CHESSBOOK REVIEWS 
Latest book reviews of 1 March 2006
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.Wilhelminalaan 33John Elburg
7261 BP RUURLO
The Netherlands.
Chess Books
The tragic life and short chess career of James A.Leonard 1841-1862 by John S Hilbert
2006
McFarland & Company,Inc.,Publishers Box 611
Jefferson,North Carolina 28640.
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
213 pages
Price $39.95
ISBN 0-7864-2289X
The chess historian John S.Hilbert author of Walter Penn Shilpley: Philadelphia’s friend of chess describes in this latest McFarland work the tragic life from the forgotten chess genius James A Leonard.
James was the son of poor Irish immigrant but gifted with a great chess talent as these 96 unknown Leonard’s games show us.
For example Leonard out played the great Sam Loyd in no time: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Bc5 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5 Qd4 8.Nd3 Bb6 9.e5 Nd5 10.c3 Qh4 11.Qf3 0-0 12.0-0 Bg4 13.Qe4 Rae8 14.h3 f5 15.Qc4 Kh8 16.hxg4 fxg4 17.Qe4 Rf6 18.g3 Qxg3+ 19.Qg2 Qxd3 1-0,SamLoyd – Leonard,Morphy Chess Rooms Match Game,December 1860.
James was widely viewed as the new Morphy but who made no penny at all with chess so was that the reason he signed for the of $50? As a man to go for the civil war where he would not from return?
Leonard’s metamorphosis into a fighting member of the Irish Brigade went nearly so fast as his death which is detailed described by John S Hilbert in chapter 5 and twenty seven pages of this lovely printed book.
This biography from John S.Hilbert concentrates mainly on his sadly career seen there is so little known about his personal life.
Sam Loyd lived forty-nine years longer and Delmar forty seven years longer than Leonard so it is clear that James would certainly have increased his strength if had the chance to live a little longer or was he considering a career as a soldier?
But what else would have been available for a poor Irish young man without any education?
There is a one page foreword from Edward Winter,but it was this great chess historian who inspired John S Hilbert so much with his seven page article on Leonard in his fascinating read Kings,Commoners and Knaves,Russell Enterprises,1999.
Included in this work is a player index,a general index,bibliography but unfortunately no openings index of Leonards games.
Conclusion: A magnificent written tribute on James A.Leonard! {In hardcover}
303 more tricky chess puzzles by Fred Wilson & Bruce Alberston
2006
Cardoza Publishing
http://www.cardozapub.com
192 pages
Price $ 12.95
ISBN 1-58042-182-2
A well loaded puzzle chess book from the chess the American chess duo Fred Wilson and Bruce Alberston who have written a attractive exercise book with over 300 exercises.
The aim lays around the 1600 – 1700 elo rating border and the price is very attractive but I would never buy a chess book that covers no references to the games!
But it even can get worse in this book for example puzzle number 249 is the game position between Furstenberg & Wijnman played in Holland 1955.
Furstenberg missed the easy win with 1.Nxf7! Kxf7 1.Bxg6 Kg8 3.Bxh7 Kh8 4.Ng6+ Kxh7 5.Nf8? indeed the American duo misses a clear check mate in seven moves starting with 5.Rxf6! but prefer to do it all with a check mate in 18 moves!
Conclusion: Sorry no recommendation!
End of the line by Kem Parton {This is not a chess book!}
2005
Book Republic is an imprint of Cardoza Publishing
Cardoza Publishing
http://www.cardozapub.com
288 pages
Price $21.95
ISBN 978-1-5804-2190-4
End of the line is a none chess but not less interesting, it is a fascinating thriller about a rail road terrorist, a story of sabotage written by the former shipboard engineer and naval war planner who spent the last twelve years of his life in railroad management. A man who knows where he is talking about.
This book is so real that Kem Parton was fired when he refused to drawback the publication of it!
It is a very realistic scenario of destruction and sabotage which can happened every moment of the day in any place of the world, maybe when you take up this book you will probably never set a foot in a train again!
