Rating of book

***** outstanding  ****  excellent  ***  good **  mediocre *   poor

Reviews - 04-August 2008

Starting out: the Modern by Nigel Davies

Reviews - 02-August 2008

Starting out: the Accelerated Dragon by Andrew Greet

Reviews - 12-March-2008

Play the Semi-Slav, by David Vigorito

Reviews - 25-March-2007

Play the Ruy Lopez by Andrew Greet

Reviews - 5-March-2007

Practical Chess Defence by Jacob Aagaard

Starting Out: Queen’s Gambit Declined by Neil McDonald

The Philidor Files by Christian Bauer

The Ruy Lopez: A Guide for Black by Sverre Johnsen and Leif Johannessen

Fighting the Ruy Lopez

By Milos Pavlovic

Published by Everyman

Serbian GM Milos Pavlovic has put together a complete repertoire for Black against the Ruy Lopez, based around the Marshall attack. 

Here are the starting moves;

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 and now 

7…0-0 - the first move that signals Black has intentions of playing the Marshall, 7…d6 is how players wishing to enter the closed Lopez as Black will usually continue.  Considered by many to be the critical move here is

8. c3,  as White still has ambitions to create an impressive pawn centre with 9.d4 (or more usually 9.h3 followed by 10.d4) Here 8…d6 would return to closed Lopez positions, but Black has a more ambitious option at their disposal

8…d5!?, and the positions that arise after this central break are the subject of this book.

The book covers all the ‘Anti-Marshall’ lines (White’s 8^th move alternatives) and also has a section with a suggested repertoire for White’s early deviations, such as the early exchange systems (4.Bxc6 and 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6), early Nc3/d4 systems and the Worrall Attack (4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2). 

Well, first of all the Marshall is by far the most respected gambit in chess and has stood the test of time, so much so that many top players steer clear of the line altogether, feeling there’s more chances for advantage in quieter sidelines. 

Pavlovic presents an up-to-date repertoire, resembling the way in which top Grandmasters such as Leko and Aronian are handling these positions with the Black bits.  It’s nice to see a lot of explanation given.  With openings of a forcing nature, like the Marshall, it’s can sometimes prove difficult for an author or annotator to give solid explanations of ideas, as the demands of the position can change over the course of just 1 or two moves, but Pavlovic has managed to find a really good balance. 

I guess potential buyers of this book have a decision of whether to go for this, or Quality Chess’ new release by young Italian IM Brunello (who’s book I have yet to see), but I can safely say that readers will not be disappointed if they choose to go with Pavlovic’s work, who’s managed to present what is essentially a full repertoire to the Lopez, with in-depth explanation of ideas.  If you’re looking for a solid, dependable reply to the Lopez then I would strongly recommend this book!

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

7 Ways To Smash The Sicilian

By Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello

Published by Everyman

 Authors Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello have put together a work trying to demonstrate how to destroy my favourite opening, the Sicilian Defence.  I was immediately amused when I opened the book on the first page and found the contents to read like this… 

Chapter          1: Knight Sacrifice on d5

                     2: Knight Sacrifice on e6

                     3: Bishop Sacrifice on e6…etc

7 Chapters in all, each of which arm the reader with a different way to devastate the 2^nd player with a piece sacrifice.  You don’t need me to tell you the kind of players this book is aimed at! 

I like how the authors described the aim of the book; ‘This book is a collection of well analysed games featuring thematic, active piece sacrifices by White in the Open Sicilian.’ 

With over 100 fantastic sacrificial games annotated, this book is an ideal choice for players wanting to get to grips with a whole host of attacking ideas in the open Sicilian.  As a 1.d4 player it’s books like this that motivate me to bring 1.e4 into my Opening rep. Very entertaining!

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

The New Sicilian Dragon

By Simon Williams

Published by Everyman

This book presents a repertoire for Black against 1.e4 based on the Sicilian ‘Dragondorf’, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 (also there’s some coverage of the Accelerated Dragondorf with 6…a6!?) 7.f3 a6.

 Now first of all lets note that this is a tough project to take on.  Writing about an opening variation that’s in it’s infancy can be difficult, as the writer has less games to draw conclusions from and base assessments on.  But that’s something that makes this opening and this book a lot more exciting.  I’m sure there’s a fair few of us who are tired with the amount of theory there is and the amount of work it takes for us to feel comfortable with our openings, so it’s great to see a fresh direction in a mainline opening being written about!

 Really enjoyed the introduction.  Williams draws the reader in with a story of how the Dragondorf first came to his attention and how his interest in it grew.  I think it’s good to start a book with something personal to the writer, all to often chess books are impersonal and it can make them a much more difficult read. 

The chapters are defined by White’s different development schemes, so for example chapter name look like this ‘The Main line: Queenside castling with g4 and h4’ or ‘The Main line:  Queenside castling with a quick Bh6’.  So the material is very well ordered and it is clear straight away to both players which strategies White has at his or her disposal.  There’s nothing worse than trying to learn an opening when the information isn’t in any order so it’s good to see this has been carefully thought about. 

The book contains a lot of explanation and flows well, making it easy for the reader to get to grips with the material.

 As I mentioned in the first paragraph, the book covers both the ‘Classical’ Dragondorf with 6…Bg7 followed by a quick …a6, and the accelerated version with 6…a6.  This books obviously targets Dragon players or players who are considering it for their repertoire, but also as some readers may notice, the material actually offers something to Najdorf players aswell, as these systems can be used instead of the ultra theoretical lines in the 6.Be3 Najdorf. 

If you’re looking for something fresh and unexplored to play against the Open Sicilian, this book is a must! 

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

The Classical King’s Indian Uncovered

By Krzysztof Panczyk & Jacek Ilczuk

Published by Everyman 

The content of this book spans the whole range of options for both sides after the openings moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2.  The majority (over 200 pages) deals with the 6…e5 7.0-0 followed by the three main knight moves, 7…Na6, 7…Nbd7 and the absolute mainline 7…Nc6. 

Now this book serves the purpose of being a great place to look to research and prepare an opening repertoire, but it’s hard to recommend this book to people looking to gain a good understanding of these king’s Indian positions, as there is not a great deal of explanation and a lot of lines end in my view quite abruptly with += or some other symbol.  Now fair enough, for people who are used to these positions and have played them frequently in practise will feel comfortable about this, but many others will not be gaining anything from seeing a game reference with one of these symbols at the end.

 When I open the book to a random page, it seems that there’s only one or two bits of explanation, the rest being game references and diagrams, so it’s not a book you’ll be reading cover to cover. 

Now I’ve got to give credit to the writer’s.  They’ve done a great job of putting the material together and I’m sure in some of my future encounters I’ll be looking to this book to try and plug gaps in my knowledge and just for general use in preparation.  But to a club player for example, this material can really put a player off a system, because there’s so much to take in, with minimal verbal guidance. 

This book serves it purpose, as it provides a full survey of options for both sides in the Classical King’s Indian, but I can’t recommend it to everyone, as it will suit players who have an already good understanding of the resulting positions a lot more. 

