Customer Reviews:
Secrets in another cover.......2005-12-06
Superb book. I like books one can grow into and this is certainly one. I wish to point out that this title and the previous title, 'Secrets of Chess Training' are actually in print as Volume one and two of the four volume set School of Chess Excellance series.
Deeply profound and useful.......1998-12-04
IM Dvoretsky was known as the Soviet Union's top trainer, and this very personal and honest work presents much of his rigorous thinking on chess tactics. This book does not believe in simple divisions and guidelines; there is much to read about subjects like creating confusion to make it difficult for an opponent to press an advantage, the blurred line between theatrics and soundness, etc.
Book Description
A lively, personal, and wonderfully informative look at Bobby Fischer, his personality and his playing. Although three decades have passed since Fischer won the world chess title from the former Soviet Union, he still remains a source of fascination and admiration for all players. Andy Soltis, a grandmaster and author of numerous chess books, looks back at his first encounters with Fischer in New York when they were both teenagers; assesses Fischer's exceptional ability to obtain and realize an advantage in play; and analyzes his career right up to his final matches with Boris Spassky. Most important, Soltis comments on and annotates many of Fischer's major matches in detail, explaining the logic behind the moves in illuminating detail. A must for any fan of chess and this remarkably enigmatic champion.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic job by Soltis.......2007-10-05
As Fischer's "My 60 memorable games" only cover up the 1967, but the period making him a legend is the period 1970 to 1972, in fact some of the greatest games also produced in this period, e. g. the most exciting game I have ever seen, that is the first game of the semi-final candidate match with Larsen, that game whenever I play it again and again, it still make my heart beating!! Especially when Larsen's Queen and Rook on the second and third rank, preparing for mate, on the otherhand, Fischer's Queen is caught by Larsen rook, then comes one the greatest move of all time ( from my own point of view ), Bc5!!! That suddenly solved all the problems!!! One must think that, this is not just finding on the board at that moment. Fischer had already seen it 5 or even 7 moves before, combined with all the possible variations, who can say ( Kasparov says ) that Fischer is not excelling in complicated positions??? Also Wade's complete collection of Fischer's games were out of print for a long long time, I think one should needs Soltis book to fill the gap. I do not agree some of the readers said that Soltis' job is just to fill to one hundred games. What I complain is why Soltis does not annotate more games. I think one hundred games of Fischer to his chess fans are not enough. I hope in the future, someone should publish all the games of Fischer with annotations. Of course, one need not annotat all games in details, but at least to lay out all the games and then annotate those games which are instructive and important.
Classic Fischer Book.......2007-06-16
I have always admired Fischer's razor sharp play, positional understanding, tactical abilities, and his indominable will to win. His style has always enchanted me and this book displays it in 100 games. This book doesn't bogg down in masses of variations, but it gives just enough to keep the game and notes to it interesting and enjoyable to read. Some of the games he includes I had never seen before, which is a bonus. It was also interesting to read about some of Soltis' personal anecdotes when he met Fischer in the 60's at the introduction of the book, and before each game he gives a short lead in that gives some interesting insights and humorous anecdotes.
The only thing I can criticize is a few times he gives a ! or ? to a move and doesn't follow it with a note even when it isn't so obvious what made the move good or bad, and occasionally (although rarely) he makes some minor oversights. But on the whole the book is very well writen and researched. It is definately a must own if you are a Fischer fan like me, and even if you aren't it is a great book anyways!
100 Notable Games.......2007-04-12
Soltis presents 100 games chronologically spanning Fischer's career, from his evergreen game against Donald Byrne in 1956 to a memorable win with white against Spassky from their 1992 rematch. This collection also covers the important years leading up to Fischer's first match with Spassky--select games from Monte Carlo '67, Skopje '67, Sousse Interzonal '67, Netanya '68, Vinkovci '68, Rovinj-Zagreb '70, Buenos Aires '70, Siegen '70, Palma de Mallorca '70, Candidates Matches. It also includes six games from both of his matches with Spassky.
I've always enjoyed Soltis' column in Chess Life. He brings a similar treatment to BFR--establishing historical context for a game, insight into players' motivations, milestone moves (those which dictate the games direction or outcome) and germane variations of sufficient number and depth when needed. Game threads are not lost as in some texts due to copious analyses. Only on a few occassions did I feel coverage was inadequate (Tukmakov(80)[22..Bxe4] and Spassky(100)[17..Bxa1]).
This is a much more satisfying experience than Timman's "Curacao 1962" (vapid) or the Euwe/Timman "Fischer World Champion!" (I prefered Gligoric/Wade coverage in "The World Chess Championship".) Of course what I really want are Fischer (and Evans) to collaborate on "Another 60 Memorable Games", but that's not likely. Until then, these 100 notable games will do.
