More about Magazine...

Magazine Chess Book Reviews : February 2007

Return to the Magazine Review Index | Search for other Magazine reviews by keyword | More about Magazine...
  

The Life and Games of Akiva Rubinstein Volume 1: Uncrowned King
by John Donaldson and Nikolai Minev, Russell Enterprises, 402 pages, £19.99.

This is an enlarged second edition of Donaldson and Minev’s complete games of Rubinstein. This, the first volume, covers 1888-1920, and includes a number of newly-discovered games that did not appear in the first edition. To quote a Magazine reviewer (of a different book) from 1970, “any who failed to get the first edition now have a quite undeserved opportunity to remedy their omission with profit”! Review by Steve Giddins.






 

The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich
by Alexander Morozevich and Vladimir Barsky, New in Chess, 236 pages, £18.95.

In Secrets of Practical Chess, John Nunn pointed out that one of the problems with playing offbeat or disreputable openings is that the books on them tend to be by relatively weak players, and consequently often of dubious value. It is therefore all the more welcome when a truly world-class grandmaster writes a serious book on a neglected opening, and if he is himself a regular practitioner of the opening, this is all the more so. Such is the case here, as Morozevich shares his insights into 1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6, with which he scored many successes, especially in his youth. The book is based around 74 deeply annotated games, the great majority by Morozevich himself, covering all relevant lines, including those where White avoids the Chigorin proper by 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nc6 and now something other than 3 c4. This is an extremely thorough and fascinating look at a lively and underrated response to 1 d4. If your opening repertoire is smelling a bit stale, you will be hard pressed to find a better deodorant. Review by Steve Giddins.

Kasparov’s Fighting Chess 1999-2005
by Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin, Batsford, 336 pages, £15.99.

A second volume of Karolyi’s collection of Kasparov’s best games, covering the final six years of the latter’s career, 1999 to 2005. Karolyi is a painstaking and thorough analyst, and this is a fine collection of games, but just as with Igor Stohl’s volumes on the same subject. I can’t rid myself of the feeling that I’d sooner see the great man’s own notes to these games. Review by Steve Giddins.

Thomas Frère and the Brotherhood of Chess
by Martin Frère Hillyer, McFarland, 211 pages hardcover, £22.95.

This is a historical book about chess in the USA, and specifically New York, in the late 19th century. Thomas Frère (1820-1900) was a leading organiser and writer of the day and is given credit for codifying competition rules at the time. He and his family also left behind a great deal of chess notes and memorabilia which have enabled the author (his great-great-grandson) to assemble an impressively detailed picture of the era. Over a very long period of time, which spanned the tragedy of the American Civil War, Frère came into contact with the great and the good, from Morphy through to Steinitz, and played his part in the founding of such American chess institutions as American Chess Congress and the Manhattan Chess Club. This is a delightful, well-researched book which has obviously been produced with loving care by a proud descendant of one of American chess’s founding fathers. Review by John Saunders.

William Steinitz, Chess Champion
by Kurt Landsberger, McFarland, 485 pages, £24.95.

A paperback (and consequently more affordable) reprint of Landsberger’s monumental 1993 biography of the first world champion. Only 18 games are included, but the wealth of biographical material and photographs make the book fascinating reading. If only the lives of other world champions and leading contenders had received the same thorough research! Review by Steve Giddins.

Beating the King’s Indian and Grünfeld
by Timothy Taylor, Everyman, 222 pages, £14.99.

This is a repertoire book for White advocating the Four Pawns with 7 Be2 (1 d5 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f4 0–0 6 Nf3 c5 7 Be2) against the King’s Indian Defence, and 4 e3 Bg7 5 Qb3 against the Grünfeld. Like Taylor’s previous book on 1 f4, this draws heavily on his own experience, and is a thorough and interesting effort. For those unconvinced by the Grünfeld antidote, the final chapters offer a second system, namely the old Keres favourite 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 e3 0–0 6 cxd5 Nxd5 7 Bc4. Useful stuff for anyone looking for a repertoire of non-critical main lines. Review by Steve Giddins.








