|
|
|
Home • Shop
• Chess Books • Software
• Magazine • Chess
Sets & Boards • Computers •
Reviews • Ornate
Sets • Equipment
|
|
|
Contact • Links
• Map • Calendar
• Britbase • Bound
Volumes • Bridge •
Go • Backgammon
• Poker • Other
Games
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
BCM Chess Book Reviews : April 2005Return to the BCM Review Index
| Search for other BCM reviews by keyword
| More about BCM...
|
||||||||||||||
Volume one covers the years 1949-1979, and volume two covers 1980 to
the present. Each volume presents more than three hours of ‘live
Korchnoi’ as he discusses his games with all the major chess figures
of the second half of the 20th century. Meeting Korchnoi in the flesh
is an awe-inspiring experience: rather like being in the presence of a
famous historical figure than a human being. And yet he is very human
too, with a wicked sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye. With the
wonders of modern technology, everyone now gets to sample the ‘Korchnoi
experience’ in their own home. After an entertaining half-hour interview
(on volume one), Korchnoi goes on to analyse eight of his best games on
each disk. Each DVD also comes with a database of Korchnoi’s (unannotated)
games from the period in question. As for your computer requirement: if
you wondering about upgrading to a computer with a DVD drive, now is the
time to do it. Otherwise you will miss out on something special. No need
to own database software: the DVDs come with free ChessBase 9 reader software.
In fact, you will have to use it if you own anything other than the latest
version of ChessBase. JS
The Exchange Variation is a good practical line of the Ruy Lopez if you
prefer queenless middlegames and endgames to labyrinths of opening theory.
Some top players such as Fischer and Timman have used it effectively as
an occasional alternative to the main lines, and Kasimdzhanov beat Adams
and Grischuk with it on his way to the FIDE World Championship last year.
So a thorough book on the subject was overdue, and this attractively presented
work by a German grandmaster fills the gap nicely. The excellent introduction
gives the classic games of Fischer and Lasker, analyses the pawn endings
that can arise (White’s dream, Black’s nightmare), and demonstrates
methods for White to advance on the kingside and in the centre. The main
part of the book is a repertoire for White, with game references up to
2003. It’s helpful that Kindermann offers White two choices in the
main line (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 0–0 f6 6 d4 exd4
7 Nxd4 c5 8 Nb3 and 8 Ne2) and the repertoire generally inspires confidence.
Black players are also well served by a detailed chapter on the ‘aggressive’
5...Bg4 6 h3 h5, Adams’ preference, which is given as currently Black’s
best line. One small criticism: many annotations consist of long game
fragments with minimal comment. This is mostly fine for an opening where
long-term plans rather than snappy tactics prevail, but it does mean a
few critical lines are compressed and the whole theoretical section is
a bit short at 88 pages. In Kindermann-Nikolic, Bundesliga 2004, the sharpest
line was tested, but after 5...Ne7 6 Nxe5 Qd4 7 Qh5 g6 8 Qg5 Bg7 9 Nd3
f5 10 e5 c5 11 b3 b6 White chickened out of his own sacrificial recommendation
of 12 Qe3, with 12 Bb2 Qg4 (in the book this move is given without further
comment) 13 Qe3 Nd5 14 Qe1 Bb7 15 f3 Qg5 16 Nc3 ½–½.
It would be interesting to know more. Perhaps this line will catch on
for Black? Review by James Vigus.
The significance of ‘A86-89’ is not explained, but it means
that the CD covers only those lines of the Leningrad where White plays
both c4 and g3; plus the Antoshin Variation (...d6, ...c6 and ...Qc7 by
Black, often without ...g6). The complex early move-order issues are not
discussed. The first section explains typical plans for both sides, with
links to annotated games, then follow 15 chapters of theory in the same
style. Supplementing the ‘model’ games are links to a larger
database of 15,250 games in total. Most annotations are in both English
and German (though those by German annotators are not always translated),
but in fact there is little text: many of Schipkov’s annotations
consist of single-move suggestions accompanied by ‘!?’, and
the quality of the longer annotations seems erratic. I looked for information
on the trendy line with an early b4 by White. The first problem is that
the material on White’s b4 plan is split across two sections, while
there’s nothing on b4 with a delayed c4. After 1 d4 f5 2 g3 Nf6 3
Bg2 g6 4 c4 Bg7 5 Nf3 0–0 6 b4 d6 7 Bb2 Schipkov comments that 7...Qe8
followed by 8...c6 is bad for Black, without explaining why. But in annotating
V.Georgiev-Zeidler (2003) he implies that Black equalises anyway after
7...c6 8 0–0 Qe8 9 Nbd2 h6 10 Qb3 Qf7 11 a4 Na6 12 Ne1 Bd7 13 b5
Nc7 14 Nd3 Rab8 15 Rab1, giving 15...Ne4(?) as equalising after 16 Nxe4
fxe4 17 Bxe4 cxb5 18 axb5 Nxb5 19 Nf4 etc. This is all very confused:
19 Bxg6 wins a pawn here. Schipkov’s coverage of the traditional
main lines appears more solid, and the CD concludes with a training database
of 20 games. Although it does contain much useful material however, for
most Leningrad players I’d recommend instead a combination of the
Mega Database and Valeri Beim’s excellent book Understanding
the Leningrad Dutch (Gambit, 2002). Review by James Vigus.