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Play The Catalan

By Nigel Davies

Published by Everyman

 One of the few (very few even!) criticisms of Avrukh’s Grandmaster Repertoire on 1.d4 was that although the analysis and recommendations were of very high quality, they would only really provide value to strong players, as a lot of analysis went without explanation, as though readers should not need prompting at every juncture.   Avrukh’s work has some brilliant analysis of the Catalan, but I feel as though his work is aimed at strong players preparing for international tournaments. 

 Davies’ work is exactly what a club player will be looking for.  The game in the introduction, Davies-Brown, Liverpool League 2009 sets the scene in an excellent way.  It’s games like this that can do massive things for a player’s understanding of an opening so this was a very nice inclusion to the intro.

 50 pages are spent delving into the positions that arise after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4.  Davies looks into White’s different options such as 7.Ne5, 7.Qc2 a6 with both 8.Qxc4 and 8.a4 and also considered a somewhat rare approach starting with 6.Qc2 instead of 6.0-0 and gives some interesting ideas against what is thought to be Black’s best response 6…c5.  I think it’s chapters like this one which will be of great benefit to most players, sidestepping the mainlines with a solid move order.   

After this the coverage of Black’s other options (with 4…Bb4+ and 4…dxc4 lines) is spread fairly evenly so everything is covered from White’s point of view.  I especially enjoyed Nigel’s coverage of some of the closed Catalan lines which he has become a bit of an expert on since a game he had in 2004 against GM Smbat Lputian.  I think this is the best coverage of closed Catalan positions that I have seen anywhere!

 So this book fills a gap in the market for club players wanting to take up the Catalan, a great opening which is believed to be one of the best for improving a players general chess understanding.  It’s one of my favourite openings so I have to recommend this book!

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Check out www.gambitbooks.com for the latest book releases!

 Grandmaster Secrets: Counterattack!

By Zenon Franco

Published by Gambit

 In his 6^th book for Gambit, Zenon Franco presents material on an extremely important theme in chess, the ‘Counterattack’.  It takes a great deal of skill and a good intuitive feel to know when it’s right to counterattack in Chess and this book gives a fantastic range of situations when side on the defensive can break out in an emphatic manner! 

The material is catergorised into chapters with titles such as ‘Refuting Premature Attacks’, ‘Regrouping’, ‘Prophylactic Thinking’ etc. There are 30 illustrative games (some very recent) and just over 60 exercises to get the reader to keep their brain active.  I really like this feature as it’s all too easy to read a chess book and convince yourself you understand the material, when in reality a great deal of the information can go in one ear and out of the other!  Having exercises to do at the end of each chapter can really help cement the ideas and techniques into a player’s mind. 

Very detailed analysis and the content is extremely informative. There’s some excellent practical tips and techniques to be picked up in this work and I think reading this material will improve any players understanding of the game in general!The Most Valuable Skills in Chess, By Maurice Ashley 

Ashley presents a very novel approach to teaching beginners the basics of the game.  It’s clear a lot of time and thought have gone into the material presented and it’s great to see a really entertaining book for beginners in the shops!

 Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Understanding Chess Endgames

By John Nunn

Published by Gambit

In this work Nunn presents 100 key endgame concepts that will provide the reader with, in my opinion, more than enough skills to handle the final phase of the game in an impressive way! 

The book assumes the reader has no ‘specialized endgame knowledge’, so covers all aspects. 

There is some excellent material on offer and I think players of all levels will benefit from reading this! 

  Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Win with the Stonewall Dutch

By Sverre Johnsen, Ivar Bern and Simen Agdestein

Published by Gambit

 The authors provide full coverage of this rather rare opening.  It’s not at all clear why the Stonewall Dutch is not as popular as the other Dutch systems and I’m sure this work will surely increase the popularity of this uncompromising system.  There’s lots of explanation and original analysis and they provide detailed coverage of various ‘Anti-Dutch’ systems that White has at their disposal, making sure the reader will be well equipped with a defence to 1.d4 (and even 1.c4 and 1.Nf3).  A book I could recommend to anyone looking to mix things up against 1.d4 players!

  Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Play the Alekhine

By Valentin Bogdanov

Published by Gambit 

Bogdanov presents an up to date repertoire on this tricky, hypermodern defence to 1.e4.  There’s a huge amount of explanation and it’s clear the Bogdanov is extremely focussed on providing annotations that will develop the readers understanding, rather than just rattling off variations with a symbol at the end. 

I’m sure there’s plenty of ideas in here to help out existing exponents of the opening and if you’re looking for an aggressive way to combat 1.e4 then this may well be the book for you! 

  Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Improve Your Chess; by learning from the champions

By Lars Bo Hansen

Published by Gambit

Split into 7 Chapters, which mark the phases/Era’s in Chess History, Lars Bo Hansen presents the reader with a frankly excellent coverage of the developments our game has seen.   It’s quite difficult to explain the content, because to be honest, there’s a bit of everything. 

I really like this work! There are many excellent observations that Hansen makes throughout and there’s also a brilliant final chapter, discussing ‘chess in the future’ makes this a very unique work! 

Some of the best annotations I’ve seen are here in this book and so I could recommend this to anyone!

  Reviewed: 24-01-2010

Chess Explained books

by Gambit 

The Chess Explained series by Gambit is based on presenting the reader with 25 recent games on the relevant Opening, focusing on lengthy explanations as opposed to heavy analysis, with the main aim being to give the reader a good understanding of the Opening and early Middle game phase, rather than presenting them the latest novelties and such.

I think the series is a pretty awesome idea and I already had 5 of the books on my bookshelf.  Here’s two more that I recently received in the post for review… 

Chess Explained: The Mainline Slav 

OK so here’s the starting point for the book; 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4, the last move, 4…dxc4 is considered the ‘mainline’. (4…e6 being the ‘Semi-Slav’ and 4…a6 being the ‘Chebanenko’) 

Author IM David Vigorito is renowned for his excellent knowledge of chess openings, having built this reputation through two excellent books he wrote for Quality Chess; ‘Challenging the Nimzo-Indian’ and ‘Play the Semi-Slav’. 

In this book, Vigorito annotates 25 recent games (ranging from 2002 to mid 2008), with each game also having an introductory overview, at the start of the relevant chapter. There’s also gives a conclusion at the end of each Chapter, summing up the main ideas, mistakes and strategical motives from the relevant games. 

Something I like about Vigorito is that he’s top notch at pointing the reader to positions he thinks will be important for future games.  He always gives clear explanations and evaluations making it easy for the reader to get to grips with the material. 

Reading this book will prove very rewarding for players wanting to get to grips with mainline Slav positions for either White or Black!

    Reviewed: 27-05-2009

Chess Explained: The Grunfeld 

In my opinion the Grunfeld is an awesome opening to study to get a well-rounded chess understanding because of its dynamic nature.  Almost all the top players have had this opening in their repertoire at one time or another.   

IM Valentin Bogdanov has chosen to annotated mainly very recent games for this book, the vast majority of which are from 2004 onwards. 

