van de Schaakopening by Paul van der Sterren
Deel 3 1.e2-e4
2006
Tirion Sport
http://www.tirionuitgevers.nl
294 pages
Price € 24.95
ISBN 978-90-4390-918-1
De former Dutch champion GM Paul van der Sterren provides the reader in his openings learning book”Introductie tot de openingstheorie” with all the information that the player needs to know how to play and understand the importance of the first move 1.e4.
Paul van der Sterren does not scope to much on references to the games but explains in instructive words the first 15 moves of all major openings that are covered in this heavy loaded book.
First of all this openings book is timeless and overloaded with a wealth of instructive notes which are all of great use for every interested chess student.
For example Paul van der Sterren starts with the good old Spanish game and covers for the Marshall gambit till around move 15 and that is for chess club level more than deep enough and that is the same with the famous French Winawer where white goes for the sharp queen move to g4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2 Nbc6 11.f4 Bd7 12.Qd3 dxc3 where the chess theory begins but a excellent starting point for all who are interested in sharp play where it is after seventy years still difficult to say who has the better position.
The whole coverage from van der Sterren is very complete where even the rare Latvian Gambit gets a small but very instructive turn.
Conclusion: Very instructive written openings book!
{Some Dutch knowledge is necessarily}
Mastering the chess openings volume 1 by John Watson
Unlocking the mysteries of the modern chess openings
2006
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
335 pages
Price $29,95
ISBN 978-1-904600-60-2
The master of teaching IM John Watson explains, in this first of a two-volume book a interesting collection, openings surveys where the aim lays by understanding above memorizing latest developments of the Informator.
It all starts with a broad overview from important fundamentals, positional features and strategies which are all together good for around 86 pages of this book!
All packed in three important chapters: The nature of chess openings: Fundamentals, Opening ideas and positional features and the Significance of structure.
But the real work begins of course with the large openings sections one and two covering the Open games and Semi- open games.
In open games John Watson starts with the famous Giuoco Piano where he digs in the Italian game with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Qb3 Nce7 11.0-0 c6 12.Rfe1 0-0 13.a4 Qb6 and comes out in the famous classic game, O’Kelly- Euwe,Amsterdam 1950.
All together there is around one full page of analyses with this Queen move where I even found between the lines, the astounding game Rossolimo _ Reissman,Puerto Rico 1967; 13…b6 14.Ne5 Bb7 15.a5 Rc8 16.Ne4 Qc7 17.a6 Ba8 18.Qh3 Nf4 19.Qg4 Ned5 20.Ra3 Ne6 21.Bxd5 cxd5 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Qg6!!
Naturally the brilliance of this move strikes one first{reminiscent of the famous Levitsky – Marshall …Qg3!!game}but an eye for detail will pick up Black’s bishop stuck behind the d5-pawn.{Watson}
Funny enough this game was complexly new for me and I even could not find it in the latest Mega database and in the books as for example: The Italian game from Harding & Botteril.
But there are also hot lines as the Velimirovic attack which will give you some of the best possible lessons in Sicilian tactics and combinations!
Conclusion: A book that is overloaded with a unbelievable amount of instructive text.
Mastering the chess openings volume 2,focusing on Queen's Openings,is scheduled for publication in February 2007.