Category: Book Review

Thrilling play in the Classical King’s Indian

June 11th, 2013 · · Book Review, Games, New York Chess, NYC related posts, Openings No comments - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Usually at this time (Monday evening, 11 PM) I’m about to finish my games at the Marshall Chess Club in the Fide Monday tournament that I regularly play in. And if it’s a second round, like it was today, more often than not, history shows that it’s a sour loss as I’m paired against a higher-rated opponent. Neither of this happened today- I’ve been at home for almost 2 hours already, and I won my game. What’s a bit funny about it is that I played an opening that before the round I actually had not wanted to play- King’s Indian Defense.  It is one of my main responses to 1.d4 but I had other plans for tonight; with the opening move order used by my opponent however, I decided to transpose to the KID.Gligoric People who know me well are aware that I am addicted to this opening- it’s risky to play it and can require a lot of memorization in some lines, but all attempts to drag me away from it have been futile; I fell in love with this opening many years ago and a cause of big part of that is the book by Serbian grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric ” King’s Indian Defence- Mar del Plata variation”, about the line he first played in 1953,which has become a mainstay in the chess opening theory ever since- a lot of very strong players (including World Champions Tal, Fischer, Kasparov among many others) and amateurs alike have used it as a non-compromise weapon. So this is what it happened to be the opening in my game tonight, and I was actually a bit anxious seeing my opponent play his opening moves very fast, automatically…so I wondered-  how much more of this sharp theory he had memorized than me? Somewhere around moves 13-14 I had to make sure I remembered the move order, but he kept playing without thinking ! We reached the position after 20.Nf2 and I knew it had to be OK for me, despite being down a pawn, but I needed to continue the game in the right direction, because it’s a complicated position and I’m down a pawn against a higher-rated opponent who seems to have seen and memorized this position.LuxRudowski1 I could develop the bishop with Bd7, but I decided it was more important to continue my kingside attack, so I chose 20..Ng6, which would help to advance the h-pawn and bring my knights closer to the holes near his king. White of course has his own play on the queenside , which may be very dangerous for me. Because it’s a race on the opposite sides of the board, slowing down may be fatal- it’s too early after such a complicated game to formulate an exact verdict, but it seems to me that his move 21.Kh1 is just that slowing factor that gives me some valuable tempi in my kingside attack. Well, you can check for yourself how it ended- no heavy commentary from me this time as the game finished just few hours ago- obviously White didn’t play the best defensive moves (28.Nxf4 looks pretty suicidal for example), but still I’m glad that I was able to get the right plan going in a complicated position, complete with an accurate calculation. Perhaps King’s Indian Defense could become your exciting chess adventure, too.

Simon

The Art of Analysis

November 27th, 2011 · · -, Bishop Ending, Book Review, Endgame, Rook Endgame, studies No comments - Tags: , ,

With the extra free time I’ve had since my bike accident, I’ve been reading alot. Recently, I also started studying a little Russian, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone by working through russian chess books with a dictionary. This book, which i picked up on ebay dirt cheap, is a collection of positions from adjourned games, and the adjournment analysis. It’s written by Dvoretsky, and as you would expect, is therefore rather scientific. Flipping through this old book, I can’t help but think that it’s a bit sad that the silicon monsters have robbed us of the adjournment. In any case, the following two positions are interesting positions where one side must find a difficult plan to hold the draw.

In the following position, it’s white’s turn to move. Black has pressure, but white can hold with a combination of threatening to become active on the queen-side with the rook and proper king play on the kingside.

Here we have a similar situation, where white has an edge but it is not enough to win as long as black keeps his cool and coordinates his piece and king properly.


Simon Williams: Attacking with the French

November 10th, 2011 · · -, Annotated Games, Book Review, French Defense, Games, Milner-Barry gambit, Openings No comments - Tags: , , , , ,

As anyone who has picked up one knows, the new “Attacking Chess” series of books by everyman are fantastic repertoire manuals filled with interesting ideas and analysis. Hopefully, there will be more coming out soon. As readers of this blog know, Simon Williams is a bit of a hero of mine, so when I saw that he had written a book on the French I snapped up a copy posthaste. (His book on the Classical Dutch blew my mind. Also, for those of you who are interested, GM Williams has a blog! And from perusing it, I found out that he is working on two dvd’s on the Sicilian Dragon!!- can. not. wait.)