Conclusion: A frightening read!
Play the Nimzo-Indian by Edward Dearing
2005
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
224pages
Price $23.95
ISBN 1-85744-403-5
A impressive heavy weight from the Scottish crack IM Edward Dearing based on a selecting black repertoire lines on the Nimzo-Indian defence.
Dearing prefers in this 224 page book lines as; 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Nge2 c5!? {The Rubenstein variation versus the Romanishin –Psakhis system}or the Leningrad variation with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5!? c5 5.d5 Bxc3 6.bxc3 d6 7.e3 Qe7!
Is the move 4.f3!? is referred to the Sämisch variation? As the Nimzo-Indian guru John Emms once described it?
No the young Dearing prefers it as the crazy psychic biscuit variation, where he immediately suggests 4…d5!? to prevent the irritating move 5.e4.
White has now different choices as 8.Qd2 {game 38}and 8.Qd3!?,the pet line of the tactical chess
Genius GM Alexei Shirov who scored a series of impressive victories with it! {please see game 39 Shirov _ Karpov Biel 1992 which is nearly good for six pages of text!! } and 8.dxc5 {game 40}
In this book are all possibilities for white covered as The classical fianchetto system, Sämisch and all kind of deviations as the strange Spielmann variation with the early queen move 4.Qb3 where Dearing simple suggests play 4…c5!
There are 50 model games in this book plus a lot of extra ones between the lines!
Included is heavy loaded bibliography where Dearing interestingly praises Tony Kostens fantastic written book Mastering the Nimzo-Indian {Batsford 1998}
Conclusion: A very readable repertoire book!
Dealing with d4 deviations by John Cox
2005
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
144pages
Price $23.95
ISBN 1-85744-399-3
The former British junior champion John Cox deals in this latest Everyman chess book on all kind of alternative lines for black against the Trompowsky 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5,Torre 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 and 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5 ,The Hebden Torre 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3,Blackmar-Diemer 1.d4 d5 2.e4 or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 ,Londen system 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 and 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 ,Colle 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 ,Veresov 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 ,Anti –Benoni lines 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 and a lot of various lines as for example 1.d4 Nf6 2.e3.
Cox writes in this book that has learned a lot of these deviations with his match against Richard Perth and there for begged Everyman to show us some of his secrets! John Cox hopes that this book is going to become a sort of left-handed version of John Emms's populair Play the Open Games with Black,Gambit 2000 ,and if look at the moves:1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 Nxe4 the so called Hubsch defence. 4.Nxe4 dxe45.Bc4 Nc6 6.c3 e5 7.d5 Ne7 8.f3 exf3! and black has all the fun.
Cox is not convenced by Eric Prie's refutation of the BDG starting with 9.Nxf3 c6! the key move! If 10.Nxe5 Nxd5 11.Qe2 Be7 12.Be3 Be6 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rad1 Qc7 and white has nothing!
Interesting is the idea 1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 Nxg4 3.e4!? the so called Gibbins - Wiedenhagen gambit accepted, but it seems me only effective in amateur chess.
All material ten chapters of this book are all covered in openings surveys so I would like to mention this as a classic written openings book.
Conclusion: A very interesting written repertoire book!
Bird’s Opening by Timothy Taylor
2005
Everyman Chess
http://www.everymanchess.com/
224 pages
Price $ 23.95
ISBN 1-85744-402-7
It was the English master Henry Edward Bird {1830 –1918} who demonstrated the dangerous potential of the move 1.f4 in the second half of the nineteen century.
The great Aron Nimzowitsch played some great games with it in the 1920s and he only lost one game with it in his whole chess career and well against Steiner Keckemet 1927 with the tricky move order 1.f4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.b3 d4! this classic game is very instructively analysed by the American chess master to show the reader the dangerous pit falls of this opening.
All possibilities of the Bird’s opening in this book are compressively covered often till around move 30 of more, so this is a excellent book to understand the typical planes and manoeuvres that go with it all at the hand of a impressive collection of 53 well analysed model games.
