CHESSBOOK REVIEWS

Latest book reviews of 1 May 2025

Wilhelminalaan 33 

7261 BP RUURLO 

The Netherlands.
           John Elburg

                                                                                                                   Chess maps

Chess maps by Raymond Staess
https://www.chessmaps.de/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/chessmaps/
E mail: raymond@chessmaps.de

It is great pleasure for me to announce these chess poster from the German chess lover  Raymond Staess,who has managed to pack 3000 chess opening
variations back into 22 posters.
So if you have enough place on the wall buy the poster of your favourite chess opening, it is not only eye catching but it is also very educative.
At first sight it did remember me at the strange chess openings book from Metalnikoff & Turping from Antwerpen 1946 but they did not use diagrams but only moves
so I am very pleased with the poster from  my favourite opening The Latvian Gambit!
The size is 85cm by 119cm and that is quite Hugh for on the wall! Would like to mention on the Latvian Gambit variations from my good old friends Dany Senechaud 1.e4 e5  2.Nf3 f5 3.b4?! and Leo Diepstraten,1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.c4.
Very interesting to mention is the Poisoned pawn variation which runs after the moves:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qg5
A fine example of play is:
Tiemann,Hagen (2460) - Elburg,John (2300) [C40]
Latvian Training (Email), 2001
[Hagen Tiemann]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qg5 5.d4 Qxg2 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Bf7+ Kd8 8.Bxg6 Qxh1+ 9.Ke2 c6 10.Nc3 Kc7 11.Bf4 hxg6 12.Qg5 Be7 13.Nxc6+ [13.Nf7+ Kb6 14.Na4+ Ka6 15.Nc5+ Kb6 16.Rxh1 Bxg5 17.Bxg5] 13...d6 14.Bxd6+ Kxd6 15.Qc5+ Ke6 16.Qe5+ Kf7 17.Rxh1 Nxc6 18.Qxh8 Nf6 19.Kd2 [19.Ke3 Bf8!³ (19...Na5 20.Kd2 (20.b3 Bb4 21.Nxe4 Nd5+=) 20...Bb4 21.Kc1 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Nc4 23.Qd8) ] 19...Bf8 [19...Nxd4 20.Kc1 Bb4 (20...Nf3 21.Nb5; 20...b6 21.Nxe4) 21.Qd8] 20.d5 [20.Kc1 Bf5 21.d5 (21.Rd1 Rd8 22.d5 Bc5 (22...Nb4 23.d6 Be7 24.Qh6 Bxd6 25.a3 Nxc2 26.Kxc2 e3+ 27.Kb3 exf2 28.Ka2 Bd3 29.Qh3) 23.Qh4 Nd4) 21...Nb4 22.a3 Nbxd5 23.Nxd5 Nxd5 24.Rd1 Nf6 25.Rd6 Be6] 20...Nb4 21.a3 [21.d6 Bxd6 22.Kc1] 21...Nbxd5 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Qe5 Be6 24.Kc1 [24.Rg1 Rd8 (24...Bh6+ 25.Ke1 Re8 26.h4) 25.Qg5 (25.Ke1 Bg7 26.Qxe4 Bf5) 25...Nf6+ 26.Kc1 Bf5 27.Rd1 Rc8 28.Qe3 Ng4 29.Qxa7 e3 30.Qxb7+ Be7 31.c3 exf2] 24...Bh6+ 25.Kb1 Re8 26.h4 Nf6 ½-½.
It is nearly impossible to find a way through the maze of variations behind the board.
This poster gives me a good chess feeling!