The Modern Reti by
Alexander Delchev
2012
Chess Stars
212 pages
Price €21,95
ISBN 978-954-8782-87-6
Grandmaster Alexander
Delchev presents in his latest work a complete repertoire based on the
Modern Reti,where the main line runs with the moves
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3! where white hopes to transpose for
example in one of the better lines of the Steinitz system.
After c5 4.Bxc4 Nf6 5.0-0 e6 6.Qe2 Nc6 7.Rd1 Be7 8.Nc3 0-0 9.d4 white
gets a favourable IQP position, because 9….Qc7
would give him a serious lead in development.
Interesting to mention is that Delchev rejects the popular plan in the
Reversed Benoni with the moves 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.g3 Nc6! 4.Bg2 e5
5.0-0 Nf6
6.d3 in view of 6….a5! or even the move 6….Bd6.
The most fashionable move is after Delchev 3.b4 and after: 3… f6 4.e3
e5 5.c5 a5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Bc4 Ne7 8.0-0 axb4 9.Bb2 white has full
compensation for the pawn.
In the Anti-Chebanenko Delchev prefers a setup with the moves: 1.Nf3 d5
2.c4 c6 3.e3 and where he hopes to launch a
kingside attack with g2-g4.
Included is a three chapter coverage of the Anti – Meran 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4
c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.b3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bb2 plus a two chapter
explanation of the Anti-Queen’s Gambit:
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3.
Throw the book I found many latest games as the following one between
Berczes and Prusikin from the Bundesliga,Baden 22.01.2012!
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 f6 4.e3 e5 5.c5 a5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Bc4 Ne7 8.0-0 axb4
9.Bb2 Na6 10.exd4 exd4 11.Re1 Nxc5 12.Nxd4 Qd6
13.a3 Na4 14.Qb3 Nxb2 15.Qxb2 Kd8 16.axb4 Rxa1 17.Qxa1 Qxb4 18.Be6 Kc7
19.Nc3 Kb8 20.Bxc8 Qxd4 21.Bh3 f5 22.Qa5 g6
23.Ra1 Bg7 24.g3 Nc8 25.Bg2 Qa7 26.Qxa7+ Nxa7 27.Re1 Nc8 28.Kf1 Rd8
29.Ke2 Re8+ 30.Kd1 Rxe1+ 31.Kxe1 Bxc3 32.dxc3 Kc7
33.Ke2 Kd6 34.Ke3 Ne7 35.Bf1 Nd5+ 36.Kd4 c5+ 37.Kd3 Nf6 38.f3 b5 39.Kd2
c4 40.Ke3 Kc5 41.Kd2 Nd5 42.Be2 b4 43.cxb4+ Nxb4
44.Bd1 Kd4 45.Bxe3 a4 g5 46.Bd7 f4 47.gxf4 gxf4 48.Bf5 h6 49.Bh7 Nd5
50.Bg6 Ne3 51.Ke2 Kc3 52.Bf7 Kc2 53.Bg6+ Kb2 54.Bd3 c3 0-1.
As Delchev points out after 9….Na6? Black’s game is clearly worse.But
critical is 9…dxe3 10.fxe3 Nf5 11.Qe2 Bxc5 12.d4 Ba7!
In many variations black’s king escapes through b6.
Conclusion: One of the best books that
I have ever seen on the Modern Reti!
The French Defence by
Nikita Vitiugov
2012
Chess Stars
360 pages
Price €22,95
ISBN 978-954-8782-86-9
Nikita Vitiugov’s bestseller on the French has been expanded and
updated with more than 130 pages!
But there is more as a complete new section on the fascinating
Mac Cutcheon Variation that runs with the moves: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4,where
Vitiugov prefers in this repertoire book the interesting king
move 8…Kf8.
Impressive are the alternatives with 6.Bc1 good for six pages and the
variation with 6.Be3 is good for 8 pages of text.
New is also in this book a new chapter on the Chigorin 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2.
