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Magazine Chess Book Reviews : July 2008

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The Chebanenko Slav According to Bologan by Viktor Bologan, New in Chess, 240 pages, £19.95.

   The Moldavian grandmaster follows up his well-received best games collection with a work on the fashionable Slav line 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6. This is the main but not the only branch of the …a6 Slav, and it would be interesting to know why Bologan considers 4 e3 a6 inferior: 5 Bd3 is a possible reason (if 5…Bg4 6 Qb3), but then 5…dxc4 6 Bxc4 e6 transposes to a QGA. Bologan also mentions without elaboration that 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 a6 5 Qc2 e6 6 Nf3 c5 is fine for Black, a line I’ve had a soft spot for since Kelly-Vigus, Cambridge 1999: 7 cxd5 exd5 8 Be2 Nc6 9 0–0 Be6 10 Rd1 Nb4 11 Qb1 Qc8 12 Nh4? g5! 13 a3 gxh4 14 axb4 cxb4 15 Na4 Qd8 16 Nc5 Bxc5 17 dxc5 Ne4 18 Qc2 Rg8 19 Qa4+? Êf8 20 Qxb4 Rxg2+! 0–1. I had Sadler’s introduction to the …a6 system in The Slav (1997) to thank for this. Flear’s The …a6 Slav (2003) also remains very useful; but top-level fashions have evolved so rapidly that one of Bologan’s main lines – 4 Nc3 a6 5 e3 b5 6 c5 – merited just one page in Flear’s work. 5 c5 Nbd7 6 Bf4 Nh5 7 e3 turns out to be the principal highway of the whole opening, and the author and his consultant, Victor Komliakov, steer us through this and other strategically complex material very professionally. The quantity of new analysis is impressive – or in some cases old analysis, since much inspiration came from the notebooks of the opening’s inventor, Vyacheslav Andreevich Chebanenko, to whom a touching tribute is paid. Some test positions round off an attractive volume. Review by James Vigus.

The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess by Andrew Soltis, Batsford, 304 pages, £15.99.

This very readable title from the prolific American author features 288 chess sayings, one per page and fleshed out with his own observations and an example. Some are very well-known (“a rook belongs behind a passed pawn” – Tarrasch) and others much less so (“always look for ways of ignoring threats” – Purdy, whom Soltis quotes frequently). Many of the sayings are more witty than wise; for example, “when you have eliminated all the plausible moves, you’d better play what you have left quickly before you lose on time” (Tony Miles). Soltis casts his net wide and has come up with a very enjoyable book. JS.

The Greatest Ever Chess Opening Ideas by Christoph Scheerer, Everyman, 368 pages, £15.99.

    This is a sort of history of opening theory, looking at some of the major breakthroughs made in various lines. It starts, appropriately, with Polerio’s 4 c3 in the Giuoco Piano, and ends with Topalov’s 12 Nxf7!? against Kramnik at this year’s Corus tournament. Each new idea is exemplified in a game (or two) and is then assessed for its shock value, effectiveness, longevity and creativity. Judging from the lengthy bibliography and range of quotations, the German IM author has done an impressive amount of research and the book reads very well. It is lighter in tone than it sounds and thoroughly readable. JS.

Build Up Your Chess with Artur Yusupov: 1 The Fundamentals by Artur Yusupov, Quality Chess, 261 pages, £15.99.

This is a well-produced didactic work based on some of the author’s teaching materials. It runs through all the basic tactics and strategy of the game, targeting elementary or intermediate players, and provides scored comprehension tests at the end of each chapter. The layout is user-friendly and it would suit use as a classroom text. JS.

How to Crush Your Chess Opponents by Simon Williams, Gambit, 109 pages, £12.99.

This is a collection of 30 annotated games, mainly of leading grandmasters over the past ten years, where one of the players wins (or at least achieves an overwhelmingly won game) very quickly. The author himself is well known for his attacking prowess and ability to get games over with quickly, so he knows all about this form of chess, and you get a revealing insight into his approach via his refreshing and breezy notes. Very enjoyable. JS.

Forcing Chess Moves by Charles Hertan, New in Chess, 382 pages, £18.95.

This weighty tome is all about improving your tactical play. The introduction claims a radically different approach to other such works, based on what the author (an FM from Massachusetts) calls ‘computer eyes’. Though unconvinced that there is really a new technique to be found here which will transform players into wizard tacticians, it still amounts to a particularly fine collection of tactical positions which have been grouped under different (and logical) headings, with excellent exercises to measure progress. JS.