In the index of complete games I found nine games of Bent Larsen and twelve games of Timothy Taylor himself so it is clear we are dealing with a author who is willing to share his secrets of the Bird.
In the Bibliography I found many interesting references but I am missing in this Bird book latest developments from the correspondence scene as for example 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 g5 5.g3 g4 6.Nh4 Ne7 7.e4!? a invention of the Latvian correspondence chess player Gurtovoi.Taylor handles the whole From’s gambit Lasker variation with five games and simple prefers white with the move order 7.Ng2 but dear readers there are more interesting alternatives! Please see for example Winning unorthodox openings from Angus Dunnington,Everyman Chess 2000 or Dmitrij Oleinikov impressive made openings CD on the Bird .
Interesting in this book are the chapters on the Antoshin variation with 1.f4,Nf3,3.d3,4.c3 and 5.Qc2 and the solid Stonewall with the big whole at e4!
Superb is the last game in this book is the classic game Pelikan – Alekhine where white went after 1.f4 f5 for the fascinating 2.e4!! which is good for 6.5 pages of this book!
Conclusion: The best book ever written on the Bird!
The French :Tarrasch variation by Steffen Pedersen
2005
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
143 pages
Price $24.95
ISBN 1-901983-49-8
French :Advance and other lines by Steffen Pedersen
2005
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
143 pages
Price $24.95
ISBN 1-904600-40-9
It has been nearly five years ago that Steffen Pedersen’s first book on the main line French with 3.Nc3 was published and I am very pleased to announce these two latest follow ups.
Throw the years quite some books on the French have passed the revue as Play the French from John
Watson Everyman Chess 2003 {by the way a repertoire book!} and the four books from Lev Psakhis on the French defence.
The last ones are maybe a competitor for these works from Gambit Publications but to be honest I personally prefer the books from Steffen Pedersen not only for his clear cut explanations but above all it is very difficult to find your way throw the books from Psakhis.
In the French Tarrasch variation I found a excellent move to move coverage of all possible lines as for example the complicated main line with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.0-0 is good for 28 pages of this book.
The obscure 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 gets a whole chapter from 18 pages and Morozevich’s pet line with the strong bishop pair 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Nb4 is well covered.
In French advance and other lines you shall find a scope of all kind of alternatives as the wing gambit which gives white after Steffen Pedersen a white reasonable compensation! 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4 After Pedersen the Wing Gambit is a dangerous variation against the French and probaly deserves more respect than it usually gets.
But the chess crack from Denmark does not see much in the legendary line of the Milner-Barry gambit called after the British master Sir Stuart Milner – Barry.
Tim Harding once promoted it as the ‘Murderous Milner-Barry’ but it was John Watson who waved it all away with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 Qxe5 11.Re1 Qb8 12.Nxd5 Bd6 13.Qg4 Kf8 14.Bd2 h5 15.Qh3 Bc6 16.Ne3 Nf6 17.Nc4 Bc7 18.Bc3 Ng4 19.g3 b5 20.Na5 Bf3!
Conclusion: Two excllent written openings books!
50 essential chess lessons by Steve Giddins
2005
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
159 pages
Price $ 24.95
ISBN 1-904600-41-7
A collection of 50 super instructive chess games explained with excellent move to move annotations.
Giddins did not analyse the games to a painstaking death but preferred to keep it readable with a lot of text, where the fifty games some old and a lot of new ones are clearly divided in to five sectionsof this book: Attacking the king, Defence, Piece power, Pawn structure and endgame themes.
Giddins did also some interesting research and for the first time in chess history we can play throw the first moves of the game Euwe- Van Doesburgh, Dutch Championship of 1938!
One of the learning key themes in this game is that of provoking weaknesses in this instructive rook ending where Euwe is a pawn up.
A other less known {fantastic knight}endgame is the game Timman – Ree Ohra tournament, Amsterdam 1984 game 45 of this book.
