Customer Reviews:
Arguably, the best chess tutorial ever written.......2007-09-08
A must have for anyone wishing to learn chess from scratch, and for all beginning level players. Fantastic reading which requires no chess board. Great companion for those long plane or train trips.
In a Category All its Own.......2007-07-28
For the right person at the right point in learning chess I believe that this is the best book. I am a USCF correspondence chess master and over the board expert. I credit this book to getting me a good start.
Chess is a skill. Learning a skill requires practice. This book helps develop that skill and the pattern recognition that goes along with that. It does so in a way that is not intimidating. It does not teach all chess tactics. It just gets you started on the path to tactical mastery, but it is a good start.
It has a unique programmed instruction format that does not require learning chess notation. This is significant as "learning a new language" just to learn chess is off putting and creates obstacles to learning the game. After an introduction to the rules the reader practices chess tactics in a variety of positions of increasing difficulty. This book helps to build a strong foundation of tactical skill.
If you can routinely solve simple "mate-in-two" problems quickly you probably already have the skill this book can teach. If not, I think this book will improve your game.
The Title Says, "Teaches".......2007-05-01
TEACHES! You teach beginners, whether you're Bobby FIscher (a pompous lout) or the faculty advisor of a grammar school chess club. In that respect, this is a great beginner book.
Which is why, when I was looking for a "teaches chess" book twenty-five years later, this is the book I looked for.
No, it will not make you an expert. You can't get that from a book. But for the basics, nothing beats this book.
Handy To Keep Close.......2007-04-23
A great beginner book on the essentials of chess, if your new to chess or it's been awhile since you played this is a perfect book to go through. It starts out explaining the moves of chess for the total beginner. A really nice feature of this book is a chess set is not needed, all the examples of the book you can work through right in your head. The puzzles are listed on one page and the answer is located on the back of the page. The size of the book is small enough to fit in a coat pocket for those times when you have some time to kill. Overall a great book for the beginner.
Graphic chess tutorial.......2007-03-28
This is a very good book on chess by Bobby Fisher. I purchased it initially in the 1970's when it first came out. This was a new copy I gave to my grandsons. The entire book shows you chess board layots on one page and asks a question or gives you information. The following page gives you the answer or demenstrates the point being made on another chess board. It is easy to follow, I read it all over again. My grandsons are using it and picking up some good pointers.I even set up some of the chess game layouts on my computer.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not all the moves are so outrageous.......2007-03-24
I like this little book. It's a good one in that you don't even need a chess set handy to work through all the possibilities in your head, as there are very few 10-move or so combinations and variations to try to keep track of like in many combination books, so this ends up being a good a "mobile" chess book in that it can be read and enjoyed anywhere, like Reinfeld's 1001 combinations/1001 checkmates books can. I'm no great chess player, so it's hard for me to just go through so much in my mind without setting a position up on a board and playing through it.
Some of the things Fischer did were of such sublime tactical genius that they show a level of creativity in planning that approaches aesthetic art, rather than being reduced to pure technique or sterile computer reasoning. The move in game 65 is one such example, even if a computer would indeed see it.
That said, some of the combinations in this book are less than thrilling and certainly not "outrageous," but examples of good play - some of which are so obvious that beginning players with knowledge of simple tactics (forks, pins, discoveries, etcetera) will spot them instantly and probably not be too bowled over by them. I've seen 2-move chess problems that have had me much more perplexed, many from real games.
To be fair, as other reviewers have pointed out, these easy ones rate a "1" on Pandolfini's difficulty scale, but as an example, what's so outrageous about Fischer's capitalizing on Taimanov's blunder in game 21 with Qd4, setting up a rook and king fork? Answer: Nothing outrageous. Any run-of-the mill pub player with enough talent to think for a moment before making the next move would spot this one almost reflexively, despite Taimanov missing it - that's why they call it a blunder - and everyone makes them from time to time, including grandmasters. It's still not genius to see it, and this problem is filler to make the 101 number, as far as I'm concerned. There are a few other examples.
Again, it's not my place to nitpick this book apart or to be some arbiter of genius versus not genius or outrageous versus pedestrian. The book does show a wealth of things that are truly surprising and inspiring to those who wish to improve their tactical play, and it reinforces the axiom time and again that we should "see the whole board."
Great 'game' in itself!.......2006-11-15
I found this a refreshing change from the usual chess problem or instructional book. Here you can play through the book and score yourself to see how well you do. Then you go back through them again to see how you can improve with better understanding. It's also good for returning to after a good time has passed, and see if you do better or worse.
The difficulty levels are randomized so you will find problems of varying difficulties throughout the book. I think this is good as you don't know what will be coming on the next move until you get there. If someone wants to do them in order of difficulty, it could be done simply by going through and doing all the ones first, then the twos, etc. Also while it might not be most helpful to one's own game to experience only what occurs at those critical moments, one can practice through how Fischer actually developed the opportunities for these outrageous moves by checking the entire games out in the back of the book.
While the other more standard problem and instructional books remain important, I wish more like this one were published.
