Latest book reviews of 1 January 2007
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.
Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
The Nimzo-Indian by John Emms,Chris Ward & Richard Palliser
2006
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
272 pages
Price $ 23,95
ISBN 1-85744-424-8
A brand new series openings books from Everman chess based on little-explored variations as in this case of the Nimzo-Indian where the three well known authors, Emms,Ward and Palliser are providing the reader a wealth of ‘dangerous’ options for both sides of the board.
The reader shall find many interesting less known lines in this book as for example the Romanishin Gambit: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 c5 7.dxc5 d4; The Topalov Gambit 5.cxd5 c5!? and a welt of other dangerous lines often with exotic names as for example the modern twist that runs with the with the exciting moves: 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nge2 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.a3!? or the specialty from Vitolinsh 4.e3 0-0 5.Ne2 b5!?someway a rare move, offering a pawn to unbalance the struggle, aiming to seize an early initiative.
But there is also the Baguio City revisited or the simple knight move 4.e3 Ne4 which is not even mentioned in the ECO of chess openings!
And wat about the break from Kasparov,1.d4 Nf62.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.d5!? or rhe Milov gambit; 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.Nd2 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.d5!? and it is always possible to go for the Dutch direction with 4.Nf3 Ne4!? a move that was even employed by the great Karpov against Kasparov in one of there many world championship battles.
It ends all with a original Leningrad adventure 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 c5 6.d5 d6 7.Nf3!? and a radical queen adventure with 4.Qd3.
Included throw this book are various icons with explanatory notes but unfortunately no bibliography but on the other hand feedback is welcome!
Conclusion: A book that is overloaded with interesting opening's ideas!
The Sicilian by John Emms & Richard Palliser
2006
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
272 pages
Price $ 23,95
ISBN 1-85744-423-X
In The Sicilian dangerous weapons; John Emms and Richard Palliser handle fourteen dangerous off beat lines starting with: 1.A Swedish Specialty: The Gaw-Paw (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Qb6!?) 2.Taking a Break from Refuting the Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Be2 0-0 8.Qd2!?) 3Vallejo's Viable Lowenthal (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6!? 6.Nd6 Bd6 7.Qd6 Qf6) 4Danger in the Taimanov (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f4!?) 5 Silent but Violent (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 Nf6 8.a3!?) 6The Koblencs-Goletiani Kan (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Bd6!?) 7. Take my Pawns! (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 Bb4 7.0-0!?) 8Taking the Sting out of the Open Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 d5!?) 9Karklins against the Najdorf (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qf3!?) 10Baklan and Epishin's Sozin Antidote (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e5!?) 11The Prins Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.f3!?) 12The O'Kelly Variation: Not Just a One-Trick Pony (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6!?) 13A Cure for Indecision? (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 a6 5.f4!?) 14Surprising the Sveshnikov (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Nde2!?) Where Palliser is responsible for the chapters: 1,3,6,8,9,10,11,14 and Emms has taken the chapters 2,4,5,7,12 and 13
Superb written is for example {as many other lines in this book} chapter three with the Lowenthal variation which is good for around 44 pages of this book !
The whole Lowenthal is very interesting and where the rook move from Kramnik {1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6 8.Qd1 Qg6 9.Nc3 Nge7 10.h4 h5} 11.Rh3 is given a ?! with the words that 11.Bg5 could be a better try.
If 11...d5 12.ed5 Nd4!?,which is an old suggestion of Euwe that Vallejo has rehabilitated.
But great fun is the Pils variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6 8.Qd1 Qg6 9.Nc3 d5 10.Nxd5 Qxe4+ 11.Be3 Nd4 12.Nc7+ Ke7 where white still needs to find one or other way to neutralize.
Interesting enough I found quite some old ideas of Euwe as for instance in the The O'Kelly Variation where 3.d4 is still very good for black.
Included are tips and various icons but again no bibliography but feedback is again welcome!
Conclusion: Buy this book for the Lowenthal variation!
Starting out: Queen’s gambit declined by Neil McDonald
2006
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
191 pages
Price $21,95
ISBN 1-85744-426-4
GM Neil McDonald handles in this starting out book one of the oldest openings,the Queen’s gambit declined which goes back to the famous Göttingen manuscript of 1490.
All material is explained at the hand of a good collection of 50 model games where the reader can find enough basic information to get full started with this opening.
The material is divided in seven chapters where I found lines on the Tartakower’s defence,Lasker’s defence,the classical defence,the Cambridge springs defence, the exchange variation and at last the main line with 1.d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4.