Giddins style of writing is very pleasant for les experienced chess players who would like to develop there skills on modern play of chess as the use of modern pawn strucrures. Every game in this book includes a section essential lessons and at last a wise advise from Giddins cover the moves up with a card as if you where playing the game your self, by the way it was also a wise suggestion from the great Aron Nimzowitsch him self!
Conclusion: Certainly a first step to master ship!
Understanding the King’s Indian by Mikhail Golubev
2006
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
208 pages
Price $ 27.90
ISBN 1-904600-31-X
The King’s Indian was developed during the ‘hypermodern’ era in the early 1920s an reached it’s peak in the 1970s when Fischer the greatest exponent of the King’s Indian became world champion.
Who does not remember Fischer’s win on Korchnoi of the World Blitz Championship that was held in Yugoslavia a small 36 years ago?
If not here is the great game: Kortschnoj,Viktor - Fischer,Robert James [E97] Herceg Novi blitz Herceg Novi, 1970
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 c5 10.a3 Ne8 11.b4 b6 12.Rb1 f5 13.f3 f4 14.a4 g5 15.a5 Rf6 16.bxc5 bxc5 17.Nb3 Rg6 18.Bd2 Nf6 19.Kh1 g4 20.fxg4 Nxg4 21.Rf3 Rh6 22.h3 Ng6 23.Kg1 Nf6 24.Be1 Nh8 25.Rd3 Nf7 26.Bf3 Ng5 27.Qe2 Rg6 28.Kf1 Nxh3 29.gxh3 Bxh3+ 30.Kf2 Ng4+ 31.Bxg4 Bxg4 0-1 {Please see also page 32 of this book after 10.Rb1 black has quite some problems to solve.
The Russian Grandmaster Mikhail Golubev from the Ukraine describes in this latest Gambit book the latest developments of the King’s Indian with a impressive collection of 56 model games all played by Golubev himself, and that is truly super instructive because there is no better way to explain chess than from your own King's Indian experiences!
Golubev has not only a very refreshing view on the Kings Indian but offers the reader a unique insight of the hidden subtleties of this defence.
All major lines plus alternatives are getting a intensive turn and the author from Odessa has managed to create in this book a fine balance between explanations and latest chess theory. And this I can not say for example from for example Andrew Martin’s latest over loaded book on the King’s Indian!{King’s Indian Battle Plans from Thinkers Press 2004}
Some older books on the King’s Indian as the famous one from Barden,Hartston and Keene with there King’s Indian defence are realy dead meat when we compare it with all the latest lines of this book.
Golubev has quite some interesting suggestions in this book as for example against the Sämisch he suggests for black the interesting move order: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nc6 8.Nge2 Re8 a relatively seldom used alternative but he honestly admits he hardly ever played seriously 6…e5 after his crushing defeat against Oll in the 1985 USSR qualification tournament for the World Junior Championship.
I have one book in my book shelf that comes close to the work from Golubev and that is the one from Joe Gallagher’s book Play the King’s Indian,Everyman Chess 2004 but dear reader this is only a repertoire book and not all the repertoire lines from Gallagher are fun to play with black!
Conclusion: A very important reference book on the King’s Indian defence!
The classical Sicilian by Alex Yermolinsky
2006
Gambit Publications Ltd
http://www.gambitbooks.com
E-mail info@gambitbooks.com
111 pages
Price $19.95
ISBN 1-90600-42-5
Chess explained is a new series of openings books about chess theory based on understanding of a opening.
A chess expert in this case the phenomenal Alex Yermolinsky will help you to develop a understanding of the classical Sicilian whivh runs after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 an opening which Yermolinsky is playing with success for years.
In this book I found 25 extensive analysed games where one game is good for around for around four pages of text included with around nine diagrams where some diagrams follow the game, and other the notes to it.
So it is for the more experienced reader not difficult to follow the game with out the help of a chess board and pieces.
Some way these game annotations remind me of the extensive game analyses from Timman so well are they explained by Yermolinsky.
