Latest book reviews of 1 April 2007
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.
Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
Chess Christmas by Kenneth Whyld
2006
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
476 pages
Price €29,00
ISBN 80-7189-559-9
A interesting hobby of the late great Ken Whyld was sending with Christmas booklets to his close chess friends with various chess publications as for example the story of modern chess, covered in this book under the chapter Ken Whyld’s Christmas Series: The beginning of modern chess, Caistor 1991
Kenneth Whyld wrote: This booklet comes to you with my best wishes for Christmas 1991,and the New Year 1992; In 1872 the London Chess club began a match of two games by correspondence against the Vienna club led by Kolisch.
Shortly after the match began Blackburne,Horwitz,Löwenthal and Wisker with drew from the London team, leaving Steinitz and Potter to continue. Later Steinitz said that modern chess began with these two games, and he and Potter analysed them deeply in the pages of The Field,and these notes were than reprinted in the City of London Chess Magazine.
Kenneth Whyld included 17 pages of chess notes fromw the famous games; London – Vienna & Vienna – London and pleasantly transferred by him in a readable algebraic notation.
In the original booklets from Ken Whyld’s Christmas Series the booklets where coloured on cardboard, with the colours: white, celestial, grey, pink, clear green, clear yellow and Signed by the author with the words “Ken”.
Unfortunately we have to do in the book with copies from the original work from Whyld, and sometimes as chapter one;The Story of chess some pages are quite a puzzle but the material from Whyld is superb so we must now and than forgive Fiala and the Ken Whyld Association for the layout for some of these unreadable pages.
The material in this book is divided into two parts: where in part one you shall find the following material: Introduction by Michael Negele, Kenneth Whyld in Memoriam, Plates in Deutsches Wochenschach,Kagans Neueste Schachnachrichten,L’Echiquier Revue International d’Echecs by Henri Serruys and Ken Whyld’s Christmas Series by Alessandro Sanvito who is also responsable for Whyld's biography.
Part two: The story of chess,Bibliography list,Blackburne’s matches 1887,Letters on the history and literature of chess,Devolpment of the chess problem by J.W.Allen,The beginning of modern chess,The chess board,Café de la Regence,Paris,The worst chess book in the world,A la recherché ddu temps perdu,Lasker the composer,According to Hoyle,Cordingley’s Cuts,Chess texts in the English language printed earlier than 1850,Adress to the Automaton chess player,The meeting of the B.C.A,at Cambridge {28.8.1860-1.-9.1860,Chess in Literature and at last Labourdonnais-Morphy by George Allen.
Conclusion: A very interesting written chessbook!
Quarterly for chess history
Autumn 12/2004
2006
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
434 pages
Price € 32,00
Since Quarterly for chess history has been founded at the end of 199,twelve columes have been so far published,where the most of them easy pass the 500 pages.
So this winter issue 12/2004 with it's 443 pages can be considered as a light weight but dear reader it covers some superb. contributions from some of the best chess historians in the world.
Under these chess historians you shall find name as Tim Harding who has written in this book a impressive 77 page article on “The British Chess Magazine Correspondence Tournaments,1882-1883 and 1908-1912.
Tim Hading went back to school and is doing doctoral research into the history of correspondence chess in the United Kingdom,1824-1914 at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.
But there are more readable contributions as Lasker's Last Tournament by K. Croxen, Addition to Steinitz Canon by J. Hilbert, Memories by S. Tartakower, Rubinstein in Sweden by J. Donaldson; Chess Biographies: K Hromadka by V. Fiala, R. J. Loman by O. Urcan, J. Fink by N. Brennen; Forgotten Chess Tournaments: Seattle 1966 by J. Donaldson; Match Lupschitz-Showalter by V. Fiala;Chess Miscellany no.275-300 and interesting written Chess Reviews.
For example the contribution from John Donaldson on the US Open in Seattle 1966 good for a lot of unknown games as for example I saw quite some games from Duncan Suttles with his so original way of play,the tournament was by the way won by Robert Bryne and Pal Benko.