Exactly what I hoped for.......2007-01-05
If you enjoy the games (not...necessarily the opinions...) of Bobby Fischer- get this book and find yourself pleasantly engaged in interesting and exciting games and ideas. Soltis mends his annotations with Fischer's old Chess Life comments as well as interesting quirks of individuals and historic play/innovation sidelines. Quite frankly; for those whom enjoy annotated games and still maintain that 1970s Fischer nostalgia...this book is just great. That said, purchase and enjoy.
An excellent book about Fischer.......2006-07-06
If you are looking for a book that easily show you Fischer's greatest games and contributions to chess... this book is a excellent option.
The book combines very nicely stories about Fischer with his amazing games. The games are not deeply analyzed as they are in other books ("M60MG" or "Kasparov on Fischer"). Instead, Soltis mainly analyzes (providing a few lines) the most critical moves or those that, by the time that the games were played, were a Fischer's novelty. Sometimes, brief but interesting anecdotes or historical references are provided before each game. Also, Soltis quotes some Fischer's comments extracted from the articles that Fischer wrote for Chess Life (and of course from M60MG).
In the book, Soltis points out some Fischer's chess contributions. Also, Soltis provides very interesting comments about Fischer's style. For example, Soltis highlights that Fischer developed a materialistic approach (he used to accept pawns sacrificed by his opponents, keep the pawn and win the ending) in order to defeat the Russian School (during the 50's, Russians used to sacrifice material to take the initiative).
You shouldn't buy this book if you are looking for a book that very deeply analyzes each Fischer's game. But, you should buy this book if you are looking for a book that easily show you many relevant aspects about Fischer (anecdotes, contributions, famous games, etc).
Customer Reviews:
Mastering the Spanish.......2007-09-03
A "CLASSIC" One of the very best books on explaning the
Ruy Lopez opening..
Other authors should learn from this style.......2005-03-05
//
I hope this under-appreciated book does Not go out of print.
This book deserves 4-5 stars. I am giving it 5 because it is as innovative as any chess opening book I have ever seen.
The chapter names will give you a feeling for the relatively innovative approach of these two authors:
1. Tension in the Centre
2. The Blocked Centre
3. The Exchange Centre
4. The Mobile Centre
5. The Little Centre
6. The Open Centre
7. The Marshall Centre
8. The Fischer Centre
9. The Schliemann (Jaenisch) Centre
10. The Bird Centre
Table of Variations
If you are interested in the Ruy Lopez gambit or "open" variation (5...Nf6:e4), you will eventually figure out it is covered in the chapter "The Open Centre".
If you are interested in the variation 3...Bf8c5, you will learn it is partly covered in chapter 1, continued in chapter 4, ch 6, and finally ch 9. Hummm, good and bad.
The glaring weakness of this book concerns the inadequate "Table of Variations". It is only a few pages long, skimpy, and it is an eye-sore. For instance, some variations are listed starting with move 6, and reading the table to figure out which moves 1-5 it relates to is like reading a bus schedule.
But even this section shows innovative intent, by rating each chunk of variations in win-loss-draw percentages, strategy numeric ratings and tactical numeric ratings, and relative frequencies. Opening books need MCO-ish tables of moves, sorted the way Eric Schiller sorted opening variations in his physically huge book Standard Chess Openings: a powerful presentation, like what we get from computer databases. If I cannot quickly lookup a variation in the book, its practical value to a weekend warrier like me is significantly reduced. The move tables were not the problem with MCO, it was their utter lack of textual explanation for each line that has caused that style to fall out of favor. But the newer styles have thrown out the good with the bad.
The book has many diagrams. These are smartly chosen, and they are illustrated with arrows that accurately map to the nearby explanatory text: very nice. I have seen somewhat similar books, and they trumpet the style by labeling it the "Read and Play" method. Here authors King & Ponzetto have outperformed the other authors that have tried to utilize this style.
The usage of center pawn structure types to organize the whole book is innovative. However, without the MCO-ish move tables, this book cannot serve low rated players (below USCF 1500). The is great info in this book, and lots of explanations of plans. How can anyone say Reuben Fine's good book about the "ideas behind the openings" really has the ideas when one has been spoiled by this book -- there is no comparison! If Fine's book deserves 4.5/5.0 stars, then this book deserves 11.5/5.0 stars.