The material in this book is divided in to the following sections: Boleslavsky’s classical approach,The Fischer-Sozin attack,Richter-Rauzer: early deviations, Black castles kingside in the Richter-Rauzer and The treatment of the Richter-Rauzer.
Interesting to mention is Yermolinsky analyses of his pet line with 6.Bc4 Qb6 where he is a leading specialist is,for this only I would buy this interesting written openings book!
But there is more for example the Richter-Rauzer with some early deviations as :1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Qd2 Rc8 8.0-0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Qa5 10.f4 Rxc3 11.bxc3 e5 12.Qb4 Qxb4 13.cxb4 Nxe4 14.Rd5! a invention of the young Ukrainian grandmaster Andrei Volokitin is truly very instructive.
It is difficult to stop for me but one more line that I must mention is the modern treatment of the Rauzer 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7 9.f4 b5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 after Yermolinsky the Kozul suicide variation where Yermolinsky is responsible for keeping the torch burning.
Conclusion: A must openings book!
New in Chess Yearbook issue 77
2005
New in Chess
244 pages
Price € 24.95
ISBN 90-5691-157-0
The New in Chess Yearbooks started back in the 1980s as competitor from the Chess Informator but slowly they have changed there strategy with a collection openings surveys, and this heavy loaded issue is good for 32 impressive written openings surveys; Sicilian Defence: Najdorf Variation 7...Nbd7, by Olthof Sicilian Defence: Najdorf Variation 6.Be3, by Hoeksema Sicilian Defence: Dragon Variation 9.Bc4, by Anka Sicilian Defence: Scheveningen Variation 6.Be2, by Fogarasi Sicilian Defence: Rauzer Variation 10.e5, by Van der Wiel Sicilian Defence: Rossolimo Variation 4...Qc7, by Greenfeld French Defence: Advance Variation 3.e5, by Sveshnikov Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Variation 5...Nc6, by Smeets Caro-Kann Defence: Advance Variation 4.h4, by Anka Scandinavian Defence: Main Line 5...Bf5, by Prié Petroff Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation 5.Nc3, by A.Kuzmin
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation 5...Bg4, by Van der Tak Ruy Lopez: Neo-Steinitz Variation 6...Nge7, by Karolyi Ruy Lopez: Open Variation 9.Nbd2, by Grivas King’s Pawn Opening: Elephant Gambit 2...d5, by Pliester Two Knights Defence: Fritz Variation 5...Nd4, by Van der Tak Queen’s Gambit: Declined Exchange Variation 4.cd5, by Bosch
Slav Defence: Meran Variation 7.g4, by Lukacs/Hazai Tarrasch Defence: Rubinstein Variation 6.g3, by Vilela Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Classical Variation 7.a4, by Yusupov Nimzo-Indian Defence: Kmoch Variation 4.f3, by Cebalo Nimzo-Indian Defence: Romanishin Variation 4.Nf3, by Langeweg Bogo-Indian Defence: 4.Nbd2, by Boersma
Queen’s Indian Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation 4..Ba6, by Dautov Grünfeld Indian Defence: Exchange Variation 7.Nf3, by Avrukh Grünfeld Indian Defence: Exchange Variation 7.Nf3, by V.Mikhalevski Grünfeld Indian Defence: Exchange Variation 7.Bc4, by Olthof King’s Indian Defence: Bayonet Attack 9.b4, by Tzermiadianos/Kotronias King’s Indian Defence: 5.Bd3, by Geo.Timoshenko Benoni Defence: Volga Gambit 3...b5, by Fogarasi Old Indian Defence: Delayed Benoni 7...e6, by Dautov Queen’s Pawn Opening: Trompowsky Attack 2.Bg5, by Fogarasi.
Interesting is for example the Two Knights Defence: Fritz Variation 5...Nd4, by the Dutch openings expert A C van der Tak where he takes a refreshing look at the two knights defence with one of the most famous games of all time,Yakov Estrin – Hans Berliner,5th Correspondence World Championship 1965-68.