Included is a interview wit Robert Bryne by Burt Hochberg who asks Bryne how he prepares for a tournament; Bryne tells: Actually, I don’t especially for a tournament. However, it is my practice to study all important games and theoretical contemporary games and I pay particular attention to the openings.
A other very interesting contribution comes from Olimpiu Urcan “On the sounds of moving pieces Another forgotten blindfold Expert: Rudolf J.Loman {1861-1932 }Rudolf J.Loman was a strong chess player on whom today’s chess history writings shed little light.Found between two nations, British and Dutch, and today claimed by none.
Loman was a bridge-builder between the chess societies of the two.This was shown and acknowledged in splendid manner with the occasion of the match between Great Britain and Holland in 1912,with two years before Loman’s return to Holland.
Throw the book you shall find unknown games from famous players as Alekhine and Lasker usually from simultaneous exhibitions.
There is good news too, the chess historian Vlastimil Fiala is working on a monograph focusing on “World history of woman’s chess up to 1944”
So far Chess historian are only interested in men chess history and I am glad that Fiala is making this important step.
Throw the book are around 490 games all well indexed with names of players and ECO openings codes.
A very interesting one is the first official game from Dr.S.G.Tartakower taken from the article “How you should not learn to play chess 63 years old chess master looks back on his career”
Translated by Feliks Przysuski {Sweden}with permission from Tidskrift für Schack 1950,vol.1-2 {January –February}pages 16-21.
[White "Tartakower, Saviely"] [Black "Schenkein, Joachim"]Barmen 1905. 1.e4 c5 2. b4 e6 3. bxc5 Bxc5 4. d4 Bb6 5. f4 Ne7 6. Nf3 d5 7. e5 Nbc6 8. c3 Bd7 9. Bd3 Ng6 10. O-O O-O 11. Kh1 f5 12. Rg1 Rc8 13. g4 fxg4 14. Rxg4 Be8 15.Ng5 Qd7 16. Nxh7 Kxh7 17. Rh4+ Kg8 18. Qh5 Rf5 19. Qh7+ Kf7 20. Rg4 Ke7 21.Bxf5 exf5 22. Ba3+ Kd8 23. Rxg6 Bxg6 24. Qxg6 Nxd4 25. cxd4 Bxd4 26. Nc3 Bxc3
27. Qg5+ Ke8 28. Rg1 d4 29. Qh5+ Qf7 30. Rg6 Qd5+ 31. Kg1 Bb4 32. Rxg7+ 1-0
Tartakower writes about the move 2.b4 This ancient line was nearly always used by me.Later it was adopted by many masters ,among them Marshall and Keres.
Conclusion:The Informator for the chess historian!
The Field 1904
Chess Column edited by Leopold Hoffer
2006
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
502pages
Price € 29,95
Leopold Hoffer born 1842 in Budapest was a well known columnist who edited his column from 1882 until his death in London 1913.
So I think it is a splendid idea from Fiala to reprint the Field a fantastic chess magazine that covered every thing in chess from the local chess scene till world championship matches every thing and more is here in this facsimile print.
Unfortunately the print is not always perfect and reading diagrams is sometimes a puzzle and that is a great pity of this interesting made publication.
But as I said the book is great and for example I found in this magazine a exciting lost of the mysterious Miss Rudge; Garratt,JH (IRL) - Rudge,Mary miss (ENG)
Ireland-England 1903 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.h4 h6 11.g4 Be7 12.g5 g6 13.h5 Bxg5 14.Nxg5 Qxg5 15.Qe2 Nc6 16.f4 Qg3+ 17.Kd2 Nxd4 18.exd4 Qxf4+ 19.Qe3 Qxe3+ 20.Kxe3 g5 21.Nb5 c5 22.Nd6 Bc8 23.dxc5 bxc5 24.Rac1 c4 25.Nxc8 Rfxc8 26.Bf5 Re8+ 27.Kd4 Re2 28.Rc2 Rae8 29.Rxe2 Rxe2 30.Kxd5 Rxb2 31.a4 Ra2 32.Bd7 Rd2+ 33.Kc6 c3 34.Rc1 Rh2 35.Rxc3 Rxh5 36.a5 Rh4 37.Kb7 Rd4 38.Bc6 1-0 but as all games in this book you must have some knowledge of the English notion.
