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CHESSBOOK REVIEWS

Latest book reviews of 1 March 2008
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.
Wilhelminalaan 33 

7261 BP RUURLO 

The Netherlands.
John Elburg

Chess Books

Joel Benjamin American Grandmaster
Four decades of chess adventures
2007
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com
267 pages
Price $24,95
ISBN 978-1-85744-552-7

This book tells the facinating story of the American Grandmaster Joel Benjamin who was the first chess player in the US who has managed, to break down Bobby Fischer's famous record of becoming youngest U.S. Master of all time.
Benjamin writes in this book: In 1976 Goichberg organized a round-robin international at the Manhattan Chess Club.Such tournaments were few and far between,many players coveted spots in the field.
Young players like Michael Rohde,Ron Henley,and Mark Diesen had already established temselfes,but the two youngest invitees ignited controversy.
Michael Wilder,at thirteen the youngest master since Fischer,and yours truly,age twelve and 2100,took quite a few lumps in the tournament.I managed my first win over an IM {Canadian Bruce Amos} and draws with Rohde and Edmar Mednis.
Wilder beat me and finished slighty better.{Wilder retired from chess in favour of a career in law,he has not played since}
GM Bill Lombardy publicly criticized our participation in the tournament.I don’t know if the search for another Fischer should justify this kind of “affirmative action”.But I do know that the experiances from my first international helped me to score better the next time around.
In 1980 Benjamin became an International Master and five years late he graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in history, and in 1986 he became an International Grandmaster.
Included throw this book are a short 130 games as his facinaring win with the Polish opening on Greenfeld where Benjamin opend with the facinating opening moves 1.Nf3 b5.2.e4 Bb7 3.Bxb5 0-0 and 0-1 on move 38.
As many games in this book you have to search for analyses to the games.
No this is a book that you buy for the story of Joel Benjamin!
As many players Joel Benjamin was hooked by chess throw the Fischer book of 1972.
Benjamin is a entertaining write and throw this book he covers around four decades of chess enjoymet and this great player is still only 44 years old!
But these is a chaper where he discusses chess in retirement,but also how Joel Benjamin sees the current state of chess in America.
Interesting are his words on tournament chess in States:When you look at American tournaments today,you see more strong players and level chess than ever.But if you are a young player,up-and-coming player,you do not see opportunity.It saddens me that it is harder than ever for an American to have the kind of career that I had.
Other readable subjects are his anexdotes and stories on Blue period{ Deep Blue!}and Searching for a film career.
Benjamin writes: The camera hit me for four of five seconds.I think I move a piece,but mostly just look intenly in front of me.It’s tricky to evaluate one’s own performance,but I think I really nailed it.
The movie came out in 1993, a year after my schoot ,with all the principals of the film going to premiere.I liked the film,though I could tell it took a fair amount of artistic license.Since then I’ve always thought twice thought twice when I see a movie “based on a true story”.
Conclusion: Buy it for the great read!

How to Play Chess Endgames by Karsten Müller & Wolfgang Pajeken
2008
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
351pages
Price $ 34,95
ISBN 978-1-904600-86-2

The fans from the well known endgame expert Grandmaster Karsten Müller had to wait some time before this companion volume to Fundamential chess endings has been released ,but I can allready insure you what a impressive heavy weight!
For this work Kasten Müller has exchanged his co author Frank Lamprecht for Wolfgang Pajeken,a well known FIDE chess master from Hamburg.
I am aware that many chess players are still holding on Fine’s Basic of Chess Endings I only can say throw it away and work throw this instructive written endgame book from Müller and Pajeken!
The authors cover in this book a systematic point by point overview of all methods of general endgame play all explaned with a lot of readable text and that is unique in the world of dry endgame theory!
This all goes together with many practical examples,exercises and studies,all devided in the folowing 18 chapters:Activity,The art of pawn play,Do not ruch,The right exchange,Thinking in schemes,Weaknesses,The fight for the initiative, Prophylaxis and Preventing Counterplay, The Bishop-Pair in the Endgame,Zugzwang,Fortresses,Stalemate,Mate,Domination,Converting an advantage,The art of defence,Typical mistakes,Rules of thumb,Solutions to the exercises,Bibliography and an excellent made index.
Please take a moment of your pressures time to study this endgame book and it will help you to become a master in chess!
Works like these help you to find the best places for your pieces, seen that many endgame positions in this book start in the early middlegame and that makes it all so more undestandable.
Interesting to mention is chapter 8, Prophylaxis and Preventing Counterplay where the authors dicuss the techniques of ‘prophylactic’thinking’.
This chapter will help you to dig into the mind of your opponent.
Müller & Pajeken write: By this “prophylactic’thinking” is meant the skill of regularly asking your self during a game:what is my opponent planning?
What would he do,if it were his turn to move?
Only by conducting this sort of interior monologue during a game,regulary asking your self these or similar questions,can you penetrate really deeply into your opponents thinking.
Applying this way of thinking is of special importance in the endgame.Since both players in the middlegame and in the opening usually have several plans and ideas avaible,you don’t generally manage to eliminate all the opponent’s options.In the endgame,however,owing to the reduced material,the range of possibilities worth considering is generally much narrower.
Here if you are able to foil the opponent’s intentions than success is generally not far away.In addition,this thinking method also helps you spot zugzwang positions.
Prophylactic thinking is extraordinarily important in converting an advantage.
More than 90 % of this book is new material but I still glad with some classice examples as Euwe – Alekhine,Amsterdam Wch {20} from 1935 where Euwe played the brilliant move Ra2!!!
Müller & Pajeken: With this move,Euwe prevents this relief operation in elegant fashion.The pin is permanent and white can exploit his pawn majority in the centre. If Alekine had also thought prophylactically,he would have surely have found 1..g4!
Euwe was very proud about this game and seen the game very understandable,and therefor published in both of his books Dr.Max Euwe,Keuze uit zijn beste partijen Van Goor Zonen Den Haag 1965 and Schaakpartijen van Dr.M.Euwe, Van Goor Zonen Den Haag 1939.
But the move 30..g4 is not mentioned!
For the Euwe fans here is the complete game: Euwe,Max - Alekhine,Alexander [D17]
World Championship 16th Netherlands (20), 16.11.1935
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 Nfd7 11.Bg2 f6 12.0-0 Rd8 13.Qc1 Qb8 14.Ne4 Be7 15.Qc3 0-0 16.Rad1 Be6 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Ng5 fxg5 19.Bxe5 Bf6 20.Bxb8 Bxc3 21.Bd6 Rf7 22.bxc3 Rfd7 23.Rb1 Rxd6 24.Rxb7 R8d7 25.Rxd7 Bxd7 26.Be4 c5 27.c4 Bxa4 28.Bd5+ Kf8 29.Ra1 Ra6 30.Ra2 Ke7 31.f4 gxf4 32.gxf4 Kf6 33.e4 g5 34.f5 h5 35.h4 gxh4 36.Kh2 Kg5 37.Kh3 Ra5 38.Bb7 Kf6 39.Bd5 Kg5 40.Bb7 Kf6 41.Bc8 1-0
Conclusion: A must have endgame book!

Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player by Lev Alburt and Sam Palatnick
2007
www.wwnorton.co.uk
352 pages
Price £13.99
ISBN 1-889323-16-0

I have no comparing material with the first edition even that I did use use cover of the first edition,but this book hold a fine collection straegy games, where the material is based on Russian training methods.
As for example I found a lot of instructive games from the great chess legend MikhailBotvinnik, hero of million chess players.
All together I counted over the 100 well analyed games where the authors have managed to pack the strategies of these games readable together.
This strategy course stands alone but belongs to a interesting series of five works,which I was not aware of.
Besides the complete games there are usefull learning exercies to see if you have learned from the games of this book.
The material is based on the following chapters: Good and bad bishops,Bishops of opposite colour,Cutting off a piece from the mail action,when the bishop is stronger than the knight,The bishop pair,Fighting on the long diagonals,Open files and diagonals,Weak and strong squares,When a complex of squares is weak,Weak and strong pawns,Significance of the center,Opening the game in the center,A look back and a look ahead plus game index.
Personally I think that many less experianed chess players and local club players can have a lot of use from this book seen the logical and easy to follow analyses of the played middle games straegies,where opening and endgame get a important turn.
Included in this book is the game Letelier -Fischer from the Leipzig Olympic from 1960 where Letelier tried to take Fischer out of the book,please also see game 21 of his book My 60 Memorable games!
Conclusion: A book that helps you as no other to understand chess plannning!

Chess Informant issue 100
2007
Beograd
http://www.sahovski.com
340 pages
Price GBP 20.50

Forty two years ago the first chess Informator was born with it’s unieke language-less figurine alegebratic notation where around twenty symbols where used to place evaluations of the positions.
The story is that Bobby Fischer gave the first issue of the Informator to his chess teacher John Collins, so pleased he was with it!
The Chess Informator has never been overloaed with correspondence games but the first game that ever appeared in the Informator was a postal one: Simagin,V - Sokolsky,A [A01] corr, 1966
1/1 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 d6 4.c4 g6 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 Nge7 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Nge2 d5 9.d3 Qd7 10.Na4 b6 11.Nf4 0-0 12.Nxe6 Qxe6 13.Nc3 e4 14.d4 f5 15.cxd5 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.0-0 Rae8 18.Rc1 Rf7 19.f3 Bh6 20.Rc3 Nd8 21.fxe4 fxe4 22.Qc2 c6 23.Bc1 Ref8 24.Rxf7 Qxf7 25.Qe2 Qe7 26.Qc4+ Kh8 27.Rc2 Rf5 28.Re2 Rf8 29.Bb2 Bg7 30.Qc2 Re8 31.Rf2 g5 32.Bh3 Qb4 33.Kg2 Qb5 34.Bd7 Re7 35.d5 1-0
The longest game that was ever published goes between the two John’s: John Van der Wiel and John Fedorowicz [B64]WchT U26 Graz, 1981
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.f4 h6 10.Bh4 Bd7 11.Ndb5 Nxe4 12.Bxe7 Nxd2 13.Bxd8 Nxf1 14.Bc7 Ne3 15.Rd3 Nxg2 16.Bxd6 Rfc8 17.Nc7 Rab8 18.h4 Na5 19.Rg1 Bc6 20.N7b5 Ra8 21.Rg3 Nc4 22.Be7 Nce3 23.Nd6 Rc7 24.Bf6 g6 25.Be5 Rd7 26.Nce4 Kf8 27.Nc5 Rc7 28.h5 b6 29.Na6 Rd7 30.Nb4 Ba4 31.b3 a5 32.bxa4 axb4 33.Ne4 Rad8 34.R1xg2 Rd1+ 35.Kb2 Nc4+ 36.Kb3 Nxe5 37.fxe5 R8d4 38.Nd2 R1xd2 39.Rxd2 Rxd2 40.hxg6 Re2 41.Rf3 h5 42.Rxf7+ Kg8 43.Rb7 h4 44.Rxb6 Rxe5 45.Rb5 Rf5 46.Rxb4 Rh5 47.Re4 h3 48.Re1 h2 49.Rh1 Kg7 50.Kb4 Kxg6 51.a5 Kf5 52.a6 Rh7 53.Kb5 Kg4 54.Kb6 Kg3 55.a7 Rh8 56.c4 e5 57.c5 e4 58.c6 Kg2 59.Rc1 h1Q 60.Rxh1 Kxh1 61.c7 e3 62.Kb7 e2 63.c8Q Rxc8 64.Kxc8 e1Q 65.a8Q+ Kh2 66.Qd5 Qc3+ 67.Kd7 Qg7+ 68.Kc6 Qc3+ 69.Kb5 Qb2+ 70.Kc5 Qa3+ 71.Kd4 Qa7+ 72.Kd3 Qa3+ 73.Ke2 Qe7+ 74.Kd1 Qa3 75.Qc4 Qd6+ 76.Kc2 Qg6+ 77.Qd3 Qc6+ 78.Kd1 Qa8 79.a3 Kg2 80.Kc2 Kf2 81.Qd4+ Kf3 82.a4 Qe4+ 83.Kc3 Qc6+ 84.Qc4 Qf6+ 85.Kb3 Qb6+ 86.Qb5 Qe3+ 87.Kc4 Qe4+ 88.Kc5 Qe5+ 89.Kc6 Qe6+ 90.Kc7 Qe7+ 91.Qd7 Qe5+ 92.Kb7 Qb2+ 93.Qb5 Qg7+ 94.Ka6 Qg6+ 95.Ka7 Qg1+ 96.Qb6 Qa1 97.a5 Ke2 98.Qe6+ Kf1 99.Qf5+ Ke1 100.Kb6 Qb2+ 101.Kc6 Qc3+ 102.Kd6 Qb4+ 103.Qc5 Qb8+ 104.Ke7 Qb7+ 105.Kf6 Qf3+ 106.Qf5 Qa8 107.Qe6+ Kf1 108.a6 Kg1 109.Qb6+ Kh2 110.Qc7+ Kg1 111.Qc5+ Kh2 112.a7 Qh8+ 113.Kg5 Qg7+ 114.Kf5 Qh7+ 115.Kf4 Qf7+ 116.Ke3 Qb3+ 117.Ke4 Qb7+ 118.Kd3 Qa6+ 119.Ke3 Qe6+ 120.Kd4 Qg4+ 121.Kc3 Qf3+ 122.Kd2 Qg2+ 123.Ke1 Qe4+ 124.Kd1 Qf3+ 125.Kc1 Qh1+ 126.Kb2 Qb7+ 127.Ka3 Qf3+ 128.Kb4 Qe4+ 129.Kb5 Qe2+ 130.Kc6 Qe8+ 131.Kb6 Qe6+ 132.Kb7 Qe4+ 133.Kc7 Qh7+ 134.Kc6 Qe4+ 135.Qd5 Qa4+ 136.Kb7 Qb4+ 137.Kc7 Qe7+ 138.Qd7 Qc5+ 139.Kb8 Qf8+ 140.Qc8 Qb4+ 141.Ka8 Kg1 142.Qc1+ Kf2 143.Qb2+ Qxb2 ½-½
A amusing game where I an sure that you can find with the help of Fritz a easy win for white in no time!
Interesting to mention is that about About 11,000 chess players have had their games published in Chess Informator!
The greatest fighter with the most published games goes to the great Viktor Korchnoi and the most populair opening in the Informator went to the Lasker-Pelikan Sicilian, Sveshnikov variation ECO code B33 with 1498 games.
Issue 100 holds 451 annotated games and 489 game fragments all played between May 1st, 2007 and August 31 of this year.
The best game of the preceding volume goes to the game between Anand and Carlsen,Morelia/Linares 2007.Please see Informant issue 99/247.
Most important theoretical novelties goes to the game Kramnik – Carlsen,Monaco 2007,Informant 99/295.
The theoretical survey from T.Paunovic on this line of the Botvinnik Semi-Slav where white went for the gambit line with 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.exf6!
Pleasant to mention is that the Best of Chess Informant goes this time to Aleksandar Matanovic the great man behind the Informator!
Conclusion: Buy it! Because it is the best chess publication that money can buy!

