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BCM Chess Book Reviews : May 2005Return to the BCM Review Index
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The front cover states ‘second edition’, but that seems to refer only to the fact that Joe Gallagher wrote a book on the Trompowsky for Everyman in 1998. The two books are very different, mainly because the opening has continued to explode in popularity in the last few years, with new ideas constantly being introduced. Such is the pace of change that Davies often cites improvements and alternatives to Peter Wells’ recent (2003) Winning With the Trompowsky. Davies’ book is up-to-date and packed with original analysis and practical advice – essential reading for all ‘Trompers’. The hottest news is the prediction that the disreputable line 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 Bh4 (rather than the usual 3 Bf4) ‘may be about to make a full scale comeback’, based on Bellon Lopez’s adoption of 3...c5 4 f3 g5 5 fxe4 gxh4 6 e3 Bh6 7 Nd2!? instead of the normally recommended 7 Kf2. Annotations to six of Bellon Lopez’s highly aggressive games make the case well. My only concerns are about the omissions inevitable in such a short book. The lack of an index of variations is a small irritation, and occasionally you can search for a line and find it is missing, e.g. 2...e6 3 e4 c5 (only 3...h6 is given), or 2...e6 3 Nd2, or 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 c5 4 f3 Nf6 (a risky but interesting alternative to the main line 4...Qa5+). Davies also tends to treat older lines quite cursorily. But the book is not intended as a complete reference work: it is an excellent survey of the current trends in an opening which continues to offer scope for early creativity at every level of play. Review by James Vigus.
The favourite defence of the supertorneo grandmasters is less
popular with chess editors who want to have exciting games in their magazines.
But if the Linares boys play it, I suppose it must be good. This is a
fairly conventional Everyman opening book with 74 (mainly recent) games
analysed in detail by the two prolific Russian authors. There are ten
chapters, each of which summaries the particular line covered. JS
This high-quality opening theory manual kicks off with a letter from
Viktor Korchnoi, filling in some gaps in two opening surveys published
in the previous edition. There are a number of other interesting letters.
Then, 37 surveys of opening variations, including Sicilian Sveshnikov
7 Nd5, French Winawer 5...Ba5, Caro Kann Fantasy, Benoni Snake (5...Bd6)
amongst others. Glenn Flear reviews three recent King’s Indian books.
JS
More than 1,200 positions are given to test the reader’s tactical
ability, with nine diagrams per page. A novelty is that many positions
given have a second tactical solution where the other colour moves first.
Points are awarded according to the difficulty of the puzzle. The puzzles
are grouped according to theme, as listed in the index. JS
When I first studied the Dutch Defence several years ago I was particularly impressed by Neil McDonald’s book on the Leningrad Variation. I was still more impressed when he then used the Leningrad to beat me in emphatic style – twice. This ‘Starting Out’ book is a basic-level guide for newcomers to the Dutch, yet the author’s expertise and enthusiasm still shine through. McDonald’s writing style is clear and lively, with theory lightly presented but up-to-date, organised around 50 annotated games. Various ‘tips’ highlighted in bold give concise insight, e.g. ‘the health of White’s king’s bishop is a useful barometer of his chances in the Dutch Defence’. On Black’s typical kingside attack in the Stonewall McDonald’s aphorism is ‘Sophisticated? No. Effective? Yes! At most levels the Stonewall is easier to play as Black than as White.’ The coverage of anti-Dutch lines like 1 d4 f5 2 e4 and 2 Bg5 is especially good. The main sections are on the Stonewall (...f5, ...e6, ...d5), the Classical (...f5, ...e6, ...d6) and the Leningrad (...f5, ...g6). Even if one intends to play only one of these systems, there is enough overlap that it is useful to study them side-by-side like this – and this book might well encourage fans of one Dutch set-up to try the others too. Meanwhile I’m reading it with revenge in mind! Review by James Vigus.