As in all the Starting out books the reader is helped in this book with instructive notes,tips and warning highlights.
The Orthodox defence with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 was the choice from Capablanca in his match against Alekhine from the year 1927 and many consider it as the most boring world championship of all time.
Conclusion: A very readable introduction to the Queen's gambit!
Starting out:1.d4 by John Cox
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
239 pages
Price
ISBN 10-1-85744-417-5
Repertoire books are a matter of choice but the English IM John Cox has managed to create a exciting collection openings lines based on the first move 1.d4 as the good old King's Indian defence that runs with the moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 and now the star move 10.Re1,or Grunfeld,Exchange Variation with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1, Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2,Modern Benoni 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Bd3 Bg7 8.h3 0-0 9.Nf3,Benko Gambit accepted 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.g3 d6 8.Bg2 Nbd7 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.Rb1,Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5, Queen's Gambit Accepted ,Semi-Slav and at last the Dutch main line with 3.Bg2.
Included a eleventh chapter with some rare but tricky lines with the Budapest,moderm and miscellaneous lines where I even found a clear cut refutation of the good old Owens defence as we can play throw in the well analysed correspondence e-mail game: Burger,H - Braun,1.d4 b6 2.e4 e6 3.c4 Bb7 4.Bd3 f5 5.exf5 Bxg2 6.Qh5+ g6 7.fxg6 Bg7 8.gxh7+ Kf8 9.Ne2 Bxh1 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Qh4 Qe7 12.Nf4 Qf7 13.Ng6+ Ke8 14.Ne5 Qf8 15.Nc3 d6 16.Bg6+ Ke7 17.0-0-0 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nbd7 19.exf6+ Bxf6 20.Bxf6+ Nxf6 21.Rxh1 Qg7 22.Qg3 Rad8 23.Re1 Qh6+ 24.Kb1 Rd6 25.Nb5 Nxh7 26.Nxd6 cxd6 27.f4 Nf8 28.Be4 Qf6 29.f5 e5 30.Rg1 Nd7 31.Qd3 Nc5 32.Qd5 Qf7 33.Qc6 Rd8 34.Bc2 Rg8 35.Qc7+ Nd7 36.Rf1 Qf6 37.Qxa7 Rc8 38.Ba4 Rd8 39.Bxd7 Rxd7 40.Qxb6 Rd8 41.a4 Kf8 42.a5 e4 43.a6 e3 44.Qxe3 Rb8 45.Rf2 1-0
A good repertoire book is one with serious openings lines that you even can play against the big boys of the club and that means some memorizing
as for instance in the Botvinnik variation of the Semi-Slav where Cox comes up with the interesting suggestion: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Bb7 12.Bg2 Qb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.Rb1 Qa6 17.dxe6 Bxg2 18.e7 Bxf1 19.Qd5,a move which really crowns white strategic design of fighting for the central white squares and is surely aesthetically forced {John Cox}
Conclusion: A very strong written repertoire book!
The English opening by Zenon Franco
2006
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
111 Pages
Price $19,95
ISBN 978-1-904600-59-6
The well known chess trainer and grand master Zenon Franco digs in this latest chess explained book openings book on the old opening from the good old Howard Staunton, the English opening,all well explained at the hand of a impressive collection of 25 well analysed model games.
Some games as for example Vladimor Kramnik – Zhang Zhong,Wijk aan Zee 2004 are good for more than four pages of instructive text!
Many of these games come from the years 2004,2005 and 2006 so besides the instructive explanations from the Paraguay born chess grandmaster the reader is insured with a wealth of latest developments!
For instance the game Mikhail Gurevich – Arkadij Naiditsch,European Ch,Antalya 2004 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 5.Nc3 Bb4 4.g4 is a interesting idea of the prolific Russian GM Vadim Zviagintsev.White totally changes the character of the position, going from quiet manoeuvres to complications where the fate of both kings is hazardous.
Michal Krasenkow,the main advocate of the line, pointed out that this move has similarities with the Shabalov – Shirov Atack of the Semi – Slav,which is seen after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4,etc.White combines development with attack, disrupting black’s developments, and reminding him that ..Bb4 has weakened the kingside.{ Zenon Franco}a game that certainly had belonged in the book from Viacheslav Eingorn,Creative chess opening preparation!
All material is divided into three major chapters Symmetrical English, Reversed Sicilian and Nimzo-English.
Conclusion: A impressive work on the English opening!