Chess Reviews: 166

Things have been very busy again on the ChessBase front and we have no fewer than six new DVDs to catch up with...

ChessBase Magazine #139

The latest ChessBase magazine is just as packed as its predecessors. Frankly, the amount of material each issues contains is extraordinary.

The highlights this time must be the coverage of the top tournaments Nanjing (Carlsen, Anand...), The Tal Memorial (Aronian, Karjakin...Kramnik in the bottom half) and the Grand Slam Final (Kramnik, Anand, Carlsen and Shirov).

The top players seem rather bloodthirsty at the moment, which is to our benefit. When world class stars really play against each other there are plenty of instructive moments. Throw some good ChessBase annotations into the mix and it all makes for very impressive study material.

Kramnik - Carlsen
Grand Slam Final

Kramnik started a deep strategical plan with 16 Bxb8!?. He is trying to obtain a position with a good Knight v bad Bishop, although to lesser mortals it looks a million miles away.


This is a position which almost arose later in the game, and shows Kramnik's goal almost being realised. Here, he would continue with 31 Ng4 Bg7 32 Nh2. According to Stohl's ChessBase annotations, Black would now be forced to play ...e6-e5 once the Knight goes to f3, The Knight would then be free to dance around to better squares, such as d5 after Ne1-d3-b4.

Carlsen avoided that branch by trying to break out but lost after 41 moves.

There's the usual blend of opening surveys, endgames, tactics and, of course, a sprinkling of video lectures in the Fritz Trainer format.

Over 7000 recent games are included, a fair chunk of them from the Chess Olympiad.

As always, ChessBase Magazine represents excellent value for money and has something for everyone. Highly recommended.

Chess Endgames 7

Endgame Principles Weaknesses & Fortresses
By GM Karsten Mueller
5 hours and 40 minutes

ChessBase

The Chess Endgames series is one of the highlights of the whole ChessBase range. Following a lull since volume 4 was released, we have now had volumes 5-7 arriving at regular intervals.

'The new 7th volume deals with many different aspects of endgame play: the art of pawn play, weaknesses, converting an advantage, stalemate, fortresses, the art of defence and typical mistakes. But the themes are connected in various ways'.

The material is split into seven sections:

Weaknesses (14 video lectures)
The Art of Pawn Play (15)
Converting an Advantage (11)
Stalemate (8)
Fortresses (12)
The Art of Defence (6)
Typical Mistakes (7)

I know a lot of people who don't like to study endings, thinking they are dull and that the time should be used to study exciting opening lines instead. Well, there's certainly nothing dull here; every example has been expertly chosen to demonstrate an important theme.

I found the sections on Stalemate and Fortresses to be particularly interesting.

Stalemates are always entertaining. I'm sure we all dream of swindling top players just like this...

Bernstein - Smyslov

Staunton Memorial 1946

59 ...b2?? 60 Rxb2! and drawn after 60 ..Kg4 61 Kf1. 60 ...Rh2+ 61 Kf3 Rxb2 stalemate is the point.

GM Mueller makes a couple of very interesting observations here. Firstly, the fact that Smyslov, one of the greatest endgame players of all time, can fall for a stalemate trap gives us all hope (and further demonstrates the principle of 'don't rush'). Secondly, it's the human mistakes which make chess so interesting to spectators. Watching near-perfect computer chess has far less appeal.

Generally speaking, we don't see enough explanatory material on fortresses; GM Mueller diligently strives to fill the gap and presents some excellent examples.

McShane v Danin

Aeroflot Open 2010

Luke played the incorrect 51 h3? ('pawns can't go backwards!'). White should have seized the moment and played the surprising 51 f5!!. The analysis given on the DVD of this position is typical of GM Mueller's style. He methodically works his way through the complicated lines, merging moves with pertinent observations.

The material is quite advanced and this fine DVD should suit experienced players. This is my pick of the bunch featured in this review article.

Attack with the Modern Italian

By GM Nigel Davies

4 hours

ChessBase

Starting with a Garry Kasparov game form a simultaneous display, GM Davies goes on to cover an aggressive set-up for White over the course of 31 video lectures.

The modern way of playing involves White avoiding an early clash in the centre and preferring 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d3, with the intention of castling on the Queenside.

The logic is that at club player level, where defences are weaker than at higher levels, the player who seizes the initiative will have excellent chances of victory. So castling Queenside and launching an attack has more chance of success at this level than it would against a Grandmaster.

The Two Knights Defence (3 ...Nf6) and The Hungarian Defence (3 ...Be7) are covered too (generally transposing to earlier lines), as if the move order of 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 for White.