As far as variations go, the coverage of the main lines is pretty equally shared, with the Rb1 Grunfeld having 4 games worth of coverage (the Chapter introduction and 1^st game in the Rb1 chapter are written by Viacheslav Eingorn) and the other Major lines such as 7.Bc4 and 5.Qb3 having 3 games each.  

With the Grunfeld being a fairly forcing opening with a lot of theory, the route to middlegame and even endgame positions can be quick, so it is good to see that Bogdanov has clearly given consideration to this, as he gives a lot of explanation in the latter part of games. 

Something that was slightly disappointing was the coverage (or lack of) of a now extremely topical line of the Bc4 Grunfeld, which runs

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 0-0 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Be3 Na5 11.Bd3 b6!?.  This line is in my opinion the main battleground in the Bc4 Grunfeld and could have done with much more coverage than it was given (just a side note, 11…cxd4 was the continuation in the game Bogdanov chose to annotate). 

This book does a good job of providing up to date coverage and some good explanation of the latest trends in the Grunfeld.  I know the aim of this book is slightly different to that of Jonathan Rowson’s ‘Understanding the Grunfeld’, but I cannot help feel that if you want to get a good explanation of the Grunfeld then Rowson’s book (even though it’s an older publication) would be my choice.   

Having said this, as someone who has quite an interest in this opening, I think this book has definite worth and I think it provides a good up to date explanation of an amazing defence to 1.d4!

    Reviewed: 27-05-2009

Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 3

by John Watson

Published by Gambit  

In this third volume of ‘Mastering the Chess Openings’, Watson has focused his attention on presenting the reader with a complete overview of opening developments and theory after 1.c4 e5 and 1.c4 c5 (with a couple of additional chapters at the end covering 1…Nf6 with 2…e6 and 2…g6).  It mentions on a few occasions in the book that there will be a fourth volume of the series that will cover the Reti and other Flank openings. 

IM John Watson is one of the most highly acclaimed writers in the chess world, having produced one of the most well known and highly rated books in recent times, ‘Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy’.  He regularly reviews books for TWIC and has a popular radio show on ICC that airs once or twice a week, in which he frequently interviews some of the high profile names in world chess.  He is even more (!) qualified to write this third volume of ‘Mastering the Chess Openings’ than with the first two, as he is an expert on the English and other related openings, having written 5 books on the subject in the late 1970’s and 80’s (they are listed in the bibliography).  

There is a mass of information presented in the book, with over 300 pages all focused on the opening and early middlegame phases of the game.  The book is split into 12 Chapters, including an introduction, covering all the various sequences and move orders (and there are a lot of them!) after 1.c4 e5 and 1…c5 (there is some coverage of 1…Nf6 lines but the main focus is 1…e5 and 1…c5). 

At the end of his introduction to the book, Watson addresses what his aim has been in this work; ‘My objective with this work is to provide instruction and analysis ranging from that for a low-rated developing player with, say, one or two years’ experience, to a long-time player who is familiar with a good deal of theory.  That is an ambitious goal, to be sure, and whether this volume fulfils it is a matter I leave for you to judge.’  I guess I fall into the latter category (although the good deal of theory I’m supposed to know is questionable!) and I can say without a doubt this book is going to be a huge aid to me when preparing, or trying to get to grips with certain English positions, with both White and Black!  I can also see how the book is going to be of much benefit to someone who is just starting out on the English Opening, because there is a mass of explanation on the motives for both sides in each position.  

Watson’s is very thorough with his analysis, covering most, if not all, early options for both sides.  He doesn’t hold back with regard to his personal preferences, and in a lot of instances he points the reader in the direction of which he thinks is the most promising way to handle a given position. 

The book is very up to date.  For example, it even includes some coverage of the following crazy line which first appeared in 2008. 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 e6 6.g3 Qb6 7.Nb5 Ne5 8.Bf4 Nfg4 9.Qa4!? (Novelty introduced in Aronian-Leko, Linares 2008). 

If you want to learn about, or gain more understanding of the English Opening (with both White and Black), then this book has to be your number one choice!  Awesome stuff.

    Reviewed: 27-05-2009

John Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book (New Enlarged Edition)

Published by Gambit 

Is there anyone more qualified to write a puzzle book?  I can’t better the author’s introduction given on the blurb, so here it is:

“ Dr John Nunn is one of the best-respected figures in world chess.  He was among the world’s leading grandmasters for nearly twenty years, winning four gold medals in chess Olympiads and finishing sixth overall in the World Cup in 1989.  He is a much-acclaimed writer, whose works have won ‘Book of the Year’ awards in several countries.  In 2004 and 2007 Nunn was crowned World Chess Solving Champion, ahead of many former champions.” 

This enlarged edition contains all the content of the original, with three modifications that Nunn addresses in his introduction.  Firstly Nunn has corrected any errors that were identified in the first addition.  Secondly, there are 50 new puzzles (bringing the total number up puzzle up to 300!), from positions which occurred in games that were played after the release of the first edition.  Finally, Nunn has modified the layout of the puzzle solutions, making it more ‘reader friendly’, by adding diagrams for start positions of puzzles (so you don’t need to keep flicking back to the test diagram to recall what’s going on) and for critical position’s as well. 

There are a few details, which make the content of this book differ from a standard puzzle book.  Nunn gives some additional sections such as ‘Find the Wrong Move’, in which he draws the readers attention to positions which on the face of it, seem fairly safe, but where blunders have been committed by high rated players (in one case a 2620!), and ‘The Test of Time’, where Nunn delves back in time to give detailed analysis of some of the old classics.  The puzzles at the end of this chapter are all taken from the Karlsbad tournament of 1911. 

The puzzle’s range in difficulty from 1 to 5 (1 being the easiest) and trust me, some of these puzzle’s are very tough and take much more than just a minute or two’s thought. 

I think puzzle books serve as a great training tool before tournaments, to sharpen up tactics and help players to get into the groove of being able to calculate some lengthy variations. I don’t have a great deal of puzzle books but this is clearly the best one on my bookshelf!

    Reviewed: 27-05-2009

Everyman Book Reviews by Stephen Gordon 

1. How to play against 1 e4
2. by Neil McDonald
3. published by Everyman

With this book the experienced writer GM Neil McDonald provides a repertoire for Black based on the French defence, with the main aim being to present the reader with lines that require minimal memorisation of opening theory.

GM McDonald is an expert on the French defence and is currently the columnist for the French defence on the ever growing in popularity Chesspublishing.com, so is obviously very well informed on the current trends and opinions of opening lines. 

I mentioned just a few lines previous that the aim of the book was to give the reader a rather less-theoretical repertoire based on 1…e6, but rather than just advocating the Fort-Knox defence (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 (or 3.Nd2) dxe4, followed by 4…Bd7 and 5…Bc6), McDonald has presented the reader with  sharper, more counterattacking approaches against White’s two most popular tries against the French, 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2.  By doing this the author is helping the reader deal with the rather large practical problem of playing a new opening, by giving the reader a safe option to play, whilst in the meantime the reader can get to grips with more ambitious (therefore more theoretical) approaches to the opening.