Between the lines I found a interesting circular from Dr.Edward.Lasker who has conceived the notation of a Falkbeer Gambit Tourney, containing the following conditions: Competitors to be international champions and clubs of first class strength.
Entrance fee of 50 dollars to be paid to Mr.L Vino,tresurer of the Manhattan Chess Club,treasurer of the tourney.Play to be in sections of six or seven units.Prizes to be given for best score,best score made by a master,best score made by a club,best analyses of the gambit,and best annotated game.A book is to be printed containing all the games,with notes by the players.Time limit ,seventy two hours for each move.A date in October is suggested for commencement of play.Several players of international repute have signified their intention of participating.
That time in 1904 50 dollars must have been a fortune so I can not imagine that this tournament ever had a chance to start. Does anybody have a idea of this tournament ever started?
Conclusion: Fascinating!
The chess review 1892 -1893
2006
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
184 pages
Price € 31,50
The chess review 1892-1893 was a monthly journal for chess and whist {card game}but the card section is only a minor part of this highly interesting written chess magazine.
I found in this bound volume many amusing and interesting anecdotes in connection with chess and there players.
But there is also a lot of forgotten news as for example the match between the veteran master Mr.H.E.Bird {he was born in 1830} and Mr.G.C.Heywood,a strong amateur of Newcastle, was commenced on October 3rd at the rooms of the Art Gallery Chess Club New castle.The lessees of the Art Gallery,Messrs. Barkas and Sons, courteously threw open the building for the benefit of neighbouring clubs and visitors during the progress of the match.
The conditions were of a very friendly and informal character, no time limit or other stipulation being imposed. Probably this accounted to a great extent for the enjoyable nature of the encounter, which afforded as much pleasure to the players themselves as to the large number of members and visitors who attended and watched the games with unflagging interest.
The chess news is based on world wide chess news but it covers a lot information of the British scene.
Included throw these reviews are a lot of challenging compositions as the exciting one from the chess legend Paul Morphy with mates in eight moves.
Pleasant to mention is this high quality print from Moravian chess where you have the idea of having a McFarland chess book in hand,
the cover is not only beautiful but also the paper and prints!
Conclusion: A high quality reproduction!
London 1883
2006
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
371 pages
Price € 34,90
The London 1883 tournament is remembered as the place of one of the most beautiful played games and well the game between Zukertort and Blackburne,London, 1883 1.c4 e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Be2 Bb7 5.0-0 d5 6.d4 Bd6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2 Qe7 10.Nb5 Ne4 11.Nxd6 cxd6 12.Nd2 Ndf6 13.f3 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 dxc4 15.Bxc4 d5 16.Bd3 Rfc8 17.Rae1 Rc7 18.e4 Rac8 19.e5 Ne8 20.f4 g6 21.Re3 f5 22.exf6 Nxf6 23.f5 Ne4 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.fxg6 Rc2 26.gxh7+ Kh8 27.d5+ e5 28.Qb4 R8c5 29.Rf8+ Kxh7 30.Qxe4+ Kg7 31.Bxe5+ Kxf8 32.Bg7+ Kg8 33.Qxe7 1-0
Steinitz wrote later “Words are insufficient to express the admiration of the mastery with which Zukertort conducted this game.
But the whole tournament was a fantastic success for Johannes Zukertort who defeated there in London nearly every leading chess player in the world, where the great Steinitz was only second. After this, Zukertort was widely regarded as the unofficial World Champion and went home with 250 GBP.
The editor James Minchin wrote; Until this breakdown Zukertort had achieved a record hitherto unattained in the annals of chess tournaments by winning twenty-two games to one defeat, and shown in the performance that combinations of brilliancy, energy, and accuracy which, against such competitors, could alone have attained such a result.
His game against Blackburne in the first round is the finest that has been played in the timeof the present generation of chess players, and proves, if any such proof be wanting, that magnificent combination is superior to that dull chess strategy which risks no attack and struggles pertinaciously to obtain an extra pawn on the Queen’s side against the end-game.The stratagem is as sound as it is brilliant, and when Zukertort played his Rook to K3 he had the whole combination, twelve moves deep, clearly in his mind- a combination not be surpassed in all the recorded games of the brilliant masters of the past,Morphy and Anderssen.Zukertort enrols himself in the modern school of strategy versus combinations.