Australian champion Gary Lane has put together a Black repertoire for
those with limited time to study, and with a view to providing Black players
with ‘a decent position with the minimum of effort’. Against
1 d4, he chooses the Chigorin Defence (1...d5 2 c4 Nc6) and against 1
e4, the Main Line Centre Counter (2...Qxd5) but with 3...Qd6 (the ‘Modern
variation’) after 3 Nc3. Against 1 c4 he proposes 1...Nc6, hoping
for a transposition to the Chigorin, but lining up ...e5 and a conventional
kingside fianchetto if White does not oblige. The author provides advice
on what to do against 1 f4, 1 b4, 1 Nc3 and 1 g4, as well as the more
orthodox flank openings and the King’s Indian Attack. JS
The former British champion sets out the fundamentals of rook endgames
clearly and concisely. As always with this prolific author’s work,
everything is explained in simple, easy-to-remember terms and you get
to have some fun along the way. There are also some of his hallmark multiple
choice questions to test and reinforce the new information. JS
“I cannot win my won games” is a common enough complaint by
chess players. Sometimes it derives from self-delusion as regards what
constitutes a “won position”, but in many cases it is all about
that elusive chess skill known as ‘technique’. This is what
Soltis’ book is all about, and he tries to dispel some of the myths
that have grown up round the widely-used, frequently misunderstood, concept.
There are of course a great many aspects involved in the finishing-off
process, and Soltis dispenses sage advice in many of them in this well-produced
book. JS
This reprint covers Jan to May 1902 inclusive. Lots of lively coverage
including all the annotated games of the 1902 Anglo-US cable match and
coverage of the big Monte Carlo tournament. Includes notes by Chigorin
and CS Howell. JS
The book is sub-titled ‘Chessdon and Much More’, indicating
that it is a reworking and updating of the author’s 1999 book Chessdon
(reviewed in the November BCM of that
year). Don Schultz has been a chess organiser and administrator in
the USA over four decades, and is at his entertaining best delivering
gossipy first-hand accounts of the murky world of chess politics. Though
the modest amount of first-hand material about Fischer and Kasparov makes
the inclusion of their names in the title seem gratuitous, Schultz’s
portrayal of the ‘Others’ (particularly Campomanes and Ilyumzhinov)
is extremely interesting. JS
Don Maddox is a regular ChessBase author, with previous CDs on the Reti,
King’s Indian Attack and Franco-Benoni. Now he recommends 1 Nc3 as
a way to coax Black into ‘no man’s land’. White concedes
theoretical equality at once, but can quickly generate original, strategically
complex positions. Maddox argues that many Black players are confused
by the number of early possibilities confronting them: ‘Most opening
repertoires are crafted by systematically limiting your opponent’s
options. The Van Geet floods him with choices.’ The introduction
runs through possible responses to each of Black’s first moves, suggesting
everything from 1 Nc3 c5 2 Nf3 to 1 Nc3 g6 2 h4, and various bizarre gambits.
Links are provided to a database of 9161 games, some annotated. Maddox
never goes into much depth, but his ideas will stimulate experimentally-minded
White players. The database only includes games which actually begin with
1 Nc3, so is of limited help on transpositions to the Closed Sicilian
(1 Nc3 c5 2 e4), Vienna (1 Nc3 e5 2 e4), French (1 Nc3 d5 2 e4 e6) etc.
It’s a good idea (as Maddox admits) for devotees of the Van Geet
to build up experience with those openings too. Also included are a tree
of variations and a light-hearted training database with 100 quick questions
to test your Van Geet instinct. The CD comes with an inbuilt ChessBase
9 reader. Review by James Vigus.
This complete DVD training course for elementary players starts with
a 5-minute introductory pep talk, during which Martin puts emphasis on
enjoyment as a key motivating factor – his advice is, if you are
not enjoying your chess, don’t play. Then he gets into his presentation
on the basics of the opening via some grandmaster games. Martin is one
of the best chess lecturers around, and he has some original practical
tips. Very entertaining. JS
Informator started its popular ‘Combinations’ section
in its fifth edition, back in 1968, and has included it ever since. Up
to and including Informator 91, this totals more than 3,000 combinative
positions to date, and this disk features them all. The positions tend
to be more difficult than ‘White/Black to play and win’ examples
found in most puzzle books, but ambitious players will enjoy testing their
tactical powers against them. JS
