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Chessville
Advertise to Single insert:
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Dictionary.com defines Ugh as a word “used to express horror, disgust, or repugnance.” Sadly, this about sums up my review of this monstrosity by Plaskett. (Gee Michael, what do you really think!?) Ironically, I had purposely requested to review this book because (A) I play this opening [1. d4 d5 2. Bg5!?] (as it’s a close relative to my beloved Trompowsky), and (B) I was hoping to give Plaskett a favorable review after the spanking I gave his Starting Out: Attacking Play book. However, after I received the book, my high hopes quickly turned to disappointment, as well as anger. Why? Because if I had actually spent $22.95 (plus tax and/or shipping) for this piece of rubbish, I would have felt completely ripped off! And why is that you ask? Because here is what Mr. Plaskett gives you for your money: more white space on each page than text! A single column layout with many paragraphs consisting of one sentence! No real in-depth explanation of any of White’s or Black’s plans. And chapter introductions that are about a paragraph long!? Indeed, the book doesn’t even contain an index of players or games so you can see if one of your favorite players has tried out this interesting opening. Basically, the book consists of a bunch of games with weak/feeble annotations that really offer little to no real instructional value. Don’t believe me? Here are a few typical annotations:
Lazy, lazy, lazy! And while he does occasionally throw in a bit lengthier comments, along with a few short variations here and there, the idea that anybody could actually learn how to play this opening from the material presented is laughable. What’s more, I’m not the only reviewer that is unhappy with Mr. Plaskett’s efforts. Check out what FM Carsten Hansen has to say about this book (as well as another of Plaskett’s recent efforts) at ChessCafe.com in his September 2005 Checkpoint column. The Bottom Line
Being the possessor of a GM title doesn’t automatically make you a good
chess writer. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort if
you really want to produce a worthwhile book, regardless of your rating.
Apparently Mr. Plaskett just can’t be bothered to put more than a modicum of
effort into his books. This is especially true when you compare this
book to the absolutely brilliant piece of work that GM Lars Bo Hansen
recently put out (Foundations of
Chess Strategy), which I happily gave a glowing review to.
It’s just so obvious that Hansen really spent a lot of time thinking about
his material as well as taking the time to organize and explain his ideas
clearly, whereas with Plaskett it seems as if he gave it the old “once-over”
routine.
My advice is if you really want to
learn about “The Queen’s Bishop Attack,” you pass on this half-hearted
effort, and instead pick up (if you can still find a copy, as it originally
came out in 1998) Gary Lane’s excellent video, “The Pseudo-Trompowski,”
part of the Foxy Openings series put out by GM Video. Lane
takes you through each of the main-lines systematically, and suggests good
moves in each and every line. Then, at the end of each segment, he
goes back and reviews the main ideas he has just covered to help reinforce
the material. Yep, Lane’s video is definitely the way to go.
Nuff said!
Other Foxy Openings at The Chessville Chess Store:
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