Each chapter starts out with an introduction, where McDonald gives background on the opening, and discusses key points to it, such as ‘thematic pawn advances’, ‘possible plans’ and ‘strategic overviews’.  I especially liked his explanation in the Advance variation chapter about the biggest loser in the French advance structure (Black’s c8 bishop) and the biggest winner (White’s f1 bishop), after which he goes on to a suggested repertoire that aims to remove these guys from the board as soon as possible.

The Intro’s to each chapter are followed by ‘Case studies’, which outline an early opening sequence for either White or Black and the nature (or in some cases, dire consequences!) of the resulting positions.  There seems to have been a lot of thought gone into this and I think it will really benefit the reader by giving them a solid grounding in each variation. 

McDonald gives lots of explanation in his game annotations and rather than seeing half a page of notation after every move there is usually a short paragraph explaining the aims and motives attached to it, which is of much more use to a reader trying to get to grips with an opening.

I think the repertoire suggestions in the Classical and Tarrasch are excellent choices, as they are solid and are being used by two young experts on the opening, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Fabiano Caruana.  The latter managed to defeat Mickey Adams on the Black side of a French Tarrasch at the recent Olympiad.

A point of personal interest for me was to see where McDonald’s suggested repertoire in the French Tarrasch would clash with the one advocated for White in Andreas Tzermiadianos’ excellent coverage of the Tarrasch variation in the recently published book (again published by Everyman) ‘How to beat the French Defence’.

So, here’s the line… 

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Qe2 0-0 7.Ngf3 a5 8.0-0 Na6 9.e5 Nd7 10.c3 (one of the strongest players handling this position with the White bits, French prodigy Maxim Vachier Lagrave, employed 10.c4 in March 08) Naxc5 11.Bc2 b6 12.Re1 Ba6 13.Qe3 f6 14.b4, awarded an ‘!’ by McDonald and given as ‘!?’ by Tzermiadianos, with no further explanation (his main move is 14.exf6 and following a game of Wegener-Jackelen, 2006, but I seriously doubt the game given is enough evidence to conclude this stuff is better for White). 

It’s quite possible that the position after 13 moves is going to be tested in some high level Tarrasch games, so I’d suggest to French players looking to based their repertoire on McDonald’s suggestion, to keep an eye out for future developments from this position.

I’d suggest this book to anyone who was thinking of taking up the French!  After reading it I’m seriously tempted to take the opening up myself! 

                                                                                                                                               Reviewed: 28-02-2009

2. True Combat Chess: Winning Battles Over the Board
3. by Timothy Taylor
4. published by Everyman

 True Combat Chess is a highly entertaining read, based on the personal experience IM Taylor has gained over the course of his chess career.  The book is split into 6 chapters, where the author addresses key aspects of the game such as ‘The Critical Move’, ‘Opening Preparation’, ‘The Endgame and the Clock’, ‘Winning the won game’, ‘Beating a Grandmaster’ and finally a chapter titled ‘Underground innovation’, which includes an amusing story about a time when Taylor was facing ‘The Kid’ (he reveals the identity of his opponent later in the chapter) in a game back in 2003 in one of the First Saturday tournaments.  

The aim of the book is summed up by the blurb; ‘International Master and former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor draws upon his wealth of personal experience to offer an instructive and entertaining account of how to improve your understanding of chess and your results. This book is awash with invaluable advice and helpful tips on all stages of the game - opening, middlegame and endgame. Taylor emphasizes the practical aspects of chess: how to really make the most of your ability; how to win at all costs; and how to absorb the lessons of defeat to come back stronger.’  I’d say this is a very accurate overview of the book.   

The first chapter looks into the critical move (really more the critical phase of the game) and IM Taylor annotates 6 games, including 5 of his own, with lots of annotations and explanation of his thoughts during the games.  I found it extremely interesting to refreshing to read about Taylor’s mindset and how it changed throughout his games.  He delves deep to try and find explanations as to why he went astray in positions he felt he shouldn’t have and it’s all really quite thought provoking stuff.  It certainly opened my eyes as to why I may make the mistakes that I do in the critical parts of my games! 

I found chapter on ‘Opening Preparation’ was a real wake up call as to the way the nature of our game has changed over the past few years.  His approach to preparation is interesting and it seemed to me whilst I was reading that he tends to rate the importance of anticipating what his opponents are likely to do in certain positions very highly.  Some of his notes to the games Taylor-Tredinnick, American Open, 2006 and Taylor-Solomon, Budapest, 2008 gives the reader a nice insight into how he approached his preparation and how he managed to implement it successfully to fight against what he’d identified as his opponents weaknesses. 

All in all I’ve really enjoyed reading this book.  Taylor has a highly entertaining style of writing and his insights to the game are really thought provoking.  The practical aspects and psychological issues covered in the book make it a really fascinating read.

Highly recommended!                                                                              Reviewed: 28-02-2009

by David Vigorito,

Quality Chess, (http://www.qualitychessbooks.com), 277 large pages £16.99

The American IM David Vigorito (born 1970) has a reputation in his native land both for having an excellent grasp of opening theory and being able to put this across clearly. For the last few years he has been a popular lecturer at http://www.chesslecture.com, but it is only recently that he has started writing openings books. His first effort, Challenging the Nimzo Indian (Quality Chess) was a complete repertoire for White against the Nimzo, based on 4 Qc2, and was excellent. Now he has produced a detailed study of the popular Semi-Slav. This defence forms an important part of the author’s own repertoire, which is always a good omen for an opening book.

For many years now, the Semi-Slav has been in the repertoires of many of the World’s strongest players. This defence is something of a paradox. Black declines the Queen’s Gambit, refuses the opportunity to develop his queen’s bishop outside the pawn chain (=the Slav) and sets up a passive-looking pawn triangle. Yet this can lead to some of the sharpest and most deeply analyzed variations in the whole of chess theory! How can this be?

Let us examine the typical sequence 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3; here Black can prepare to develop his Bc8 with either 4…dxc4 or 4…a6 (but NOT 4…Bf5? because of 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Qb3!); if instead Black plays 4…e6 we have the Semi-Slav.

Now we have a parting of the ways. It is important to realize that at this point Black is ready to take on c4 and then hang on to his acquisition with …b5, so White has to decide whether to allow this or not.

If White protects the c4 pawn with 5 e3, then both sides have a blocked-in bishop, but White has the more aggressive stance in the centre and has the simple plan of expansion with Bd3 and e4; against passive play by Black this will give White some advantage.

In the 1920s, the great Akiva Rubinstein demonstrated that Black can respond actively with 5…Nbd7 6 Bd3 dxc4 7 Bxc4 b5, granting White a mobile central pawn majority in return for space and activity on the queenside and the chance to develop the passive Bc8 on the long diagonal a8-h1. The bishop will be great on b7 if, and only if, the c6 pawn can be safely advanced to c5 in the next few moves; if not, the bishop will remain bad and the c6-pawn will be left backward and exposed on a semi-open file; there are two consequences: a) the b5 pawn needs either protecting or advancing, to permit …c5 without losing the b-pawn, and b) control of the c5 square can be very important. Meanwhile White has the obvious plan of advancing in the centre with e4, when both sides must consider the consequences of further white advances in the form of e5 or d5.

