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BCM Chess Book Reviews : January 2001

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Super Nezh: Rashid Nezhmetdinov by Alex Pishkin, Thinker’s Press, 221 pages, £15.99.

I’m delighted that the subject of my first book review for the BCM should be the first, and long-overdue, English language book about one of my chess heroes. Nezhmetdinov was only an IM, but was amongst the most brilliant attacking geniuses of the 20th century, with victories over a host of leading Soviet players, including a lifetime record of 3.5/4 against Tal.

The present book is a fine tribute, including 100 games or fragments, deeply annotated, many with notes by Nezhmetdinov himself, plus a 15-page biography. One thing I especially like is that the author has not simply plagiarised the Russian books on Nezhmetdinov, but has clearly culled additional material from other sources, such as Soviet chess periodicals for the 1950s and 1960s. This is reflected, amongst other things, in the selection of photographs - there are relatively few extant of Nezhmetdinov, but this book includes half a dozen, four of which do not appear in the Russian books on him. Similarly, there are several games I have not seen before. The list of his victims reads like a roll-call of Soviet chess – Tal, Spassky, Boleslavsky, Flohr, Geller, Kholmov, Lilienthal, Polugayevsky, etc.

I have a few small quibbles, but these are mostly too insignificant to mention. One especially amusing error occurs in the rather eccentric tribute article by Ziatdinov early in the book. Introducing the game Flohr-Nezhmetdinov, USSR Ch 1954, he states “Flohr was in his prime and preparing to play a match with Alekhine”. If so, he must have been planning to employ the services of a medium, because the latter had been dead for eight years by then. Still, none of this detracts materially from a wonderful book, which is a veritable feast of glorious sacrificial games. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on this one – you’ll never forgive yourself! Review by Steve Giddins.
 

The Magic of Mikhail Tal by Joe Gallagher, Everyman, 224 pages, £16.99.

It is not often that an active grandmaster writes a book on another player’s games, but if this offering is anything to go by, it is a practice which deserves to be encouraged. On the other hand, of course, it should be said that there are few subjects as interesting as Tal, and few grandmaster authors as conscientious as Gallagher. In the present case, this happy combination of author and subject has resulted in a thoroughly enjoyable book, which is a must for any fan of Tal. Very sensibly, Gallagher has chosen to concentrate on games played after 1975, precisely the period where other books stop, in particular Tal’s own classic The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal.

An initial chapter summarises Tal’s pre-1975 career and gives a handful of his best-known games from that period, but the bulk of the book consists of 34 deeply annotated games from his final 19 years. These are split into six chapters, each preceded by an account of his career and tournament exploits over the relevant period. In addition to the main games, the biographical sections contain further games and positions, with lighter notes – in total there are 73 complete, and a further 41 part-games. The annotations are impressive, with a real attempt to penetrate into the key moments of each game. Gallagher freely admits to using Fritz (especially useful, given the highly tactical nature of most of Tal’s best games), but there is plenty of evidence that he has done much more than just click the mouse a few times and copy down the results. Another excellent feature is the commentary on the openings, which provides a useful picture of the state of theory at the time each game was played, as well as an indication of theory’s current opinion on the line in question.

Gallagher says in the preface that Tal was his boyhood hero, but he has managed to convey this admiration without losing his objectivity or being tempted to gloss over the fact that some of Tal’s sacrifices were less than 100% sound. Anyone who admires Tal and his chess – and who doesn’t? – will enjoy this book greatly. Review by Steve Giddins.
 

The Queen’s Gambit and Catalan for Black by Lasha Janjgava, Gambit, 192 pages, £14.99.

With the huge databases of games available today, it is pretty much impossible for an ordinary player to work out which games to concentrate on, particularly in an opening which is popular at the highest levels. No matter how you restrict the search mask, you still end up with a clipboard holding more games than you could reasonably play through in a month of Sundays, let alone analyse and assess. A native guide is required. GM Janjgava has clearly spent some years on this task, and the result is a book densely packed with relevant variations, each with a reference to the original game. There is also plenty of original analysis and ideas for development. The book provides an exhaustive repertoire for black, carefully and precisely arranged, so there is no danger of becoming lost in the thickets of subvariations. Patient study of it will surely be rewarded. Review by Helen Milligan.





   

The Brain Games World Chess Championship by Raymond Keene and Don Morris, Everyman, 128 pages, 8 colour plates, £9.99.

This slim volume includes information on the aims of Brain Games Network plc, and brief biographies of all recognised world champions up to the point where separate FIDE and PCA ‘belts’ were introduced (you wouldn’t want to give a copy to Khalifman as a present). All 15 games of the match are given in full, with annotations that owe much to the excellent live Internet commentary on the Brain Games website. The very different psychological profiles of the protagonists are described at every stage. The book reads like a film script, with increasing tension, mounting disbelief, and an almost inevitable conclusion. Review by Helen Milligan.





   

Kasparov Kramnik: London 2000 by Nigel Davies and Andrew Martin, Batsford, 128 pages, £9.99.

Another instant book of the championship: an introduction, a short history of the world championship (no mention of Alexander Khalifman), a summary of previous Kasparov versus Kramnik encounters and then 80 pages of game annotations, with an overview of each game by IM Andrew Martin. His commentary is lively and witty. The typesetting looks like the rush job it must have been, but this book gives a good account of a remarkable match.






 

 

The Modern Benoni by Andrew Kinsman, Everyman, 143 pages, £14.99.