Hans Berliner was very surprised when his game made it to the number one of the 100 best and wrote me; I have been essential out of chess for 25 years,and am not “up”on games that have been played during that time. I am proud of my game which included an improvement on “theory” which basically dashes and hopes white has for an advantage in that line.The game was played perfectly from my part as far as has been humanely possible to determine.
For the interested reader I would suggest buy Megacorr4 where you shall find the full annotations from Harding and Hans Berliner on this game and they offer much more information than the few game notes from Van der Tak.
By the way the Berliner game can also be found in The world’s greatest chess games by Burgess,Nunn & Emms,Robinson 1998.
My favorite read in this isssue is Step by Step from the Dutch GM Genna Sosonko where he starts and ends with the great chess legend Capablanca.
Conclusion: There is no better way to prepare your self than with these latest New in Chess surveys!
Curacao 1962 – The battle of minds that shook the chess world
2005
New In Chess
216 pages
$24.95
ISBN 90-5691-139-2
Curacao 1962 was a chess a chess tournament that gave Robert Fischer a big headache, not only he had to fight alone against the Russians who where making suspicious short draws when the trio Keres, Petrosian and Geller where playing against each other.
But Fischer was also forced to share his second with his competitor Pal Charles Benko that even gave a small scandal but it did not destroy the friendship of these two chess giants.
It was also a tournament of 28 rounds marathon that took around two months of everybody’s life, Bobby’s comments on Curacao in Sports Illustrated for August 1962; The Russians have fixed world Chess!
The Dutch chess company New in Chess has manage to create with this latest release a tournament book that you can easy place between books as Alekhine’s New York 1927 and Bronstein’s Zurich 1953.
The annotations from the games in this book come from the Dutch Chess professional GM Jan Timman who is responsible for a refreshing polish of these golden classics.
A important reference work in this book are the analyses from Fischer in his book My 60 Memorable games but when we take a look at the game Fischer - Kortchnoi page 57 and 58 of this book and now it is interesting to check the analyses between Timman and the black site player of the board,the great Victor Korchnoi!
Korchnoi gives in his analyses {Please see his book My best games vol.2:Games with Black Olms 2001} that 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 c5 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.0-0 Qxc5+ 9.Kh1 Nc6 10.Nd2 a5 11.Nc4! would give white after 11....Bg4 12.Be3 Qh5 13.Bxg4 Nxg4 14.h3 Nxe3 15.Qxh5 gxh5 16.Nxe3 a slightly better position.
And Timman? He gives; 12.Be3 Qxc4! and black liquidates to a very favourable endgame but is this correct?
Fritz 9 gives a clear advantage and Victor Kortschnoi gives in his book Mein besten Kámpfe Walter Rau Verlag 1979 again a clear plus for white!
Included throw this work is a fantastic collection of 46 photographs and a excellent index of games, names and openings to find your way throw this perfect printed tournament book.
Conclusion: A very important written tournament book!
Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis
2006
Batsford Ltd London
http://www.Batsford.com
320 pages
Price $21.95
ISBN 07134- 8983-9
Lasker is probably one of the most famous chess players of all time and for the first time in the history of chess a chess author GM Andrew Soltis is trying to solve the myth behind the success of Emanuel Lasker.
Lasker is controversy but he is also a mystery how could he remain world champion for a such a long period of 27 years?
When you go throw the 100 well analysed games where some take three to four pages of this book you shall find a solution to the Lasker mystery.
The best answer is that Lasker was his opponents far ahead in technique and a very resourceful fighter special if we look for example at game 60 against the hardworking Schlechter,who took part in nearly every tournament played between 1895 and 1912.
Interesting to mention is as Lasker began to face opponents much younger than him he tried to win in the middle game more often than he had in the past.
Topalov told New In Chess in 2005.He cited the Kramnik – Kasparov match as “the perfect example” because the challenger quickly steered 11 of the 15 games into endings,but Lasker anticipated Kramnik already by a century ago!
Conclusion: One of the best books ever written on Lasker!