The tournament was a complicated 14 player double cycle play where the draws had a strange way of counting draws.
Interesting to mention are the describing of the players as Mr Bird,as is known to all,has peculiar ideas in the opening; he believes in a form of the Giuoco for the attack, which is in fact the same as the Evans refused, supposed by all other masters to be favourable for the defence.
He certainly won a fine game at this opening from Rosenthal,and in his hands exceptional attacks and defences often turn out successful.
Pleasant to mention is that the games are annotated by the players there selves and that makes a rare tournament book like this one very special.
All together this tournament book carries 296 annotated games.
Conclusion: A remarkable reprint!
Chess Explained
The c3 Sicilian by Sam Collins
2007
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
111 pages
Price € 20,35
ISBN 978-1-904600-71-8
The Irish IM Sam Collins concentrates in this latest “Chess Explained openings book” on the Sicilian with 2.c3, once this move was a easy sideline of the Sicilian defence but nowadays this move is more than a alternative for 2.Nf3.
The positional motive behind this move is simple white wants to play d2-d4 and than a simple recapture with the c pawn which insures white a nasty lasting grip.
It looks all very simple but as Sam Collins explains in his 25 model games there are a lot of subtleties where both side of the board have to be aware of.
Must say that Sam Collins gives in this book a lot of his c3 secrets away as for example in game five he digs on Joe Gallagher’s main recommendation with 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 e6 6.cxd4 b6 and writes; I wouldn’t advice black to go for this continuation, and the young author continues honestly I don’t like this line for black. I used to play it my self and found white’s attacking chances too much. It’s as if white has a great IQP position, with masses of activity but without as much structural weakness. Of course this is a personal opinion, and the system is undoubtedly playable, but I’m putting a health warning on it.
In place of the common move 7.Nc3 Collins suggests 7.Bd3 a simple developing move and in my opinion, is more promising than the text move.
After 7…Ba6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 black must not play 11… d5?!
But 11…0-0 12.d5 exd5 13.Qxd5 Nc6 14.Rd1 Qc7 15.Bf4 Rfd8 16.Qe4 with strong pressure and Joe Gallagher speaks after 11…0-0 with only about an edge for white.
But the important reference work from Eduardas Rozentalis and Andrew Harley Play the 2.c3 Sicilian Gambit 2002 suggest after 13.Qxd5 Na6!? with a very unclear position.
Conclusion: A very instructive read on the Sicilian with 3.c3!
Secrets of practical chess by John Nunn
2007
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
255 pages
Price €24,95
ISBN 978-1-904600-70-1
A brand new updated and expaned edition from Secrets of practical chess from John Nunn which had gone from 176 to 255 pages and that is 45% more chess material than as the first edition which was published a small nine years ago.
Some chapters from the first edition still stand as for the one on offbeat openings, where Nunn discusses in great detail the Latvian Gambit.
Tony Kosten gave later some improvements in his book The Latvian Gambit lives from 2001 but unfortunately for the Latvian Gambit lovers John Nunn does not react here in Secrets of practical chess on Kosten’s improvements.
But there are again some fine new and heavy expanded chapters in this book as using a computer, and the use of chess literature,interesting to mention is that Nunn has ignored the use of computers in correspondence chess but strange enough still legal under international correspondence chess rules.
Personal I found a lot of useful information in this book with the use of chess engines and the limitations of these tools.
Nunn writes: One sometimes sees specially constructed artificial positions in which computers ludicrously fail to find the correct move, but it is important to realize that computers can also go awry in quite ordinary positions.
Nunn also suggests; If you want to analyse a position with the computer, but leaving an engine on long time doesn’t give you a clear evaluation of the position even with “Deep position analyses, it may help to have an engine tournament.
Interesting to mention is the use from latest chess engines as Rybka but Nunn is no big fan from Chess Assistant he prefers ChessBase.
All fans of the Poisoned pawn variation of the Najdorf defence will certainly appreciate Nunn’s computer study from twelve pages on this subject!