In any case, his book on the French has a few interesting ideas. Against the 3.Nd2 he gives 3 chapters worth of lines after 3…Nf6. However, since I prefer to play 3…c5, I skipped that portion of the book. His chapter on the exchange has some great games that I dare say make me excited to face the exchange. Typically, the French exchange leads to either symmetrical or mostly lifeless positions, where one side is merely waiting for the other to make a gross blunder. Naturally, for this exact reason it is wildly popular at the sub 2200 level.

The formula presented in this game is predicated on the awesome idea 9…Bf4. Once black controls so many squares on the kingside of the board, he is able to play 0-0-0 without much worry and launch a pawn avalanche. For anyone who is looking to play the French, this idea is worth its weight in gold! The exchange variation is common among players who don’t wish to take any risks and are hoping for a simple game of chess- this attacking formula is anything but, and is sound enough to work against the likes of Kasparov…


In the chapter on the Advance Variation, which is the first chapter in the book, Williams builds his repertoire around the less common 5…Bd7 instead of the mainline 5…Qb6. While I am not fully convinced by some of his double edged recommendations in this chapter, there are many ideas that did convince that 5…Bd7 offers interesting alternatives to the mainlines. Almost always, this move is played with the plan of opening the position with the break f6.

In the following game, white attempts a Milner-Barry gambit, only to find that it is black who be the one to gambit- and a knight at that.

Highly recommended! here.

ZOOM 001: Zero Hour for Operative Opening Models

June 19th, 2011 · · -, Alekhine's Defense, Book Review, Caro-Kann, French Defense, Grunfeld, Openings, Scandinavian No comments - Tags: ,

Together with Steffen Zeuthen, the late Bent Larsen authored this enterprising book, which adopts an academic approach to an opening system which can be played with both colors.ZOOM 001: Zero hour for operative opening models
The so-called ZOOM 001 model, is the grunfeld defense, played with either color, no matter what the opponent attempts to play. Surprisingly, this turns out to be entirely viable and often transposes into many other openings. The book begins with an introduction that reads like the back of a Dr. Bronner’s soap bottle. “The basic theme is: Pressure against d4! Please do not forget that!” The first few pages are bullet points- all of which begin with “ZOOM 001 is…” For instance: “ZOOM 001 is a minimax system- once you have grasped the basic ideas your chess becomes powerful, logical, coherent, flexible, dynamic, – well, funny.”

“ZOOM 001 is a masterfile for thinking. ZOOM 001 is pattern-recognition.”

Then we are told that “Chess is by nature a game built on communication – a language marked by aggression – a discussion.”

The book argues that the basic structures of the Caro Kann, Scandinavian, Alekhine’s defense, and French defense all overlap in the ZOOM 001 system.

“And in the Alekhine defense you will find many of the Grunfeld ideas repeated. It is rather interesting to know that the Grunfeld Indian Defense was born in the 20′s – and so was Alekhine’s defense! – and both GMs were very pleased playing each other’s defense!! A provocative defense – interchangeable ideas – A LANGUAGE – a way of thinking, a powerful way of discussing!!!”

That’s not a typo, it’s a triple exclam. The whole book reads like something hastily written by someone high on stimulants. It’s perhaps the most hilariously bombastic text I have ever read that manages to actually make some coherent points here and there. It breaks up the opening “patterns” into 8 “sub-models,” lettered A-H, and offers a massive game collection ordered accordingly, with the first half being ZOOM 001 with black and second half ZOOM 001 with white. By choosing this approach, the authors hope to leave behind previous opening names which seek to hide the fact that many identical positions appear in the ECO under different codes, and instead focus simply on recurring patterns and themes. There is no question that the half of the book dedicated to the Grunfeld with black is an interesting, if out-dated game collection. Nor is there any doubt that the simple 1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.g3 opening is entirely playable. But I have to say, if the Grunfeld has the reputation of being a fighting defense, full of vigor, piece activity, and interesting counter-attacking lines- than the same system with white seems a bit stilted, a little less dynamic. In any case, Larsen loved to play stilted systems with white- such as his 1.b3/english/reti/KIA systems, so it comes as no surprise to see his name on the cover of a book that advocates such a solid if simple setup for white. Honestly, I have to say the book is a fantastic game collection and I would recommend picking up a copy if you find one somewhere that isn’t insanely overpriced.

An Attack From the Clear Blue Sky

March 3rd, 2011 · · Book Review, Games 2 comments - Tags: ,


Recently I found a copy of “Starting Out: Attacking Play” by James Plaskett for 2 dollars from a book dealer and decided to pick it up. Most of the stuff in here isn’t that impressive, such as “Rook’s Pawn Tin Openers” and “Pawn Rollers,” but the chapter titled “From a Clear Blue Sky” had some fantastic material.

