CHESSBOOK REVIEWS 
Latest book reviews of 1 October
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
Ruy Lopez exchanged by Krzysztof Panczyk & Jacek Ilczuk
2005
Everyman chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
192 pages
Price 23.95
ISBN 1-85744-389-5
The Ruy Lopez exchanged has become by the years a very popular opening and this latest theory book from Krzysztof Panczyk & Jacek Ilczuk is a fine example from latest devolpments in the Spanish exchange variation.
To handle the Spanish exchange variation successfully you must be good in endgames and black must be aware that the resulting pawn ending is easily lost for black so the second player is practically forced to play considerable sharp!
There or many players prefer the move 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4 once described by Fischer as black’s most ambitious continuation, black simple pins for some time the white knight.
This aggressive line gets in this book from Panczyk and Ilczuk a whole chapter and is described with around nine detailed model games where you even can find more game references and a lot of extra text between the lines.
The move from Mark Hebden 5…Bd6 does a reasonable attention and is covered with three model games and nearly seven pages of text.
All together there are around 74 model games with the Ruy Lopez exchanged and we can speak from a very compressive written openings book where the authors did make use from excellent resources but it is a pity that they missed Stefan Kindermann’s Spanish exchange repertoire book!
Conclusion: A very compressive study on the Spanish exchange!
Italian game and Evans gambit by Jan Pinski
2005
Everyman chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
160 pages
Price 23.95
ISBN 1-85744-3-5
The talented young Jan Pinski concentrates in this latest EverymanChess on the Italian and Evans gambit all at the hand from a to small collection of 58 easy to follow model games.
Chapter three handles the once so feared Möller attack but the two covered model games are certainly a slight disappointing for the truly fan of this opening, even that Pinski gives a interesting king’s walk in the Möller with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.d5 Bf6 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.Bg5 Bxg5 13.Nxg5 0-0 14.Nxh7 Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Rh4 f5 17.Qh7+ Kf7 18.Rh6 Rg8 19.Re1 Qf8 20.Rh3 Kf6!! But why would you play 20.Rh3?! much better is the simple 20.Bb5=.
Evans invention gets pleasant enough much more intention from the young author and the most romantic of all gambits is covered with five chapters of this book but I missing quite some references to important correspondence games! As we can learn from James Rizzitano correspondence chess plays an important role in advancing the theoretical knowledge of many sharp variations!
{As for example Krantz – Marcussi corr 1977}
Well covered are the closed lines in the Italian with 5.d3 but there is nearly no attention for the interesting 4.d4!? the so called Italian gambit, that is after the author refuted 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 Bxd4! 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6f4? d5! but white must simple play 6.0-0!! and after f4 he is even playing a kind of King’s Gambit! The late Tony Miles preferred in his young years 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4!?
Information about this opening can be found in the book Italian gambit system from Jude Acers and Tim Harding’s Kibitzer 64.
And I am missing in this book a bibliography!
Conclusion: I am a little disappointed!
Starting out Slav and Semi-Slav by Glenn Flear
2005
Everyman chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
256 pages
Price 21.95
ISBN 1-85744-393-4
Many Starting out books have become respected openings books but if you are interested in real ground work on the Slav with a excellent explanation of all important principles and strategies? Than go for this work from the experienced GM Glenn Flear who has made fame as coach from the most talented British junior chess players.
Again there is a large amount of 90 well explained model games where you are invited in one of the most solid openings system that we know in chess.
Even that there are some exceptions as the Geller gambit with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 where white does not want to delay the development even it costs a pawn!
The Moscow variation is well covered with nearly 20 pages of games and text!
Included under early deviations is the exciting Marshall Gambit with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e4!? and there is even a quick quiz where you can check your openings skills!
Conclusion: A very instructive read!
Buzan’s book of mental world records by Tony Buzan & Ray Keene
2005
D&B Publishing PO Box 18
Hassocks West Sussex BN6 9WR UK
http://www.danbpublishing.com
E-mail: info@danbpublishing.com
160 pages
Price $ 13.95
ISBN 1-904468-17-9
Buzan’s book of mental world records is a fascinating read in to the world of extraordinary mental world records as for example speed reading,Shogi {Japanese Chess},XiangQi{Chinese chess}Backgammon,Bridge,Memory records,Mental calculation{numerical and verbal}and of course our favourite game Chess is covered with some exciting topics.
By the way did you know that Leonard da Vinci had a IQ from 220!
And who is the all time greatest mind sports champion? Does this title go to the multi-millionaire Garry Kasparov or must we consider the draughts champion Dr.Marion Tinsley who played in 1992 so impressively against the Chinook program, the incredible Dr.Tinsley aged 65 played four games a day with a total of nine hours, six days a week with only one rest day over a 39 game match!