The main line of his starting point arises after; 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Nc6 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Be2 where all roads seems to lead to a draw.
But if black goes wrong he can get a bad or even lost position with remarkable speed {Nunn}
In chess Literature there are two interesting chess book reviews; Rapid Chess improvement by Michael de la Maza and Basic chess endings from Reuben Fine.
I loved the recommended reading section but was surprised that there where no books from Nimzowitsch on Nunn’s favourite chess list but of course it is a personal selection of Nunn.
Conclusion: A very instructive learning book on modern chess!
Please see an excerpt from the book in PDF format
Beating unusual chess openings by Richhard Palliser
2006
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
223 pages
Price $23,95
ISBN978-1-85744-429-2
Richard Palliser provides the reader in his latest beating unusual openings books with a wealth of information on less played openings lines as the Sokolsky and Der Linksspringer,where white plays 1.Nc3, but also the Grob {1.g4} is here fine explained with five heavy loaded pages and that all for a black related repertoire book!
But first to a serious opening as the Symmetrical English which is good for a small 107 pages of this book where many analyses as with the white fianchetto impressively go on till around move 27 of this book.
For example:{1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.a3 a6 6.Rb1 Rb8 7.b4 cxb4 8.axb4 b5 9.cxb5 axb5 10.Nf3 e5 11.d4 exd4 12.Nd5 Nf6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Bf4 d6 16.Bxh6 Bf5 17.Rc1 Nxb4 18.Nxd4 Nd3+ 19.exd3 Bxd4 20.Bc6+ Bd7 21.Qe2+ Be5 22.d4?!}
Richard Palliser:An inaccuracy; White should first exchange bishops, as pointed out by the Belgioum player Franck Steenbekkers.Following 22.Bxd7 Kxd7! 23.d4 the position remains tense, but analyses reveals that it’s not all easy for white to get at the black king.
One to avoid is 23…Bf6 in view of Watson’s discovery of 24.0-0!! Rxh6 25.Rfe1 with nasty threats, and so play might continue 23..Rxh6!?{ A reasonable alternative for black, no matter what Fritz might say, is 23..Bxd4 24.Qg4+ Ke8 25.Qxd4 Rxh6 26.Qg7 Rh5 27.0-0 Rf5 and for example,28.Rfe1+ Kd7 29.Qb2! Rc8! 30.Ra1Qf6 31.Ra7+ Rc7 32.Qa2 Qd4!-Watson-sees Black continue to beat of the attack; defending in such manner might not suit everyone’s taste,but it does appear quite effective}24.dxe5 Rh5!{Watson’s idea,as black hurries to activate his king’s rook,while preparing to meet 25.exd6 with 25…Qe8}25.Rd1 Qa5+ 26.Kf1 b4 27.f4 b3 when the position is still far from clear,but having analysed it a fair amount it does appear that the passed b-pawn fully compensation for white’s extra pawn { after a capture on d6}.This was certainly a complicated note,and is one well worth playing throw for the reader,although these seeking to garner easy points against any Kosten disciples would probably be fine in practice just memorizing up to move 21,before playing the resulting unclear position with a probable large advantage on the clock.
Must say the whole book is very enjoyable written and I found many interesting analyses from the ChessPublishing com web site.
By the way on 1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 Nc6!? 3.c4 dxc4 4.Qa4 Qd7 5.h3 Ne5!?6.Qxd7+ Kxd7 ! and black’s king might have been in the centre, but was very comfortable with the queens off and white unable to easily regain his pawn in E Roberts – M.Cehajic,corr 2003.
The interesting 2…Nc6!? Is as Richard Palliser describes it rare but also quite effective move order.The idea is simply to transpose to our main line after 3.h3 e5.
Conclusion: Buy it for all the exciting lines!
The Philidor files by Christian Bauer
2006
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
304 pages
Price $23,95
ISBN978-1-85744-436-0
To be honest I have seldom been so impressed as this openings book from the young GM Cristian Bauer on the Philidor defence.This book is all together
good for 304 well filled pages all with move to move annotations and just compare that all with the the latest ECO C of Chess Openings Encyclopaedia with it’s seven and a quarter page!
