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Chessville
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As with Gambiteer I, Davies invokes the realpolitik of the club chess world, acknowledging the usual efficacy of the gambiteer ethos:
1) The
player with the more active pieces tends to win. The focus is not as much on scrutinizing to see if the “objective” evaluation of a particular position or move is ² or = or ³, as much as … that Black’s brain is not ÷, he has ©, „ or ‚, or at least a strong ƒ. * The book’s layout is similar to that if its predecessor: each chapter begins with a theoretical introduction followed by annotated game examples and ending with a summary of lines.
Bibliography I’m happy to note that the Bibliography lists relevant texts and computer game databases and that “extensive use was made of Shredder 8 and Fritz 10.” The use of the “blunder check” function of a chess engine when preparing a chess book has fast become as useful as the “spell check” function in a word processor. Chapter One and Chapter Two start off with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 Nf6, and that’s enough to get an idea about what is going on in the Schliemann:
Davies also offers for the reader’s consideration 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Nc3 Bb4, the Ljublinsky Variation, for exploration as "There are very few games with it and no high level encounters. So the ‘theory’ is virtually non-existent, and what little there is seems to be quite wrong."
A 4.d4 line recommended by Schiller and Watson in Survive & Beat Annoying Chess Openings The Open Games (2003) is covered in part in Gambiteer II, leading to “a messy position” whereas S&W give an edge to White. In any event, according to Davies Black can survive the onslaught, if he is prepared, although there is the warning:
Chapter Four addresses 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d3, a bit of that “cowering” he suggests that club players will do in the face of the Schliemann. Black is doing just fine with 4…Nf6 and 5…Bc5, and those who think that 4.d3 is a serious threat, says the author, are “living in cloud cukoo land.” Chapter Five wraps up some Schliemann odds and ends: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Bxc6; 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Qe2; and 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.exf5 with the familiar assessment that none are dangerous, as long as Black knows what he is doing. Again, Schiller and Watson has some analysis of the first line, and Watson and Schiller in The Big Book of Busts (1995) some analysis of the second line that are each not completely covered by Davies – but it is clear that this is more of the Grandmaster giving what he evaluates as important, rather than overlooking some crucial lines. Chapter Six starts the coverage of the Albin Counter-Gambit. The opening has been given a serious shot in the arm in past years, thanks to the efforts of Grandmasters Morozevich and Kasimdzhanov, among others. The first look is at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3, when Black plays 5…Nge7. In fact, it is this last move that shows up in most lines these days – the knight will go on to g6, attacking White’s advanced pawn. This idea appears in earlier coverage, for example Lamford’s Albin Counter-Gambit (1983) and Schiller’s How to Play The Albin Countergambit (1991), but as a little played sideline.
Chapter Seven looks at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2, at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 and 5.others and twice makes the point that “Albin games often look like chess ‘from another planet.’ ” Not surprisingly, he had a Morozevich game in mind: at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 Nge7 6.Nb3 Nf5 7.a3 Be7 8.g3 a5 9.Qd3 a4 10.Nbd2 h5 (Sokolov – Morozevich, Wijk aan Zee 2005, 0-1, 34). He finishes another Morozevich game in the chapter with “One never ceases to be amazed by the sheer weirdness of Albin games.” Davies musters more remedies in Chapters Eight (at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e4; 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.a3; and 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3) and Nine (at 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.e3 and 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.cxd5) with the most interesting line coming against 4.e4, where he suggests gambitting with either 4…f6 or 4…Nc6 followed by 5…f6. Chapter Ten addresses what to do when White tries to avoid the Albin with 2.Nf3. This could probably be enough for anyone, but the author provides in his last chapter “Fight the Stodge” some lively ideas “against various stodgy White options” – 5 games with the English opening 1.c4 e5, one with Nimzovich’s Attack 1.Nf3, 2.b3, and two against the Italian Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6. Gambiteer II, then, is more like Gambiteer I’s fraternal, rather than identical, twin. It has fewer, but some would say sounder (not that there’s anything wrong with that), openings that are covered. It contains the same amount of attack, risk, chaos and fun as its predecessor, but not being a “complete” broad repertoire, it has the luxury of being able to go deeper.
Finally, recall the author’s earlier warning: If you’re worried
about being a pawn down or having to sacrifice the odd piece, this really
isn’t for you. After all, Davies’ books are for “gambiteers” not “stodgiteers.”
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