This is almost exclusively a Caro-Kann primer, with just 28 pages devoted
to the Centre Counter (Scandinavian) Defences. Analyses are not attributed,
though it is likely that other members of Khalifman’s chess school
had a hand in them. There is plenty of textual explanation given and the
overall impression is of a useful work. JS
This reprint of a retrospective of 1910 includes two World Championship
matches, Lasker vs Schlechter and Janowski, plus tournaments at Berlin
and Hamburg and the BCF Congress at Oxford amongst other tournaments.
Plus a 19-page problem section. JS
There are 495 annotated games and 501 part-games, from events held between
June and September 2004, including Armenia vs Rest of the World, the FIDE
KO Championship in Tripoli and the Kramnik vs Leko world championship
match, etc. Contributors include all the big names. All the usual features
and a Peter Leko retrospective. JS
Two more reprints of the lively British periodical, with particularly
good problem pages edited by CS Kipping and Fairy Chess with TR Dawson.
There is plenty of material here for the chess history buff. JS
The most complete record of the year’s chess available, with a comprehensive
eight-page index. Contributors include grandmasters Ian Rogers, Lubosh
Kavalek, Jonathan Rowson, Daniel King, John Emms and Giovanni Vescovi.
It comes bound in an attractive maroon cloth-bound hard cover. Your bookshelf
would be incomplete without it! JS
(note: the attached graphic is not the cover design - the actual book
is in the usual plain maroon, with the title and year on the spine)
It’s an interesting proposition: three hours of individual tuition
from Garry Kasparov. Unusually, this DVD can be used both on a domestic
TV-connected DVD player and on a computer. So you can sit back in your
armchair and watch the world number one explain the rudiments of the Queen’s
Gambit and the ideas behind it, or use it on your computer as normal with
chess multimedia material. As to the content: Garry Kasparov is normally
a confident and eloquent speaker, and in his element in front of camera
and microphone, but at times he seems a little ill at ease here. Perhaps
this was because there was no live audience to spark off, or because the
lecture material was a little too elementary for him to get his teeth
into. It sometimes feels a bit like Einstein teaching beginner’s
mathematics. But don’t be put off: a master class with the número
uno is a chance not to be missed. JS
This DVD is to be used in conjunction with ChessBase or Fritz and has
nearly four hours of lecture material by the King’s Indian expert
IM Andrew Martin. He is one of the best chess lecturers around, and this
is well up to his usual standards. Clearly a lot of work has gone into
it. In the four hours, there are seven separate chapters covering the
whole gamut of this wide-ranging opening. Obviously there isn’t time
to cover any one variation in vast depth but it gives you an interesting
sample of most of the important systems. JS
This CD-ROM is the now-traditional formula, i.e. lots of training exercises
to sharpen up your tactical awareness. The exercises contain some 4,000
questions designed to help you spot opportunities, calculate, play the
endgame and practise against your computer. JS
The multimedia report comes from the Calvià Olympiad, with Radjabov,
Tukmakov, and Movsesian amongst the interviewees. There are a bumper 4,200
games in the main database, 544 annotated, plus theoretical coverage of
the Modern Benoni, Sicilian Rossolimo, Sveshnikov, Scheveningen, etc and
lots more. JS
Danish IM Jacob Aagaard presents the elements and key ideas of the Nimzo-Indian
Defence in 15 lessons lasting just over four hours. The Danish IM includes
his own wins against Jonathan Tisdall and Alexander Shabalov, plus many
more inspiring games. JS