Chess CD's
Opening Instructor
2005
Convekta
http://www.convekta.com
E-mail support@chessassistant.com
Price € 25,00
System requirements: IBM compatible,64 Mb RAM,Hard disk 200 MB of free disk place ,Windows 2000/NT/ME/XP/2003 CD-ROM drive and no additional software is required.
This surprising openings manual of all important openings lines comes from the well known Russian chess trainer GM Nikolai Kalinichenko.
It is impressive what I found on this CD a clear cut explanation of all major openings lines well explained with a large amount of text but above all there are a lot of important key principles on this CD.
This all belongs for a good understanding of the opening but also the history and important opening references are not forgotten in these mass of openings files.
Every opening and I found over the 337 surveys and complete games on this CD and are all well covered where the explanations go before latest developments so if you want to learn a opening go for this easy learning openings CD.
Pleasant in use is the integrated opening instructor a program which allows you to play chess and of course to analyse openings positions.
The material on this CD is divided in a complete course of openings, code system, open games, semi open games and closed games.
For example even the Latvian Gambit is covered with a short openings report where they even mention the poisoned pawn variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qg5.
This program allows to add edit and print chess material.
Conclusion: For 25 Euros you get a super bargain! {A database program with openings surveys and chess engines!}
Chess middle game collection
2005
Convekta
http://www.convekta.com
E-mail support@chessassistant.com
Price € 81.90
System requirements: IBM-compatible PC, 32 Mb RAM, Hard Disk 100 Mb of free disk space, Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME/XP. CD-ROM drive and no additional software is required.
This impressive collection of four CD’s in one DVD box comes from Convkta with over 2300 games and lectures,2600 exercises and 1000 trainings positions.
The games and lectures come from GM Alexander Kalinin and the set of CD’s are put together from Encyclopedia of MiddlegameI,Encyclopedia of Middlegame II,Encyclopedia of Middlegame III and Encyclopedia of middlegame IV.
We have reviewed some of these CD’s in the past so I would like to repeat with Encyclopedia of middlegame IV; Which is a exciting course from GM Kalinin based on 560 lectures where each of these lectures illustrate typical opening and middle game positions.
All the material on this CD reads as a big lecture based on a careful selection opening& middle game positions, all intensive analysed with a large amount of readable text where so you can learn in one turn the opening and middle game {lectures}.
Usually middle game books seldom cover all the openings moves simple to save place but this is no problem for a chess CD.
Covered on this CD are the following openings : Two Knight’s defence ,Ruy Lopez with the Schliemann and b5 line, Sicilian defence based on the Richter attack, French defence {3.e5 and 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5}Caro-Kann defence {with 3.e5 advance variation }English defence, the King’s Indian,Nimzo – Indian, Slav,and detailed Hanham set-up against 1.d4.
Many of these middle game positions are very impressive as the correspondence position between Saether and Mostert corr.1968 ,this game also appeared in Informator 5/176 with notes credited to Trajkovic but as we can read in ChessMail they were basically the variations from Mostert's own notes that appeared in FS 8/1966 p182!
The navigator leads you perfect throw these exercises and if you wish you can even play every moment of the lecture a real game of chess!
Conclusion: A very attractive buy!
ChessBase Monograph World Champion Capablanca
2006
ChessBase http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
Price 24.99
System Requirements: Pentium 166,32 MB RAM,Win98, SE,WinME,Win2000,WinXP
This interesting made monograph on the “chess machine” Jose Raul Capablanca comes with a Hugh database of 1225 entries and that is even 13 games more than the Pickard & Son database!
A small 294 of these entries cover excellent annotations as 103 from the ChessBase expert Peter Schneider but there is more Chessbase did manage to dig up a lot of classic annotations on this cd as for example 15 annotated games from Becker, four from, Euwe and 56 from Capablanca!
Sometimes these annotations are a combinations of players as for example Capablanca &Lasker who did in the past a nice mix of 14 analysed games.
This CD is created by different authors as GM Mihail Marin who is responsible for a endgame section of 15 intensive entries.
