CHESSBOOK REVIEWS 
Latest book reviews of 1 May 2005
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
The Modern Benoni by Richard Palliser
2005
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
208 pages
Price $ 21.95
ISBN 0-7134-8982-0
The Benoni is a sharp fighting on to the edge defence that was popularised by the legendary Tal in the late 1950s and begin 60s.
This latest Revealed openings book from the Batsford provides the new comer in this opening with nearly every thing how to get involved with this complicated opening.
All model games in this book and that are a quite a lot of them are all well explained by the young author with a large amount of readable text where some games even go up to four pages of text and now and than you are even insured from latest openings suggestions, as the bright invention from the English GM David Norwood {1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c5 5.d5 d6 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.0-0 exd5 9.cxd5 a6 10.a4 Re8 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.h3 Rb8 13.Nc4 Ne5 14.Na3 Nh5 15.e4}and his 15… Bd7!?
Found around 30 model games in this book but now and than I had some problems finding my way throw the openings lines of this work
but to be honest the one page index in this book is not from much help.
The material of this book is divided in to the following nine chapters: First moves, Heroes and Zeros, Strategy, What's hot, Theoretical overview, Tricks and traps, Test positions, Solutions and Before the fight.
Chapte First moves leads you throw the basics of this opening and Theoretical overview covers some latest developments but the best chapter of this book is certainly What's Hot? (Good for 64 pages of this book!}this major chapter could also be from interest for the more experience Benoni player.
Very interesting is the Taimanov attack with :1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+ Nbd7 9.e5 dxe5 10.fxe5 Nh5 11.e6 Qh4+ 12.g3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 Qxh1 14.Be3 Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 a6 16.exd7+ Bxd7 17.Bxd7+ Kxd7 Where Richard Palliser used around ten pages of this book to explain some secrets of these lines, funny enough after the great Benoni expert John Watson 8....Nbd7 is all unsound but from the young author Richard Palliser we can learn that openings suggestions can change in no time!
Included is a interesting bibliography but there is unfortunately no game index in this book .
Conclusion: A very instructive read on the Modern Benoni!
De wereld van de schaakopening by Paul van der Sterren
2004
Tirion Sport
http://www.tirionuitgevers.nl
237 pages
Price € 16.98
ISBN 90-4390-650-6
The retired GM Paul van der Sterren discusses in this work all openings that can arises after the move 1.d2-d4.
This work goes further than a simple coverage of the most important key principles no van der Sterren invites and explains in this book important openings as the Queens gambit, Slav, Nimzo & Queens-Indian, Bogo-Indian,Kings-Indian, Grüenfeld,Benoni and various lines are mentioned in this book, all covered to around to a move of ten.
Please don’t expect to find in this book latest chess developments no it is a book that invites you to step into the fascinating world of chess openings.
The chess student can learn in this book more than in a chess openings encyclopaedia of only symbols this work brings life into the names of the chess openings and there specific lines and this makes it all very inviting to know more about chess openings, but some knowledge of the Dutch language is necessarily.
Conclusion: A very inviting starters book!
Chess Magazine's
ChessMail issue 2/2005
http://www.chessmail.com
E-mail editor@chessmail.com
Chess Mail Limited, 26 Coolamber Park
Dublin 16 Ireland
Basic Subscription 42 Euros.
{For eight issues.}
ChessMail issue 2: Starts with the new correspondence chess world champion the billionaire Joop J. van Oosterom, where the ChessMail subscribers from last year shall all remember the special 3/2004 Dutch CC-GM Joop van Oosterom issue.
There is by the way a very interesting 50 page survey, available for download at http:/www.chessmail.com where you can find some back ground onformation on van Oosterom who was as junior player a very talented OTB chess player.
Interesting in this issue is the extra endgame contribution from Mikhail Umansky {Endgame Clinic} where he annotates his queen and rook beat two queen endgame against the well known Dieter Gutsche.
Marc Geenen’s column with fighting for survival, Changes in the rules from 1-1-05, Anthology book is on the way by Tim Harding, ICCF Crisis: blow-by-blow account, Our teams profiled {Chess Mail teams in CL and Rochade tournaments}
Annotated games by our readers, British Correspondence Chess Association news {New correspondence chess editor is appointed},BCCA games, ICCF tournament results service etc.
Conclusion: A read issue!
ChessMail issue 3/2005
http://www.chessmail.com
E-mail editor@chessmail.com
Chess Mail Limited, 26 Coolamber Park
Dublin 16 Ireland
Basic Subscription 42 Euros.
{For eight issues.}
Good news for all who buy chess magazines for the games well this heavy loaded ChessMail magazine is completely divided to pure chess enjoyment!
First of all there is a tragic obituary on Simon Webb who was murdered by his son who was under influence of drugs, Simon Webb postal chess grandmaster was born on June 10,1949 and died in the arms of his wife on March 14, 2005.
In this ChessMail issue we can read that Simon Webb was a very strong correspondence chess player who had no problems to push the 15th world champion Gert Jan Timmerman! from the board!
A large part of this ChessMail magazine goes largely to Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin where the bright Paul Motwani is good for a fine article on this great chess genius. The other two contributions on Chigorin come from Sergey Grodzensky {Mikhail Chigorin and CC} and Tim Harding {Chigorin, unofficial CC world champion}
Fischer called Chigorin the finest endgame player of his time but his 2-0 match victory against Steinitz is nearly forgotten.
Harding analyses both games in a excellent way of understanding where the game on the Evans Gambit is good for nearly 6 pages of this heavy loaded chess magazine!
Chigorin prepared him self very well for this important cable match and even played some trainings games for a so called second opinion.
Other contributions are Do not believe the books by CC-GM Marc Geenen,Chess Assistant review by Stephen Ham,Two more finalists known, Selection of our readers games, Corresponding square tricks {By CC-SIM Mike Read!} How our teams are progressing etc.
Conclusion: Buy it for the super contribution on Mikhail Chigorin!
British Chess Magazine No.3
Volume 124
April 2005
Price: £3.25
This April issue of the British Chess Magazine starts with Kasparov’s swan song Linares
where he came won and directly retired from professional chess, the excellent game notes from this tournament come from Ian Rogers.{And they are certainley worth playing throw!}
Interesting on page 188 is the Garry Kasparov interview where some shall recognize it from the Guardian newspaper from 14 march.
The Guardian journalist Stephen Moss here in BCM the same interview but than with more chess related context.
Other contributions are Games department, Spot the continuation, Reviews and new books, Letters to the editor, Aeroflot open { Lubosh Kavalek reports on Emil Sutovsky win!}
My great predecessors by John Saunders, Varsity match {The famous Oxford – Cambridge match}Bermuda invitational, Congress Diary {We all wish Colin Crouch a speedy recovery!}
Chess questions answered by Gary Lane {Where Gary digs in the closed Sicilian with:1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 e5 7.h4 a dangerous pet line from the Austrian chess player Walter Wittmann}Quotes and Queries,problem world,News in Brief,BCM prize competition etc.
Conclusion: A must issue for every Kasparov fan!