Magazine Chess Book Reviews : August 2010
Botvinnik - Petrosian: The 1963 World Championship Match by Mikhail Botvinnik, New in Chess, 142 pages, £15.99. 
The 1963 match saw the end of Botvinnik’s long incumbency as there was no right to a return match, such as had confronted Smyslov and Tal earlier. Although Botvinnik is the ostensible author, and New in Chess the publisher, the book is a melange since Botvinnik did not do a book on the match and only annotated seven of the 22 games, so notes to the others come from various hands. Also, a note by Botvinnik’s nephew Igor (who is the custodian of the Botvinnik archive) implies that there was a subvention mainly from Armenian sources, to ensure the book was published. There is a great deal of other material, including training games and other B-P clashes over the years. The book closes with some opening notes from Botvinnik’s last notebook. A feast for lovers of nostalgia! Review by Bernard Cafferty.
Calculate Like a Grandmaster by Danny Gormally, Batsford, 256 pages, £14.99. 
Sub-titled Learn from the World-Class Attacking Players, this is a collection of annotated games by players such as Tal, Shirov, Carlsen, etc, plus a few by the author himself, with the emphasis on attacking play. He punctuates the annotations with streams of consciousness on all manner of chess subjects, such as the state of FIDE, the nature of genius and many other side issues, all entertainingly presented. I was particularly interested to see that the author pines for the days when preparation wasn’t a question of a database ‘arms race’ so much as an enjoyable leaf through the pages of ‘a beat-up Informator and a few old tatty British Chess Magazines’. Hear hear! Review by John Saunders.
The Semi-Tarrasch Defence by Jozsef Pinter, Caissa KFT, 239 pages, £16.99. 
The Hungarian grandmaster deals with one of the most popular systems of the day, starting 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 c5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 e4 (and 6 g3). It consists of 34 games annotated for the most part in Informator style, but also with some textual commentary in English. The variation jungle is rather intimidating, however; perhaps more of a reference book than a ‘reader. JS.
Ten Great Ways to Get Better at Chess by Nigel Davies, Everyman, 159 pages, £15.99. 
It’s certainly a catchy title and I shall now reveal what the ten ways are that the English grandmaster has in mind (or at least the chapter titles): develop your vision; study the endgame; keep company with the strong; take up correspondence chess; create a pre-game ritual; cure your time trouble; read a good book; select your chess events wisely; know your enemy; and improve your fitness level. Davies is a busy chess coach and he illustrates his advice with some games played by his pupils and traces the stages by which they have improved their games (quite dramatically in some cases). His advice carries much weight and it is good to see him recommending endgame study and online correspondence play as key steps to learning progress. He is surely right on that score. His list of books to read is also very interesting, with the emphasis on the old rather than the new. Recommended for players from the post-beginner stage upwards. JS.
The Modern Philidor Defence by Vladimir Barsky, Chess Stars, 224 pages, £16.99. 
This is a repertoire book for Black, based on the move order 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6, with 3 Nc3 e5 being the moves that usually follow. White can of course enter a queenless endgame at this point, or opt to keep more material on the board with 4 Nf3 Nbd7, and then perhaps go for broke with 5 g4!?. All variations are explored by the IM author, who has acted as second to Alexander Morozevich on occasion. It is well up to the high standards set by this enterprising Russian publisher. JS.
Play The London System by Cyrus Lakdawala, Everyman, 256 pages, £15.99. 
The author, an American IM with 30 years of coaching experience writes about a system which is more popular with club players than grandmasters (1 d4 with Bf4 on move 2 or 3). The adjective that springs to mind when describing the London System is ‘solid’. Another is perhaps ‘unambitious’. But it can certainly be frustrating for a second player who wishes to overcome a lesser opponent in the context of, say, an evening league match which ends with an adjudication or a rapidplay finish as it is hard to break down. I was a bit surprised not to see Michael Franklin’s name in the game index as he has been the doyen of the London System for many years (I recall that the very first Batsford opening book back in the 1960s, The King’s Indian Defence by Barden, Hartston and Keene, acknowledged Michael’s expert status in its chapter on the London System). But perhaps not so many of Michael’s games have made it onto databases. In truth it is not really a ‘system’ at all as Black has a huge range of possible responses which differ stylistically. Also, White has a number of different treatments, not all of which I see covered in the book. But what it does cover, it does very well and it is quite clear that the author is himself an aficionado. JS.
Opening for White According to Anand 1 e4, Vol.13 by Alexander Khalifman, Chess Stars, 380 pages, £17.99. 
The latest volume in the seemingly endless series of opening manuals concentrates on the English Attack line of the Najdorf Sicilian, which begins 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 7 f3, with and without ...b5 for Black, with a chapter on the Scheveningen (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Be3). It is a useful work with plenty of textual material to make it readable (and not just a reference manual). Very much one for those who play this opening at a fairly high level (rating 2000 and above). JS.
Soviet Chess Strategy by Alexey Suetin, Quality Chess, 240 pages, £16.99. 
A posthumous work which has also been worked over by various hands: that witty chess journalist Ilya Odessky in Russia, and John Shaw and Jacob Aagaard from ‘the Scottish stable’. Suetin, of course, was a senior Soviet trainer for many years, coaching players from Petrosian to Ivanchuk. The author stresses above all the dynamic approach. There is no doubt that conscientious study of the material here will lead to an increase in playing strength. Review by Bernard Cafferty.
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