For all who are queries about black’s repertoire against 3.Nbd2 well
Vitiugov,goes for the Morozevich Variation:1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2
Be7 and white most principled response could be 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
3.Nd2 Be7 4.e5 c5 5.Qg4 Kf8 6.dxc5 Nc6 7.Ngf3 h5 8.Qg3 h4 9.Qf4 g5
10.Qa4 Bd7 11.Bb5 a6 12.Bxc6 Bxc6 13.Qd4 Nh6 14.h3!
In the Winawer Vitiugov goes for the attack: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4
4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 cxd4 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 Qc7
10.Ne2 Nbc6 11.f4 Bd7 12.Qd3 dxc3 13.Qxc3 Nf5 14.Rb1 d4 15.Qd3 0-0-0
16.Rg1 Na5 17.g4 Ba4 18.c3 Bc2 19.Qxc2 d3 20.Qa2 Qc5
21.Rg2 Ne3 22.Ng3 Rxg4 23.Rf2 Nac4 24.Qb3 b6 25.Qa4 Nc2+ 26.Rxc2 dxc2
27.Qxc2 Ne3 28.Qe4 Rd1+ 29.Ke2 Nd5 30.Bd2 Rxb1
31.Qxb1 Rxf4 32.Qd3 Rf2+ 33.Kd1 and black triumphed in the ensuing
complicated struggle.
Conclusion: A truly impressive update!
The greatest ever chess endgames by Steve Giddins
2012
Everyman
Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com
234 pages
Price € 20,95
ISBN 978-1-85744-694-4
The former editor of the British Chess Magazine, Fide
Master Steve Giddins has managed to pack in this eye catching book, a
collection of the greatest
ever best endgames.
Giddins does not get lost in dreadful endgame analyses but had the
talent to presents these 50 complete endgames into readable words.
Going throw these games will not only help you to improve your endgame
skills but it also gives the reader a lot of highly endgame enjoyment.
There are many modern model games in this book, but pleasant
enough also some golden beauties from the past.
As the following game from Nimzowitsch,after Giddins,one of the most
famous knight and pawn endings in chess history:
Lasker,Emanuel - Nimzowitsch,Aaron [C17] Zuerich Zuerich, 1934
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Ne7 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0-0 8.c3
Nf5 9.g4 Nh4 10.g5 cxd4 11.cxd4 Nc6
12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 Qxd2 14.Rxd2 f6 15.gxf6 gxf6 16.Bh3 fxe5 17.Nc7 Rb8
18.Nxe6 Rf6 19.Nc7 Bxh3 20.Nxh3 Nf3
21.Rdd1 exd4 22.Nxd5 Rf5 23.Ndf4 Rbf8 24.Nd3 Nce5 25.Nxe5 Rxe5 26.Ng1
Ng5 27.h4 Ne6 28.Rh2 Re4 29.f3 Re3
30.Re2 Rf4 31.Rxe3 dxe3 32.Rd3 Rxh4 33.Rxe3 Nd4 34.Re4 Rxe4 35.fxe4 Kf7
36.Kc1 Kf6 37.Kd2 Ke5 38.Ke3 h5
39.a3 a5 40.Nh3 Nc2+ 41.Kd3 Ne1+ 42.Ke2 Ng2 43.Kf3 Nh4+ 44.Ke3 Ng6
45.Ng5 Kf6 46.Nh7+ Kg7 47.Ng5 Kf6
48.Nh7+ Ke7 49.Ng5 Ne5 50.Kd4 Kd6 51.Nh3 a4 52.Nf4 h4 53.Nh3 b6 54.Nf4
b5 55.Nh3 Nc6+ 56.Ke3 Kc5 57.Kd3 b4
58.axb4+ Kxb4 59.Kc2 Nd4+ 60.Kb1 Ne6 61.Ka2 Kc4 62.Ka3 Kd4 63.Kxa4 Kxe4
64.b4 Kf3 65.b5 Kg2 0-1.
