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Magazine Chess Book Reviews : February 2008

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American Grandmaster
by Joel Benjamin, Everyman, 268 pages, £14.99.

   This book arrived just as we went to press but we couldn’t resist giving it top billing here. Subtitled ‘four decades of chess adventures’, it is the autobiography of one of the USA’s most interesting chess figures. The 43-year-old grandmaster first attracted attention 30 years ago when he became a national master at a younger age than Fischer, and he has had a fascinating career since, not least as chief chess consultant to Deep Blue when it defeated Garry Kasparov. Of course this latter episode is discussed in some detail, with Benjamin putting up a logical and reasoned defence to some of the allegations later levelled at the Deep Blue team by Kasparov.
Following this major chapter in the author’s career, Benjamin returned to playing and subsequently to chess teaching. In a number of short but interesting chapters towards the end of the book, he provides his take on the value of chess teaching and the state of chess in the USA – and he does not pull his punches. The book is entertainingly written and covers a lot of ground while the author’s views carry much weight. Very good value. JS.

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Play the English
by Craig Pritchett, Everyman, 192 pages, £14.99.

This repertoire work, based on 30 complete games, analyses the following lines: 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3, including the main line 2…Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3; 1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 intending a dynamic early d2-d4; the Anti-Grünfeld, 1 c4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Qa4+; and 1 c4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 and 4 g4!?. It’s puzzling that well over half the book is dedicated to the reversed Sicilian, 1 c4 e5, since the reader could play 1 Nf3, 2 c4, and still remain within the rest of Pritchett’s repertoire. Khalifman’s series Opening Repertoire for White According to Kramnik is a surprising omission from the bibliography, and discussion of early move order issues is somewhat lacking. However, the book is clearly written, and covers different territory from Karpov’s recent work on this opening. Review by James Vigus.

New In Chess Yearbook 85

Ed. Genna Sosonko, New in Chess, 247 pages, £17.50.

    As usual there is a plethora of opening surveys in the four-a-year series; in fact, 31 in total. Amongst them there are Richard Palliser on the Sicilian with 3 Bb5, Viorel Bologan on the Slav, Mikhalevski on the Grünfeld Exchange variation, and many more. Genna Sosonko writes more generally on the subject of the impact of novelties. Good quality production and good value as always. JS.

Opening for White According to Anand 1 e4 Vol. 10
by Alexander Khalifman, Chess Stars, 190 pages, £15.99.

The latest volume in this multi-volume opening series is mainly devoted to the Sveshnikov Sicilian, in particular the so-called Chelyabinsk variation (1 e4 c5 2 Nf6 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Nd5 Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3). In the blurb Khalifman has this to say: “My work with this book was a rather complicated task by itself. My colleagues asked me often (sometimes ironically, sometimes with genuine interest) whether I had managed to refute the Chelyabinsk variation and when that refutation would be published? Here, I must admit: no, I have not refuted the Chelyabinsk variation. Frankly speaking, I have not even tried to do that. As far as my experience and my understanding of chess are concerned, Black’s opening set-up has a sound strategic basis and it can never be refuted outright. Having that in mind, I decided to try something different and that was to systematize the amassed material and knowledge and to point out the most unpleasant lines for Black. I have not tried to change radically any theoretical evaluations, but I have managed to discover some new ideas and I have to tell you that Black will need to solve difficult problems after them.” That is a pretty good summary of the contents. JS.

How to Play Chess Endgames by Karsten Müller and Wolfgang Pajeken, Gambit, 351 pages, £18.99.

This substantial work, by a German grandmaster and FIDE Master working in tandem, sets out to be a guide to the practical side of endgame play. In other words, it is not so much about the different piece configurations that occur in the endgame but a structured collection of the specific strategies needed for playing what is a radically different phase of the game compared with the middlegame.
Müller is something of a specialist when it comes to the endgame and this book shows signs of being both methodically written and comprehensive in scope. There are 18 chapters in all, covering such familiar general headings as activity, pawn play, bishop-pair and less frequent ones such as ‘do not rush!’ and ‘the right exchange’.
As a reviewer, with limited time to spare and no hope of reading more than a fraction of the contents, one’s eye is drawn to subjects such as ‘typical mistakes’ such as ‘playing to the gallery’ and ‘greed’ (we seem to be straying into Jonathan Rowson ‘deadly sin’ territory). Equally attractive to the reviewer are the authors’ 20 golden rules of the endgame, which include: “an endgame is not a middlegame”; and “normally each exchange benefits just one of the players”. Though the intention is that the book should be systematic in treatment, and one gets an initial impression of dryness in approach, there seems no reason why it should not be regarded as almost a ‘comfort read’ for those who prefer to dip into a book at random and read for pure pleasure. Many of the positions are quite fascinating and can be treated in this way. The examples are from master play but the lessons to be learnt (and tested in exercises) are for everyone from intermediate or club player upwards.
There have been some gratifyingly good books on the endgame recently and this appears to be another such volume. JS.

1 e4 for the Creative Attacker
by Nigel Davies, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £18.99.

On this DVD-ROM, the English grandmaster presents a complete repertoire for White comprising what the blurb calls “unusual but aggressive lines.” His suggested repertoire includes the off-beat 2 Na3 against the Sicilian, 2 f4 against both the French and Pirc and the Fantasy Variation of the Caro-Kann. Video running time: 4 hours. System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows Vista, Windows XP, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard. JS.

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