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BCM Chess Book Reviews : June 2005Return to the BCM Review Index
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It might seem that this is quite a clever idea by the publishers: to
cash in on the series of books recently produced by Kasparov himself,
and the great man’s recent retirement. But, of course, it was not
like that: they could have had no idea as the book was taking shape that
he was about to stand down (although the fact of it is acknowledged in
the introduction), and it does not overlap with Kasparov’s recent
oeuvre – his Predecessor books to date contain few
of his own games.
People often prefer to read the player’s own annotations of a game
and rightly so; but once their immediate post-game thoughts have been
set down, and all anecdotes relating to the game have been told, it can
sometimes be interesting to study the game through the medium of a third
party. Here Slovakian grandmaster Igor Stohl has annotated 74 of Kasparov’s
games from his youth through to his 1993 title defence .
The writer mentions one remarkable fact about his most celebrated of subjects:
there has hardly been one comprehensive book dedicated to Kasparov’s
games since the late 1980s. As the author says, this is perhaps because
there is almost too much material to sift through. When Kasparov was asked
if he would write up his own 60, or perhaps 100, memorable games, he himself
recently commented that such a small number would not cover it. He can
be forgiven for a perceived lack of modesty: it is the unvarnished truth.
Even he does not know where to start in selecting his best efforts. So
Stohl must be commended for his sheer courage in taking on the task.
The book starts with a lengthy introduction which looks at Kasparov’s
career chronologically, with the emphasis on his chess development and
style rather than chess politics. After a handful of his very early games,
we are through to major confrontations with world-class players such as
Polugaevsky by game seven. Stohl has clearly combed the sources assiduously,
and compared old assessments with his own fresh researches. He does not
clutter the text with citations, however, and generally steers clear of
anecdotage. Thus nothing is allowed to get between the reader and a thoughtful,
logical narrative of each game and its turning points. Even such cataclysmic
encounters as the final match of the 1987 world championship, with Kasparov
needing a win to save his title, is not treated as an excuse to introduce
hyperbole or a cascade of exclamation marks; Stohl alludes to the circumstances
and the tension but concentrates on a sober exposition of the chess.
In summary, this is a very good book which deserves to be read and debated.
It only serves to remind us just how good a player Kasparov was –
or should I say “is”. There is still hope. JS.
This edition contains 522 annotated games and 513 variations, from events
held between October 2004 and January 2005, including the Calvia Olympiad,
Hoogeveen, the Russian and US championships and Wijk aan Zee. Contributors
include all the big names, plus the usual features, and a Robert Hübner
retrospective. JS.
Collections of best games, particularly those annotated by the player,
are one of the most important and enjoyable parts of chess literature.
Some have influenced the way chess is played (Tarrasch, Alekhine, Fischer),
whilst others are highly enjoyable (Marshall, Tal). Boris Gelfand, a major
modern player, has produced a significant addition to the range with a
collection of 51 of his own games, plus a selection of endgames and combinations.
Eight of the games feature his “favourite variation” 8 Rb1 in
the Exchange Grünfeld and, for devotees of this opening, this book
is a must. Kramnik writes the preface and describes Gelfand as a player
“who has a high appreciation of strategy and logic in chess”,
so it is not surprising that Gelfand admires Akiba Rubinstein and in some
respects plays like him. Altogether Gelfand has produced a splendid collection
of classical games which is a worthy contribution to the genre. The book
is excellently produced by Olms and is strongly recommended. Review
by Ray Edwards.
This is a fully updated version of a well-received German book on the
Leningrad Dutch from 2002. Kindermann describes it as a very personal
work, based on long experience with the opening, and this is reflected
in the lucid explanations and wealth of new analysis in every chapter.
It’s a pleasure to read an opening book of such high quality. After
a clear thematic introduction, Kindermann presents a repertoire for Black
based on 7…Qe8 in the main line (i.e. after 1 d4 f5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2
g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 0-0 0-0 6 c4 d6 7 Nc3). Against 8 d5 the recommendation
is the restraining move 8...a5, with the riskier 8...Na6 as a second-string.
For White players Kindermann’s ‘special’ tip is 8 Re1,
though Black doesn’t actually seem to have many problems here after
the flexible response 8...Qf7 9 b3 Ne4 10 Bb2 Nd7. All variations are
thoroughly covered, including anti-Dutch lines, 1 c4 f5 and 1 Nf3 f5.
Thus the book should provide a comprehensive source for anyone seeking
to build an aggressive Black repertoire, while Dutch experts will enjoy
a feast of fresh ideas. Highly recommended. Review by James Vigus.
The young Scottish IM presents a repertoire for White against the Grünfeld with the Modern Exchange Variation. This line is defined by the sharp move 8 Rb1, after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 e4 Nxc3 7 bxc3 c5. Though this has long been White’s most dangerous choice, it seems not to have been comprehensively covered before. The Modern Exchange is not for the faint-hearted, and demands memory work, but Dearing provides both a thoroughly researched and practical guide. Importantly, given how fast the theory develops, he offers alternatives to the repertoire recommendations in most of the main lines – and this will make the book useful to Black players too. The analysis is tremendously detailed, with plenty of original suggestions. The editor Jacob Aagaard updated the book during the formatting process to include (among others) Belov’s important win against Knott at Hastings this year (see BCM, February 2005, p67) – so the theory comes hot off the press! Review by James Vigus.
| OUT OF PRINT |
The layout of the latest book in the ‘Revealed’ series puts
the emphasis on readability over comprehensiveness, with a view to players
looking to take up the Benoni rather than preaching to the converted.
The content has thus been shaped to provide a logical narrative, starting
with basic ideas, following the development of the opening in more or
less chronological order and then going into the opening’s complexity
in more depth. Palliser is, as always, a painstaking author and he has
clearly benefited from some sensible editorial back-up to produce a punchy
and informative book. JS
This collection of Hoffer’s columns includes the complete games
of the Oxford/Cambridge v US Universities match and the Anglo-American
cable match, plus coverage of the Monte Carlo, Vienna Gambit and Russian
Masters’ tournament. One footnote records the closing of Simpsons’
Chess Divan for rebuilding, with its habitués moving on to the
Criterion. JS.
This disk contains all the games and variations from Informators 89-91.
There is a PGN file which allows you simply to add the games to your existing
database, or you can use the supplied software reader, Chess Informant
Expert 6.0. JS.
Similar to Mega Database 2005, but with the emphasis on annotations and
analysis. There is at least one opening survey for each of the 500 opening
categories of ECO. There are 2.2 million games, about 72,000 of them annotated,
3,600 opening surveys and 179 theory databases. There are games from February
2005. Comes with a cut-down version of ChessBase 9.0. JS.
The precursor to this CD-ROM was briefly reviewed
in the November 2004 issue. This is another training disk with plenty
of material to stimulate the thought processes. Bangiev’s training
regime is based on the appreciation of good and bad squares, and he provides
you with a checklist of questions to ask yourself when selecting moves.
JS.
This CD-ROM contains all traceable games – 1,965 in all – played
by Spassky in his career to date, with 400 of them annotated by Alexander
Khalifman. It also includes his career statistics and photos, plus a tutorial
section where you can try to replicate his best tactical shots. The games
are accessed via a cut-down version of Chess Assistant. JS.
A complete disk-based training course based on 1...Nc6 as an all-purpose
defence to 1 e4. 300 annotated games, 50 training questions and a further
database of 5,000 games, built around the Crafty engine and specially-tailored
Chess Assistant environment. JS.
.