Probably many readers will remember Bauer first openings book Play 1…b6! which was also released by Everyman Chess,but this Philidor defence book is a complete other story!
The modern Philidor player from now a days prefers to play first a kind of Pirc defence but than switches over on move three to his real love the Philidor with his black night from B8 to d7,all these small subtleties are the key moves to a successful comeback of this forgotten opening.
First of all I am very impressed that Cristian Bauer really covers every possible line of the Philidor,yes with even rare transpositions to the Latvian Gambit as we can see in the next moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Nxe5 dxe4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.Qxg6+ Kd7 10.Qf5+ Ke8 11.Qe5+ Be6 12.Qxh8 Nc6.
But this all is nothing compared with chapter eleven 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Bxf7+? Kxf7 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.Ne6 or better
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Ng5+ Kg6! 9.f4 exf4 10.Ne6 Qg8 11.Nxc7 Ne5! 12.Nxa8 Bg4 13.Qd4 Nc6 14.Qf2 Qc4 where the young author writes: This is stronger than the immediate capture of the knight. Black is planning to play ..Bc5 or ..Bb4 and allows his opponent to respite. He has a clearly superior position, as you could easy verify by trying to defend the white side!
By the way 9.h4?! is condemned by Kosten and Van Rekom/Janssen.Old analysis by Voronov and Keres give in the books of the aforementioned authors,runs as follows: 9…h5 10.f4 exf4 11.Ne2 Bd6 12.e5 Nxe5 13.Nxf4+ Kh6 14.Nf7+ Nxf7 15.Ne6+ Kh7 16.Nxd8 Rxd8 and black has a winning advantage.
Interesting is 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5!? Bauer:This is much more interesting than 7.Bxf7.White will win material by force,but at the cost of falling behind in development black must play dynamically in order not to
let his opponent consolidate. As a general rule black should try to avoid entering an endgame and concentrate his pieces for an assault against the white king.One page 226 I found a old recommendation from the authors of the Lion which is not so strong as the authors once hoped, because it gives white in no time a winning position,1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5!? 0-0 7.Bxf7+ Rxf7 8.Ne6 Qe8 9.Nxc7 Qd8 10.Nxa8 exd4?!
A recommendation by the authors of the Lion,already proposed by Tony Kosten in Winning with the Philidor.The idea consists of quickly attacking f2.According to both sources a logical course of events seems to be:11.Qxd4 Ng4 12.0-0! b6 13.Nb5! Nc5 14.f3 Ne5 15.b4 Nc6 16.Qd2 Ne6 17.Rd1 and d6 drops,leaving white with a rook and three pawns for knight and bishop-again a technically winning position.
By the way the index contains:Part 1; Early deviations,3.d3 exd4: Introduction and Larsen’s variation,Antoshin’s variation with introduction and 6.Bf4
Part 2:Early 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6,Early deviations and 3.f3,3.Bd3,3.Nc3 e53,Nc3 Nbd7: Introduction, 4.f4 and 4.g4,and part3 with The Philidor Hanham variation.
Conclusion: A very important reference work on the Philidor defence!
Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess
Part one
Revolution in the 70s
2007
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
416 pages
Price $45,00
ISBN978-1-85744-444223
This latest book from Garry Kasparov on modern chess is the first in a brand new series and follows on the best selling books My Great predecessors,
the greatest chess player of all time Garry Kasparov digs in the chess developments of the 1970s which is after Kasaprov even so more important for the chess development than the hyper modernists of the 1930s.
Kasparov: Although, after becoming world champion, Fischer gave up playing, and many of his schemes soon became outdated, the tectonic shifts that he had caused generated a powerful avalanche, which over a period of ten years redrew the entire opening’ map of the world’.
Between 1972 and 1975 alone the progress in this field was more significant than in the entire preceding decade! Later the acceleration merely increased. The dynamics of the game increased sharply and, above all, there was a change in the very approach to the solving of opening problems.
Virtually the greatest hit of the 1970s was the truly innovatory and {what is especially important}universal system arising from different openings,which,following the example of William Hartston,became known as the ‘Hedgehog’.