In one game, the following position is reached.

Here, white had offered a draw, and black sank into deep thought for a long time before refusing the offer and playing the jaw dropping Rd1. After Rd1, my engine assesses the position as a dead draw after 25.Rxc8 Qe3 26.Kh3 Qh6 27.Kg2 Qe3…with a repetition.

However, it’s not surprising that in the game white grabbed the rook and pressed for a win, a mistake which proved fatal. Here is the game as it was played.

Overall the book is worth buying if you can get it cheap, but it’s probably not worth the sticker price because it is kind of skinny and is basically a game collection.

7 Ways to Smash the Sicilian

January 30th, 2011 · · -, Book Review, Games 2 comments - Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Yuri Lapshun and Nick Conticello, two members of the Marshall Chess Club where I work part-time, have assembled an incredibly instructive game collection organized in an interesting way. The table of contents to this book gives you a very accurate idea of what to expect:

Chapter 1 The Knight Sacrifice on d5
Chapter 2 The Knight Sacrifice on e6
Chapter 3 The Bishop Sacrifice on e6
Chapter 4 The Knight Sacrifice on f5
Chapter 5 The Knight Sacrifice on b5
Chapter 6 The Bishop Sacrifice on b5

Naturally, these ideas are not brand new and many of them are even rote theory at this point. However, this book’s contribution isn’t to theory, but to instruction. By assembling all of these games in one place and according to this unique format, Lapshun and Conticello have authored a manual on how to attack the Sicilian with thematic sacrifices. Playing through some of the games, I’m inspired to get on FICS and see what I can do. The book reads like a greatest hits volume of sacrificial attacks on the sicilian that leaves me wondering who would play an opening that begs to be so viciously attacked? 7 Ways to Smash the Sicilian is highly recommended for the e4 player who wants to rip his opponents to shreds in the middle game. It’s hard to select a decent game that would be representative of this volume, so I’ve grabbed these two almost at random.

Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall

December 30th, 2010 · · -, Book Review One comment - Tags: , ,

Frank Brady’s biography of Bobby Fischer is due out in February, but the publisher was kind enough to forward me a copy of it to review. It made for perfect reading while stuck at LaGuardia Aiport this Christmas, mentally transporting me out of one manic world and into another. By employing the popular style of creative non-fiction, this biography reads like a novel and pulls the reader down the rabbit hole along with Bobby into his madness, obsessions, religious confusion and many hatreds. Finishing the book, I couldn’t help but reach the conclusion that Bobby Fischer had been a flesh and blood tragic hero, whose greatness and failures were rooted in the same flaw: resolute and unyielding stubbornness. The amount of details, facts, letters, and quotations that Dr. Brady has assembled here is remarkable. Through careful research as well as from his own recollections, (Dr. Brady’s life has run parallel to Bobby’s,) Dr. Brady has produced an emotionally charged portrait of our hometown hero.

Continue reading »

Forcing Chess Moves

December 26th, 2010 · · Book Review, problems No comments - Tags: ,

Forcing Chess Moves is a book that I cannot say enough good things about. I patiently put it on my christmas list months ago and have been waiting to get it in my stocking ever since. Having only had it for a couple days, I’ve already devoured the first three chapters and look forward to finishing it the first time through in under a week. The thing I like most about the book is its layout. Hertan lays the foundation in chapter one, entitled “Stock Forcing Moves,” in which the reader is confronted with a series of patterns which conform to “stock matting patterns” and other themes, which Hertan then builds upon in later chapters.

Continue reading »

Aaggard’s Attacking Manuel Wins BCF Book of the Year Award

December 18th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Games, Najdorf, Openings, Sicilian Defense 3 comments - Tags: , , ,

I have been meaning to give a favorable review of this book for a while now, and so after the announcement of the BCF award I thought I would give a brief overview of why I think this book is worth owning.

The book begins with a brief discussion concerning the riff over John Watson’s notion of “rule independence,” a debate I am not about to rehash here. Simply put: Aagaard sides with the Europeans in their criticism of Watson’s concept. This brief introductory jaunt into the theoretical debate over rule independence is not entirely inapposite here, as Aagard sets out to articulate new rules in a post-dynamic era. The “rules” he gives are in bold, and appear throughout the book. One such example: When you have the momentum you must act with great speed or the momentum will perish. Another one which I quite liked: We only need to win on one square to deliver mate. Most of these “rules” are vague enough to be applicable in many circumstances, like an astrology reading, however, with each concept he articulates Aagaard follows with a concrete example, giving the reader a firm hook to hang his otherwise abstract hat upon.

