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Chess Openings - Book reviews
Latest How to Play the English Opening by Anatoly Karpov (Batsford Chess 2007) £14.99 -
How to Play the English Opening is not a standard opening manual. To quote from the blurb, “The book has a different format: it represents a collection of 30 interesting and important games of recent times, played with the English Opening. Many of them have a place in the development of the theory of the opening.” The games are arranged according to the variations of the English Opening. But I would here make a complaint about the book. There is no list of the variations which will be examined in the book. You have to look through the games and work this out yourself. I did just this and present below the variations which Karpov covers. Opening Index of How to Play the English Opening
I should add that not all games in the book follow the precise move order given above, and for the reason that the English Opening is a veritable minefield of transpositional possibilities. From the above list, it’s clear that a number of variations in the English are not covered. For instance: a) 1c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Black may play 4 … e4 or 4 … g6. And so on. So if you want a book which covers all up-to-date theory in the English Opening, don’t buy this one. If however, you want to learn something about chess and the English Opening, do buy this book. Karpov has put 30 games (the earliest game examined is dated 1987 and the latest 2004) in which the English Opening was played under the microscope. In fact, if you consider the games included in the annotations, there are almost 100 games in the book. Karpov is not primarily concerned with recommending the best variations for either White or Black, but concentrates on the type of play that the opening demands. 17 of the games are from Karpov himself. The annotations are deep and informative. The writing is clear and easy to follow, not the rather dull translations that abound in many books translated from the Russian. I can also report that, unlike many books on openings, this is not double columned pages and thus makes for easier reading. All the games given are analysed in full, giving notes to the opening moves, the middlegame and the endgame. Therefore the book gives a clear picture of the effect the opening has on the whole of the game and the typical positions that arise as the opening changes to the middle game. Karpov is aware of this and his analysis explains the legacy from the opening to the entire game and concentrates on the general methods of playing particular positions that can arise from the opening. I feel certain that this is the best manner to present a particular opening to the student. For English Opening devotees (and non-devotees for that matter) this book is a must. I finish with a game which gives a flavour of the book. Buy from: http://www.chess.co.uk/
The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich Why should you play the Chigorin Defence to the queen's pawn opening (1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6)? Like its sister opening, the Verseov (1 d4 d5 2 Nc3) it drives the game into the territory which it's practitioner wants. Already on move two you will be calling the shots as Black in an opening which, even in this day and age, has received little attention. Why should you not play the Chigorin Defence? Well, apart from Chigorin over a hundred years ago, no great player has made it an important part of his repertoire. True, Colle played it in the 1920s (and was soundly defeated by Alekhine for his pains) and a number of Soviet players, notably Smyslov, used the Chigorin on occasion in the years after the war. But it never caught on. The Chess Advantage in Black and WhiteBy Larry KaufmanOpening repertoire books have become the staple diet of chess publishing houses. Typically, you will be told how to play a play a particular opening, what will cause your opponent the most difficulties and how to get the maximum results with the minimum effort. Armed with this knowledge you can expect to sweep away the hapless opposition in the next club match. But all too often, it doesn't happen this way. more reviews ...
This is the first book about transpositional tricks in chess. Since Chess is so much a practical game this seems surprising when you look between the covers. What you find is a massive treasure trove of tricky transpositions in the openings and there really is something for everyone. How to meet e4 with e5! Beating the Open Games by Mihail Marin, Quality Chess, Gothenburg 2007, 288 pages, £15.99. This volume is the first of two from the Mihai Marin , the Rumanian Grandmaster and much admired chess writer. They will gives a complete repertoire for Black after 1 e4 e5. Play 1 e4 e5! by Nigel Davies, Everyman, London 2005, 192 pages, £14.99. Nigel Davies has been the author of a number of interesting books in recent years, his books on the Alekhine and Veresov are particularly worthy of mention. In my opinion, this one on the Open Games is his best. It is no less than a complete system for Black against 1 e4 in the space of one book. Play the Ruy Lopez Caro-Kann Defence: Advance Variation and Gambit System Chapter One is an account of the 'Gambit' or 'Fantasy' variation against the Caro-Kann. This is an opening which has been played by Morozevich and Polgar with success. For people with little time to devote to chess, they need look no further than this enterprising and little explored line. Read Full Review ...
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