The drawback of this book makes mining the great info in this book real hard work. An above average memory will help you too. It seems odd to hear myself say that an extra good memory is important when reading a book that delivers the conceptual ideas of an opening in clear rich explanatory text complete with arrowed diagrams; yet who among us amateurs can seriously hope to remember 248 pages of explanations of 10 different game types? Chess is a hard game.
Perhaps the "mistake" of this book is in devoting this style to such a difficult opening. The Ruy Lopez is more complex than most openings, so this book has more ground to cover than most people have time to study this deeply. I would like to see these two authors write a similar book on say the Petroff / Russian Defense, maybe narrowing their focus down to one 3rd White move per book (e.g. 3. Nf3:e5).
It seems a shame that those mediocre EveryMan opening books sell by the boat load, while the excellence of this book goes unnoticed. EveryMan must be succeeding by keeping the info it presents to a minimum, so as not to overwhelm its customers and make them feel bad -- instead they leave them wanting more info.
Thank you.
Book Description
Every chess player has an intriguing array of tactics to choose from, and this comprehensive manual describes, analyzes, and teaches the best of them so beginners can understand the possibilities. Through progressively more difficult exercises and problems, novices will see how to deploy a variety of tactics for attack and how to defend against each type successfully. The result: a significantly better game.
Customer Reviews:
This book has it all!.......2006-09-13
CHESS TACTICS has it all when it comes to pins, forks, skewers, dicovered checks and all the various types of typical tactics you are likely to encounter when you play. I personally own a fair number of books on tactics and traps and have found them to be the most useful types of books in getting me actual results when I play. This book has excellent examples and tells you the principles behind each type of tactic it covers. Very good book!
Excellent!.......2005-04-30
Excellent! Fourteen tactical themes explained as clearly as I have ever seen! Just the right balance between clear explanatory prose and diagrams/problems.
Each of the 14 chapters is divided into 4 clearly-labeled sections: Definition and examples; How to Exploit the tactic; How to Defend against that tactic; Problems to solve. The author is British, so no problems due to translated-from-German or translated-from Russian.
307 diagrams spread over 143 pages: just the right size.
If you're already a master, you don't need this. If you've read any beginning book like Chess for Dummies you should be ready for this.
Pop quiz: What's the difference between Deflection and Decoying? If you don't know, buy the book see chapters 7 and 8. This book is quite clear on this, as it is clear throughout.
This book first came out in 1984, so the (5-star) review dated 1997 must have been about the 1984 edition. The new (current) edition just came out in March 2005, and is beautifully done. Clear diagrams, nice typeface and paper. And it has been updated to figurine algebraic notation (the most modern and readable chess notation).
Provides an excellent overview for intermediate students.......1997-07-16
This fine chess book approaches tactics in the best way I have ever seen. Each tactical idea is introduced and built on using progressive examples both from the attacker's and defender's point of view. I highly recommend it for any player over USCF 1000 rating
Book Description
Here is a must-have for all competitive players who prefer to base their game on solid moves rather than speculation, and who want a reliable yet initiative-seeking opening repertoire for White, based on the opening moves 1 d4 followed by 2 c4. Using more than 300 diagrams, an international Grandmaster and regular writer for CHESS magazine analyzes specific main lines and variations to combat Black's possible choices of the King's, Queen's, and Bogoljubow-Indian defenses, as well as the Modern Benoni and Benko Gambit. There are also promising methods against the various Black defenses to the Queen's gambit, and commentary on the Dutch and Gruenfeld defenses. An excellent and practical opening guide.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific repertoire book - and I'm a 1.e4 player!.......2006-07-26
How do those Brits keep churning out such great writers? I've now added Richard Palliser to my database of British chess authors whose books I would confidently snap up sight unseen, joining Nigel Davies, John Cox, John Nunn, Joe Gallagher, et alia.
The present book, an opening repertoire for White, is a case in point. Palliser has selected a complete set of lines for all sensible (and some not-to-sensible) replies to 1.d4. These lines are characterized by being relatively light on theory, easy to learn, and straightforward to apply, without being offbeat. For example, he gives us systems for side-stepping the currently fashionable and theoretically burdensome Semi-Slav. His recommendations generally offer White only a small edge; but more important, the positions tend to be easier to play. That is, White can often rely on natural moves, and follow a straightforward plan; Black, on the other hand, may have to walk a narrower path toward equality. This approach won't win world championships, but it is just what we ordinary mortals need to face a weekend Swiss.
But I think the value of this book goes beyond that. It's one thing just to learn a few opening lines; Palliser's writing is so rich with ideas and helpful advice, communicated so transparently, that the reader cannot help but gain a deeper understanding of chess. It's all in the details - subtle implications of moves, move orders, piece placements, pawn structures - and how plans and tactics flow from those ingredients. The position assessments and game selections are honest - there is no attempt to oversell this repertoire by loading it with one-sided blowouts.