So the recommended move order is:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d3 d6 6 Bb3 a6 7 h3 Ba7 8 Nbd2 0-0 9 Nf1 d5 10 Qe2

It's very similar to Steinitz's treatment of some Ruy Lopez lines.

The first illustrative game with this line shows GM Howell whipping up a speedy attack.

Howell - Parry

WYCC Boys U-18 2008

The game didn't last much longer: 19 ...h6 20 h5 hxg5 21 hxg5 fxg6 22 Nh6+ 1-0

Black has numerous ways to deviate from the opening sequence given above and White often has to change tack and castle Kingside anyway.

Club players are the target audience and the delivery is pitched accordingly. Understanding the themes of the opening is more important than learning a lot of theory and GM Davies handles the task in his customary style.

Tricks and Traps

Volume 2

1 d4 Openings

By GM Nigel Davies

4 hours

ChessBase

The Tricks and Traps series is also aimed at club players, with those on the more inexperienced end of the scale being the ideal audience.

GM Davies runs through a variety of essential traps, familiarity of which will provide a good grounding for practical players looking to tighten up their game.

Some of the traps are relevant to specific openings, such as the Budapest Gambit and Albin Counter-Gambit.

A famous trap form a Budapest Defence

Black to move - what would you play?

Others are arranged by theme instead, such as various pitfalls on long diagonals.

Experienced players should already know the majority of what is on offer here but it will be all useful stuff for those lower down the food chain and juniors should be able to quickly memorize a number of new weapons to try against their fellow youngsters.

Finally for this review column, we have two updated DVDs. The main body of the material remains the same, but both enjoy '2010 updates'.

The ABC of the Benko Gambit

2nd Edition

By IM Andrew Martin

6 hours

ChessBase

The Benko Gambit has nine new videos, taking the total to 31. The new ones feature games from 2006 (3), 2008 (1) , 2009 (1) and 2010 (4).

The game with the highest profile sees Magnus Carlsen using the Benko to beat Van Wely at Wijk aan Zee in 2008.

IM Martin concludes that Black is 'in good shape' in the Gambit Accepted lines but the Gambit Declined variations are 'proving more irritating'.

A World Champion's Guide To The King's Indian

2nd Edition

By GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov

7 hours

ChessBase

This one has more updates, stretching the original content from 10 video lectures to 23. GM Kasimdzhanov present the latest theoretical games and developments in the King's Indian Defence, with the focus mainly on the efforts of GM Radjabov.

The Classical Variation receives good coverage, with a modern emphasis on 7 ...Na6 and 7 ...Nbd7 to add to the earlier analysis of 7 ...Nc6.

For further details of ChessBase products, please pop along to their website.

Chess Reviews: 165

The Complete c3 Sicilian

By GM Evgeny Sveshnikov

574 pages

New in Chess

Simon Alapin used 1 e4 c5 2 c3 three times at the great Vienna tournament of 1898 and his name has been attached to the opening ever since, although his results with it were not particularly inspiring (+1, =1, -1 at Vienna and very little thereafter).

GM Sveshnikov is undoubtedly the World's top practitioner of 1 e4 c5 2 c3 (with experience from 1968 to the present day) and here he shares his secrets over the course of 574 packed pages. When an expert writes a proper book on his specialist subject, the world should sit up and take notice. The author has played around 600 games with the Alapin and enjoys a 70% score with it.

The book falls quite naturally into two parts.

Part 1: 2...d5 and other moves

Historical Overview

Basic plans and Ideas

The Typical Endgame with a White Queenside Majority

Important Games by Variation

Exercises Conclusion Part 1

Part 2: 2...Nf6

Historical Overview

Basic plans and Ideas

Important Games by Variation

Exercises

Conclusion Part 2

In addition to the expert analysis and explanations on the opening itself, the author provides numerous anecdotes from his times with some of the giants of the game. His first win against Tal came in a c3 Sicilian; it seemed to be the best way to keep him away from tactical battles.

Sveshnikov - Tal

USSR Ch 1979

This position clearly shows that Tal's tactical teeth were definitely drawn on that day.

Believing the same approach would work against Kasparov, Sveshnikov worked hard to persuade Karpov to give it a try in their 1985 World Championship, but was ultimately unsuccessful. A pity for the 12th World Champion, as the Open Sicilians proved to be the decisive weapon for Kasparov in that particular match.

GM Sveshnikov also played his favourite second move against the likes of Petrosian, Smyslov, Polugaevsky and Taimanov, so he was never afraid to try it against the world's top players.