Such a Jaw-dropping Mind! And he helps get you to be the same way!.......2005-12-10
This is an excellent book! It really exceeded my expectations tremendously! Keep in mind what is meant by "Outrageous Moves"... many of the indicated moves in this book (though not all of them) are FORCING MOVES, which you have to learn to discern when to make such a move. Studying Fischer sets you on that path and Pandolfini guides the reader, assisting in gleaning Fischer's didactic ways. I think it can strike some people with less of an effect, though, if you just go through the book the way it's presented. The diagrams, clues and solutions are actually presented as best as they can be (except for the diagram to game 25, the White Queen should be on h3 instead of h4), it's just that you, the reader, would do well to take a folded rectangular slice of paper with tape at the top of it and cover the bottom part of each page as you go so you won't see the answers. That way you can set up the diagrammed position on your own chessboard, read Pandolfini's clue, and take a certain amount of time to try to figure out what Fischer figured out. To take it a step further, I suggest you don't even read Pandolfini's clue until you find that you can't figure out the solution in 10 minutes (then go back to trying to figure out the position for another 10 to 25 minutes. [Keep score as you go through the whole book])... I suggest that last part because I found that some of Pandolfini's clues were too revealing, but such clues are kept to a minimum. The level-of-difficulty indicators (1 through 5) were a big help too... but when you're looking at a position in a real-life, over-the-board game, you don't get to see a 1 or a 5 in the corner of the table. As if all of that weren't enough, when you finally do finish studying a position after you've read the answer, STUDY THE ENTIRE GAME SCRUPULOUSLY via the full notation in the back of the book (which has no commentary, but through filling in your own notes (get a 3-ring notebook)!, you'll force yourself to see even more than you thought you could)!! I think it was a sad oversight for Pandolfini to neglect to mention that the full notations for all the games are given in the back of the book; just imagine someone getting through a major portion of the book and then they discover that they could have been studying the entire games via the notation in the back of the book...! (by the way, Game 76 has another Outrageous Move [19....Bg4!] found only in the full notation). All of the aforementioned is a major shortcoming of the way this book is presented... Pandolfini doesn't instruct you TO MAKE A STUDY COURSE out of this book; maybe, he just expected every reader to have been familiar already with his "Solitaire Chess" section of "Chess Life" Magazine and to take it upon themselves to do the aforementioned anyway. I got SO MUCH out of doing it that way (on Fritz 8 Deluxe, by the way. I saved the games with my own notes [on my external hard drive] and now I have 101, little "CHESS MOVIES")! By the way, many of these games are on the Fritz 8 Deluxe (and the new Fritz 9, too, I'm sure) Compact Disc (in the "Database" folder). As for those people who lambasted this book as a cheap attempt to get paid off of Bobby Fischer's name, just realize that there will always be critics of you when you try to do something to help people tremendously. When you study Bobby Fischer's "out-of-the-box" way of thinking over a period of at least 90 days (about what it took me) you, yourself improve to an immense degree! You just have to make up your mind to do what you're going to do and address the criticism when it comes your way (the same way you do your opponent's attack in chess). You don't have to take that crap from people!
Nice Bobby Fischer Combinations. .......2005-09-12
Any chess player can read this book; it briefly describes Algebraic Notation in case you're a beginner. The book gives 101 diagrams from Fischers games -all are dated and the specific place or Tournament is listed. The list of his opponents is remarkable e.g., Byrne,Tal,Geller,Petrosian,Larsen,Spassky,etc starting about 1956 to 1978. Mr. Pandolfini gives the level of difficulty from 1 to 5 for each diagram-one large diagram on each page. You cover the answer under the diagram and try to figure out Bobby's moves, there is a hint also. The answers are briefly explained, some more detailed than others. Also nice is he gives the complete game moves in the back of the book.
let's make money from Fischer's name and games..........2005-02-28
Three stars are for this book:
1) Good selection of games and clear diagrams.
2) Better analysis than those Schiller's books, (even the book is 15 years olds, I got '85 edition.)
3) Provide the complete games at the end of the book so we can see the turning points of the games. (Even so, if we want a complete collection of Fischer's games, Lou Hays' book is better, and then we would miss out the "expert" analysis, right? So this book is a good bridging stone.)
Most of Fischer's games in particular, and current and ex-champions and GMs in general, have some defining turn-points; especially when the players steer the games to the tactical aspects. Often than not, they prefer to keep the game in positional struggles, so the more patient and skillful players usually come out victorious after many long deep-thought moves. We don't see much "outrageous" moves in their (GM) games. However, when the combinations present, surely they grasp them and start the fireworks. That is what Pandolfini again wrote the book "One-Move Chess by the Champions". Fischer is a fearless attacker; therefore most of his games contain those "Outrageous" moves. Any 40-50 of Fischer's winning games from Hays' book can make some "Awesome Games of the Ultimate Chess Champion", or the like. With that abundance of impressive games, Fischer chose to write "My 60 Memorable Games", and he included some of his "memorable" losses too!!!
As we see, most books written about Fischer's games will have at least 1/3 of his games in "60 Memorable Games" (other 2/3 is to try avoid 'copycats'), and as we all know Fischer's analysis is always more superior.
Now, let's make some money, by buying Hays' book and using Fritz 8 (another small investment) to analyze Fischer's games. After that, with some good story-telling co-writers, we can produce "60 Winter Days in '64 U.S. Championship the Ultimate Chess Champion Created the Most Classical Game Record in the Most Prestigious Event of All Times", or something similar.
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).
Book Description
In the summer of 1972, with a presidential crisis stirring in the United States and the cold war at a pivotal point, the Soviet world chess champion, Boris Spassky,and his American challenger, Bobby Fischer, met in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the most notorious chess match of all time. Their showdown, played against the backdrop of superpower politics, held the world spellbound for two months with reports of psychological warfare, ultimatums, political intrigue, cliffhangers, and farce to rival a Marx Brothers film. Thirty years later, David Edmonds and John Eidinow have set out to reexamine the story we recollect as the quintessential cold war clash between a lone American star and the Soviet chess machine. A mesmerizing narrative of brilliance and triumph, hubris and despair,
Bobby Fischer Goes to War is a biting deconstruction of the Bobby Fischer myth, a nuanced study on the art of brinkmanship, and a revelatory cold war tragicomedy.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Customer Reviews:
A brilliant work of excellence!.......2007-04-06
This is the 2nd book I read by these 2 prize-winning journalists and authors and I praise this work once again as a brilliant tour of famous chess match between Spassky and Fischer!
The book has multiple focuses. While the matches themselves are not described in stark detail, the atmosphere around is. Included in this are brief biographies of these 2 chess superstars, pre-match and post-match reactions as well as its influence and possible involvement in the Cold War.
