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Magazine Chess Book Reviews : August 2009Return to the Magazine Review Index
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Simon Williams has a strong claim to being England’s most entertaining grandmaster, certainly from the spectator’s point of view. It is hardly surprising, then, that he should turn out to be equally entertaining when putting his pen to paper. The ‘new’ Sicilian Dragon to which the title refers is the so-called ‘Dragadorf’ – a cross between the Dragon and the Najdorf (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 a6!?). A warning to readers of a nervous disposition – there are references to three types of drug on the first page (alcohol, nicotine and caffeine) – but then we get down to a lively description of Williams’ induction into the ‘Dragadorf’ (via an exciting game with Alexei Shirov) and an examination of the possibilities. There is also some coverage of more orthodox lines of the Dragon, amounting to about one third of the book, but the ‘Dragadorf’ is the main item on the agenda here. The author puts in plenty of his own ideas into the notes to the games and this book should even appeal to players whose opening repertoire doesn’t include the Dragon as it is highly readable. JS.
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This is another book on the Colle-Zukertort by the author of Zuke ‘Em (reviewed in our August 2008 issue). This is a more discursive work on this opening, looking more at the ideas and critical positions and how best to approach them. The book is replete with exercises to test newly-acquired knowledge. The style (as in the earlier book) is a little brash but the content is worthwhile and stimulating. JS.
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It is always useful for an opening to have friends in high places. The Catalan’s most distinguished patron is Vladimir Kramnik who spent many years turning this Queen’s Gambit sub-system (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 g3 Nf6 4 Bg2) into a formidable weapon for White. So it is hardly surprising that nine of the former world champion’s games should be extensively analysed and annotated in this new book on the system by one of England’s most prolific chess writers. Of course, plenty of other grandmasters play the Catalan, including Kasparov and Davies himself. An excellent book which will appeal to players at all levels of the game. JS.
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The continuation and completion of the course by the Russian grandmaster long resident in Germany, but who has to acknowledge help from his daughter in correcting his German for the original version and from his wife in the matter of book layout. 24 topics are dealt with from all stages of the game (on such familiar themes as rook versus bishop, the backward pawn, opposite-coloured bishops, blockade, etc) with many test positions and worked solutions. Recommended. Review by Bernard Cafferty.
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Perhaps, pedantically, the title should be ‘counter-attacking the Spanish’ as its theme is aggressive gambit lines for Black to play against the Ruy Lopez. The three specific systems are the Schliemann (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5), the Gajewski (a sort of delayed Marshall Gambit which takes its name from a young Polish grandmaster who began playing it in 2007 – 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 d5!?) and the Marshall proper (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 d5), with coverage of Anti-Marshall systems. All three systems are topical, with Radjabov injecting some new ideas into the Schliemann, Adams a long-time proponent of the Marshall and the Gajewski a brand-new system in its own right. The author, an Italian IM, provides plenty of insights into these systems and this is a book which will appeal to Ruy Lopez players of 1800 and above. JS.
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An excellently researched work on an opening, sometimes favoured by Tartakower, Bent Larsen, Keith Arkell and others, that is almost a reaction to those opening systems where Black employs ...c7-c5. The move 1 b4 used to be described as the Polish Opening and enables White to avoid much standard theory. One statement by the authors made the reviewer sit up. Is it really the case that Black would meet 1 Nf3 by 1...a5 to anticipate White going 2 b4? Also, what about those knights ‘pointing the wrong way’ on the cover photo? Review by Bernard Cafferty.
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This volume covers games played between September and December 2008 and contains all the familiar features. Alexander Khalifman’s games are put under the microscope, while the award for the most important opening novelty of the period goes to Arkady Naiditsch for his defeat of Vladimir Kramnik in the Petroff at Dortmund 2008 (a win that has recently been avenged in some style by the Russian). JS.
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An initiation into the world of chess can be bewildering enough for new players but must be doubly so for parents of junior players. This book attempts to explain and decode various elements of the game and the mysteries of tournament rules and etiquette. It will probably appeal more to North American readers as much of the advice is specific to scholastic chess on that continent, but there is still plenty of general information which will be of value to chess parents worldwide. There is a very useful glossary of terms at the back. JS.
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The Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian (1 e4 c5 2 Nf6 Nc6 3 Bb5) is the topic of the latest DVD-ROM from the prolific Alexei Shirov – who never seems to take a holiday but divides his time between playing hall and recording studio. Shirov has played on both sides of this particular theoretical debate and discusses his own games in some depth. The running time exceeds seven hours – good value for money. JS.