This is very much a counter-puncher’s opening. The author quotes such uncompromising players as Topalov, De Firmian, Psakhis and the young Kasparov as notable exponents. He might have added Fischer, who used it in his break-through third game against Spassky in 1972. Hugh Alexander, writing about that game: “on the whole, I think that if God played the Benoni against God, White would win – but at the human, even World Championship, level, practical chances are about even.” Tal was also an exponent. Kinsman has naturally focused on more modern material, and put together a thorough work which will be of benefit to existing Benoni players and also a good starting place for newcomers to the system.



   


 

Kasparov Against The World by Garry Kasparov with Daniel King, Kasparov Chess Online, 202 pages hardcover, £19.50.

Subtitled “the Story of The Greatest Online Challenge”, this is a remarkably detailed and enjoyable account of Kasparov’s 1999 Microsoft internet chess game against the World. He took the game quite lightly at first, but it then caught fire as the World, aided and abetted by semi-organised teams of players from Russia and USA with the Joan of Arc-like Irina Krush at their head, launched a remarkable opening novelty. Suddenly Kasparov realised that it wasn’t going to be the cakewalk he had thought. Kasparov has written the book as a diary of his busy summer schedule, with a diagram for every move and a lot of background detail about where he was at the time, whom he was with and what the mood of his team was. In this mood Kasparov is a chatty and engaging writer, not afraid to tell stories against himself, such as when his mother tells him off for getting mad and moaning about the game.






 
 
 

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings: Volume C (4th Edition), edited and published by Sahovski Informator, 567 pages, £25.00.

The ECO reference series belongs on the shelf of every serious chess player. This new edition of volume C (all openings beginning 1 e4 e6 or 1 e4 e5) updates the material to include recent games (including many from 2000), with cross-references to the most recent of the equally essential Informator series. The symbols used for annotation are truly international, and if your chess opponent halfway round the world on one of the Internet sites is not familiar with the slang name for the latest fashionable line on the weekend tournament circuit, you can be sure he or she will have no difficulty identifying it from its ECO code. Review by Helen Milligan.





 
 

Informator 79, Sahovski Informator, 371 pages, £21.00.

All the usual ingredients of the top three-times-a-year game collection: 569 games from May-August 2000, heavily annotated by top grandmasters (including Kramnik, Kasparov, Anand, Adams), 27 combinations, 18 endings, the top game and theoretical novelty from the last edition, plus the best games of Viswanathan Anand together with details of his career to date.







 
 

Chess on The Web (2nd Edition) by Sarah Hurst, Richard Palliser and Graham Brown, Batsford, 176 pages, £9.99.

The first edition of this book was reviewed in BCM, December 1999, page 647, but such is the changeability of the internet that the publishers have seen fit to bring out a totally revised edition for year 2000. The authors have done a conscientious job, combing over a myriad of chess web sites and the resultant revision has been very thorough including sample articles from the web, briefings on technical terminology and interviews with various people who run chess web sites. This is a good reference source for anyone wondering whether they want to go to the trouble of getting an internet connection for chess purposes.





 

 

The Turk, Chess Automaton by Gerald M Levitt, McFarland, 258 pages hardcover, £36.95.

This large-format book, sporting a lavish collection of black and white illustrations, is probably the most complete record yet of the famous chess automaton that fascinated the world for 85 years beginning in 1770. The author goes into all aspects of the remarkable mechanism; how it was created, operated, who the hidden chess players were. Also there are many of the games played in its name, plus contemporary articles written about it during its history, including one by Edgar Allan Poe. A delightful book which, as well as the chess content, tells the reader much about the times during which the automaton flourished.





 
 

Chess Tournaments and Matches 1925 by AJ Gillam, The Chess Player, 187 pages, £16.95.

This a reprint of a 1993 publication which collects together 806 games (Informator-style, no notes) from all the major events of 1925. This was an annus mirabilis for Bogoljubow: he won Moscow (ahead of Lasker and Capablanca), the Soviet Championship and Breslau (ahead of Nimzowitsch and Rubinstein), though Alekhine won handsomely in Baden Baden.


   

Ponziani Power by David C Taylor, Taylor & Melton, 79 pages, £15.99.

Aficionados of “The Ponz” have not had many books dedicated to their favourite opening to buy in the last few years, the last being Tomcsanyi’s book in 1997. The author of this work, a former USCCC champion, has produced a pricey pamphlet, but it is not just being a collation of the latest lines as played in master games. Taylor has included a great deal of his own original researches in the opening. Some of the new ideas come at a remarkably early stage in the opening, which can happen in an opening which occurs rarely at the top level. A must-read for Ponziani players.


   

The Accelerated Dragon by Claudio Minzer and Gustavo Albarran, Chessbase CD-ROM, £18.50.

This CD-ROM uses the by-now familiar format of Chessbase’s series of opening manuals. There is comprehensive coverage of the opening (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6) with 21 texts by the Argentinian authors, more than 9,500 games in a database, 20 training positions to test understanding and a tree of variations. The texts include content on the fundamentals of the Accelerated Dragon, a history of its earliest exponents (with photographs and games) . A well-organised and worthwhile guide.
 

The Classical Sicilian by Anthony Kosten, Chessbase CD-ROM, £18.50.

The 27 texts on this disk are particularly well structured and linked to guide you through what is a labyrinthine set of variations. There are 8,000 games on the database, up to August 2000; these can also be accessed via a Chessbase tree of variations, and there is a training database containing 25 tests of your comprehension of the opening. The odd gremlin popped up here; having been posed some questions in English, a reply in German was received on occasion. But overall a well-constructed opening guide with much to recommend it.


   

All reviews by John Saunders except where otherwise indicated.
 

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