 Thus it can be seen that this “Meran” variation of Rubinstein’s is likely to lead to a complex and dynamic struggle in which both sides have their trumps. In recent years there has been an understandable growth of interest in declining the challenge of the Meran by playing the flexible 6 Qc2; after the usual 6…Bd6, White can follow up positionally or with the aggressive modern gambit 7 g4!?.

The main alternative to 5 e3 is to press on with natural development by playing 5 Bg5. At this point, if Black simple unpins with 5…Be7, we have reached an Orthodox Queen’s Gambit Declined in which Black has played …c6 somewhat prematurely. This is regarded as rather passive for Black, but it is probably better than its reputation. Alternatively Black can transpose to the Cambridge Springs defence with 5…Nbd7. Neither of the above is covered in the present book, which focuses on the two principal continuations:

a)      5…dxc4, grabbing the pawn and intending to hang on to it after 6 e4 b5, when play typically continues 7 e5 h6 with great complications. This is known as the Botvinnik variation; although Botvinnik was not the first to play it, it was his games in the early 1940s against Lilienthal, Mikenas and (especially) Denker that popularized this line.

b)      5…h6, probing the intentions of the bishop before taking any committal action in the centre. This is known as the Moscow Variation. Now White can play the relatively quiet 6 Bxf6, conceding the bishop pair in return for an advantage in development, or he can tempt Black into the murky waters of the Anti-Moscow Gambit with 6 Bh4 dxc4 7 e4 g5 8 Bg3 b5; Black wins a pawn in this line but has structural weaknesses, and possible long-term problems with king safety.

It is worth noting that once Black has played …e6, and especially when he has played …Nbd7, he will generally answer an exchange on d5 with …exd5, when a type of Orthodox Queen’s Gambit Exchange (a.k.a. Carlsbad) variation is reached, but one in which it is hard for White to prove any real advantage, because he has committed his knight so early to Nf3.

Vigorito devotes most of the book to these four main lines: the Meran, the 6 Qc2 line, the Botvinnik and the Moscow/Anti-Moscow. But since this a repertoire book for Black, he also deals with (as far as I can tell) all White’s playable deviations, with special attention to the Slav Exchange variation, since he recommends heading for the Semi-Slav via the Slav route 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6, when if White exchanges on d5 at any point before Black plays …e6, Black will have to recapture with the c-pawn, producing the symmetrical, and therefore potentially drawish, Slav Exchange structure. Vigorito argues that Black should not fear this: “There are still 30 pieces left on the board, so there is still some fight ahead.”

The five-page introduction is particularly instructive and includes a discussion of the important issue of move orders. The analysis in the main chapters is copious and perhaps a bit intimidating, but there is a lot of very clear verbal guidance, including a useful “Conclusions” section, summarising the essence of each section and finally the chapter as a whole. There is a six-page index of variations and a list of the fifty complete games. There is a bibliography, including a useful indication of the cut-off point for the author’s research in the best known sources such as Chess Informant, New in Chess Yearbook and The Week In Chess.

You can find out more about the author and play through three of his own games with brief notes at http://tinyurl.com/35zcmr

Verdict: Another seriously good repertoire book from David Vigorito and Quality Chess.

Rating : Highly recommended *****                                                                                                12-March-2008

Play the Ruy Lopez

by Andrew Greet

Everyman Chess (http://www.everymanchess.com), 2006, 376 pages, £14.99 

English IM Andrew Greet (FIDE 2425) provides a complete repertoire for White after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 based on the Ruy Lopez 3 Bb5. This is Greet’s first chess book, and he has clearly invested a huge amount of effort into making it a good one. In Part 1 (pp. 19-151) Greet provides very detailed analysis of all Black’s third-move alternatives. In Part 2 (pp 155-240) he examines Black’s options on move 4 after 3…a6 4 Ba4. Part 3 (241-372) focuses on Greet’s recommended system against Black’s most popular defensive option 3…a6 4 Ba4 Nf6, based on the move 5 Qe2. Not surprisingly he also suggests answering the Berlin 3…Nf6 in the same fashion, 4 Qe2.  Against the Schliemann 3...f5, which still seems very popular at club level, Greet opts for 4 d3. 

First of all, a short digression on nomenclature. 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 Qe2 is historically known as the Wormald Attack, named after RB Wormald (1834-76) who published some analysis of it in 1867; Wormald ran the chess column in the lllustrated London News from 1874 until his death When played on move 6, after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7, 6 Qe2 is known as the Worrall Attack, named after Thomas Herbert Worrall (1807-78); the Oxford Companion to Chess states that he was British Commissioner to Mexico and was later transferred to New York. The Companion also notes that Qe2 was also once known as the English Variation, and a database search shows that it was indeed used by a long line of English masters: Staunton, Blackburne, Bird, Thomas, and Yates. In more modern times, it was used extensively by Alekhine, Keres and Spassky, and the American GM Arthur Bisguier employed it successfully in the 1950s. Nigel Short has used it from time to time, notably in his match against Karpov in 1992. Short, who contributes a lengthy introduction to this book, remarks that he first saw Qe2 in the games of his fellow-member of Bolton Chess Club, Jeff Horner, who has used  it to help him win a huge number of Opens in the North of England in the last forty years. As one of Horner’s regular victims, I can testify to his great skill with the Worrall. Today the most consistent high-level supporter of the Qe2 system is the Dutch-based Russian GM Sergey Tiviakov, who has played it in at least 60 games. 

Factors in favour of 5 Qe2 include:

a)      it rules out the Open defence 5 0-0 Nxe4;

b)      it puts pressure on b5, lending more force to a2-a4;

c)      it enables White to play Rfd1, supporting d4 and putting pressure on the d-file;

d)      it enables White to connect his rooks more quickly;

e)      in lines where Black adopts a Chigorin set-up with …Na5 and …c5, and White then blocks the centre with d5, White saves two tempi for switching his rooks to the kingside in support of the traditional attack with g4. 

Here is an example of point e), quoted in one of Dvoretsky’s books:

Dubinin,P - Suetin,A RSFSR team championship, 1950

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Qe2 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.d5 Bd7 13.Kh2 c4 14.Rg1 Nb7 15.g4 Ne8 16.Nbd2 g6 17.Nf1 Ng7 18.Bh6 f6 19.Ne3 Kh8 20.Rg3 Rg8 21.Rag1 Nd8 22.Nf5 Bf8 23.Bxg7+ Bxg7 24.g5 Rf8 25.h4 gxf5 26.gxf6 Bxf6 27.exf5 Qc8 28.Ng5 Bxg5 29.Rxg5 Nf7 30.Rh5 Rg8 31.Rxh7+ Kxh7 32.Qh5+ Nh6 33.Rg6 Qf8 34.Rxh6+ Qxh6 35.f6+ e4 36.Bxe4+ 1-0 

At club level it is still possible to win many games like this. 