Garry Kasparov discussed in this book 22 important lines of the 1970s and digs in these lines awful deep,all at the hand of detailed analyses and complete well analysed games,often with move to move analyses.
Counted a small 103 complete games all well analysed by Garry Kasparov and his great companion Dmitry Plisetsky, this name certainly deserved a place on the cover of this book maybe even in golden letters.
One of the most amazing lines that is covered in this book goes to the Sveshnikov variation chapter two of this book and good for 38 pages of this book.
Interesting is the describing of Evgeny Sveshnikov and his birth of a variation.
I played the Sicilian Defence right from my childhood-I began with the Paulsen variation,but I preferred more forcing play.
A the end of 1962,in an opening book by Pachman,I saw an exotic variation, where the position from the previous diagram {1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5}
9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 was recommended.
And if 10…Be6 11.Nxb5 axb6 12.Bxb5 “with an obvious advantage for white”.
But, as it is easy to see, after 12…Rc8 black has excellent counter chances.
Besides 10…f5! Is better, and if 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.Bxb5,tha 12…Bb7,and I began playing 5..e5,hoping to catch someone n the knight sacrifice.
Interesting is chapter twenty one of this book with the Chebanenko line, named after Vlacheslav Chebanenko {1942-1997}a prominent theoretician and trainer who coached a whole series of grandmasters and masters-Gavrikov,Bologan,Iordachescu,Komlyakov,Rogozenko,V.Nevednichy,Oratovsky and many others.His opening ‘bomb’
in the Sicilian defence employed by Petrosian in the 1st game of his match with Fischer is well known,{ 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.Bf4 e5 7.Be3 Nf6 8.Bg5 Be6 9.N1c3 a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Na3 d5}
But far more important, at that time Chebanenko devised and developed the system with 4..a6 in the Slav Defence.
A very good read in this book is chapter twenty four with the opinions of 28 world experts,
where you shall find a lot of interesting contributions from players who had a important influence in the 1970s as Evgeny Sveshnikov but also Raymond Keene!
Conclusion: A creative masterpiece!
Chess Classics
My system by Aron Nimzowitsch
2007
Quality Chess
http://www.qualitychessbooks.com
info@qualitychessbooks.com
316pages
Price $ 21,99
ISBN 10:91-976005-3-9
In 1925 Aaron Nimzowitsch {1886-1935} known as “The Father of Modern Chess” became one of the leading chess players in the world and that time he started to work on his book My System and around 1942 "My System" was widely recognized as one of the greatest chess books of al time.
The manuscript appeared in sections first and well in the years 1925/26, strange enough there has been so far never a good English translation not even the 1991 edition which was once praised by Yasser Seirawan as an easier read, indeed the book was slimmed down for a easy read to 260 pages.
This English translation from Quality chess is quite impressive not only the layout and fantastic paper but also the large amount of uncountable diagrams makes this edition of My System very readable but above all you buy this book for the understandable English {Nimzowitsch} notes to the games.
The editorial team Van Quality chess worked with contributors as Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw who have used for this translation the original German 2005 Rattman edition which contains a number of important improvements.
But there is more as two extra contributions as a chapter from My System in he computer age where you can find some slips from Nimzowitsch and a chapter from Jacob Aagaard on Nimzowitsch for the 21st Century.
But of more interest for the Nimzowitsch fan is the contribution from Giordano Bergamo who did a impressive research for events and times of the great Aaron Nimzowitsch.
Bergamo brought the pieces together of the match with Brinckmann and a number of Danish tournaments, and the cross tables of the Berlin 1927 event.The great Bent Larsen once wrote My System is a wonderful book but not really a system.
Nimzowitsch played his games without thinking to much about his system, only afterwards, when he had to annotate it, he did make an effort to fit it in.
Nimzowitsch lived in Copenhagen from 1923 until his death in 1935.He spend only a very little money on him self and his much to early death to send something like 3000 GBP to his mother and sister.Where a good deal of this money came from his book My System.
Bent Larsen in Learn from the grandmasters Batdford 1975.
Conclusion: A great tribute to Nimzowitsch and his system!
Please see an excerpt from the book in PDF format
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