In it, one discovers the passive, gentle and cordial personality of Spassky - a gentlemanly figure, in contrast to a demanding, bad-boy personality, yet a prodigy, of Bobby Fischer. The book recounts all the relevant events prior to this championship in Iceland in 1972, as well as reactions to it afterward. While there is some allusion to the matches themselves, as well as precise moves and brief analysis, the book in no way targets chess players as their primary readers. The book is targeted for anyone interested in history, particularly one having to do with chess and Cold War.
The book is a real page turner and hard to put down. The style has a fast pace to it, yet thorough enough to capture even minute details. Overall, a great read for anyone and I highly recommend it!
If not for the Cold War, many Americans might have rooted for Spassky.......2007-03-31
And some did, anyway!
Learn why, in this great combination biography of Fischer, biography of Spassky, and analysis of the 1972 showdown in Iceland.
To take an analogy from the same year, this was like the Soviet-US basketball showdown at the Munich Olympics.
And, while the chess championship wasn't rigged, due to his own and his camp's incessant hectoring, especially in getting Game 3 moved to a back room, Fischer was probably dissuaded from walking out from the match.
As it was, he lost Game 1, forfeited Game 2, then roared back to score over half the remaning points scored, losing only once, while winning 9 and drawing 7.
It's probably the most impressive display of chess ever, culminating from a start of Fischer "sweeping" the first two matches in the Candidates' series to earn the right to face Spassky.
Then you have Spassky, who considered himself a Russian first, a Soviet second, and wasn't on perfect terms with the Soviet sports hierarch. A Spassky who was pretty much a "normal" human compared to the average populace and definitely to Fischer.
And, that's the other good part. Briefly but precisely, the authors sketch Fischer's development from childhood, and even spring new evidence about who was actually his biological father.
If you want to learn more both about the contestants and the importance of this match, read this book.
Outstanding book........2007-02-03
Is it possible to make a book about chess that is a gripping read? Even for a reader not that familiar with, or interested in, the game itself? This book answers with an emphatic "Yes".
I was 16 in 1972, an avid (though very mediocre) chess player, and a very close observer of the events recounted in this book. The authors do not exaggerate the importance that this match took on the world stage. Fischer's victory was indeed viewed as a great triumph in the US, on a par with the 1980 Olympic hockey "miracle on ice". But it has taken the passage of time to put everything in perspective. Fischer was a brilliant player, maybe the best of all time; but his antics that were then viewed as idiosyncracies, as the spoiled behavior of the prima donna sportsman, can now -- in view of his behavior of the last 30 years -- be seen as the early signs of absolute craziness (pardon the layman's term, I'm not a psychologist). The guy was, in a word, nuts.
A story of triumph and tragedy, and very well told -- it makes for a completely absorbing read.
Coffee, Chess and Politics .......2007-01-24
I was in a coffee shop last weekend when I noticed two men playing Chess near the cream and sugar counter. A small but intent group had huddled around their table quite captivated by the game. Memories of Bobby Fischer came to mind. I also watched the game for a while and then decided to visit my local bookstore and just by happenstance I saw "Bobby Fischer Goes to War" and picked up a copy. It is very interesting reading. Bobby Fischer's 1972 match with the Soviet Boris Spassky held in Reykjavik, Iceland is legendary. Spassky, the world chess champion, certainly seemed the gentleman and Fisher was billed as the young Chess prodigy. To me Chess was always a game played by elitists or other higher order members of the social ladder. In reality that is truly not the case. If there is anything elite about the game or those who play it, it is the social refinement that one takes away from the chess board. There is a certain amount of respect that one experiences and earns that should be used in a higher order of one's conduct as a person. From this book Spassky seems to fit that picture, but Bobby Fischer is anything but. Fischer had a deep intuitive intellect for the game but his social upbringing and behavior seemed rather crude and almost not worthy of the game. His behavior during the match seems embarrassing and nothing honorable as demonstrated by Spassky. Fischer seems to have learned none of finer aspects of being a participant and journeyman of the game. This is a good book and brings many avenues of thought ion this history making Chess match.
"Our story is in essence a tragedy".......2006-12-23
Fischer/Spassky was a seminal event of my childhood. I was 10 going on 11 at the time. It's tough to explain to people today how the whole event held everyone in its spell. This retrospective look at the event and its implications is a great piece of journalism by writers David Edmonds and John Eidinow. Of course, they had no cooperation from the famously vituperative Fischer. Spassky - the perfect gentleman as always - was obviously inordinately helpful in piecing together the story.
I think the best line summing up the tenor of the book is by lyricist Tim Rice, who based his muscial 'Chess' partly on Fischer/Spassky. Rice says "The good guy was the Russian who was meant to be the bad guy, and the bad guy was the American, who was meant to be the good guy. It was all very confusing and a perfect illustration of how politics creeps into everything."
Edmonds and Eidinow summarize things perfectly: "Boris Spassky went to Reykjavik to celebrate chess. Bobby Fischer went to fight. His version of the match triumphed." For this reason, the authors declare that "our story is in essence a tragedy." Read their fine work, and you'll surely agree with this assessment.
Book Description
Even chess legend Bobby Fischer occasionally lost matches, and his rare defeats offer valuable lessons for ordinary players. This intriguing collection, compiled by a noted chess master, features comprehensive text-and-diagram analyses of 61 of Fischer's losing games. Highlights include "the losing moment," the move at which each game was beyond saving.
Customer Reviews:
Other Books.......2007-09-03
Ok, so for basically everybody this is not possible. The catchy title is of course used to draw you in, and get you to have a look at it.
In actuality, it is an analysis of the games where Fischer actually lost, and it attempts to instruct you in the game through the use of these particular examples.
dream on, it has kept us playing chess... ;-).......2005-02-28
Everyone wants 5 minutes of fame at least once in his/her life. To be able to beat the champion in any category is a dream come true. Until the time Fischer forfeited his chess title, he had been considered the most fearsome player since Tal. With win/draw ratio of 2/1, he is the most dangerous player (as Mednis mentioned in the book, the ratio 1/1 is already very awesome.) Mednis took the 61 Fischer's losses since Fischer becoming the U.S. champion at fourteen, and grouped into four significant periods during Fischer's career. Then he created 8 tables to show the statistics on:
1) How mush Fischer lost with White/Black pieces
2) Who had better records on Fischer
3) (Where) which countries had plus scores against Fischer
4) Why Fischer lost
5) What openings Fischer had problem with
And on the last table, Mednis listed the games in chronological order (when) Fischer lost them.