Tony Buzan is the great inventor of mind mapping and GM Raymond Keene needs no introduction at all.
Conclusion: A super read!
How to choose a chess move by Andrew Soltis
2005
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
240 pages
Price $ 21.95
ISBN 0-7134-8979-0
Selecting a good move is for many of us a very difficult task but this latest book from GM Andrew Soltis could be a great help to not so experience chess players to identify good chess moves.
The aim of this book is to recognize critical patterns when they appear in your own game all based at the hand of a careful chosen selection positions.
And I can insure you that are quite a lot of them in this book!
Many of Mikhail Tal’s greatest sacrifices where based on gut feelings ,he tasted a few keys, forcing lines and played just on his intuition.
He did ‘t try to analyse everything and sometimes paid the price by overlooking a quiet strong replay.
The whole work from Soltis overloaded with instructive text and I can insure every chess player that there is a lot to learn in this so readable middle game book!
Conclusion: A very instructive read!
Chess for tigers by Simon Webb
2005
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
152 pages
Price $21.95
ISBN 0-7134-8988-X
The third edition of Simon Webb’s practical written club book revised and updated by the author just before he was tragically murdered by his son.
Simon Webb wrote this book originally back in 1977 when he was for a short time a professional chess player.
Webb was a very talented chess player who not only managed to become IECG world champion in correspondence chess but also was a player who could count wins against great players as Reshevsky and Sveshnikov!
But his best ever result was at the Groningen 1968/69 European Junior Championship where he was just only a little behind Vaganian and Ribli but ahead of Andersson.
This tiger chess book is truly overloaded with useful advises and illustrated games where the aim lays by the practical clubplayer who is searching for easy to read improvements in his or hers play.
Also I would like to recommended this book for correspondence players seen Webb’s chapter on correspondence chess.
Conclusion: A very good learning book!
Tiger's Modern by Tiger Hillarp Persson
2005
Quality Chess Europe AB
http://www.qualitychessbooks.com
E-mail ari@qualitychessbooks.com
216 pages
Price $ 24.95
ISBN 91-975243-6-0
The Swedish GM Tiger Hillarp Persson show us in this repertoire book his own modern Modern defence based on a early a6 and b5.
It does not matter what white does Tiger Hillarp Persson goes for his pet line en even sometimes if it is necessarily he even goes for a cramped Hippopotamus set-up where black hopes that white pushes too hard and being tempted by the Tiger into a rash advance.
Indeed the great virtue of the Modern defence is its flexibility!
What I like so much from this book are the good advises and explanations how to play the modern defence, in the past tried to play for example the Hippopotamus set-up but only a few succeeded in this as for example Spassky did in his world championship match from 1966.
In the Averbach variation 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bb7 3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Tiger Hillarp Persson prefers 4….e5!? he does not want to recommended 4….Nc6 because of 5.d5! certainly the most direct way to try and take advantage of 4…Nc6 but is this move so strong as Tiger Hillarp Persson claims here in this book?
Not to underestimated are also lines that can arise after 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Bc4!? so in many cases the player is forced to swap over to the Pirc defence but Tiger has no problems to give now and than a secret away here as for example 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Nc6 6.e5 Ng4 7.e6 he simple suggests f5!?
Not the book move 7…Nxd4 because Tiger Hillarp Persson believes that there is something for white somewhere!
Included throw this book are around 84 model games where a small 20 of them are from the great Tiger him self!
Conclusion: One of the best books ever written on the Modern defence!
The Benko Gambit by Jan Pinski
2005
Quality Chess Europe AB
http://www.qualitychessbooks.com
E-mail ari@qualitychessbooks.com
124 pages
Price $ 19.95
ISBN 91-975243-8-7
A other interesting written chess book from Quality Chess comes from the Polish chess master Jan Pinski who concentrates with 50 models games on The Benko Gambit where black goes for a direct pressure on the flank.
The material is well presented and the author enjoys explaining the ups and downs from the Benko, now and than he even gives some improvements and novelties away and has no problems to correct annotations from the Informator as we can see in his game against Szczechowicz – Pinski of Trzebinia 1998.
The book starts with a 24 page introduction to all kind of Benko structures and the author divides all material into eight different sections.
This book from Jan Pinski offers more Benko gambit information to the reader than as for example Neil McDonald did in his work The Benko Gambit Revealed or Steffen Pedersen did in his Guide to the Benko Gambit, only it is a pity that there is no bibliography!
Conclusion: A powerful written openings book!
The Sveshnikov reloaded by Dorian Rogozenko
2005
Quality Chess Europe AB
http://www.qualitychessbooks.com
E-mail ari@qualitychessbooks.com
341 pages
Price $ 24.99
ISBN 91-975243-5-2
GM Dorian Rogozenko describes in this move to move openings book all the latest developments of the Sveshnikov packed in a compressive heavy weight from over 340 pages!
