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BCM Chess Book Reviews : November 2004

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My Great Predecessors (Volume 3) by Garry Kasparov, Everyman, 332 pages hardcover, £25.00.

Slightly thinner than the first two volumes, part three of Kasparov’s magnum opus concentrates on Petrosian and Spassky. As with previous volumes, other players who were contemporary rivals to the world champions are covered in some detail: here the big names are Gligoric, Polugaevsky, Portisch and Stein. Kasparov sees the Petrosian/Spassky championship eras as a continuation of the Botvinnik ‘revolution’, its keynotes being thorough preparation and sharp openings for White and Black. Kasparov is generally respectful of each of these champions of the past.
   Kasparov takes a slightly unorthodox view of Spassky, veering away from the cliché that he is ‘universal’ towards seeing him as having a leaning towards sharp, attacking play, whilst being somewhat suspect in the opening. So Kasparov brackets Spassky with Tal, and also with Stein, on whom he lavishes particular praise in an attempt to restore him to the renown which he feels he deserves. One of the best features of the book is the way Kasparov completes chapters about players with a discussion of his own games and experiences with that player, thereby giving insights into his own play and character as a young man. The annotations are distilled from many sources, often the player’s own notes, which are then topped with ‘essence of Kasparov’ – and you cannot get better than that. JS
 

Chess Lessons by Artur Yusupov, Chessgate, 196 pages, £14.99.

This book derives from a series of ten German language training booklets, each one covering a particular chess theme, by the distinguished author. A favourable reception of the booklets prompted the idea of an English translation, which was done by Daniel King. Each chapter begins with some study material and then the reader is presented with a diagrammed position to figure out, followed by worked solutions. There are chapters on back-rank combinations, candidate moves, wrong-coloured bishops, exchanging pieces and a number of other motifs. The book itself is very well produced and the author’s name a virtual guarantee of quality. JS





 

Play The 4 f3 Nimzo-Indian by Yuri Yakovich, Gambit, 128 pages, £13.99.

Another useful opening manual from Gambit Publications on a lesser-known but potent sideline of the Nimzo-Indian. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 f3 goes in and out of fashion, but is still seen frequently in the hands of strong grandmasters. There is an addendum to the book with some illustrative games, including a brilliant queen sacrifice game, Lilienthal-Capablanca, Hastings 1934/5, and Gheorghiu’s win against Fischer from the Havana Olympiad 1966; and, of course, Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO 1938. One could hardly doubt the efficacy of 4 f3 with three such gems to its credit. The book comes with a comprehensive index and is generally well produced. JS

Leonid Kubbel’s Chess Endgame Studies (revised edition 2004) by TG Whitworth, self-published, 221 pages, £25.00.

This collection contains all the endgame studies (440 in number) composed by (Karl Artur) Leonid Kubbel (1891-1942) that TG Whitworth has been able to find. The 1984 edition of this book, based on Kubbel’s own collections of 1925 and 1938, gave a substantial collection of the composer’s work but the present edition is more comprehensive. This volume is excellently indexed and produced, and was clearly a labour of love by the author. JS

Bogoljubow: The Fate Of A Chess Player by Sergei Soloviov, Chess Stars, 280 pages, £15.99.

This is another high-quality and well-presented biographical work from Chess Stars. Their subject this time is one of the great masters of the first half of the 20th century, Efim Bogoljubow (1889-1952). Bogoljubow’s life was as interesting and controversial as his chess, and the author has tried to do justice to its many vicissitudes. The games are annotated Informator-style, and there is plenty of textual and tabular biographical material. The translation into English is not everything it might be in places, but the overall impression is of a well-researched work. JS







 

The English Attack by Tapani Sammalvuo, Gambit, 272 pages, £16.99.

This opening book covers the Najdorf with Íe3 and f3: as the sub-title says, the sharpest and most fashionable way to attack the Najdorf Sicilian. The author is making his publishing debut: he is a young IM from Finland. As well as extensive variation coverage, there is plenty of text devoted to the critical moves of each system. Each chapter is completed with a theoretical summary, plus hints and tips for both colours. The author has clearly sifted the voluminous printed material about the opening. As usual, Gambit’s back-up support is well in evidence, with detailed indexes and well laid-out pages. JS

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings ‘D’ (4th ed.) CD-ROM, Sahovski Informator, £35.00.