Continue reading »

Mecking v. Fischer 1970, Buenos Aires, Grunfeld with 4.Bg5

November 26th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Grunfeld, Openings No comments - Tags: , , ,

I recently came across a biography of the Brazilian GM Henrique Mecking titled “Latin Chess Genius,” edited and written by Stephen W. Gordon. I particularly liked Gordon’s inscription: “For the girls, the only reason I do anything,” which no doubt refers to his daughters but is also a rather humorous double entendre, since to think of a chess player writing a chess book “for the ladies” is in itself pretty laughable… in any case, the book is wonderful for a few reasons. First of all, it contains a wealth of biographical insight condensed into only 20 or so pages, providing the reader with details about Mecking’s illness and its effects on his career, as well as filling in a few gaps with anecdotes from his showdowns with the worlds greatest. In the 1960′s and 70′s, Mecking was a breakout chess player who scored well against the top players of the day, reaching a candidates match with Kortchnoi which he lost by 2 points, tragically weakened by illness.

Continue reading »

Understanding Pawn Play in Chess

November 24th, 2010 · · Book Review No comments - Tags: , , ,

Drazen Marovic’s manual on pawn play offers a great deal of practical knowledge to the tournament player. The format of the book is a game collection, with chapters organized around common pawn structures. The chapters are (1) Isolated Queen’s Pawns (2) Isolated Pawn Couples and Hanging pawns (3) Passed Pawns (4) Doubled Pawns (5) Backward Pawns (6) Pawn Chains (7) Pawn Islands. While the book has been criticized as merely restating common knowledge and theory about such positions, I don’t think a book should be held to such a high standard of being theoretically novel. In fact, a succinct restatement in one text of what is already known is often more instructional than an original theoretical work where, as here, the passage of time has stripped away the flowery language and unnecessary polemics (think my system), leaving the fast and hard rules in their brute simplicity.

Continue reading »

Kasparyan’s Problems: Domination in Endgame Studies

November 12th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Endgame, problems, studies No comments - Tags: , ,


Ghenrikh M. Kasparyan composed and collected 2,545 Endgame studies featuring the theme of domination, and this collection is one of my most prized possessions. While dominating a knight is not a terribly difficult task even in an ending, Kasparyan’s problems that feature the domination of a bishop or queen on the open board are elegant and evoke the kind of aesthetic pleasure that is unique to studies. Naturally, Nalimov tables have taken some of the wonder out of such positions, but I still keep the book on my end table and peruse its problems regularly.

Continue reading »

The Queen’s Gambit & Catalan for Black, by Lasha Janjgava

November 11th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Catalan, Queen's Gambit, Queen's Gambit Declined No comments - Tags: , , , ,

The Georgian GM Lasha Janjgava has produced a fantastic text on the QGD and Catalan for black. The book is worth buying for its coverage of the Catalan alone, though it also includes whole chapters with theory and game fragments for most variations of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, including the Tartakower, the Exchange, and the popular Lasker Defense, which Anand has been using to great effect against Topalov recently.

Continue reading »

Black is Still OK, by Adorjan-Book Review

November 10th, 2010 · · -, Annotated Games, Book Review, Games No comments - Tags: , ,

Recently I picked up a copy of Adorjan’s second book on his theory that “Black is OK” from Fred Wilson’s chess book store, and I have to say I was immediately sucked in by the hyperbolic claims in the introduction. The basic idea of his first book “Black is OK!,” is that the commonly held belief that white is entitled to an opening advantage is a fiction. Adorjan tells us “The tale of White’s advantage is a delusion, belief in it is based on mass psychosis.” He goes on to claim that the prevailing philosophy of winning with white and drawing with black is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that many players could push for full points with black but quickly resign themselves to a draw, even against weaker players, because of their entrenched beliefs in the relative value of white’s claim to advantage.

Continue reading »

Wojo’s Weapons: a Catalan themed game collection/tribute

November 10th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Catalan, Openings One comment - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,


This Book is an interesting addition to the chess books I’ve come across this year. Put out by “Mongoose Press,” it is part opening book, part game collection, part tribute to the late Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (a.k.a. “Wojo”). Referred to as the the “Polish Magician,” Wojo won or tied for first place in over 240 tournaments, averaging over 30 tournament victories a year, or nearly three per month.

Continue reading »