The stories begun of each part were insightful. The explanation begun and analysis during each game were good. The author now is a GM; he wrote the first edition (when he was an IM) after Fischer announced his retirement from chess (1974). Mednis is qualified to write the book and got fame when he beat Fischer one (1) game in 1962. This second edition from Dover, Mednis included an addition of the 1992 rematch between Fischer and Spassky. Fischer is still the better player, however comparing to the present tough competition Fischer would have to work really hard to maintain the expectation. Even so, he is still better than 95% of us (the chess mortals). (I guess, our chance to win is to wait until Fischer is 90 years old and he gives a 128 table simultaneous exhibition, and we remember to bring a portable Deep Jr. along.)
Great book - no thanks to DanJJ's review.......2004-03-08
Sorry DanJJ, but you need to read your chess history before posting such a review. Fischer wasn't the defending champion, Spassky was. And Fischer won the title off Spassky.
I am at 919 trying to break a 1000.......2002-01-18
Bobby Fischer is probably the greatest and most influential chess player the world has ever seen. Being only 14 when he won his first US championship. My dad recalls when Fischer won the world title in 1972, when he returned to college from summer vacation everyone was playing chess. That showed Bobby's influence on the nation.
How to beat Bobby Fischer is a great collection of games in which fischer was simply outplayed. You would think there wouldn't be many but there are well over 50 games that are fully annotated with commentary.
Although this resourceful chess study tool contains many lectures on Fisher's weaknesses it contains a detail account of Bobby's childhood to when he completely disappeared from the chess world.
The greatest game Fischer ever played (and lost) was one against Boris Spassky in the world championship in Iceland. Fischer played Black as the defending champion. The game opened with a Nimzo Indian Defense (Pawn bishop and knight formation) , Spassky had an Eye on the Title. Although Fischer lost on a careless error it was a very suspenseful match. At around the 20th move Fischer stood up and ordered the spectators out of the auditorium. Bobby went on to lose the title in the match and thus disappeared from the chess world.
I received this as a gift from my dad when I first started to study chess and play competitively. The strange thing is that I never read it until recently. I feel that this book is a necessary addition to any chess library.
Learning about Bobby Fischer!.......2000-04-30
Who is he?What's so special about him?Where is he from?These are all questions we ask when it comes to Bobby Fischer.He is a man!A very smart man,that has a massive memory,and for some reason lives in a chess world.Bobby Fischer was capable of seeing moves in the blink of an eye!He could see ahead 3 moves within 2 sec and up to 7 within 5 sec,he also knew what to do to break a defense.He had a mind of a genius ,the memory of a computer,and the eyes of an Hawk.Born in Chicago on Mar 9 1943,learning to play chess at age six,Fischer took 6 years to become a "master".At age 12 Fischer was played 12 members of his chess club and won all 12 games.
Not only did he have a sharp mind but he could replay games move by move that he had played years earlyer with his opponents.He also has what any one would think to be the highest IQ the world of chess as ever seen.
Customer Reviews:
Great book, but don't trust the Batsford edition. .......2004-08-18
'My 60 Memorable Games' is a fantastic collection from one of the great players in the history of chess. But, if one happens to run into the Batsford edition of the book, don't trust it at all. Fischer has publicly spoken as to how Batsford has ruined his book. Here is the website where Fischer talks about it. http://home.att.ne.jp/moon/fischer/
It is true. It seems like the people at Batsford are purposely trying to ruin his credibility. They are trying to make him look like an idiot, like a no-good potzer. Nonetheless, the games are awesome and immortal. Fischer should publish a new edition of this book with 40 extra games. He should add the games from 1968 to 1972 and the games from the 1992 rematch.
One of the Greatest Chess Books of All Time.......2003-12-06
This is the first non-beginners' chess book I ever read. Since it was the only chess book I had at the time, I read it over and over until I inadvertently memorized most of it. I can't say that it's the best chess book ever written. There are a few I like better, but this book was the right one for me at the time (1972).
I was a terrible player when I first read this book. Eventually I went on to become a pretty good one. I don't know how much credit Fischer gets. He probably would have told me to get a real job, but I loved the game no matter how awful I was.
I had the Descriptive Notation version in 1972. Sometime I lost it, but a few years ago, I managed to get a copy of it in hardback at a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. No, I am not offering it for sale.
Truly a classic.......2003-11-24
I own the Faber paperback version. Love his chess. Pretty balanced, down to earth style. Not dry and dull like Capa or Botvinnik, neither is it too speculative and complex like Tal. More like a aggressive positional with scope for tactics - an in between of the above players. I have modelled my play on his style and i had been playing better chess. I dislike studying all those opening books with plentiful variations and theories, but through this book I learnt something about The Sicilian Najdorf and the KID and Sozins which I still play, and develop my own ideas based on the way Fischer handled those openings. Have to admit that this book is full of heavy analysis and variations which my limited abilities cannot fathom everything or visualise too far ahead, the analysis notes helps in the practice of calculating variations in the manner prescribed by Kotov in his book Think Like a Grandmaster as not many games books are filled with all kinds of variations and sub variations. Apart from the book being more for the stronger or advanced player's study, lesser players like myself can gain quite a fair bit of ideas and insight in just playing through and appreciating the games and ideas as played by Fischer or his opponents. If you are only going to own just 1 chess book, then own this one. Pity it is no longer in print. Get hold of the Faber version if you can. Its the original one.
The finest chess book I have ever owned.......2003-01-05
I agree with all of the positive remarks in the previous reviews.