The repertoire unfolds via complete illustrative games, with important lines being given proportionally greater representation. Within games, variations and sub-variations are explored in the explanatory text. The material appears in fairly dense two-column format with smallish typeface and figurine algebraic notation. The diagrams are a bit small, too, but eminently clear. Game moves are in boldface, untabbed, but set off from the expository paragraphs. There is an index of variations and an index of complete games. Nice cover and binding.
An excellent repertoire book, no real weaknesses........2006-02-10
In a repertoire book, I look for three things:
1)Breadth of coverage. Does the author cover everything he should cover in the book?
2)Depth of coverage. Does the author provide sufficient research/theoretical material and games for the repertoire?
3)Prose. Does the author explain the ideas of the repertoire well?
Palliser does very well on all three parts. While I don't agree with all of his choices of systems, the coverage he provides is very, very good. This definitely is one of the best repertoire books out there. I would have to agree with a previous reviewer: this book and Kaufman's The Chess Advantage in Black and White (which I also have and like a lot) are the two best repertoire books out there right now.
At last!.......2004-03-31
At last, there is a comprehensive repertoire book for white, that totally lacks offbeat or inferior lines (to "surprise" or "stun" your opponents). This is a great book by Palliser, that is, along with the new "The Chess Advantage in Black and White" by Kaufman, for 1. e4, the best repertoire book I have ever seen.
A rare case of an objective repertoire book........2003-12-03
This is an excellent book. It provides white with a complete (unlike some other repertoire books I could mention...) set of systems with 1. d4 and usually 2. c4. The recommendations are sound and promise white at least an edge. Palliser gives detailed coverage of the lines he suggests and seems to me to give very objective and fair evaluations of the resulting positions. The book does not show the bias towards the author's side which some similar works do. The advice on plans is useful, sensible and always revealing. Palliser's flexibility is shown in the chapter on the Dutch where he is willing to suggest 2. Nc3, which departs from the 2. c4 rule. He covers 2. c4 as well to cope with 1. ... e6 move orders, and many authors would only have put in the 2. c4 material. Palliser goes the extra mile and offers the extra line. This is something always noticeable in this book; there are no obvious short cuts. Palliser's calm writing style helps to guide the reader through what are sometimes quite densely packed variations without losing sight of the most important points. I think anyone who plays 1. d4 and wants to play sound but promising lines would benefit from studying this book. A very fine effort.
Book Description
The accelarated development of the White queen's bishop after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 was for many years considered a bizarre chess opening, practiced only by a few "eccentric" chess players scattered around the globe, including the Brazilian Octavio Trompowsky, after whom the variation was named. Then in the 1990s, after a chance discovery, the young English grandmaster, Julian Hodgson, started to play it on the UK and international chess circuit with dramatic success, scoring many short wins with dashing attacking play. By force of example, the opening then saw a rapid increase in popularity; in fact, it is now regarded as "mainline" theory. Players interested in mastering this move will find here a thorough survey of the development and latest trends in this exciting opening, together with illustrative games. A must for any Competitive player.
Customer Reviews:
Good Book, Bad Opening.......2004-10-11
This is an excellent book, but it ignores the fact that the trompowsky isn't fun for white after 2...d5 or the various other lines in which white plays bishop takes knight and black takes back with the g pawn. The dark squares and bishop pair will usually give black a position in which he is anything but worse. Then there's also the problem with what to play against moves like 1...d5, 1...f5, 1...e6, and 1...c6. In the latter two you could transpose to e4 openings, but then why are you playing d4? And in the first two, what do you play? Either the main lines, which you're trying to avoid by playing the trompowsky, or some system like the London or Stonewall in which your opponent can just copy your moves and draw. I don't even recommend this opening as a secondary weapon, because you must have knowledge of benoni, open sicilian, and french advance structures to play the Tromp, and that's a lot of work for a surprise opening that isn't even that good.
Best? opening book.......2004-05-02
This is the bible of the opening made popular by Julian Hodgson and other young British GMs. In his hands, it fits with his slashing, attacking style.
The book's 240 pages are chockful of original analysis and reveal the author's passion for this opening. There's a lot of clear explanations for lower-rated players as well as enough innovative lines that even GMs will need this book to tackle the Tromp. In fact, Jeremy Silman has called this work "magnificent" and described it as simply the best opening text he's ever seen.
A question for me remains why the opening is so under-represented in MCO 14. It's covered in about three pages.