Regular readers of the ChessBase magazine’s shall be aware of the regular openings contributions on the B33 line from Rogozenko,
funny enough in ChessBase magazine issue 106 Dorian Rogozenko looks at the knight sacrifice with 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.Nxb5 and gives this move as a very interesting variation but now in this book he waves it all away with 11.Nxb5?! axb5 12.Bxb5 Bb7 13.exf5 Ra5 and white has a difficult fight for a draw.
By the way this knight sacrifice is someway identical to Tarrasch - Janowski, of Vienna Vienna 1898; 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Na3 f5 11.Qh5 b5 12.Naxb5 axb5,Larsen considered the whole as quite unsound but it is still after 100 years a very unclear position.
It was not for nothing that FIDE World champion Ponomariov hired Rogozenko in for his Sveshnikov skills and than I did not even mention Rogozenko superb Sveshnikov openings CD!
When we compare some tricky Svesnikov lines from Experts vs the Sicilian {A other interesting openings book published by Quality Chess,that by the way runs under the super ship of the three IM’s Ari Ziegler,John Shaw and Jacob Aagaard}
than you can feel the breath of Aagard!{a other Sveshnikov expert!} By the way Aagard edited this book together with John Shaw and the closing date of material of this book is around 10/6 and that makes it all super up to date!
Included throw this book are all kind of early deviations with 6.Nf3 and some investigations on the 7.a4 but all together you buy this book for all the latest developments in the real Sveshnikov as for instance 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.Bd3 Be6 12.0-0 Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.Re1 that is covered in chapter 38 with over ten pages and where I even found latest Informator issue 92 developments!
The following chapters are covered in this work;Part one with early deviations, Part two 9.Nd5 the positional line,Part III 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5-The main line,with sections as 10..f5 system etc.
Included is a useful bibliography and index of variations and a large collection uncountable model games.
Conclusion: A very impressive study of the Sveshnikov!
How to beat 1.d4 by James Rizzitano
2005
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
160 pages
Price $ 27.50
ISBN 1-904600-33-6
How to beat 1.d4 is interesting made move to move openings book based on two major sections ; The Queen’s gambit accepted and Queen’s pawn games where all the material is under divided in to 30 other chapters, so we can speak from a very compressive written repertoire where the aim lays at the black site from the board.
Included throw this book are regular multiple solutions to choice as for instance after: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4+ Nc6 5.Nc3 Nd5 6.Qxc4 black can go for 6…Ndb4 this knight move gives after the author black a satisfactory game but with the drawback that white can force a draw by repetition, or go for 6…Nb6 which is black’s best chance to create an unbalanced position.
Under the 12 chapters of Queen’s pawn games where I found: Hodgson Attack, Veresov Opening,London System,King’s Fianchetto,Torre Attack,Colle System,Stonewall Attack and at last the good old Blackmar Diemer gambit and that are openings that can even be interesting for players of the white site of the board!
Included is a detailed bibliography as no other James Rizzitano knows the use of this extra value!
Conclusion: A very useful written repertoire book!
Win with the London system by Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovacevic
2005
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
176 pages
Price $ 25.95
ISBN 1-904600-35-2
Basically the London system is a set up of solid lines that runs after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 and has the reputation to be so sold as a rock from Gibraltar!
Interesting enough this openings book covers all to 1.d4 and it does not matter if black goes for a Tarrasch approach with 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.Nf3 Bd6 or the good old King’s Indian formation it is all here compressively covered with move to move annotations from one of the best experts on this line the GM Vlatko Kovacevic from Croatia and his bright assistant Sverre Johnsen from Norway.
The first section of this book covers a collection of 30 well analysed games good for 62 pages of this compressive book the remaining 114 pages cover an detailed theoretical coverage of the whole London system.
Gary Lane once wrote in his Ideas behind Modern Chess Openings; White’s opening choice enables a swift development of pieces, often in preparation for a kingside attack.
By the way this opening is a perfect weapon against all kind of Informator worms who spend more time studying there favourite openings line than the classics and rook endings!
Conclusion: A very important reference work on the London system!
Chess CD's
ChessBase magazine issue 107
2005
August
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Price Euro 19,90 per issue
Annual subscription costs Euro 99,7
ChessBase magazine issue 107 comes with a very heavy main database of 1664 entries where a good 550 of these games cover excellent analyses, some of them as for example as the nine annotated games from GM Robert Huebner these are really very extensive analysed!
But also the extra included ICCF Telechess file is good for 7483 entries where a small 44 of these games are annotated.{There is also a second correspondence chess file on this CD with information about the ICCF with 2082 entries plus 13 annotated games and a full interview Alessandra Riegler who is by the way the brand new ICCF Lady World Champion!