Dangerous Weapons: The Queen's Gambit
Glenn Flear,Richard Palliser & Chris Ward
2007
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com
239 pages
Price $24,95
ISBN 978-1-85744-546-6

This latest Dangerous Weapon book holds a collection ofbeat lines based on the Queens Gambit as the following chapters in this book show us:
1.Playing ..b5 with confidence {1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 b5 2 Having Fun against the ..a6 Slav{1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bg5},3 Exciting byways in the Main Line Slav: Part one {1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6..Bf4 Nh5 7.Bg5,4 Exciting byways in the Main Line Slav: Part two {1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4,5 The a-pawn Cramp {1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.a5},6 The Hodgson – Smallbone variation {1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bg4 6.Ne5 Nbd7}, 7 The a –pawn Abstention {d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.exf6 gxh4 10.Ne5 Qxf6 11.g3, 8 Going long in the Moscow { 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 dxc4 8.Qxc4 Nd7 9.0-0-0}9,Livening up the Exchange Variation: Part One one {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Bg4},10 Livening up the Exchange Variation: Part two {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Bb4}, 11 Shocking the QGD {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.g4}12 The Anti-Vienna Gambit {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bxc4 },13 Tricking the Tarrasch {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bf4} and at last the line Taking the fun our of the Albin and Chigorin {1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.a3 Nc6 5.e3}
The material is not completely based on model games even that there are a small twenty of them in this book but the whole work reads as a good openings book with conclusions and explaning of tricky transpositions.
Glenn flear is by the way responsible for the chapters 1,9.10,13 and 14;Chris Ward for 2,5,7 & 8;and Richard Palliser has written chapter 3,4,6,11 and 12!
One of favorite lines goes to the The Hodgson – Smallbone variation where Palliser has included the game Cox – Smallbone,London League 2006!
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bg4 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxg4 Nxg4 8.e4 e5 9.Qxg4 exd4 10.Nb1 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qb6 12.Bxc4 Qxb2 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Qxd7+ Be7 15.Ra3 Qxb1+ 16.Ke2 Qxe4+ 17.Kd1 Rhd8 18.Qxb7 Rab8 19.Qxa7 Kg8 20.Ra1 Rb1+ 21.Rxb1 Qxb1+ 22.Ke2 d3+ 23.Ke3 Bg5+ 24.Kf3 Rf8+ 25.Kg3 Qxh1 26.Bxg5 Qa1 27.Qe3 Qxa4 28.Qxd3 Qb5 29.Qe3 Qd5 30.f3 c5 31.Be7 Rc8 32.Qf4 Re8 33.Qc7 c4 34.h4 c3 35.Bb4 and Cox went on to hold the exchange -down ending.
A remarkable game that is analysed with nearly six pages of text! Interesting to mention is the The anti Vienna Gambit,chapter twelve of this book where black is playing a mirrow variation of the Vienna Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 and 3.f4,a line that has recently attracted grandmaster attention!
Conclusion: Certainley a must for all 1.d4 players!