 

Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, Volume ‘C’ (5th edition)
Sahovski Informator, 652 pages, hardcover, £25.00.

A new edition of the classic Yugoslav opening encyclopaedia covering 1 e4 e5 and the French Defence. Unfortunately, the editors have long since abandoned the practice of the first edition, when the authors of each section were individually identified. From what I can see, the whole thing is a joint effort by a group of anonymous Yugoslavs, which rather casts doubt on the book’s reliability. Review by Steve Giddins.









 

Capablanca in the United Kingdom (1911-1920)
by Vlastimil Fiala, Moravian Chess, 379 pages hardcover, £24.99.

A fascinating compendium of information, concerning the great Cuban’s visits to the UK in 1911, 1913 and 1919-20. Most of the details are culled from contemporary newspaper reports and include 123 games, the majority from simuls and other exhibitions. One can only marvel at the level of coverage such events attracted from the mainstream press, whilst one must also feel a sense of gratitude to the Czech historian and researcher for collating and preserving the details. A real treasure trove for lovers of chess history. Review by Steve Giddins.









 

The Botvinnik and Moscow Variation
by Loek van Wely, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.50.

The top Dutch grandmaster illustrates the Botvinnik (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bg5 dxc4 6 e4 b5) and Moscow (5...h6) variations of the Semi-Slav. These are two of the sharpest and most interesting lines of the Queen’s Gambit, and Van Wely is a leading specialist on the White side. Unfortunately, his delivery is rather hesitant and mumbling in places, which does not help the viewer’s comprehension but, that aside, there is much interesting and instructive material in the 5½ hours for which the DVD runs. Review by Steve Giddins.







 

The Chess Cafe Puzzle Book 2
by Karsten Müller, Russell Enterprises CD-ROM, £13.50.

German grandmaster Karsten Müller presents numerous puzzles to help the user develop their strategic skills. Topics include good and bad bishops, outposts, blockade and the principle of two weaknesses. Comes in ChessBase and PGN formats. Note that this is not available in book form as yet. System requirements: 486 or higher processor, Windows 95+, 16MB RAM. Review by John Saunders.






 

Opening for White According to Anand 1 e4 Vol. 8
by Alexander Khalifman, Chess Stars, 320 pages, £15.99.

The latest volume covers the Kan Paulsen (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nd4 a6), plus offbeat Black second (and even third) move alternatives such as 2...Nf6, 2...a6, etc. The usual extremely detailed coverage, but relatively dry and of interest only to the most dedicated and well-prepared 1 e4 players. Review by Steve Giddins.







 

Informator 97
Sahovski Informator, 347 pages, £21.00.

The latest issue of the thrice-yearly publication covers May-August 2006. It contains 431 games (and part-games), plus the usual combinations, endgames, studies, etc. The ‘Best of Chess’ feature is devoted to the games of the great Yugoslav grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric, whilst the traditional ‘Best Game’ and ‘Best TN’ prizes for the preceding volume were both won by the same game – Topalov-Aronian, Corus 2006 (Magazine, March 2006, p125). Review by Steve Giddins.







 

The Masters: Boris Spassky Master of Initiative
by Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik, Everyman, 160 pages, £12.99.

This book comprises 300 puzzles, taken from Spassky’s games, and includes the full text of 140 games. Useful training material, and some great chess (of course), but there is only a short, nine-page biography, so Spassky fans are unlikely to discover much that they did not already know. Review by Steve Giddins.







 

Chess Bits and... Obits by Cecil Purdy, Maurice Goldstein and John Hammond, Thinkers Press, 259 pages, £16.99.

This is a further compilation of Purdy’s articles, this one concentrating on chess history, including obituaries of many great players. The accompanying annotations of many of their best games are in Purdy’s ever-instructive style, and this is another splendid collection of material by one of the all-time greats among chess writers and pedagogues. Review by Steve Giddins.