Keene wrote 40 years later: Nimzowitsch’s handling of the difficult
knight and ending which came into being after move 35 has
all the precision and satisfying ineluctable logic of the solution to a
complex mathematical problem.
Conclusion: One of those fascinating endgame reads!
The Triangle System by Ruslan Scherbakov
2012
Everyman
Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com
448 pages
Price € 24,95
ISBN 978-1-85744-644-9
The well known opening expert Grandmaster Ruslan Scherbakov digs in the
good old Noteboom Variation: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6
4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e4some books describe it as Abrahams -Noteboom, Marshall
Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4,Triangle Stonewall
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 f5 or 4…even with 4…Bd6 and 4…Nd7 plus
some seldom played alternatives.
First of all the Noteboom is known as a positional complex
line,but as we can see in the following game,it can get
sharp: Birnbaum,Detlev (2190) - Relange,Eloi (2420) [D31]
Cappelle op 11th Cappelle la Grande (9), 1995
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 Bb7 8.axb5
Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 a5 11.bxc4 b4 12.Bb2 Nf6
13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.Qc2 0-0 15.0-0 Qc7 16.e4 e5 17.c5 exd4 18.Bxd4 Ng4
19.Bb5 Nde5 20.Nxe5 Nxe5 21.f4 Nc6 22.Bb2 Ba6
23.Bxa6 Rxa6 24.Qe2 Qa7 25.Rf2 a4 26.Qg4 f5 27.exf5 a3 28.Be5 b3 29.f6
b2 30.Rd1 Nxe5 31.fxe5 Qf7 32.Qe2 Qb3
33.Rff1 a2 34.f7+ Kh8 35.Qxa6 b1Q 36.Qd6 Qb8 37.e6 Qxd6 38.cxd6 a1Q
39.e7 Qb6+ 40.Kh1 Qa8 41.d7 Qxg2+
42.Kxg2 Qg6+ 43.Kh1 Qe4+ with perpetual check!
After 37…a1Q black has three queens at the board,as Scherbakov explains
in any case the result would have be the same.
The Marshall leaves white leaves white with some activity for the pawn
specially with the move order: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2!
Yes this moves justifies the name of the opening,it is a gambit after
all!
After: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4
Qxe4+ 8.Ne2 Na6 9.Bf8 Ne7 10.Bxg7 Nb4!?
This counter strike is a reliable way to get acceptable play.
This position looks very sharp,but as Scherbakov writes:But knowledge
should give you confidence.Besides,it’s going to calm down soon.
But 11.Bxh8?! e5 12.Qd6 Nc2+ 13.Kd2 Bf5 14.Ng3 Qf4+ 15.Kc3 Nd5+ only
ends in a perpetual check!
Conclusion: Well written and a very important reference work on the
Noteboom and Marshall!
Schakers Portretten by
Jan Timman
2012
De Bezige Bij
www.debezigebij.nl
240 pages
Price €17,90
ISBN 978 90 234 71448
Grandmaster Jan Timman has been the Netherlands leading player
since the early 1970s,later he even became the second best
chess player in the world.
Nowadays he is still a top chess player who is still able to win from
the best,his style is dynamic and aggressive as his writing in
this book,where he portraits without games, ten of the greatest players
of all time.
Some players as the great Mikhail Botwinnik was very important for the
development of the young chess genius Jan,others
as Alekhine where only good for some exciting dreams.
One of those dreams where good enough to help to lay hands on a unique
chess set that once belonged to Alekhine.
Fascinating is Jan’s Portrait of Mikhail Tal,who had a unique talent
but as we can read Tal had more interests,and for the fans of Tal I can
only say read it your self!
Jan bought a laptop from Judit Polgar in 2001 and used it till last
year,when he told Erwin I”Ami how old it was he could only laugh.
This was the moment that Jan bought a new one but Judit’s laptop has
become a special souvenir like the special made chess men from Alekhine.
Conclusion: A unique read on the world of chess!