Sicilian Grand Prix Attack by Gawain Jones
2008
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com
239 pages
Price $24,95
ISBN 978-1-85744-547-3

GM Gawain Jones does not only explain in this latest Starting out book all the vital strategies of the Grand Prix Attack but even more imortant, this young English Grandmaster provides the reader with a wealth of latest devolpments,as for example the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 which is nowadays the main line of the whole Grand Prix Attack.
Jones writes:White cedes the two bishops but gains space and a lead in devolpment.I think 6.0-0 is the only way to fight for an advantge,though white has options after 6...Nxb5 7.Nxb5 d5 either taking the pawn on d5 or else playing 8.e5.The critical variation after 8.exd5 is probaly 8…a6 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.d4 c4 which leaves an interesting postion: Black has the two bishops and more space on the queenside;on the other hand,white has a temorary material and development advatage and can try and exploit that,either by retaining the pawn or by generating some initiative.8.e5 is less explored and normally develops into positions where black has to be careful not to be worse with less space and his bishop on g7 blocked out of the game.
The classic Grand Prix with 1.e4 c5 1.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 e6 6.f5 is interesting and well covered in chapter one with around five model games and fifteen pages of text
but it is nowadays no more than a good surprice weapon.
GM Gawain Jones is a authority on the Grand Prix Attack and this can be seen in the ten included model games and the ones between the lines,impressive to mention is his latest win with it against Van Wely who went for the main line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.0-0 a6 7.Bd3 b5 8.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 9.Kh1 and after 9…Bb7 10.e5! Ra7?! 11.Be4 Bxc3 12.Bxb7 Bxb2? and black’s position is allready a ruine.
All together there are 36 model games,conclusions,bibliography,index of variations,index of complete games ansd above all a lot of instructive notes!
Conclusion: Suprice your opponent with the Grand Prix Attack!

Play the Semi -Slav by David Vigorito
2008
Quality Chess
277 pages
Price $24,99
ISBN 978-91-857790-1-7

Play the Semi – Slav is a intersting repertoire book from David Vigorito who is a talented International master from Massachusetts who has just qulaified for the US championship.
Personal it is a pity that Vigorito did not go for a full coverage of the Semi – Slav as the IM from Denark Steffen Pedersen once did in his impressive works The Meran System and The Botvinnink Semi-Slav,both published by Gambit in 2000.
For example in the one of the most interesting lines of the Moscow Variation; 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.Kxf1 Qc6 20.exd8Q+ Kxd8 21.Nd5 Rxh2 22.Kg1 Rh8 23.Bf4 Vigorito folows the footsteps of some correspondence games and said enough these games lead to nothing.
But I must admit the analyses to the move 18…Bxf1 are good for over two pages of high quality chess analyses.
For the interested reader David Vigorito covers in this book the following chapters:The Moscow Variation,The Botvinnink Vaiation,The Meran,The 6.Qc2 and lines where white avoids the Main Lines.
By the way chapter four with the 6.Qc2 variation also holds the The Latvian Variation with the strange looking pawn move {d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6} 7.g4 This move is explained by Vigorito with over one page of full text!
All lines in this book are explained at the hand of 50 well loaded model games but I only could find between these games only one game from the year 2007!
Included is a really good index and bibliography but dear reader updating starts with Informator 99!
Conclusion: Instructive work on the Semi - Slav!

Chess CD's & DVD's

ChessBase Magazine extra issue 121
JANUARY 2008
Fritz trainer videos with Nigel Davies and Andrew Martin
ChessBase
http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Euro 12.99

ChessBase Magazine Extra comes with a collection of 20731 games all played between the Belgium and North American Champinship from of the year 2007.
Again there are a lot of smassing games in this CD as the World Junior Championships but very interesting to mention is the Latvian game from the American master Andrew Karklins: Akopian,Robert (2150) - Karklins,Andrew (2279) [C40]
North American op 17th Las Vegas (6), 29.12.2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.d4 d5 7.Ne5 Bd6 8.Bg5 c6 9.Be2 0-0 10.Qd2 Qc7 11.f4 exf3 12.Nxf3 Ng4 13.0-0 Bxh2+ 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Bd3 Nd7 16.Be7 Ndf6 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Ng5 Rh6 19.Nh3 Bg1 20.Qf4 Qxf4 21.Rxf4 Be3 22.Ne2 Bxf4 23.Nexf4 Nf2+ 24.Kh2 Bxh3 25.gxh3 Rf8 0-1
All together there are eleven Latvian games where white did manage to win seven times but I must admit black did not play in these games the best possible lines as for examle in the game
Valenti,Giuseppe (2207) - Juretic,Boris (1894) [C40]Rijeka op Rijeka (4), 27.11.2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.Ne3 c6 8.Be2 Nf6 9.d5 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.f3 exf3 12.Rxf3 Qe8 13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.Rg3 Ne5 15.Be2 Bd7 16.Bd2 c5 17.a4 a6 18.a5 Bd8 19.b3 Rb8 20.Kh1 Kh8 21.h3 Ng8 22.Nc4 Nxc4 23.Bxc4 Bf6 24.Re3 Be5 25.Qe2 Nf6 26.Rf1 Qd8 27.Ref3 Qxa5 28.Ne4 Qb6 29.Bg5 Bb5 30.Nxf6 gxf6 31.Bxf6+ Rxf6 32.Rxf6 Bxf6 33.Rxf6 Bxc4 34.Qxc4 Qc7 35.Qf4 Kg8 36.Rxd6 Qg7 37.Rf6 Rf8 38.Rxf8+ Qxf8 39.Qg4+ Qg7 40.Qc8+ Qf8 41.Qg4+ Qg7 42.Qf3 Qf7 43.Qd3 Qd7 44.d6 Kf8 45.Qd5 b6 46.Kg1 a5 47.c4 Kg7 48.g4 h6 49.Kg2 1-0
It is interesting to compare this game with the one from the great attacking genius Rudolf Spielman where black had more than enough play!
Merenyi,Lajos - Spielmann,Rudolf [C40]
Budapest Budapest, 1928
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.Ne3 c6 8.d5 Nf6 9.Be2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.f3 exf3 12.Bxf3 c5 13.Be2 Na6 14.Bd3 Qe8 15.Nf5 Bxf5 16.Bxf5 Nc7 17.Qd3 Qh5 18.Bd2 Ng4 19.h3 Ne5 20.Qe4 Kh8 21.a4 Bg5 22.Bxg5 Qxg5 23.Nb5 Ne8 24.Be6 Nf6 25.Qf4 Qxf4 26.Rxf4 Ng6 27.Rff1 Ne4 28.Rae1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 a6 30.Rxe4 axb5 31.axb5 Ne5 32.b3 g6 33.Ra4 Rxa4 34.bxa4 Nc4 35.Ke2 b6 36.Kd3 Na5 37.Bg4 Kg7 38.Be2 Kf6 39.Ke4 Nb7 40.Kf4 Na5 41.h4 h6 42.Bd3 Nb7 43.g3 Na5 44.Bf1 Nb7 45.Be2 ½-½
The extra included files are completely devided to multimedia lessons from Nigel Davies and Andrew Martin.
The one from Nigel Davies is one of his own games which is a supplement to his DVD "The Accelerated Dragon".
Martin write: The "Hippopotamus" is a waiting setup for Black with the moves g6, Bg7, b6, Bb7, d6, e6, a6 and h6. White cannot take Black's position by storm but must patiently extend his positional advantage, as Martin demonstrates in his video on the game Kunte-Saravanan, New Delhi 2007.
Conclusion: High quality chess material!