This book is magical. I still remember the names that Larry Evens
gives to each game some 30 years after reading the book. This one
chess book was responsible for me to go from a novice 1600 rated player to a expert almost overnight. The clarity of Fischers approach to the game and his marvelous annotations completely changed my understanding of the game. It is a pity that such a gifted player and writter turns out to be such a creep in real life.
A must have for anyone's chess library.......2002-08-21
My edition is Faber paperbacks 1972 and covers the period 1957-1967. I always tell people that it is the best (money) that I've ever spent! IM Larry Evans introduces all of the 60 games with titles like "Slaying the dragon", "Peekaboo strategy" and "Meat and potatoes". Although, of course, it is the annotations given by Fischer that make the book - highly recommended.
Book Description
Bobby Fischer emerged from his reclusive privacy just long enough to defy the U.S. government and give the interview referenced by the title of this collection of interviews from 10 years of NEW IN CHESS MAGAZINE. Other subjects includ Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Judit Polgar and a host of other chess luminaries.
Customer Reviews:
another exploitation of fischer s name.......2004-02-18
i am very disappointed from this book. Its title seemed to me very promising but nothing matched my expectations. This book contains a lot of chess interviews some interesting some not..But nothing more, it is just a collection of interviews that the author- a known chess journalist- has taken through out his career. Moreover he uses the very marketable name of bobby fischer inspite that only a brief part of the book is refering to him. Save your money for something else....
Customer Reviews:
A Fascinating and Totally Unique Book.......2006-12-26
If you read and enjoyed "How Karpov Wins" by Mednis, you will fall madly in love with this book. Agur has written an incredibly fascinating book about the chess world's most enigmatic personality. What makes the book so outstanding is the breadth and depth to which Agur has analyzed Fischer's playing style. You can learn things here which you would not understand clearly even after reading Fischer's "Memorable Games". He breaks down Fischer's games according to topics like: Style, Defense, Technique, Clarity, etc. I know of no other book like this at this level of detail and depth. I'm not so sure it will improve your playing strength, but it will give you a perfect scheme for playing 'a la Fischer'
A must for any serious chess lover.
Methodical study of Fischer's play - a new dimension!.......2005-02-13
While not a grandmaster himself, Elie Agur has obviously made a deep study of Bobby Fischer's games. In this fascinating and highly instructive book, he analyzes the elements of Fischer's style with reference to specific games. As Agur says, "Besides being a study on Fischer, it is a treatise on the middlegame at large". Over 300 diagram positions are taken apart, with a page or more sometimes devoted to a single move, its implications and alternatives.
Topics include pawn structure, piece placement, material, timing, strategy (e.g. plans, seizing the initiative, liquidation, and playing for space), clarity, straightforwardness, alertness, reducing the opponent's options, playing to win, practical chances, tactics, technical aspects and overall vision. Fischer's weaknesses are not allowed to pass unmentioned, either. Agur devotes whole chapters to superficiality, misplaying won positions, and typical blunders and oversights.
You can learn all sorts of fascinating details about the great man and his opponents. For instance, Fischer's decision to play Alekhine's Defence against Ciocaltea in the 1965 Capablance Memorial tournament amazed fans. Agur explains what really happened. Fischer was participating by cable, as the State Department denied him a visa to go to Fidel Castro's Cuba in the aftermath of the 1962 missile crisis. Ciocaltea's first move was received as 1. d4 and so played on the board, and Fischer replied 1...Nf6 as usual. Only when the second move, 2. e5 came through was the mistake discovered. Characteristically, Fischer refused to change his first move and achieved a hard-fought draw after a long struggle against an opponent he would often have expected to beat.
For my money, this is a superb book. If I had to choose between it and any other book on Fischer - even his own "60 Memorable Games" - I think I would have to pick this one. It strikes a perfect balance between quantity and quality. Reading it carefully should increase anyone's playing strength, and is sure to afford hours of pleasure. Just one warning - chess theory has made huge strides since Fischer was playing, so don't take any of the opening analysis on trust without checking in a modern reference book.
Unique amoung chess books.......2003-07-17
This book delivers as the title says. Discussed are Fischer's decisions across various motifs (pawn structure, piece placement, strategy,...) from a diagrammed position. Much of the book can be read without a board depending on your strength. I think this book is more for advanced players, you just need to know things to get the most out of this book. Really the book is about style -- the style of a genius, so no chess player should be without it.
Excellent book to synthesize elements of chess.......2001-03-20
This book will change the way you approach chess regardless of your playing level. As noted by previous readers, Elie Agur has done a nice job of systematically analyzing Fischer's approach to chess into clear parts (e.g., pawn structures, traps, typical manuevores) clearly for the reader to grasp. The usefulness of this catagorization goes beyond having to fill up a content page. What has not been said is that reading this book actually helps you to integrate almost all the chess concepts you learnt (e.g., tactics, positional chess, etc.) but never know how to go about applying them.
For the more advanced player, I would recommend you taking a look at how Agur, given a chess position with a variety of candidate moves, manage to compare and contrast Fischer's style with other schools of playing chess (e.g., Karpov and Capablanca). This is interesting in itself as this is one clear evidence of chess style at work, and that no particular style is necessarily the best (although Fischer's style has been known to be the most accurate and straightforward in selection of candidate moves).
Should Be A Classic.......2000-05-10
This work is absolutely brilliant. Elie Agur observes much that had previously gone unnoticed in the play of this great genius. However, you will learn much more than simply how Fischer played. From the study of Fischer's "Approach to Chess," you will learn much about the nature of the middle game. This book contains many deep observations about the game of chess: If this same book had been written by a more famous player, it would already be a classic. Buy this book! I would also recommend Raymond Keene's Nimzowitch: A Reappraisal---the second, updated edition of Nimzowitch: Master of Planning.
Book Description
In the summer of 1972, with a presidential crisis stirring in the United States and the cold war at a pivotal point, two men -- the Soviet world chess champion Boris Spassky and his American challenger Bobby Fischer -- met in the most notorious chess match of all time. Their showdown in Reykjavik, Iceland, held the world spellbound for two months with reports of psychological warfare, ultimatums, political intrigue, cliffhangers, and farce to rival a Marx Brothers film.