 

New In Chess Yearbook 81
Ed. Sosonko, New in Chess, 249 pages, £17.50.

The usual lively collection of readers’ letters, discussions, book reviews and opening surveys. Amongst the topics in this issue: the Marshall Variation of the Petroff, the Benoni, the Budapest Gambit, the King’s Gambit, and the Sicilian Scheveningen. Amongst the many contributors are Sveshnikov, Watson and Alburt. Review by John Saunders.







 

101 Chess Endgame Tips
by Steve Giddins, Gambit, 112 pages, £11.99.

This slim but perfectly formed volume does precisely what it says on the cover; namely, present the aforementioned number of tips (for the most part, one to a page) for the benefit of club-level players. Steve Giddins’ no-nonsense advice is dispensed with his trademark wry humour and easy readability. Presentation of material is excellent: diagrams are plentiful and the book can easily be read without an accompanying chessboard. Review by John Saunders.







 

My Best Games in the Petroff Defence
by Alexei Shirov, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.50.

Alexei Shirov presents five hours of material on his experiences with the Petroff (or Russian) Defence. Of course, this opening has the reputation of being dull, but this is hardly the case with Shirov, who has the knack of making almost any position interesting. System requirements: Pentium processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive. Review by John Saunders.







 

Power Play 2: Attacking The King
by Daniel King, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.50.

Grandmaster Daniel King looks at attacking play and asks, what makes for a successful attack? At the end of the DVD you can test your attacking and defensive skills by examining a series of specially selected test positions. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess, but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer. System requirements: as above. Review by John Saunders.







 

Dangerous Weapons: The Sicilian
by John Emms and Richard Palliser, Everyman, 304 pages, £14.99.

The same general comments apply to this book on the Sicilian, which provides fourteen aggressive early deviations from main-line theory for both colours. First up is the intriguing ‘Gaw-Paw’, 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Qb6!?, which looks particularly nasty for the unprepared White player. On the other hand, anyone who has experienced frustration against the Sveshnikov might investigate the chapter on 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Nde2!?, with which Morozevich has shocked a couple of opponents. My knowledge of Sicilian theory is admittedly limited, but I have no doubt that whoever absorbs this wealth of original analysis can expect exciting games and even some quick wins – with either colour. Review by James Vigus.

Dangerous Weapons: The Nimzo-Indian
by John Emms, Richard Palliser and Chris Ward, Everyman, 272 pages, £14.99.

Books of ‘opening surprises’ are familiar fare, but this one takes an original and attractive tack: three experts on the Nimzo Indian collaborate to offer a series of recommendations for both colours, across the whole range of the opening. A ‘dangerous weapon’ is defined as a line that is razor sharp; highly ambitious; wrongly discredited by theory; or visually shocking. The authors have assembled seventeen chapters’ worth of such lines, and they obviously enjoyed the writing. Clear verbal (and visual) assessments of the practical risk of each weapon are given: thus some are admittedly ‘dicey’, to be sprung on selected opponents, whilst others are entirely respectable, such as 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 Bb4 5 e4!? – which is supported with some fascinating analysis. (White players are also armed with the underrated 5 Bg5!? c5 6 d5, which is now the only opening to bring me 100% in online blitz!).
Weapons for Black include a few well-known gambits involving …b5, but also one that was completely new to me: 4 e3 0-0 5 Ne2 b5!? Another fifth-move pawn sacrifice is the enticingly-named ‘Topalov Gambit’, to stir up trouble against 4 Qc2. The freshness of the material is impressive throughout the book: for instance there is no overlap with Eddie Dearing’s recent repertoire work on the Nimzo. This is indeed a wickedly dangerous set of new and forgotten attacking plans and gambits, highly recommended. Review by James Vigus.

Return to the Book Review Page

Go to the main chess book page