Nigel Davies 1.e4 for the creative attacker
2008
Fritztrainer opening
On DVD!
2008
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 26,99
System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM,Windows XP or Windows Vista, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive.

GM Nigel Davies provides the reader with a lot of interesting of lines based on the move 1.e4,as for example the move 2.Na3 against the Sicilian defence.
It seems me that Davies is a man who does not like learning a mass of theory lines but what he plays makes a lot of sence.
As for example Davies explains in the introduction that he had a time that he liked to play 2.d3 against 2..c5,
but after a while the black players found out that after 2.d3 d5!? 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 Nd4 6.Bg2 Bh3 7.Bxh3 Nxf3+ 8.Kf1 Nd2 9.Kg1 Nf3 black has a easy draw.
No as Davies explains you can better play the move 2.Na3!
A fine example here is: Shabalov,Alexander (2604) - Homa,Seth [B20]
US op 107th Chicago (3), 07.08.2006
1.e4 c5 2.Na3 [2.Ne2 d6 (2...Nc6 3.d4) 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 g6 5.c3] 2...d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.g3 g6 [4...Nxe4? 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxe4 Bc6 7.Bb5;
4...Nc6 5.Bg2 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 e6 10.d3 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qe2 Qd7 13.Bd2 Rad8 14.Rad1 Rfe8 15.Bg2 a6 16.Nc2 b5 17.a3 Bf6 18.h4 Qc7 19.Be4 a5 20.Ne3 b4 21.Rc1 bxc3 22.bxc3 a4 23.Rc2 Be7 24.Nc4 Bf8 25.Rb1 Rb8 26.Rcb2 Rxb2 27.Rxb2 Rd8 28.Kg2 Be7 29.Qd1 Ra8 30.Rb5 Ra7 31.Qf3 Qd8 32.Qd1 h6 33.Qb1 Qc7 34.Nb6 Nf6 35.Bf4 e5 36.Be3 Nxe4 37.dxe4 Bd6 38.Nd5 Qd7 39.Bxc5 Bxc5 40.Rxc5 Rb7 41.Rb5 Na5 42.c4 Nb3 43.Qd1 Kh7 44.Qh5 f6 45.Qf5+ Qxf5 46.exf5 Rd7 47.Rb4 Nd4 48.Ne3 Ra7 49.g4 Kg8 50.h5 Kf7 51.Rb6 Ke8 52.Kf1 Kd7 53.Ke1 Nb3 54.Kd1 Nc5 55.Nd5 Nd3 56.Ke2 Nc5 57.Ke3 Nb3 58.f4 exf4+ 59.Nxf4 Rc7 60.Rb4 Nc5 61.Nd5 Ra7 62.Rb6 Ra8 63.Kd4 Rc8 64.Kc3 Re8 65.Kb4 Rc8 66.Kb5 Nd3 67.Rb7+ Kd6 68.Rxg7 Rc5+ 69.Kb6 Ne5 70.Nxf6 Nxc4+ 71.Kb7 Rb5+ 72.Ka7 Ra5+ 73.Kb8 Nxa3 74.Ne4+ Kd5 75.f6 Rb5+ 76.Rb7 Ke6 77.g5 Rxb7+ 78.Kxb7 Nc4 79.gxh6 a3 80.h7 a2 81.h8Q Na5+ 82.Kc7 a1Q 83.Qe8+ Kd5 84.f7 Qc1+ 85.Kd7 Qc6+ 86.Ke7 Qe6+ 87.Kf8 Qh6+ 88.Kg8 1-0 Sasikiran,K (2692)-Cheparinov,I (2635)/Turin 2006/CBM 113] 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 [6...e5 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Nc6 9.dxc5 dxc5 10.Qxd8+] 7.d4 [7.0-0 e5 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 Nc6 10.dxc5 dxc5 11.Qxd8 Rxd8] 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nc6 9.0-0 Bd7 10.h3 Rc8 11.Be3 Qa5 12.Qb3 Qa6 13.Rfe1 Na5 14.Qb4 Nc6 15.Qd2 b5 16.Nc2 Rc7 17.b3 Qc8 18.Kh2 a5 19.Rac1 b4 20.d5 Ne5 [20...Nb8 21.Bb6] 21.Ncd4 e6 [21...Be8 22.f4 Ned7 23.Nc6] 22.f4 exd5 23.exd5 Neg4+ 24.hxg4 Nxg4+ 25.Kh1 Re8 26.Bg1 Rxc1 27.Rxc1 Qd8 28.Nf3 1-0
Against 1….e5 Davies goes for the Knight with the Bishop on g2 all based on the logic as all the other white lines on this repertoire DVD.
On the French Pirc and Modern defence white goes for the move 2.f4 and on the Caro-Kann Davies prefers a gambit system with 2.d4 d5 3.f3 the so called Fantasy variation which belongs for many years to one of his dangerous pet lines.
Davies,Nigel R - Surtees,M [B12] Heywood (Rapidplay), 2007
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 dxe4 7.Qe2 [7.fxe4 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qxe4+] 7...exf3 8.Nxf3 Qa5 9.Bd2 Qa4 10.Qe5 f6 [10...Nf6 11.Bd3] 11.Qg3 g6 [11...Kf7 12.Bd3] 12.Bd3 Ne7 13.0-0 Qa5 14.Qh4 0-0 15.Bh6 Rf7 16.Ne5 Nf5 [16...fxe5 17.Qxe7 Rxe7 18.Rf8#] 17.Rxf5 exf5 [17...gxf5 18.Qg3+ Kh8 19.Nxf7#;
17...fxe5 18.Qe7] 18.Bc4 fxe5 19.Qe7 [19.Qf6] 1-0
The running time of this DVD isaround four hours and it offers the reader a lot of instructive value.
Conclusion: A repertoire DVD for all who don’t like to learn chess openings!