By the way, look at Wells' other opening books too: The Complete Semi-Slave and The Complete Richter-Rauzer. According to Mr. Silman, they set the standard for those openings as well.
This is how opening books should be written.......2004-04-27
Aside from being a strong opening in itself, the Trompowsky lets White avoid Black's pet Indian defenses and can be frustrating. In this book, Wells covers all of the main lines of the Trompowsky with just enough detail. Against the two critical lines, 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5!? and 3. ..d5 there, he offers a "Solid" move and an "Attacking" move, with one chapter devoted to each. Here are the chapters of the book, for the curious:
[1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5]
1) 2. ...Ne4 Introduction and Minor Lines
2) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. d5 (Attacking)
3) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nd2 (Solid)
4) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 - Introduction and Attacking Repertoire with 4. f3
5) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3!? (Solid)
6) 2. ...c5 - Introduction and the Solid Repertoire with 3. Bxf6
7) 2. ...c5 - The Attacking Repertoire with 3. d5!?
8) 2. ...e6 3. e4!?
9) 2. ...d5 - Introduction and 3. Bxf6
10) 2. ...g6 and other Minor 2nd Moves
11) Index of Main Variations
12) Index of Games
The book follows master-level Trompowsky games and Wells annotates them in a very instructive fashion. I learned to play the Trompowsky with confidence after just one reading of this book.
There is one pseudo-Trompowsky line that this book does NOT cover: 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5!? If you really want to play this line, you'll have to look elsewhere to learn it.
Book Description
This repertoire of easy-to-learn openings, based on Garry Kasparov's move 1 d4, offers openings with a modern twist. Each one has simple principles that allow White to play just about the same moves against the Grunfeld, King's Indian, and Nimzo-Indian Defense. There are also modern systems to repel the Dutch, Benoni, and even offbeat lines such as the Englund Gambit. Nothing is left out: the tricks and traps in the opening for both sides; the basic plan and strategy using entertaining games; and how to play the middlegame by following easy plans.
Intermediate
Customer Reviews:
Useless.......2007-01-16
I think one of the most annoying things about chess books is to buy one of them and then find that the content is completely different from what you expected.
This book from Gary Lane can be considered as the typical example. From a title like "Ideas behind the modern chess openings" I was expecting some kind of introduction to the vast subject of the opening, plus some detailed information about the starting moves of a few "modern" openings (e.g. the KID, Modern Benoni and the likes). What I found instead is a few chapter's about the London System and a couple of games about the Barry/150 Attack!
So to summarize, this book is completely useless, for the following reasons:
1. it teaches you absolutely nothing about the "Ideas behind the modern chess openings"
2. if you like the London System, buy "Win with the London System" by Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovacevic
3. if you like the 150/Barry Attack, buy the excellent "A Killer Chess Opening Repertorie" by Aaron Summerscale
The reason why I give this book 2 stars instead of 1 is that, at the time it was published the book by Johnsen and Kovacevic wasn't available, so "Ideas behind the modern chess openings" could have been a little useful to someone interested to the London System.
Now (I have to repeat myself, I'm sorry) it's completely useless.
Very enjoyable repertoire book.......2003-12-18
Yes, the title is misleading. So what! Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca has a misleading title too, but is considered a classic. I feel that every review here has entirely missed the boat on this book. This book aims right at the masses of intermediate players, who are always searching for an opening repertoire. Do you like Summerscale's book, "A Killer Opening Repertoire"? Then you just may really love this one. This one has mych more textutal explanations, far more games referenced in the notes, and overall, a better repertoire, IMHO. The repertoires are similar, but I like the London System recommeded by Lane more than Summerscale's Colle-Zukertort, and I like the London against the King's Indian more than Summerscale's Barry Attack. There is a chapter on the Barry here too. Let me something about reviews of chess books. It seems that the more specialized and highly rated the target audince, the better the review for a chess book. There are not many reviews out there for books like this one, Summerscale's, or The System by Berliner that really apply to the masses of non-professional players out there. I love all three of those books, with this one by Lane the most valuable of the three, to me. This is a great book, that you can stick with for years, gradually adding the products of your outside study to its content and guidance. I am not saying the book is perfect; but that it is an excellent and enjoyable companion for the masses of intermediate players looking for a book that speaks to them, that instructs themn, and gives them a sound,solid repertoire that will avoid masses of theory for which black maay be better prepared than you. Highly recommended, especially for the six dollar price at which I found it here used.
An Old Opening with New Ideas.......2003-11-06
First of all the title of the book has caused much debate. It is now well known it was the publisher who decided to use the 50 year old title of Fine's book. A mistake to use the classics but hardly the author's fault. The soul of the openings are above average for me because I can learn the main one-the London System- fairly quickly. I train kids at school and the idea of easy development appeals to all ages.