Thirty years later, David Edmonds and John Eidinow, authors of the national bestseller Wittgenstein's Poker, have set out to reexamine the story we recollect as the quintessential cold war clash between a lone American star and the Soviet chess machine -- a machine that had delivered the world title to the Kremlin for decades. Drawing upon unpublished Soviet and U.S. records, the authors reconstruct the full and incredible saga, one far more poignant and layered than hitherto believed.
Against the backdrop of superpower politics, the authors recount the careers and personalities of Boris Spassky, the product of Stalin's imperium, and Bobby Fischer, a child of post-World War II America, an era of economic boom at home and communist containment abroad. The two men had nothing in common but their gift for chess, and the disparity of their outlook and values conditioned the struggle over the board.
Then there was the match itself, which produced both creative masterpieces and some of the most improbable gaffes in chess history. And finally, there was the dramatic and protracted off-the-board battle -- in corridors and foyers, in back rooms and hotel suites, in Moscow offices and in the White House.
The authors chronicle how Fischer, a manipulative, dysfunctional genius, risked all to seize control of the contest as the organizers maneuvered frantically to save it -- under the eyes of the world's press. They can now tell the inside story of Moscow's response, and the bitter tensions within the Soviet camp as the anxious and frustrated apparatchiks strove to prop up Boris Spassky, the most un-Soviet of their champions -- fun-loving, sensitive, and a free spirit. Edmonds and Eidinow follow this careering, behind-the-scenes confrontation to its climax: a clash that displayed the cultural differences between the dynamic, media-savvy representatives of the West and the baffled, impotent Soviets. Try as they might, even the KGB couldn't help.
A mesmerizing narrative of brilliance and triumph, hubris and despair, Bobby Fischer Goes to War is a biting deconstruction of the Bobby Fischer myth, a nuanced study on the art of brinkmanship, and a revelatory cold war tragicomedy.
Customer Reviews:
A celebration of chess?.......2007-05-18
Prior to the match Boris Spassky said that regardless of the results the events in Reykjavik would be a "celebration of chess". Bobby Fischer on the other hand, was going to war and wanted "to crush the Soviets". Two thoughts on Fischer come to mind after reading this book: What a jerk, and what a shame. He pretty much flushed his career down the toilet after this match by refusing to defend his title against Karpov in 1974, and for the most selfish of reasons - he couldn't handle losing - and he went out on top. How convenient. While his chess games are incredible to follow (and I highly recommend you take the time to do so) the fact is that he lost in life; while Spassky, whom he beat over the board, won (some observers even say that Spassky should've won the match based on pure chess skill and preparation; regardless of the results, his best games are as well worth studying as Fischer's). Fischer's absence throughout much of the 70s and all of the 1980s is lamentable, and like so many of his acquaintances, the more I find myself making excuses for his ridiculous behavior. "Bobby Fischer Goes to War" depicts this paradox and phenomenon pretty well and anyone interested in Cold War history might really enjoy the bizarre and intriguing events in this little corner of the wider, global show-down between communism and capitalism. Nevertheless, I have a few reservations about this book.
Despite its being a well-researched, compelling and easy-to-read account of the off-board, behind the scenes battles between Fischer & the Russians, it has several short-comings, the foremost of which is a lack of chess. Sure, the authors make some token efforts to summarize certain highlights of a few games, but the focus is on Fischer's antics rather than his moves (or, if you're a Fischer apologist, his "off the board brinksmanship") and this seems unfortunate to me. By having the games interwoven into the main storyline the peripheral hoopla of the match would have its proper context. Not only this, but it would relieve the tedium of some 300 pages of some rather petty and exasperating behavior, and ultimately, would redeem the man himself. Reading about Bobby Fischer without his chess games is like, well, try imagining Mike Tyson without boxing. Additionally, I'm not sure how this book is any different from "The Russians vs. Fischer" (D. Plisetsky & S. Voronkov, Everyman, 1994, 2005 2nd ed.)? Not having been able to read it I can't say for sure, but from what I can tell it contains more interviews from the Russian side (the authors apparently utilized the same "unpublished U.S. & Soviet records" so prominently advertised on this book's jacket) and the games themselves. These two factors alone make me suspect that I bought the inferior product, and so I recommend you compare the two.
Other criticisms:
A complete absence of reference notes for any of the some 150+ sources for this book make it difficult, if not impossible to locate the sources for a large amount of curious material. Have these guys ever heard of plagiarism?
The authors, who are journalists, write in the typical "play by play" style of their profession, which works well in pithy newspaper or magazine columns (or for John Krakauer & Mark Bowden), but wears thin in a full-length narrative about a chess match without any real chess.
The coverage of the 1992 re-match is given short-shrift and conveniently written off a "a bad sequel".
In the end I wanted to hear more from Spassky and Fischer themselves. There are a lot of secondary viewpoints and great sources of information here, but how much better could the text have been had the authors solicited or used more direct quotes from the participants themselves - especially Spassky since he seemed most willing to talk? Recently I discovered "B. Fischer: The Wandering King" by H. Bohm & K. Jongkind (Batsford, 2005) which looks to be fill this gap.
The one thing that redeems the author's decision to focus on the non-chess related action in my mind is that it does illuminate something important that I don't believe they intended; namely that, despite their extreme differences, both chess masters managed not only to play some great chess, but refused to be manipulated by their respective political systems. That is, regardless of Fischer's obsession with control and the fiasco he made of this match - not to mention the ass he made of himself - it seems to me that the "celebration of chess" Spassky envisioned came about in-spite of all this, and in no small part due to his own tolerance, patience and ability to challenge Fischer on the chess board. For it was these two individual chess-artists who not only enriched and popularized the game worldwide through their immortal play, greatly benefiting their fellow players through larger purses future tournaments, but most importantly, their outmaneuvering of systemic powers that sought to constrain them for narrow-minded political propaganda.