Nigel Davies King's Indian Attack
2008
Fritztrainer opening
On DVD!
2008
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 26,99
System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM,Windows XP or Windows Vista, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive.

Nigel Davies is playing the King’s Indian attack with the Bishop to g2 for over 40 years
and his latest ChessBase Fritztrainer openings DVD offers us a unique opportunity to get in touch with one of the favorite lines of the great late Bobby Fischer.
The King’s Indian attack is an ideal opening for all who want to master a openingsystem that is based on thematic ideas.
Davies foucuses on the King’s Indian attack based on the moves 1.e4 and 1.Nf3.
Fischer prefered King’s Indian attack against the French opening and pleasant enough Nigel Davies digs also in this great master piece.
Fischer,Robert James - Myagmarsuren,Lhamsuren [C00] Sousse Interzonal+ Sousse (3), 1967
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.g3 [4.Ngf3] 4...c5 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Ngf3 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e5 [8.Re1 dxe4 a) 8...Qc7 9.e5 Nd7 10.Qe2 b5 11.Nf1 a5 12.Bf4 b4 13.h4 a4 14.Ne3; b) 8...b5 9.a4 (9.Nf1 dxe4 10.N3d2) 9...b4; 9.dxe4] 8...Nd7 9.Re1 b5 10.Nf1 b4 11.h4 a5 12.Bf4 [12.N1h2 a4 13.Bf4 a3 14.b3 Ba6 15.Rc1 Rc8 16.Ng5 Qe8 17.Qh5 Bxg5 18.Qxg5 (18.hxg5? f5 19.Qxe8 Rfxe8) 18...Kh8 19.h5 f6 20.exf6 gxf6 21.Qh4 Qf7 22.Ng4 Nd4 23.Ne3 Rg8 24.Bd6 Nb5 25.Nf5 Rg5 26.Nh6 Qe8 27.Bf4 Rxh5 28.Qg4 Ne5 29.Rxe5 fxe5 30.Bg5 Kg7 31.Re1 Qg6 32.Rxe5 Nd4 33.Bxd5 Rf8 34.Be4 Qxe4 35.Qxe4 Nf3+ 36.Kg2 Rh2+ 37.Kf1 ½-½ Davies,N (2375)-Plaskett,J (2425)/Manchester 1983/EXT 2006] 12...a4 13.a3 bxa3 14.bxa3 Na5 [14...Nd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Nd2] 15.Ne3 Ba6 16.Bh3 d4 17.Nf1 Nb6 18.Ng5 Nd5 19.Bd2 Bxg5 20.Bxg5 Qd7 21.Qh5 Rfc8 22.Nd2 Nc3 23.Bf6 Qe8 [23...gxf6 24.exf6] 24.Ne4 g6 25.Qg5 Nxe4 26.Rxe4 c4 27.h5 cxd3 28.Rh4 Ra7 [28...dxc2 29.hxg6 fxg6 30.Rxh7 c1Q+ 31.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32.Kh2 Kxh7 33.Qh4+ Kg8 34.Qh8+ Kf7 35.Qg7#] 29.Bg2 dxc2 [29...Qf8] 30.Qh6 Qf8 [30...c1Q+ 31.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32.Kh2] 31.Qxh7+ [31.Qxh7+ Kxh7 32.hxg6+ Kxg6 33.Be4#] 1-0
Interesting to mention is that Davies does not completely agree with Fischer’s move to stop the black pawn storm with 13.a3 but as he honnestly explains I am not Bobby Fischer.
Other commentators as Angus Dunnington once wrote in his book The Ultimate King’s Indian Attack,Batsford 1998; Fischer is happy to waste a move on this side of the board because now blackno longer has he useful a4-a3 push at his disposal.
And Andrew Soltis,Bobby Fischer Rediscovered Batsford 2003, 13.a3!! But this move,allowing the opening of the b-file was a thunderbolt.Kmoch believed Fischer played it after he realized 13.Ne3 a3,14.b3 would allow 14…f5 15.exf6 Bxf6,attacking the rook at a1 and gaining a key tempo.Yet when Fischer annotated the game in Boy’s Life he explained he was thinking in general terms.He just did’t want to create a wholeat c3 after 13…a3 14.b3.Chess,he added is “knowing when to punch and how to duck”.
But please also see the game from Davies – Plaskett which is mentioned between the lines and included with instructive notes on this DVD.
By the way the black player became famous after loosing this game.
A other game from Fischer on this DVD is: Fischer,Robert James - Panno,Oscar [A04] Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (8), 30.07.1970
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 Nc6 4.g3 g6 [4...d6 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nbd2 Bd7 9.c3 Rc8 10.d4 (10.a3 b5 11.d4 (11.b4 cxb4 (11...a5 12.bxc5 dxc5 13.e5 Nd5 14.Ne4 b4 15.axb4 axb4 16.c4 Nb6 17.Be3 Nb8 18.h4 Bc6 19.Nfg5 h6 20.Nh3 Bxe4 21.Bxe4 f5 22.exf6 Bxf6 23.Qg4 Bxa1 24.Qxe6+ Kh8 25.Qg6 Kg8 26.Qh7+ Kf7 27.Bg6+ 1-0 Vachier Lagrave,M (2579)-Skripchenko,A (2427)/Cap d'Agde 2006/CBM 115) 12.axb4 a5 13.bxa5 Nxa5 14.Ba3) ) 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 Nb4] 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.0-0 Nge7 7.Re1 d6 [7...d5] 8.c3 0-0 [8...e5 9.a3 0-0 10.b4 h6 (10...a6 11.Nbd2) 11.b5 Na5 12.c4] 9.d4 cxd4 10.cxd4 d5 11.e5 Bd7 [11...Qb6] 12.Nc3 Rc8 13.Bf4 Na5 14.Rc1 b5 15.b3 b4 16.Ne2 Bb5 17.Qd2 Nac6 18.g4 a5 19.Ng3 Qb6 20.h4 Nb8 21.Bh6 Nd7 22.Qg5 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Bxh6 24.Qxh6 Rc8 25.Rxc8+ Nxc8 26.h5 Qd8 27.Ng5 Nf8 28.Be4 Qe7 [28...dxe4 29.N3xe4] 29.Nxh7 Nxh7 30.hxg6 fxg6 [30...Nf8 31.g7] 31.Bxg6 Ng5 [31...Nf8 32.Nh5 Nxg6] 32.Nh5 Nf3+ 33.Kg2 Nh4+ 34.Kg3 Nxg6 35.Nf6+ Kf7 36.Qh7+ [36.Qh7+ Kf8 37.Qg8#] 1-0
In My 60 Memorable Games Fischer wrote: 3.d3 This used to be my favorite.I thought it led to a favorable variation of the King’s Indian reversed,particularly after black has committed himself with …e6.
Running time of this DVD is over five hours!
Conclusion: Learn in five hours to attack with the bishop on g2!