A good effort and worth reading.
The Modern Chess Openings? Please..........2003-08-25
This is a repertoire book with something against most of the things you might meet after 1.d4. The lines are superficially explained and analysed, and do not often give white chances of an opening advantage. There are some useful lines here, but you can find better repertoire books anywhere easily.
The title is stolen from Fine's "Ideas behind the Chess Openings", and it is a ploy from the publisher to get more sales. The London system, which this book is based on, is not a modern opening, so the title could not be more misleading. I am sure the author had nothing to do with naming the book.
White to play and Win.......2003-08-11
If you start with 1 d4 then this book has plenty of ideas to help you to win. The backbone of the openings that Lane wants everyone to play is the London System. This has never struck me as being particularly aggressive but it is perfect to make sure that White enters the middlegame with no fear of falling into a trap. The London System is no good against every opening and the author is honest enough to admit this rather than give a game which just happens to demolish the Dutch or something! I have found that how to deal with the side-lines such as the Clarendon Court are very useful. In the main lines the easy to follow guide in the Benoni and the Dutch are well worth a look.
Basically, I have improved my openings as a result of this book and that really is the true test.
Book Description
The great Anatoly Karpov, considered the best positional player in chess history, has been a major force in the chess world through the greater part of three decades. Now he shares his profound opening knowledge in an indispensable pair of authoritative books devoted to the Caro Kann. In this volume, Karpov, a lifelong adherent of the Caro Kann, shows how Black can not only survive White’s aggression in the open lines of the Panov, but counterpunch and dominate the opening. He selects and analyzes the many lines which provide Black not only with security but also with active play.
Customer Reviews:
A disappointment, maybe useful for specialists.......2007-03-18
I very much liked the first volume in this series, but by comparison to the volume on the advance and gambit lines, this book is a huge disapointment. When I opened the book, i looked for comments on the lines I play most as black, and discovered they weren't covered. This was amazing, since I play the main lines!
In all likelihood, Mikhail Podgaets is the principal author; his name appears on the cover under Karpov's. When Karpov co-authored The Caro-Kann in Black and White with Beliavsky, the first thing he covered under the Panov was a transposition into "The Karpov Variation" of the Nimzo. The transposition isn't even mentioned in this book. How likely is it, if Karpov were the primary author, that he would ignore the Karpov variation, especially as it's his preferred choice against the Panov? (Incidentally, it's well covered in Hansen's book on the Rubenstein)
In the preface the author(s) state(s) that variations characteristic of other openings would not be covered. What's really poor is that the transposition points aren't even identified, and the Panov is largely about the transpositions.
There are other gigantic gaps: in the good but fairly limited repertoire book "Easy Guide to the Panov" Agaard gives two chapters on what he identifies as the most popular lines in the Panov, (linew in the B-b4 Panov where black captures on c4 and castles. Thess lines, used by Karpov, go unmentioned. In the Steiner, the line where white takes twice on d5 and black recaptures with the queen is given, a less popular line, popular in the former USSR, but not used by Karpov, and one which is essentially a QGA. But the much more popular knight recapture is ignored.
Lots of the stuff in the book is high quality,( hence the two stars rather than one) and it will probably be useful to those who specialize in the Caro-Kann,(for instance the Steiner queen capture line has better coverage here than in anything else I've seen) but as an overall guide it's totally inadequate, and someone taking up the opening - particularly as white- would be better served by almost anything else.
The book is not printed yet!.......2007-01-23
I ordered this book some months ago,and I have not received it, because it has not been printed yet.
Book Description
Former world champion Anatoly Karpov is a living legend, the winner of more tournaments than any other player in history. His opening analysis is absolutely definitive. In this indispensable resource for every serious player, he covers the main positional variations of the Caro Kann: the Classical System (1 e4 c6, 2 d4 d5, 3 Nc3) and the Advance Variation (3 e5). These lines may not be as fast and furious as the Panov Attack (the subject of another book in this series), but as Karpov shows, precision and good timing can give Black a successful defense and even a strategic advantage.
Customer Reviews:
CaroKann from the theoretical and practical expert........2007-02-04
For decades, A. Karpov has been the world leading expert and supporter (both in theoretical discusion and practical results) of this very solid defence. This book is focused in the sharp advance and gambit lines (ECO B10-B12) and accomplishes the task of pointing out the best continuations and ideas for both sides in a wonderful way. Either you like to defend the resourceful positions arising from this defence or to crack it, this book will help you to choose the best way to do it. The variations follow a prelation order helping the reader to identify them from bad or dubious to recommended ones.