Pawn Sacrifice!: Winning at Chess the Adventurous Way by Timothy Taylor, Everyman, 239 pages, £14.99.

The author pays homage in the introduction to a classic work on the subject (The Art of Sacrifice in Chess by Spielmann) but has himself produced a light but informative addition to the works on the subject. It consists of 66 annotated games featuring pawn sacrifices. For most of sacrifices, the author gives a risk assessment, his own opinion and also that of ‘Mr Fritz’ (shouldn’t it be ‘Herr Fritz’?). The games have been selected from a long period of time and include some of the author’s own games. JS.








 

The Art of Attacking Chess by Zenon Franco, Gambit, 254 pages, £16.99.

This large-format work by a very experienced Spanish grandmaster, contains 33 deeply annotated games, some with supplementary game fragments, ranging from historical classics, through less well known games, to modern masterpieces. The book is divided up into six themed chapters, each with its own set of exercise positions to solve or study. It is probably best suited to players of a 2000 rating and above. JS.

New In Chess Yearbook 87, New In Chess, 247 pages, £17.50.

All the usual features and lots of opening surveys, plus Glenn Flear’s entertaining reviews of the latest books (222 Opening Traps by Müller and Knaak, English Defence by Odessky, Play The Semi-Slav by Vigorito and The Sämisch King’s Indian Uncovered by Cherniaev and Prokuronov). There is also an interesting article by Sosonko on Fischer’s opening legacy, revealing how his Soviet rivals targeted him in the opening. JS.

The Huddersfield College Chess Magazine, Vol. 7-8 (Oct 1878-Sept 1880), Ed. John Watkinson, Moravian Chess, 373 pages hardcover, £26.99.

There is an error on the cover (which gives the dates covered as only October 1878 to September 1879). Also, the order of the introductory pages is very muddled, with the contents for volume eight preceding those of volume seven. But it is otherwise very well produced and an excellent reprographic work. JS.

The Field 1906, Ed. Leopold Hoffer, Moravian Chess, 373 pages hardcover, £24.99.

Another reprint of Hoffer’s excellent magazine column, with comprehensive coverage of chess in the UK and the world. The reproduction is not quite as good as the Huddersfield College reprint but it is quite readable. JS.

The Chess Player’s Chronicle April 1891 – May 1892, Vol. 12, Moravian Chess, 272 pages hardcover, £29.99.

The Chronicle was a weekly publication at this time and contained general chess news as well as such items as an “index to chess openings”, based on Salvioli’s 1888 analytical work and presented in tabular fashion (as much later MCO and ECO were to be). Disappointingly, there is no index, but reproduction of this large-format reprint is good. JS.

Torre Attack by Nigel Davies, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.99.

The Torre Attack (1 d4 followed by 2 Nf3 and 3 Bg5) is a popular system with club players, and Nigel Davies provides interesting commentary, with a view to demonstrating general ideas rather than spoon-feeding precise variations. System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows XP, Windows Vista, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard. JS.

The ABC of the Modern Benoni by Andrew Martin, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.99.

Andrew Martin teaches the nuts and bolts of this fascinating opening, showing when to duck and when to punch with Black, and tackling some of the most critical move orders of the day. Suitable for all levels of play. System requirements: as above. JS.

Albin Counter-Gambit by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £23.99.

The Albin Counter-Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5) is a favourite of counter-attacking Black players, and in recent years has been taken up by Morozevich. The presenter of this DVD was sufficiently inspired to try it himself and was successful. The former FIDE world champion is a prolific DVD presenter and his style, chess strength and good spoken English make him ideal for the task. Video running time: 3½ hours. System requirements: as above. JS.

London System by Nigel Davies, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.99.

The London System – 1 d4 followed by 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4 – is a well-known to avoid the main highway of 1 d4 opening theory. It has the reputation for being stodgy but has still attracted such players as Bronstein and Kamsky. Nigel Davies outlines White’s play via 21 illustrative games. Video running time: more than 4 hours. System requirements: as above. JS.

The Colle System by Nigel Davies, ChessBase DVD-ROM, £21.99.

Nigel Davies takes on the task of presenting another club player’s favourite which is perhaps not regarded as ‘cool’. 1 d4 followed by 2 Nf3 and 3 e3 is unpretentious but it has received support from Artur Yusupov, Evgeny Bareev and others. System requirements: as above. JS.

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