Bogo-Indian Defence by Boris Schipkov
2008
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 26,99
System requirements: 32 MB RAM,Windows CD-ROM,mouse

The author of Chess Siberia and creator of some hot ChessBase CD’s as The Dutch Defence Boris Schipkov digs here in this latest Chess Training openings CD with 21 text files and 392 specially annotated Bogo-Indian games.
This opening is called after Efim Bogoljubow who played it regulary in the 1920s and is considered as a opening which is easy to learn.
But first to main database which is good for over 17575 games where a small 547 of them are analysed,and that is included the above mentioned specially analysed or better said a lot of computer generated Bogo-Indian games from our chess theoretican Boris Schipkov.
Intersting to mention is the conclusion from Shipkov about the Bogo-Indian Defence:
Bogo-Indian E11 - Conclusion
The Bogo-Indian Defence is a very reliable opening. Black obtains either sufficient or good counterplay or gradually levels the game in the lion's share of the variations.
The Bogo-Indian lines are multifarious. So on the one hand, if a player who employs the Dutch Defence, King's Indian or Queen's Gambit Declined wants to enlarge his repertoire to play when necessary (at the right moment: it is sometimes easier to beat one specific rival with the Dutch, but against another the Bogo-Indian may be the better choice) in a more positional and quiet manner than in his mentioned pet openings, then the Bogo-Indian (together with the Nimzo-Indian) is ideally suited. For example, the grandmasters Ulf Andersson, Ian Rogers, Valery Loginov, Bartosz Socko, Arkadij Naiditsch play both the King's Indian and Bogo-Indian, the grandmasters Mikhail Ulibin, Predrag Nikolic, Alexander Moiseenko prefer the Dutch and Bogo-Indian as well; Viktor Kortschnoj and Kevin Spraggett use all three: Bogo-Indian, Dutch and King's Indian. We see that such chess authorities like Ulf Andersson and Viktor Kortschnoj both like the Bogo-Indian very much.
On the other hand, if a player knows and understands the Bogo-Indian Defence, then he can easily learn another opening: the Catalan, Dutch Defence, King's Indian, Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Defence or Queen's Indian.
The Bogo-Indian Defence is fresher and not as over-researched as the Queen's Indian. In the latter, theory continues to 30 moves; in the Bogo-Indian a player has more chances to create a novelty. The Bogo is easy to learn - it is enough at the start to choose only two variations to play: a line after 3...Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 and a line after 3...Bb4+ 4.Bd2.
White has a slight advantage or the initiative only in a few variations of the Bogo: rare lines after 4.Nbd2, 4.Nbd2 d5 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 Bxd2+, 4.Nbd2 b6 5.a3, 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.a3 Bxd2+, 4.Bd2 Be7 5.¤c3, 4.Bd2 Bxd2+ 5.Nbxd2 d5, 4.Bd2 Bxd2+ 5.Qxd2, 4.Bd2 a5 5.g3 d5 6.Qc2 Nc6, rare lines after 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 and 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2. Also 4.Bd2 a5 5.Nc3 and 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Nc6 6.Nc3 are interesting. If Black takes on d2 in the cases after 4.¥d2, usually the move £xd2 is better than ¤xd2 and at times leads to preferable positions for White, because then he can develop his knight on the good square: c3.
Of course, these lines are playable too, because a slight edge is not decisive. We see that in some games the first player gets a small advantage in the opening, then makes a blunder in middlegame. Or he keeps his small advantage in the middlegame but loses in the ending after a few mistakes.
In many lines Black gradually equalizes with the superb plan of the advance ...d7-d6 followed by ...e6-e5. Also the counterblows ...d5 or ...c5 can lead to active counterplay or an absolute draw.
I hope that after studying this work, the Bogo-Indian E11 will become a successful part of your opening repertoire with Black and White and provide you with many points in tournaments.
Included is a file from 250 trainings questions and a tree of all the games!
Conclusion: Heavy loaded with games!

Alexei Shirov My best games in the Sveshnikov
2008
Fritztrainer opening
On DVD!
2008
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 20,99
System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM,Windows XP or Windows Vista, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive.