So why is 5/6 Qe2 less popular than 6 Re1? In his book The Ruy Lopez (1963), Leonard Barden wrote: “Some years ago, 6 Qe2 as an alternative to 6 Re1 seemed likely to become an equally popular move. Nowadays the Worrall Attack 6 Qe2 is rarely seen, partly because of the proven strength of 6 Re1, and partly because it is recognized the queen is exposed at e2 both to a pin by …Bg4 and to a concealed attack from the black rook along the e-file.” This still seems largely true today. Nevertheless, Greet makes a strong case on behalf of what he calls the Worrall System and I am certain that the reader is provided with enough analysis and careful explanation to be able to play it with confidence. 

The structure of the book is not the traditional Everyman one based on complete annotated games; instead we get a detailed “tree” structure. There is an index of variations and a bibliography, in which Greet usefully indicates the cut-off point for the data-search in the standard electronic source TWIC (The Week In Chess). Greet also tells us which analysis engines he used and what he thinks are the strengths of each. 

Throughout the book, Greet finds improvements over published analysis for both sides. I shudder at the thought of how much midnight oil was burnt over its writing, but I think Greet deserves great praise for this, his first book. Let us hope it is not his last!

Verdict: A hugely impressive piece of work and a strong recommendation to anyone who plays for or against the Ruy Lopez.

Rating: *****                                               25-March-2007

by Jacob Aagaard

Quality Chess, (http://www.qualitychessbooks.com), 298 large pages £16.99

I was interested to see this book. There are far more chess books available on attack than on defence, presumably because the average buyer of chess books more often dreams of playing a brilliant attack than conducting a resolute defence. Attack sounds exciting; defence sounds tedious and boring. Checking my library, I find I have just three books solely dedicated to defence: an old one by Soltis, which I recall I read to the end and enjoyed; another by Polugaevsky and Damsky in translation, which I never finished; and a recent one by Marin which had some interesting material but disconcertingly kept throwing biblical references at me.

So, what have we here from the increasingly prolific Jacob Aagaard? Well, for a start, I think that this must be the first book on this topic to place itself firmly in the context of the computer age; Aagaard stresses that computer-aided analysis has not only revolutionised opening preparation but has even brought about changes in the way top players think and has refuted many attacks in attacking games, including many long-standing anthology pieces. Aagaard further considers that “Fritz” has brought about improvements in players’ defensive skills. These and related issues are discussed in his Introduction. Chapter 1 is entitled “The Defensive Thinking Frame” and contains explanation and illustration of the thinking methods and attitudes that the author considers the most useful in practice: “unforcing thinking”, “the method of elimination”, “prophylaxis”, “an eye for detail” and  “winners don’t know how to quit”. Chapter 2 deals with more specific defensive techniques, both standard ones, such as simplification to a drawn ending or forcing perpetual check, and non-standard ones, such as “surprising tactics”. The rest (and the real meat of the book) consists of four graded sections of test positions for the reader to analyse, followed by the solutions, extensively annotated and discussed. There are 200 test positions in all, so the reader has a lot of material to work on. I am sure that any reader who diligently works through this material will learn a huge amount, but it is perhaps ambitious and talented young players who will benefit most, not just from the process, but from the huge amount of insights and “chess wisdom” that the book contains. The usual high production values associated with this publisher are also evident here – the book is a pleasure to handle and use.

Verdict: An excellent self-improvement manual. Good value for money Highly recommended.

Rating: *****                                               5-March-2007

Starting Out: Queen’s Gambit Declined

by Neil McDonald

Everyman Chess (http://www.everymanchess.com), 2006, 191 pages £13.99 

Here we have an addition to the “Starting out” series from reliable author Neil McDonald. After a useful introductory chapter, McDonald explains the Tartakower system, based on a black queenside fianchetto, Lasker’s defence, based on a simplifying …Ne4, the Classical (McDonald’s name for systems involving …Nbd7), the Cambridge Springs (based on a counter-attack with ..c6 and …Qa5), the important Exchange Variation (with which White can direct the play away from Black’s chosen system), and finally the system in which White plays Bf4 instead of Bg5.

 I really like the way McDonald shows how these lines have evolved to their present state; the fifty annotated games contain many classical games, as well as games from as recently as 2006. I was also impressed with the items that McDonald has chosen to explain and highlight – he clarifies what most other books take completely for granted or deal with very cursorily; this is probably the result not only of McDonald’s great experience as a chess author but also of his work as a coach. As I read this book, I found that Mcdonald often seemed to anticipate a query that was beginning to form in my mind!

Verdict: A very good introduction to a major opening; even strong players new to this opening should find this book useful. Good value for money. Recommended.

Rating: *****                                               5-March-2007

The Philidor Files

by Christian Bauer

Everyman Chess (http://www.everymanchess.com), 2006, 304 pages, £14.99 

The ancient Philidor Defence 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6) has been undergoing a quiet revival in the last couple of decades. The main theoretical objection has always been that (compared to 2…Nc6) strongpointing e5 with 2…d6 hems in the dark-squared bishop. I have always found this reasoning to be less than convincing, since in Black’s main (and ultra-respectable) defence to the Ruy Lopez (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6) the bishop is also confined. I am sure that professional grandmasters, pragmatists as they are, would have ignored the above theoretical objection in their hundreds had there not also been some practical problems with the Philidor, which for most of its history have seemed insurmountable.

The old mainline of the Philidor (reached after e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0) has always seemed playable and strategically sound for Black (there are even theoreticians such as Palatnik (in The Tarrasch Formula) who regard the Black position as strategically more promising, regarding the Nc3 as misplaced) - the main problem has always been: how to reach it!

The original Hanham move order of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 is fraught with dangers and even the most accurate continuation 4.Bc4 c6 5.0-0 Be7 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Ng5! Bxg5 8.Qh5 leaves White with two bishops and Black with dark square weaknesses.

Then  Nimzowitsch proposed the improved move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 Nbd7 but eventually it became clear that White can avoid being forced into Hanham channels by 4 dxe5 Nxe4 5 Qd5! which seems to give  an edge for White in all lines.

For many years this seemed the end of the story, but recently some strong grandmasters have been using one of two different Pirc-type move orders to try to reach the desired variation.

a) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 when after 4 Nf3  Black reaches the desired line by 4…Nbd7, whilst he does not fear 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 - this seems quite playable for Black as long as you know what you are doing.

b) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7!? When the most critical line to prevent Black from reaching his goal is 4.f4!? e5 (anyway) when

i) 5 Nf3 can be answered by 5…exd4! 6 Qxd4 (6 Nxd4 g6!?) 6...c6!? and Black intends a sharp gambit with ...d5 and ...Bc5.

so in The Chess Advantage in Black and White Kaufman recommends:

ii) 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nxe5 (once again inviting a queenless middlegame but one which is a bit more unbalanced than a) above) 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8.Nf3 and he claims White is better after 8...Bd6 9.Bg5 c6 10.0-0-0 Kc7 11.Be2 Nfd7 (11...Nfg4? 12 Rxd6! Kxd6 13 Rd1+) 12.Nd4. Even this is not so clear after 12...Bb4 or 12... a6 13.Nf5 Bf8.

But in a correspondence game I could make no impression with the white pieces against the novelty 8...Nfd7.