Overall, an excellent book which surpasses the good old work from V. Kotronias on the same subject.
Good book BUT..........2006-11-11
This is a great book. This is not a repertory book but a reference book. I found every variation I was interested to learn. I would say that this book is for people +1900 and for seasoned Caro Kann players. This is not a good book for starting to play the Caro.
There is something I did not like about this book... it is very hard to follow the variations. You have to be patient to find your way thru pages and lots of variations and sub variations.
If you already play the Caro, you are +1900 and have a lot of time to follow thru hundreds of variations then this is the book for you.
If you want to learn to play the Caro and want to learn the structure and plans look somewhere else.
This one is exceptional.......2006-10-30
If John Watson and David Bronstein were to write one on the Caro Advance, this would be it, except it's Anatoly Karpov, and Mikhail Podgets, of wich the latter is probably responsible for the lucid, insightful, and highly entertaining prose comments. Jimmy Adams was the translator. Coverage is balanced and exceptionally comprehensive, presented in a tree style. There are detailed tree indexes for every chapter, but it lacks an index for the hundreds of embedded games, just giving listings for the dozen plus illustrative games added on at the end. That's about the only flaw I see. The volume assumes some acquaintance with the main variations, but is probably accesible to anyone who's gone through Starting Out: Caro Kann or something similar. Anyone from A or B class through GM should find it more than useful.
Advance Variation and Gambit System.......2006-10-19
I just recieved this book in the mail and wanted to throw out a quick review of the publishing job and some of the content. I really think this is how an opening book should be made. Very easy to read and follow, multiple indices, an average of about 2 diagrams per page for 260 pages. The prose is conversational and direct. This book looks to be an excellent resourse for both black and white players who want to enter these variations. About 230 of the 260 pages cover the Advance system. I eagerly await the next volume, and I don't even currently use the C-K defense. This looks to be one of the best opening books I've seen. Very clean, professional. Buy it if you are at all interested in the Caro-Kann.
Book Description
For the first time in English, more than 100 of the best games of Yugoslav grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric, once rated the strongest European chess player outside Russia. Gligoric's thoroughly objective approach to chess, always characterized by great clarity and logic, is unmistakable in this acclaimed volume, filled with instructive tactics and strategies. It's a wealth of model games--including classic wins against world champions and other top players.
Beginner
Customer Reviews:
Stuning collection work.......2005-11-27
Svetozar Gligoric`s name is rarely heard among new kids in chess circles nowdays, and this moderate man was never braging caracter. But Svetozar Gligoric is a chess giant. Lived and played in era od absolute soviet domination, he managed to stay on absolute top in fifties and sixties.
I live in Croatia (which was part of Yugoslavia), and this great serbian GM influenced all of us by his calm and clear works, in which this book goes in piedestal of biography chess colection books there are. To the sheer quality of this book I can only compare the book "Life and games of Mikhail Tal", also written by author himself.
Gligoric is not starting his anotations at move 25. No, they begin when he predict player will lost the tread of logic of it, and that usually means somewhere around move 5. Sometimes even at move 1, not to explain the move by itself, but to give a broader picture of game.
Also, games are organized by openings, which greatly helps to follow authors mind paths in differing from game to game.
Author used to play more d4-s as write (70% vs 30% e4), and against d4 played KID, Nimzo, QGD, and vs e4 played mostely e5, and few c5.
He showed his 130 wins, almost every one was against the world top. For example, there are 4 wins vs Fisher(!) amongst lot of wins against Smislov, Botvinik, Larsen, Tal and frankely every
other from top.
Atomic bomb of positional chess.
Apsolutely recomended.
Absolutely beautiful work.......2004-04-25
If you're looking for a great book on the life of a fascinating player, this is the book for you. "I Play Against Pieces" covers 130 of Gligoric's best games, categorized by opening. There's a wide range going from the King's Gambit to the King's Indian, the Nimzo-Indian to the Ruy Lopez; he covers tons of openings, which makes it ideal for somebody who wants to get a full taste of chess.
In addition to all the games there is a preface on Gligoric's life, which gives you some insight into his play. After all of the games, he also gives some interesting information on his contributions to opening theory in chess. All these provide an interesting supplement to the games.
The games are very high quality in here too. Gligoric's style of analysis is different than many other authors I've read. He doesn't spend time going over things like "18.Nc4!? (in the 24th USSR Championship Taimanov played 18.Ne4! against so-and-so resulting in [insert 20 move variation] with small advantage to white)" He sees that as useless commentary. No reader really wants to look into sidelines like that. Instead Gligoric takes a very text-based approach to game annotations with comments like "This is a concession to White since now the black bishop is not so well protected along the diagonal, but black was hesitant of abandoning the blockade of the e6 square and gave up on 29...Qe7." Rather than speaking in the merely concrete terms of chess (i.e. reams and reams of trivial variations) Svetozar instead chooses to instruct the reader in the simplest way possible.
