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Chessville
From the
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Tactics In the Chess Opening 2 - Open Games Reviewed by Rick Kennedy
If I were limited to recommending to a developing player only one book from my shelves, it would be Tartakower and DuMont's 500 Master Games of Chess, despite its first publication over 50 years ago. With the cover notation Book 1: Open Games, Book 2: Semi-Open Games, Book 3: Closed Games Complete in One Volume, it is an enjoyable collection, capably and entertainingly annotated. Games are arranged by opening, giving an introduction (and more) to all of the major systems of play. Despite the dust that has gathered on some of its debuts, and the analytical errors that creep into human efforts, it remains a great “desert island” chess book. Some time in the future, if I were able to fudge a bit, I might change my suggestion to the 6 volumes in the Tactics in the Chess Opening series from New in Chess (two of which have appeared to date) covering: Sicilian Defence, Open Games, Semi-open Games, Queen’s Gambit, Indian Openings and Flank Openings & Gambits. Tactics In the Chess Opening 2 - Open Games is the latest installment. It features 250 annotated 1.e4 e5 games arranged according to the New In Chess Key – familiar to readers of that wonderful magazine, and understandable (with practice, or with the key in the back of the book) to those who are more familiar with the Rabar system of classification in the Informants and the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings. This is a modern collection – about 90% of the games were played after Tartakower’s oeuvre was published; about half of the games are from 1990 or later. Included are correspondence as well as over-the-board games. The layout of van der Tak and Nijboer’s book is crisp, and the diagrams clear. Bolding, white space and font size makes the pages attractive to the eye. The games tend to be sprightly educational miniatures, taking up about a page each and getting a diagram apiece. Their quality is significantly above the usual club slip-and-fall quickie, and brings to mind Reti’s comment:
Here are a couple of positions from some games-in-progress, with notes by the authors. The first is an example of The Classic Bishop Sacrifice – coming out of a King’s Gambit, no less! The second is a Delayed Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez.
Cordier – Schwartzmann
Wittmann- Malinin
This last example reminds me that van der Tak and Nijboer have an additional edge over Tartakower and DuMont: computer resources. They can lay out text and create diagrams with ease. They can access millions of games from a database with a few keystrokes. They can ask the opinion of a master-strength analysis engine, or have it check their own work. (It is likely that they did the latter, although 12.Ng4!, a move they overlook, seems to win the game for Wittmann, above.)
Tactics In the Chess Opening 2 - Open Games is a very enjoyable book
that will teach as well as entertain. Readers who are developing their
understanding of the Royal Game will learn a lot about opening a chess game,
and even more about the sharp tactics that can quickly close one. Club
and tournament players from around 1400-1500 and higher should get the best
use out of it – but if you happen to know of an up-and-coming player headed
off to a desert isle…
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