Adams,P - Grimsey,P MCCU teams, 09.2004

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.f4 e5 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nxe5 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8.Nf3 Nfd7 TN 9.Bf4 Bd6 10.Bg3 c6 11.0-0-0 Ke7 12.Be2 f6 13.Nd4 g6 14.Rhf1 Rf8 15.Kb1 Nb6 16.b3 Be6 17.a4 a5 18.Na2 Nbd7 19.Nxe6 Kxe6 20.Bg4+ Ke7 21.Bxd7 Kxd7 22.Bxe5 fxe5 23.Nc1 Ke6 24.Nd3 Be7 25.c3 b6 26.Kc2 Rad8 27.g3 h6 28.h4 Ra8 29.Kd2 Rad8 30.Ke2 Rf6 31.Rxf6+ Bxf6 32.Nb2 Rxd1 33.Kxd1 Bd8 34.Ke2 b5 35.c4 b4 36.c5 Be7 37.Nc4 Bd8 38.Kf3 h5 39.Ke2 Draw agreed.

OK, this is not a great deal of fun for Black, but it is some evidence that the move order 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 is probably viable for Black.

Thus Whites have been having to turn their attention to how to prove an edge in the main-line Philidor-Hanham position.

During the dark years when the Hanham seemed either unplayable or unattainable, some inventive grandmasters turned their attention to a completely different approach to the centre. Antoshin played 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7 whilst Larsen promoted 4…g6. The latter line can lead to sharp and interesting games with opposite-sides castling, but one has the feeling that White should be better - Black is short of space and the g6-pawn makes it easier for White to open lines against the enemy king.

Antoshin’s line has proved more resilient. Black allows White a space advantage but develops his kingside very quickly, meaning that he is soon ready for action in the centre (…d5) and failing that he has a flexible and dynamic pawn chain on the queenside.

There are now three good books on the Philidor, as far as I am aware. The first was Tony Kosten’s Winning with the Philidor (1992) which provided a very useful synthesis of developments up to that point and was enriched with many new insights and much original analysis. This book is still worth consulting, as is Kosten’s 1997 supplement Trends in the Philidor. In 2005 the young German IM Christian Seel published Geheimwaffe Philidor devoted entirely to the Antoshin; this is in German but is a typically excellent production from Chessgate and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Antoshin.

Finally we have The Philidor files from the strong French GM Christian Bauer, a hefty tome that ambitiously covers the whole Philidor spectrum (Hanham, Larsen, Antoshin) as well as the various move orders that modern players are employing (for both sides) to try to reach (or avoid) certain lines.

The first thing I always check when evaluating an openings book is: does the author actually play the stuff he is peddling? The reader can be reassured in this case: in my database I found over fifty games featuring Bauer on the black side of Philidor or Philidor-type positions, ample evidence that it will be worth listening to what he has to say.

So let’s see how he has organised his material:

The book starts with a short introduction (pp 5-9) which includes a brief mention of move-order issues and some material on the typical pawn structures that can arise. This section left me feeling slightly unsatisfied – I felt that readers would have benefited from lengthier discussion and explanation of these issues.

Chapter 1 (pp 10-43) is entitled Early Deviations and touches upon 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4 (in my view a practical choice – White can head for slow Spanish positions, as in Kasparov-Giorgadze 1979) and a range of rare options for Black after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6, of which the most important is the section (pp 16-22) which explains the problems that Black faces with the original Hanham move-order 3 d4 Nd7. The ancient 3 d4 f5 is also examined here and found wanting, although I suspect that the last word on this has not yet been spoken.

Chapter 2 (pp 44-82) deals with white deviations after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 (of which 4 Qxd4 is the most important) and then examines Larsen’s 4 Nxd4 g6, which Bauer sums up as follows: “offers Black dynamic counterplay, but is quite difficult to handle and probably fundamentally suspicious”.

Pages 83-131 deal with the Antoshin, which has been receiving some high-level support in recent years from the likes of. Nisipeanu, Bacrot and Fridman. Most attention is devoted to the critical plan of 6 Bf4, followed by Qd2 and 0-0-0. Anyone wishing to play this for White might find the theory re-assuring, but preparation has now become a nightmare, since Black has four playable options, all sharp and challenging, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7 6 Bf4 0-0 7 Qd2: a) 7…d5, b) 7…a6, c) 7...c6 and d) 7…Nc6.

Pages 132-197 make up a long series of chapters dealing with the move order 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 (looking en passant at 1 e4 d6 2 d4 e5, which also appears playable for Black). Ten pages deal with the interesting 3 f3 (also covered in Beim’s excellent Chess Recipes from the Grandmaster’s Kitchen). Bauer also covers 3 Bd3 e5 4 c3 d5!  Pages 166-174 deal with the critical  semi-ending line 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5 4 dxe5 dxe5 5 Qxd8+ Kxd8, which Bauer concludes is OK for Black, as long as he answers 6 Bc4 with 6…Ke8, rather than 6…Be6, which was being touted as best a few years ago. I was fascinated by chapter 9, which covers a possibility that I wasn’t previously aware of: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 Nbd7 4 g4!?

We have to reach page 207(!) before Bauer begins his treatment of his favoured Philidor-Hanham set-up, reached by his preferred move order 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 Nbd7 4 Nf3 e5. Chapter 10 looks at alternatives to the most popular move 5 Bc4, including Shirov’s controversial 5 g4!? Chapter 11 examines White’s attempts to blow Black away quickly after 5 Bc4 Be7, namely 6 Bxf7+, 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 Bxf7+ and 6 Ng5 0-0 7 Bxf7+; this last is the most threatening according to Bauer, who considers  it unclear. The remaining three chapters deal with different treatments by Black and White of the mainline 6 0-0 0-0.

Each chapter ends with a useful summary and conclusions. Note that the book uses a ‘tree’ structure, rather than the usual Everyman ‘complete annotated games’ layout. There are some complete games however, and so an index of the players would have been useful. There is an index of variations but the lack of a bibliography is a minus point. It is not clear whether Bauer has looked at other sources such the Opening for White according to Anand series or The Carpathian Warrior, although it seems that he did refer to Winning with the Philidor and The Lion.. These days an indication of the cut-off point for the research in the standard sources (NiC Yearbook, Informator, TWIC) should be standard for any opening book. Without that, it is even more than usually necessary for the keen reader to do his own research using databases.

Verdict: It is not everyday that a 2600-rated GM writes an opening book, so although the topic is a comparatively rare opening, we should pay attention. If you can read German and are just interested in the Antoshin, then Seel’s book would be my top pick, but otherwise I think that Bauer’s book is now the best source of reliable information on the Philidor.

by Sverre Johnsen and Leif Johannessen

GAMBIT Publications Ltd. (http://www.gambitbooks.com), 207 large pages £16.99

As with his previous book on the London system,  the Norwegian Sverre Johnsen (FIDE 2172)  has teamed up with a grandmaster, this time to produce a comprehensive repertoire book for Black against the Ruy Lopez, 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5, universally acknowledged to be White’s strongest opening after 1 e4 e5. His partner this time is the Norwegian Leif Erlend Johannessen, who is not a full-time chess professional but has the GM title and a respectable rating of 2537.  Johnsen writes in his preface: “I am the main author in the traditional sense and again my GM co-author has been the primary analyst. However, not only has Leif written quite a lot of the prose, but he has also had his own ideas from the start about what the final product should be like.”