The fourth edition of the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO), volume D, covers 1 d4 d5 and 1 d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 followed by 3...d5, i.e. the Queen’s Gambit Declined and Accepted, Orthodox, Tarrasch, Tartakower, Slav, etc, plus the Grünfeld and minor Queen’s Pawn openings. The disk contains games and analyses from Informators 1-88, plus further up-to-date material. You can use the built-in database software (Chess Informant Expert 5.1) or simply download the PGN database to your favourite database software. JS

New In Chess Yearbook 72, New in Chess, 244 pages, £16.95.

The latest edition of the opening theory periodical has articles on the Sicilian Dragon, Benkö Gambit, Bogo-Indian, Caro Kann, King’s Gambit, French Tarrasch and much more. JS









 

Quarterly for Chess History, 9/2004 by V Fiala, Moravian Chess, 506 pages h/c, £21.99.

Another hulking tome of chess history research. Amongst the contents: Reshevsky: Polish Prodigy in USA (Part 3); biographies of Hromadka, Szen and Geffe; forgotten tournaments: Paris 1930, Illinois 1951; and the Flohr vs Stolz match of 1931. A must for all keen chess historians. JS

An Attacking Repertoire for White by Sam Collins, Batsford, 192 pages, £15.99.

Irish Olympiad player Sam Collins has produced a straightforward repertoire book based on 1 e4. The word ‘attacking’ in the title is merely publisher’s hype: his recommended 2 c3 against the Sicilian is usually regarded as a cautious and non-committal approach. Collins makes the point that the slightly suspect white pawn structure that arises in the c3 Sicilian makes it important to knock out the opposition fast, so that is his rationalisation for calling it ‘attacking’. Against the French, Collins gives 3 e5 though he is not too specific on how to follow up. Against 1...e5 it is the Scotch, and against the Petroff he advocates 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3. Against the Caro Kann, Collins goes for the Panov. There is an interesting mix of games and discussions of opening pawn structures. Collins’ suggestions are suitable for an intermediate player wanting to construct a first repertoire. JS






 

Mastering The Najdorf by Julen Arizmendi and Javier Moreno, Gambit, 224 pages, £15.99.

Two Spanish authors (Arizmendi is an IM and Moreno a grandmaster) have collaborated on this (relatively) short guide to this most popular system. There are of course many books written about the opening in much more detail than this one, but this is more of an introductory guide. 52 recent master games are analysed in some depth and divided up under eight different chapter headings. It is a reasonably comprehensive guide to what is a highly theoretical opening, making it palatable for club and intermediate players. JS




 

American Chess Bulletin, Vol. 57 (1960), Moravian Chess, 96 pages hardcover, £19.50.

The usual mix from the US periodical, including Santasiere on the Botvinnik-Tal match, plus lots of space given over to the “vaulting ambition” of Bobby Fischer.

A Selection of Games By Alexander M’Donnell by WG Walker, Moravian Chess, 280 pages hardcover, £18.99.

Ulsterman Alexander McDonnell (to give the more usual spelling) was Britain’s best player of the 1830s. This a reprint of an 1836 book which consists almost in its entirety of bare game scores, with a lot of odds chess against anonymous opposition.

The Chess Biography of Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), Vol. 2 by Vlastimil Fiala, Moravian Chess, 451 pages h/c, £24.99.

The author is better known as a collator than a writer, so it is not surprising that, despite the title, he has chosen to collect match reports and games from events in which Duchamp was involved, rather than concentrate on the man himself. It does mean that the title is misleading, however. But the chess historians won’t worry about that because it is nevertheless a solid slab of chess material gleaned from newspapers and periodicals of the 1920s and 1930s. JS






 

Squares Strategy, Vol. 1 (Tactics) by Alexander Bangiev, ChessBase CD-ROM, £14.50.

Not everyone likes to study via CD-ROMs in preference to books, but they are unquestionably good when it comes to testing yourself. You save all that time setting up the board, and move seamlessly on to the next quiz question. Lots of good exercise material. JS

Just in: Wonderboy (How Magnus Carlsen Became the Youngest Grandmaster in the World) by Simen Agdestein, New in Chess, 190 pages, £14.95; Secrets of Opening Surprises, Vol. 2, Ed. J Bosch, 141 pages, £12.95. The Carlsen book has lots of photographs.

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