STORY OF A PATHETIC BOY IN A MAN'S SUIT.......2006-11-09
BOBBY FISHER GOES TO WAR is a well-researched book, using, among other sources, recently opened Soviet files on the match. The authors (Edmonds and Eidinow) fill in the background leading up to the match, including bios of the lives of Fisher and Spassky, the two combatants in "the chess match of all time". However, the story lacks for sustainable drama; things poke along, the authors obviously stretching out a long magazine piece into a book. This is fine for chess fans but the general reader may feel too bogged down. On the other hand, there is little analysis of the games played in the match, which might frustrate a chess buff who has not yet read any of the analytical books on the match. BOBBY FISHER GOES TO WAR is probably more a political book than a sports book as all the negotiations, psychology, and behind the scenes manuvering are spelled out as well as the actions of the Soviet Communist party machinery regarding the match and very little on the games itself. Fisher comes off as brilliant but insane and this reader had little sympathy for his pathological behavior or the chess authorities caving into his ridiculous and nuerotic demands. All of that is covered in detail in the book. Ultimately, this is not the story of an American hero but of a pathetic, spoiled, ungrateful boy in a man's suit.
couldn't put it down.......2006-03-04
really wondeful. the appendix chapter his mother is, in my opinion,
even more interesting than the book. book, of course, is a fantastic read.
A very brief review.......2005-12-02
Plus: Just the facts. This is a straightforward history of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match, told with enough context to make the story understandable, interesting, and entertaining, but without exaggeration. The story is balanced, and tells Spassky's side as well as Fischer's.
Minus: It assumes the reader knows absolutely nothing about chess, and therefore loses the drama of the games themselves. The authors do describe the "poisoned pawn" of Game 1, but otherwise there's very little chess in the book. Of course, some readers may think this is a plus! I enjoyed this book and recommend it if you are interested in the match.
Cold War Intrigue...Over 64 Squares.......2005-10-15
It had all the intrigue of a Cold War novel: there was the arrogant, boyish challenger; the imperious, quiet Soviet; the behind-the-scenes dealings; the suspicious delegates; the spies; the double-agents; hypnotists and spiritualists; food poisoning and wire-taps; searched briefcases and searched rooms; a mother suspected of being a communist sympathizer; the FBI, the KGB and the CIA; even Henry Kissinger has a cameo.
--Oh, and almost incidentally, there was the world championship of chess. In Iceland, of all places.
Two men were the center of this event, hunched over a chessboard, each trying to prove the superiority of -- well, of what?
To the political leaders on each side, the winner of this grueling contest would prove that their political, social and philosophical system was somehow superior. That may seem silly today, but there were a lot of silly ideas about politics in 1972 (unlike today, ha ha ha).
Bobby Fischer Goes To War is an entertaining account of a match where for many the chess was almost incidental. Who could have imagined, back in that summer of '72, that a dull game only vaguely understood by most Americans would have captured the imagination? But capture it it did: the event was broadcast on TV. Bars showed the match rather than baseball, and got flack from customers if they changed the channel. Chess club memberships went through the roof. Stores could not keep chess sets and chess books in stock. Grandmasters were treated like rock stars. They arrived in limosines. Strangers begged for their autographs. They had groupies! Chess was sexy!
It was a surreal time. And this book profiles it all rather flatly, missing the zeitgeist. The writing is relatively bland and matter-of-fact. (Where is Tom Wolfe when you need him?) The authors could have really had fun with this story. Instead we get what is sometimes an overload of facts, given in a newspaper-style dryness. This is one of those rare times when I wished for more sizzle and less steak.
Still, though the book could have been more lively, this is a very thoroughly-researched chronicle of a unique event in U.S. history.
As for the match itself, I found myself, to my surprise, actually rooting for--and somewhat feeling sorry for--Spassky. Fischer lost my sympathy after his 80th or so temper tantrum over the lights. Or was it the chairs? Or the stage? Or the noise? Or the squares on the board? Or the TV cameras? Or the prize-money? Or the hotel? Or the limo? Or the lack of bowling alleys in Iceland? At some point you just want the match organizers to pull the plug and send Fischer back home in disgrace, because that is truly what he deserved. The Russians hurled accusations that Bobby was using psychological warfare to make Spassky crack, which was mostly dismissed at the time as sour grapes. Today it's easier to see that their claims had some merit. Even though Fischer may have been a more brilliant player, I doubt he would have won in a straight match without all the off-stage melodrama. Unquestionably supremely gifted, he was nonetheless simply too scared. I think he fould it hard to live up to all his own bravado--who wouldn't?--and his last weapon against his opponent was his endless, unpredictable melodramas.
Spassky comes across as harder to peg. Hardly a model Soviet, but definitely a loyal Russian, he seemed interested in playing Fischer for the joy of playing Fischer, rather than to prove anything about the "great Soviet Chess Machine." (Inexplicably he agreed to changes in match conditions in the third game that may have led to his very downfall.) He apparently still hasn't lost his Fischer fascination. He played another match against the American in 1992 in Yugoslavia, and more recently, when Fischer was arrested in Japan (he is wanted by the U.S. Department of State) Spassky reportedly said, "Arrest me too, put me in a cell with Fischer and give us a chess set." Whatever his motivation in Iceland, he clearly was not a loyal Soviet, and his handlers knew this. Some feared he would defect. Others put up with his comments against the system that would have landed most others in jail. There was almost relief that another Russian would challenge Fischer in 1975--a challenge the champion never met, forfeiting his title--even though Spassky was a stronger player than Anatoly Karpov.
Despite not winning the title, Spassky's life turned out a lot better than Fischer's. Boris ended up abroad, still a Russian citizen, but married to a French woman and living the life of a country gentleman. Fischer wound up living the life of a derelict, abandoned by his country, fighting demons in his head that are telling him everything is a Jewish conspiracy. (Ironically, it turns out that Fischer is fully Jewish, and not half-German like he had always believed.) It's hard not to conclude his was a wasted life, at least after 1972. It's sad to think how much chess could have benefitted if the first and only U.S. champion had been wrapped a little more tightly.