So far as I've checked, this method means less variations which means less errors. I've double-checked the first 8 games with Fritz 8 and I've found practically no errors (one was where he mislabeled a mate in x moves when it was really a mate in x+2 moves). The fact that he doesn't get caught up in baffling analyses means less errors, and the errors with the text-annotations are unfound.
If you're looking for a rich game collection which instructs rather than confuses, buy Svetozar Gligoric's masterpiece: "I Play Against Pieces".
Fond memories ... of a great player and writer........2004-02-09
Gligoric was/is one of the greatest chess players of the twentieth century ... at one time, (mid-to-late 1950's - through the very early 70's); there was a very small group of players that the (Soviet) Russians really feared. They were Bobby Fischer, (of course!); Miguel Najdorf, Samuel Reshevsky, Bent Larsen, and this player. (GM Svetozar Gligoric)
Gligoric, (11 times Yugoslav Champ.); won many international tournaments and was an extremely feared competitor ... his first major success (a surprise) was Warsaw, 1947; ahead of such players like Boleslavsky, L. Pachman, and V. Smyslov. His string of victories at major international tournaments is almost too long to cover, a few highlights are, first at: Hastings, 1960/61; Reykjavik, 1964; The Hague (zonal), 1966; Tel Aviv (Israel); 1966; Varna, 1971; Los Angeles, 1974; and Montilla, 1977. He also had wins in about a dozen major key matches. (These are only clear firsts, his 'top five' list of tournament finishes would be too long to try and name here!) He is obviously a little older now, and past his {best} playing days.
Gligoric is also one of the most respected teachers and authors who ever lived, at least outside of Russia. He wrote mostly for newspapers and magazines, his few books (today) are considered collectors' items.
Anyone who 'grew up' or played chess in the 1970's will fondly remember his "Chess Life & Review" articles. (I had a very small library of books as a teen-ager, but I carefully saved and indexed all of my magazines, Gligoric's "Game of The Month" was easily the most important theoretical articles that I had access to during that period.)
I respect and revere this player too much to go looking for mistakes with the help of the latest computer programs. (I found no serious mistakes in my rather casual review of about two dozen games.) My favorite game would be his win from the Black side of the Vienna Opening ... against another of my chess heroes, GM Bent Larsen. (Game # 3, beginning on page 20.)
Virtually every opening is represented, but in some instances, we see a rather limited perspective. (For example: Gligoric only plays the Black side of the King's Gambit. He also plays mostly the White side of certain openings like the Gruenfeld.) His list of victims reads like a "Who's Who" of chess from the late 1940's until the early 1980's. Some games are lightly annotated, some are very deeply annotated in the style that players that were familiar with his column in CL&R - would remember fondly.
A few of my {former} Internet students also purchased this book. Some of the positive things were that it was helpful to have the key points annotated, and the fact that the book is grouped by openings. The drawbacks were that some games had too many notes, and they found the complex things were explained, but simple maneuvers were not. (This means the best class of player that should buy this book should be 1600 or better.) Some of the lines are a little dated as well. (You could use "Nunn's Chess Openings" to cross-reference these lines.) I guess I would also have to add that I could NOT recommend this book to a beginner, or someone who has not been playing chess for very long.
In closing, I greatly enjoyed this book by Gligoric, the author has a deep love of chess and a level of understanding that few have ever attained. The only qualifier is that it may not be for everyone!
A very nice game collection!.......2004-02-01
I really consider this book a rare jewel in my chess library,well suited to ocassional selfstudy or for mentoring others about the art of positional play, very clear explaining in all the stages of the game as well some historical trivia facts..this book is classic in chess literature..
Wealth of interesting material.......2003-08-08
This collection of GM Gligoric's games from the entire span of his long career is rightly considered a classic. He seems to update it once in a decade and it is republished with new material. This edition might be the last update, as the man is probably not playing much chess anymore.
I recommend this game collection over almost any other similar work by other players. Gligoric has the ability to annotate in a very lucid and comprehensible way. As a member of the older generation and as a positional player, his annotations do not include tons of Fritzy lines but are easy to read and follow. On the downside, the analysis is not always very deep as you'd find in a Nunn book, but there is still material here for months of study in this thick tome. And there's some pictures here also, which is rather rare nowadays for a chess book.
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