|
|
|
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 : June 2000Return to the BCM Review Index
| Search for other BCM reviews by keyword
| More about BCM...
|
||||||||
The origin of this book is described by Ken Whyld in this month’s
Quotes and Queries. This tribute to Mexico’s greatest player
has been more than 20 years in the writing, but the subject is well worth
the effort. Torre played for a mere two years at top level – 1925/26
– and retired from the game at only 22 suffering a nervous breakdown
as a result of insomnia and eating disorders, to lead a life of obscurity
and poverty. But in those two years he impressed even the sternest critics:
Dr. Lasker, no less, described his play as “the first steps of a
future World Champion”. However Torre lacked the determination and
ambition of a world champion, often agreeing a draw in favourable positions,
being more interested in solving the problems of the game than beating
his opponent. The 105 games selected reveal a player with an almost lyrical
style combining sharp tactics with deep strategy. They also have a very
modern feel: in 1924 we see Torre playing against the Dutch 1 d4 f5 2
Bg5; at Baden Baden 1925 as Black against Sämisch the first two moves
were 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 Nc6, and a few rounds later Torre essayed a modern
Benoni against Rabinovich. Besides the games, the book contains many interesting
comments on the players Torre met, and a fascinating interview with him
at the end of his life which reveals a sharp mind still interested in
the game but unable to play it. It is impossible to imagine a better tribute
to a great but tragic player. Three examples of Torre’s skill will
be found in this month’s Spot the Continuation. They do not
include his sensational win over Lasker! (Review by Ray Edwards)
Another fine opening book from the pen of Steffen Pedersen, divided up
equally between the Meran (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 5 e3 Nbd7
6 Bd3) and Anti-Meran systems (6 Qc2), with a few other odds and ends.
The book contains heavyweight analysis and is aimed more at the player
who already plays the systems covered, rather than someone who is thinking
of taking them up. Superbly indexed and cross-referenced, this is a top-quality
openings reference book for the serious student.
This book completes the trilogy Sadler has written on queen’s pawn
openings. The first two volumes (The Slav and The Semi-Slav) have been
well received and this volume maintains the high standard of its predecessors.
It covers QGD lines starting 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 5 Bg5
0-0 6 e3 plus the exchange variation with 4 cxd5 exd5. An attractive feature,
which greatly adds to the reader’s understanding, is the way the
ideas behind the variations are elucidated by questions in the text on
behalf of the reader, answered by the author. It is refreshing to see
an opening book actually written with great insight by a leading player
and not printed off a database. A model book of its kind. (Review by
Ray Edwards)
IM Angus Dunnington does not immediately strike one as the obvious candidate
to write a book about unorthodox openings, which are often written about
by the unorthodox people that play them. But he claims that he has come
to admire the people who play these openings. The book concentrates on
a set of playable and only marginally offbeat first moves, hardly deserving
the stigma of being tagged “unorthodox” – namely 1 b4,
1 b3, 1 Nc3, 1 f4 and 1 g3 – confining the truly outlandish ones
to a few pages at the end. The author treats his subject with great respect,
and there is much sensible and objective advice to be found in the text.
A valuable book for anyone seeking to avoid the main avenues of opening
theory.
This book starts analysing after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6
5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6, with a chapter looking at more
unusual lines from White’s sixth move onwards. This opening variation
has a history and track record second to none in terms of its use in world
championship matches, and much of the analysis penetrates deep into the
game. Glenn Flear does much to make it accessible to those below master
level. The text lay-out is easy on the eye: all in all an excellent primer
on a timeless opening system.
First in a projected new series of biographical CD-ROMs from Pickard
on ‘famous grandmasters’: to use it the PC user needs to own
ChessBase (version 6 or later) or ChessBase Light (freely available via
the internet) – note that a copy of this software is not provided.
1,247 Bogoljubow games are featured, with more than 600 annotated, often
by Bogoljubow himself or his contemporaries. The games are supplemented
with more than 70 pages of biographical material, plus more than 40 photographs.
Material has been well sifted and collated, giving the reader a great
deal of fascinating detail to pore over.
The latest from New In Chess, with an impressive list of contributors.
After Sosonko’s Corner (with correspondence from some highly rated
players), there are 39 surveys of opening variations to work through.
Excellent study material as always from NIC.
First published in a series of articles in BCM between 1959 and
1963, this is a classic collection of superb games by lesser-known Soviet
players. Superb value, descriptive notation.