Instructive of this CD are the contributions from Robert Hübner’s who is responsible for all the match games between Capablanca and Alekhine,here I found six text reports and 45 games where the most of them are excellent analysed.
Included on this CD is a tactic file with a impressive 104 entries and a short AVI file from 11.1 MB with a simultaneous play of the great Capablanca.
Conclusion: Impressive!
Chess Magazines
British Chess Magazine No.2
Volume 126
February 2006
Price: £3.60
BCM issue starts with an excellent eight page coverage of the Hastings Congress where Steve Giddins is good for the interesting written ringside report.
Russian championship {By the way did you see the game Zvjagintsev – Khalifman 1.e4 c5 2.Na3!?}Chess as a feminist issue {Cthy Forbes reviews Jennifer Shahade’s challenging book Chess Bitch}Fide world cup {The massive knock-out in Siberia produced ten candidates for the next world championship! There is a full 14 page report from John Saunders. }Games department by Sam Collins,Review and new books, Chess questions answered by Gary Lane {Gary discusses his one night in Bangkok and the ammasing Pirc from Peter Wells 1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.g4!?}, Fide ratings, New in Brief,Problem world, etc
Conclusion: One of my favourite chess magazines!
Kaissiber Issue 19
Juni-August 2003
Deutschland 6.10 Euro
Kaissiber Issue 20
Juli-September 2005
Deutschland 6.10 Euro
Kaissiber Issue 21
October-December 2005
Deutschland 6.10 Euro
Kaissiber Issue 22
Januar- März 2006
Deutschland 6.10 Euro
It has been very silent for some time on the Kaissersite but this great gambit magazine back!
The four issues where offered for review by the Chessbook reseller Schachversand Niggemann and there for my great thanks!
Issue 19 is mainly based on the Alekhine defence with the line 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c4 Nb6 6.e6 fxe6b the so called Haakert variation. The author Jürgen Fleck calls it so nice in the German language dancing on a volcano!
Anyway it is good for around 33 pages of this heavy loaded magazine!
But there is more on Alekhine as a fantastic article from Michael Negele and the great gambit master Stefan Bücker with the title The man who invented the Alekhine defence.
In the German language it is Der Mann,der Aljechins Verteidigung erfand,good for 12 pages and some fine photo’s of the great Alekhine.
Unfortnatley issue 20 & 21 don’t cover any superb theoretical surveys but there are enough readable contributions between these 80 pages as the one from Bent Larsen and his knight jumps 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Ne7!? and a handful exciting gambit lines as the nearly forgotten Halloween gambit that runs after the moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5!?
The computer expert Chrilly Donninger describes in issue 21 the Man Vs Machine championship between Adams and Hydram and Dick van Geet concentrates on his second pet move 1.b3! {good for five pages!}The Australian Alex Wohl describes “Kängurus” Kangaroos his friendship with Tony Miles and his love for strange knight moves as 1,e4 c6 d4 Na6!? Issue 22 covers a superb 29 page article on the Max Lange attack! Many analyses here end in the middlegame and I found many interesting references to old chess books but also some internet sites!
By the way Lew Gutman gives: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 Bc5 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.fxg7 Rg8 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Re1 Be6 11.Bxe7 Kxe7 12.Re4 d3 13.Nbd2 Qd5 14.Rxc4 Rxg7 15.cxd3 Qxd3 16.Rc3 Qd5 17.Qe1 Rag8 18.g3 Rg4 19.Qe3 Qf5 20.Re1 Kd8 21.Rxc6! bxc6 22.Ne5 Ra4 23.Qc5 Ra6 24.Nxc6 Kd7 25.Re5 Qg4 26.Rd5+ Kc8 27.Ne7+ Kb8 28.Rd4 as winning but is 18..Rd8! not much better?
Again there are some nice Halloween surprices and a very good read on Tony Miles “Und die Schachwissenschaft” chess scientist.
All these readable Kaissiber contributions make this magazine timeless and I consider it as one of the best in the world!{But some German knowledge is necessarily!}
Conclusion: A great chess magazine!