Book Description
To succeed with the Spanish Exchange, it’s more important to understand key ideas, plans, and typical pawn structures than to memorize long variations. A manual that explains both the theory and important themes that surround this opening.
Customer Reviews:
Getting Hamstrung on Move Four.......2004-09-30
I think 1..e5 is an excellent reply to 1 e4. The Ruy Lopez offers the player of the black pieces a vast rich panoply of weapons to arm oneself with. White options in lieu of playing the Ruy Lopez, while many, do not, in my opinion, pose an insurmountable obstacle to overcome. In fact, many of these lines, such as the Kings Gambit or Two Knights Defense, tend to allow black good counterchances. However, a player of the black pieces must be aware that white has the option of causing structural damage to the black position right out of the opening, by an early piece exchange on c6. The Scotch and the Exchange Spanish are two that come to mind. Here we will review Kinsman's book covering the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez. A new book by Kaufman maps out a white repetoire for the exchange variation, and uses the latest games. This book is older, and was published before ECO C 4th edition, which covers this material. Still, I think this book is a decent tool for players of either color who have use for information on this opening. Kinsman does a good job pointing out key games, and in many cases (more than in his book on the Modern Benoni) he throws in "tweaks" here and there where he thinks play could have been improved. I have been reading his book, along with a pile of others, in search of the best defense against the exchange. Black has many options. Yet, as I worked through them, I learned a few things about this opening. One, the structure damage black has to endure is very real. In essence, he is hamstrung. Black's "trumps" are his two bishops, but, in reality he is in a world of trouble here and if he thinks the bishops "grant" him equality he is mistaken. Black has to work hard to equalize. Two, while there is quite a bit of theory here, there is also much left unexplored. Some lines are quite unclear, others leave black still grasping for equality. A black player needs to be very suspicious of any "quick Fix". The line Kinsman suggests: ..5 Bd6 seems suspect. So what to play? I found the main line: 5..f6 6 d4 Bg4 to have a couple of unresolved points. Although, it must be said, the line has a long pedigree. Still, I do not like like playing on instinct when there are lines with more of the problems worked out to chose from. A popular line is 5..Qd6. Kinsman urges caution about employing this move, because black neglects his kingside development and risks falling under an early attack before he can deploy his forces. I recall the game Meeking-Korchnoi 1974 where Korchnoi fell under just such an attack. The 5..Qd6 lines left me with the feeling that there was much the books were not telling me. The fact that strong grandmasters play it, yet the theory seems unclear, hints that there is quite a bit of work that has been done on the black side of the exchange spanish that has not yet seen the light of day. That is my strong feeling. I think most grandmasters sense this, and thus the exchange spanish is not really relied on as a winning weapon for white among the strong GMs. Of course there are some who made special study of the white side, such as Rozentalis, and used their skill to score points, my feeling is that the exchange Spanish is not greatly feared by the high GMs. Those super-GMs who used the Marshall attack, like Adams, or the main lines, like Anand or Shirov, have been at the forefront of theory for the black side. Timman also played it with both colors (in fine style). For the club player like me, I think I would do just fine against a fellow club player who only knew bits of the theory. But if I faced an expert? Well, after much study, I feel the line that holds up best under scrutiny is the line that Kinsman dislikes: 5..f6 6 d4 exd4 7 Nxd4 c5 8 N moves then QxQ. This line removes the queens, making the fight a pure battle with black having the two bishops. Still, white has strong attacking chances in this line. Just look at Fischer-Spassky 1992(a grusome loss for Spassky). If white is lazy, slow, or inaccurate in his attack, then black should be fine (if black can develop his pieces before being overrun, then he should be able to blockade the white advance. By advance, I am referring to the advance of the white kingside majority, an everpresent slithering death creeping towards black. Stopping this advance requires the full attention of the the black player. With skill, he can force an piece exchange breaking up the white pawns, or undoubling his own. Failing this he must create a blockade with his pieces in active positions to prevent an effective advance by white. White has several tactical thrusts to strike before black is ready, with Nc3, e4-e5, N to e4, Be3, pawn to a4 and a5. There are a number of variations black needs to learn, several of them quite sharp, with himself under fierce attack. I feel these attacks have been analyzed in enough depth (some to 30 moves) to justify my belief that black can hold (I did not say win). If white mishandles (or as Kinsman says "goes off the rails in a big way.") his deployment, then I think black gains an early equality which should give him fair winning chances. Some of these white attacking attempts are also not ideal ones and can rebound with black getting the better position. In no other line of the exchange do I feel as confident for black, although I suspect others feel 5..Qd6 might offer better winning chances (black castles queenside in these lines, with the queens on). My final opinion is that, with best play, the Exchange Spanish is a line with strong drawish tendencies. Thus I argue black is indeed hamstrung right out of the gate in this line. Yet, for the black player, as I said, 1..e5 is very rich. Even the line I recommend for black against the exchange demands a high level of knowledge and skill to play. Study and practice of it can only help ones chess. If nothing else it will teach you a healthy regard for the power of pawn majorities. And note for white players, there is a high degree of knowledge and sophistication neccessary to succeed with the exchange against skilled opposition. The 5..Bg4 line, for example, can lead to a swift defeat for white if he does not know what to do (the fact that Topalov has played this way should be a warning). So, get the book, study it, and look for follow up work on the line. Once you really start to know what you are doing with 1..e5, you will come to realize just how good a choice you made, and you will not abandon it. Good luck, and let the two bishops roar!
Semi Complete works of the Ruy Lopez exchange.......1999-10-30
I enjoy the author's commentary. He blends humor with raw analysis. This book shows all the important variations for any serious student of the opening. The diagrams are good and the book is almost complete, however the "Odds and Ends" chapter could be expanded -i.e. There are a lot more options than the ones given.
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