When reviewing an opening book, the first thing I generally do is to check in the database to see whether the author actually plays the opening he is peddling. This is usually a good indicator of how much attention the work deserves. In this case it doesn’t work though. We are told that Johannessen was far from being an expert in playing the black side of the Lopez, but was planning to take it up! Furthermore he has tried to turn this negative into a positive, writing in his own Preface: “In order to use my lack of experience with the Ruy Lopez in a constructive way, I would like to share with the readers how I prepared the opening while writing the book. The process was quite similar to what I would have done if I were to prepare the Closed Ruy Lopez only for myself.” I notice that he has been practising what he preached – in the database there are now some games of his on the black side of the Spanish. Johannessen’s preface actually covers 15 pages and, if not quite “worth the price of the book alone”, as they say, it is certainly a very useful essay on how to choose and prepare an opening for serious use, in twelve steps.

The introduction then discusses the reasons why one should play Black against the Spanish, and why the authors chose the Zaitsev, rather than some other variation. There follows a useful discussion of Closed Ruy Lopez strategy and a move- by-move discussion of the options and ideas for both sides up to move 9, followed by an explanation of Black’s two main knight-regroupings in the Closed Spanish, the Chigorin and the Breyer, which can be important background themes in the Zaitsev..

Then – BANG! We are in at the deep end of the Zaitsev itself: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 Nbd2 Bf8. All of Black’s last three moves are common and natural ones in the Closed Spanish, but it seems to have been the Russian GM Igor Zaitsev (born 1938) who first had the idea that, by playing these moves now, Black could put pressure on White’s e4-pawn and so impede White’s usual “Spanish Knight’s Tour” of Nb1-d2-g3. This is quite awkward for White, who is unable to develop smoothly and finds his options reduced.

Following its introduction into practice in 1975, the Zaitsev took off rapidly and soon received the great boost of being adopted as one of Anatoly Karpov’s main weapons (there are 29 of his games in my database), even in his matches with Kasparov. This all sounds a bit too good to be true – and it is. First, White has the option of repeating the position, starting with 11 Ng5, forcing 11…Rf8, after which White has apparently nothing better than retreating the knight to f3, and so on. Thus if Black wants to play for a win he has to have some other variation in reserve; the authors therefore provide material on the apparently sound but as yet insufficiently explored option 11 Ng5 Rf8 12 Nf3 Qd7. Secondly, the arms race that is modern chess has led to deep research, which has unearthed some methods by which White can still fight for an advantage. First, he can close the centre with d5, gaining space and displacing the black knight; this resolution of the central tension enables Black to regroup and then hit back with …c6, when the struggle tends to revolve round control of the d5-square. Alternatively White can defend his e4-pawn by withdrawing his bishop from its active “Italian” diagonal and play Bc2, in some cases freeing the knight to continue on its journey, or enabling White to play b3, in order to play d5 and then c4, as in some lines of the Breyer. Finally White can try to solve his development problems by mobilising his hemmed-in queen’s rook on its original file by playing a4 – and in fact this is what has become the main theoretical battleground of the Zaitsev.

The theoretical chapters consist of:

1. The Zaitsev Main Line 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 Nbd2 Bf8 12 a4 h6 13 Bc2 exd4 14 cxd4 Nb4 15 Bb1 c5 16 d5 16 Nd7 17 Ra3 f5 18 Nh2 Nf6.

2. The 17…c4 Zaitsev – this is an important alternative to 17…f5.

3. Other Zaitsev Lines

4. Imperfection - examines the …Qd7 variation mentioned above

5. Regrouping system - .the …Qd7 idea implemented as early as move 9.

6. Rare 8^th and 9^th moves. This is an important chapter, dealing with 9 d4 Bg4 10 Be3 and 10 d5, which are played quite often and still have some bite; other rare 10^th moves; the slow but sound system with 9 d3; other 9^th moves such as 9 a4, which the authors consider to “one of White’s most underestimated tries”; rare 8^th moves such as 8 a4, which the authors recommend answering with 8…b4, with a probable transposition to the Anti-Marshall.

7. 5^th and 6^th Move Alternatives – these include important options such as the Worrall Attack with 5/6 Qe2, the Centre Attack 5/6 d4,  5 d3 and 5 Nc3.

8. The Exchange Variation 4 Bxc6, against which the main recommendation is the classical response 5…f6, with Keres’s 5…Ne7 as a second string.

9. Delayed Exchange Variations: 5 Bxc6 and 6 Bxc6.

Although, as we have seen, the Zaitsev is positionally very well motivated, the main lines in Chapters 1 and 2 tend to lead to wild positions which are in fact untypical of the Closed Spanish as a whole and which are quite risky to play without deep, very concrete preparation, and even then you can find yourself being out-prepared. Karpov scored quite badly with these lines, and when Adams used the line in Chapter 2 as a surprise weapon in 2005 against Anand he ran straight into a line that Anand had prepared years before; that he could have drawn according to Stohl and PH Nielsen was, I am sure, of little comfort to Mickey. Of course, the lines in the first two chapters are also risky for White, but it is generally White who to gets to choose whether to engage in them or go instead for some calmer option earlier, which nevertheless promises a typical Ruy Lopez edge.

To me, the sharp Zaitsev main line (Chapters 1 and 2) seems unsuitable for players of the Karpov/Adams positional style. Admittedly, players of a different style, such as Kazimdzhanov and Beliavsky, have done quite well with it. Nevertheless, I think some variation of the Chigorin (9…Na5 10 Bc2 c5) complex might be a more prudent choice for many of the keen amateur players who buy this type of book (see John Nunn’s advice in Secrets of Practical Chess, 2^nd edition, p.69).

So, the choice of the Zaitsev as the heart of the repertoire can be seen as controversial, but can in no way be regarded as a criticism of the book itself. For comparison, one could hardly criticise a book about Fischer for not being about Tal! The book is well written, and there is a great deal of verbal explanation to help the reader understand what is going on. Many sources have been consulted, but the authors have treated these critically and have often made their own re-assessments. They have also suggested many improvements on published analysis. The lines covered in Chapters 6-9 should be extremely useful to anyone who plays the Closed Spanish as Black, and the line covered in Chapter 5 could be a useful new option for many Closed Spanish players.

There is a copious bibliography, (including the influential Opening for White according to Anand, on which J&J quote a significant improvement on page 94), but I could find no indication of the cut-off date for the research in the standard sources such as NiC Yearbook, Informator and TWIC. In my opinion this should be standard for any opening book these days. There are 35 complete illustrative games, but strangely no list of the players.

As always with Gambit books, the production values are very high and the book is a pleasure to use.

By the way, you can download a sample of the book from - http://www.gambitbooks.com/books/ruylopez.html.

Verdict: A very good opening book. Readers will learn a lot about the Closed Lopez, and therefore about chess, even if they never play the Zaitsev! Highly recommended.