The world cup finalist GM Alexei Shirov, the first player in the world who managed to reach the 2700 level before the age of 20,digs in this latest Fritztrainer opening’s DVD in his favorite opening the Sveshnikov Variation.
Shirov handles in a well filled four hours twelve thirteen Sveshnikov games where twelve are from the great man himself!
And that is included his white win against Jaime Canto Valmana! Shirov,Alexei (2699) - Valmana Canto,Jaime (2338) [B33]
II Rapid Canada de Calatrava ESP (2), 06.04.2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 [6.Nxc6] 6...d6 [6...Bb4] 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nd5 Be7 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.c3 0-0 13.Nc2 Rb8 14.h4 Be7 15.Qf3 Be6 16.g4 [16.Rd1] 16...Qd7 17.g5 [17.Nce3 b4 (17...Bd8 18.g5) 18.Bxa6] 17...f5 [17...b4! 18.Ncxb4 (18.Bh3 bxc3 19.bxc3 Bd8 20.Nce3) 18...Nxb4 19.Nxb4 a5 20.Nd3 d5] 18.Bh3 [18.gxf6 Bxf6] 18...Bxd5 19.exd5 Na5 20.Ne3 g6 21.h5 Bxg5 [21...Nc4 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.Bxf5 Nxe3 (23...gxf5 24.Qh5 Bxg5 25.Rg1; 23...Bxg5 24.Qh3 gxf5 25.Rg1; 23...Rxf5 24.Qh3) 24.Qh3 Qxf5 (24...Rxf5 25.Qh8+ Kf7 26.Rh7#) 25.Qh7#] 22.hxg6 Bxe3 [22...hxg6 23.Rg1 Qe7 24.Qg2 Bxe3 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Bxf5] 23.fxe3 [23.gxh7+ Kh8 24.fxe3] 23...b4 [23...hxg6 24.e4;
23...e4 24.Qf4 (24.Qh5) ] 24.e4 bxc3 25.Bxf5 cxb2 26.Rb1 Qc7 [26...hxg6 27.Rg1 Rf6 28.Rxg6+ Rxg6 29.Bxd7 Rg1+ 30.Ke2 Rxb1 31.Be6+ Kg7 32.Qg4+ Kh6 33.Qh4+ Kg6 (33...Kg7 34.Qg5+ Kh7 35.Bf5+ Kh8 36.Qh6+ Kg8 37.Be6#) 34.Bf5+ Kf7 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Qh6+ (36.Qh8+ Ke7 37.Qxb8 Nc4) 36...Ke7 37.Qe6+ Kf8 38.Qxd6+ Kf7 39.Be6+ Kg6 40.Qxb8 Nc4 41.d6] 27.Rxh7 Qc1+ 28.Kf2 [28.Ke2? Qc2+ 29.Kf1 Qxb1+] 28...Rxf5 [28...Qc2+ 29.Kg3] 29.Qxf5 Qf4+ 30.Ke2 Qxf5 31.exf5 Nc4 32.f6 1-0
The openings DVD’s from Shirov belong to the absolute ChessBase top seen his high level instructive explanations.
Not covered in these 13 games is the famous bishop sacrifice from Shirov against Topalov for this game you have to go for the DVD Fritztrainer opening by Alexei Shirov My Best Games in Sicilian.But here is the game anyway:
Shirov,A (2722) - Topalov,V (2707) [B33] Leon Man+Comp Leon (1.2), 08.06.2001
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 f5 11.Bxb5 axb5 12.Nxb5 Ra4 13.b4 Rxb4 14.Nbc7+ Kd7 15.0-0 Qxc7 16.c3 Rxe4 17.Qh5 Kd8 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 19.Qxf7+ Be7 20.Rab1 Ba6 21.Rfd1 Rf8 22.Qb3 Rb8 23.Qe6 Rxb1 24.Rxb1 Bd3 25.Rd1 f4 26.Qd5 Bc2 27.Rc1 Re2 28.a4 e4 29.a5 Bd3 30.Ra1 Rb2 31.c4 Rb7 32.a6 Ra7 33.f3 Ne5 34.fxe4 Bxc4 35.Rc1 Rxa6 36.Rxc4+ Nxc4 37.Qxc4+ Rc6 38.Qf7 Kd8 39.Qg8+ Kd7 40.Qxh7 Rc5 41.Qf7 Rc1+ 42.Kf2 Rc8 43.Qf5+ Kc7 44.Qe6 1-0
Conclusion: A must for all Sveshnikov lovers!

Chess Magazines's

British Chess Magazine No.2
Volume 128
February 2008
Price: £3.70

The front cover of this BCM issue show the great Bobby Fischer but the readers have to wait a little month for a full tribute of this phenominal chess player.
This issue starts with the famous Hasting Congress where the editior John Saunders is responsible for the action and Steve Giddins for the games.
Interesting to mention is the game between Mel Young and Chris Briscoe where the local amateur manages to defeat a high rated player,ofcourse this can only be done with the Morra Gambit: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.0-0 Bg4 9.Rd1 Qb8 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Ne5 12.Qe2 Nxc4 13.Qxc4 e6 14.Be3 Be7 15.Qe2 0-0 16.a4 Rc8 17.Rd2 Rc6 18.Rad1 Qf8 19.f4 Nd7 20.Kh1 Rac8 21.Qf2 Rc4 22.f5 Nf6 23.Qf3 Nd7 24.Qf2 Ne5 25.Qg3 R4c6 26.Rf2 Bf6 27.fxe6 fxe6 28.Bg5 Kh8 29.Rdf1 Nd7 30.e5 dxe5 31.Ne4 Qg8 32.Nxf6 gxf6 33.Rxf6 Rc1 34.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 35.Kh2 Rc8 36.Qg4 Re8 37.h4 Re7 38.Rh6 Re8 39.Qd1 Qg7 40.Qh5 Qg8 41.Rxh7 and white wins a piece and more!
Other readable contributions are: Fide World Cup,Russian Superfinal,Speelman on the endgame,Romananian grandmaster Mihail Marin looks at a earlier meeting with the great Lajos Portisch, Chess Questions ansered by Gary Lane {Garry looks at the crazy move 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5?!,Quotes and Queries, Problem World,New in Brief,Book Reviews etc.
Conclusion: One of the best chess magazines in the world!