She needed 11 years to play two rounds!}
Included between these text files are some very interesting interviews as the one with the former IECG world champion correspondence chess Simon Webb 1949 – 2005.
A other very interesting interview comes from the winner of the first CFC Rapid Chess Tournament {http://www.chessfriend.com site} where Eric Taistra from Germany who was so lucky to win the first price of 7500 Euros!
Other interesting files on this CD are: A superb. endgame contribution from GM Karsten Müller, Strategy from Peter Wells with The Pros and Cons of a pawn Break, Tactics from Valery Atlas, CBM 107-ESP with eleven extensively annotated Spanish games, History where Johannes Fischer looks back at the Chess Olympiad of Siegen 1970,starting with a interesting written text report and all the games of this big event.
The five theory reports go to A63 Benoni with the interesting alternative 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 Nbd7 by GM Alexander Finkel, A69 with the three pawns attack 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 Re8 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Ng4 12.Bg5 Qa5!? By Jerzy Konikowski, B22 Alapin system 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.Na3 which is one of the latest trends I this line all nicely covered by GM Dorian Rogozenko, C10 French defence with the solid 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bxf6 all by GM Alexander Finkel and at last the so reliable Catalan E09 with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Qc2 c6 8.Nbd2 b6 9.e4 Bb7 10.e5 Ne8 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Re1 from GM Zoltan Ribli.
Included on this CD is one Hugh avi file from 340 covering the Wijk an Zee tournament
Filmed by Vijay Kumar which was broadcasted by DD Sports channel, which is a 24 hour free to air sports channel and not to forget some important updates for Fritz8 and ChessBase8!
The ChessBase magazines always come with a small booklet of around 27 pages with important information about the context of this CD.
Conclusion: A must! {Included is the new ChessBase reader!}
ChessBase Magazine extra issue 107
September 2005
ChessBase
http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Euro 12.99
ChessBase magazine extra the one without annotations to the games comes with a impressively filled file from 24615 games all played between the Kurass memorial and the St Petersburg memorial of this year.
The extra 320 MB video files go this time to the great tournament of Dortmund 2005 and a very exciting interview with GM Ubilava in his own home in Collado Mediano which lays close to Madrid.
The second of Viswanathhan talks about there work and demonstrates for the readers of this ChessBase magazine some extra fragments from Vishy’s games in Linares.
Conclusion: This CD comes with a lot games! {Included is the new ChessBase reader!}
Squares Strategy 3 by Alexander Bangiev
2005
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 19.99
System requirements: Pentium, 32 MB RAM, Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP
IM Alexander Bangiev continues here with part three and finale part of his so specific created square Strategies or Bangiev Method where the author concentrates on new techniques to find the best possible square for your pieces the aim is simple choose the squares and than moves!
The course is presented in 20 introduction texts and 131 annotated game fragments and to see if you have learned from the Bangiev method where I found a extra 69 game fragments to test your Bangiev skills!
Conclusion: A very interesting thinking method! {Included is the new ChessBase reader!}
Classical Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2 by Knut Neven
2005
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price € 14.99
System requirements: Pentium, 32 MB RAM, Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP
The ChessBase openings expert Knut Neven concentrates on his Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2 chess training CD on the classical variation with 4.Qc2 that has become throw players as Sokolov,Seirawan and Kasparov very popular again. In the 1930s it was known as a very drawish line!
This CD is well filled with a large master file from 22898 entries where a 996 entries cover excellent {Mainly ChessBase} annotations.
There is a extra Knut Neven database with 14 theory text files and a extra 484 game file where the annotations from Knut Neven could not always impress me but there is at least a bibliography file, plus a extra trainings section from 40 games {nice done} and a large openings key from 32 MB {The so called CTG file}
Conclusion: Well filled! {Included is the new ChessBase reader!}
Game Service 2005
Convekta
http://www.convekta.com/
http://store.convekta.com/shop_model.asp?gid=62&sView=Catalogn
Game service issue September 2 comes with well filled CA file of 3995 entries all played between Albacete Spain and the Swedish championship.
Conclusion: Impressive CA material!
Chess Magazine's
British Chess Magazine No.9
Volume 125
September 2005
Price: £3.50
This September issue starts with a detailed report on the Super Dortmund Sparkassen tournament which was won by the nineteen year old Arkadij Naiditsch!
There is full report from Ian Rogers with game analyses photo’s and some back ground information on this important chess tournament.
But there is more tournament chess in this heavy loaded issue as the British Championship {Won by Jonathan Rowson!}, European team championship, Good knights in Amsterdam, and the Biel Festial.
Steve Giddins looks back in Half a century back and goes back to the year 1955 and not to forget the regular contributions as News in Brief, Reviews and new Books,Quotes and queries, Endgame studies etc.
Conclusion: A very enjoyable read!