The assessments are subjective and not all will find universal agreement. For example: 'Incidentally, the line 1 e4 c5 2 c3 e6 3 d4 d5 4 e5! leads us to the advance Variation of the French Defence, which could be regarded as a branch of the c3 Sicilian!'

The reader's knowledge interested by the exercises. Some show that an advantageous endgame isn't White's only path to success. Can you see a good move for White here?

Lane - Flesch

Lloyds Bank 1983

The author's general conclusion appears to be that most of Black's second moves - including 2 ...d5 - give White at least an edge and that only 2 ...Nf6 offers chances of equality, and even then Black has to be careful how he proceeds.

This is a very good book and one which makes me want to play what the author suggests. Not all opening books have such an effect. This one is inspirational.

Dynamic Chess Strategy

Expanded and Updated

By GM Mihai Suba

207 pages

New in Chess

I remember buying - and enjoying - the first edition of this book, published back in 1991. Grandmaster Suba was living in North East England at the time and played all of the Open tournaments on the circuit, so our over-the-board paths crossed a number of times.

I even asked him to sign my copy, which he was happy to do. Indeed, GM Suba was generous with his time and his post mortems were lengthy and very entertaining.

Reading the new edition of 'Dynamic Chess Strategy' brought back some very pleasant memories. There have been quite a few changes, some more readily apparent than others.

There's a brand new, 26-page chapter called 'Dynamic Chess Strategy, Revisited' which retains the style of the original work. He offers some of his thoughts on the relevant works of John Watson (who refers to GM Suba's book in his own books on strategy), takes a swipe at internet pirates, discusses the impact of computers and provides several interesting test positions which bring to light various methods of thinking in chess.

It's 26 pages which makes me wish Suba had written a lot more books in the time period between the two editions of this one. Other changes occur throughout the book in the form of up to date game references and computer analysis.

The basic structure of the book remains the same and the chapter titles should be familiar to those who saw the earlier edition:

The Beginning

Why Rethink Chess Strategy?

Dynamic Strategy in Attack and Defence

Lest We Forget the Classics

Black Wins After All!

Quiz Solutions

Autobiographical snippets mingle happily with GM Suba's interesting and intriguing personal ideas on chess strategy. There are also cautionary tales against being too dogmatic, lessons in the Hedgehog (a long-time Suba speciality) and plenty of sensational games showing the author's theories in action.

Despite the age of the bulk of the work, I didn't see signs of the material being dated. Suba's witty writing style is just as entertaining now as it was back in 1991.

Here are two entertaining and impressive sacrifices to be going on with.

Miles - Suba

Olympiad 1984

20 ...Nxf2! 21 Kxf2 Ne5! 0-1 (27)

Ward - Suba

British Championship 1990

19 ...Bh3!!

You will have to buy the book to discover the stories behind these sacrifices, but it should be on your shopping list anyway.

Well done New in Chess for rejuvenating this classic work. Message to Grandmaster Suba: write more books!

For further details regarding New in Chess books, please visit their website.

Further Reading

My reviews of the recent concerts by The Banoffee Pie Tour Collective and Mary Chapin Carpenter are both included in the latest issue of Maverick magazine ('January 2011').

Mary Chapin Carpenter

There's a change this month; Maverick is now only available in digital form and cannot be found in the shops. For ordering details pop along to the Maverick website.

Bridie Jackson

Key component of the Banoffee Pie Tour Collective

The concluding part of my interview with Bridie will appear here on Saturday.

New Interview

My interview with Grandmaster Luke McShane is included in the latest issue of CHESS Magazine ('December 2010').

GM Luke McShane, snapped just after our interview

Pop along to the LCC site for ordering details.

Luke will be in action at the 2nd London Chess Classic which starts this week.

Further Reading

The 2nd London Chess Classic is all set to start. I have posted a little bit about it over at the Mongoose Times blog.

Chess Reviews: 164

Mastering Chess Strategy
By GM Johan Hellsten
496 pages

Everyman Chess

GM Hellsten neatly sums up the history and objectives of his book:

'This book has its origin in my classes as a chess trainer in Chile and Ecuador. The objective of the book is purely practical: to help the reader to improve his skills within chess strategy. It does not pretend to fulfil any scientific, historic or artistic functions.'

In a nutshell, 'This book touches a wide range of subjects related to middlegame strategy'.

There's some interesting material on the art of studying, such as this pertinent observation:

'Naturally, any new chess knowledge has to be integrated in our mind with such depth that we are able to swiftly apply it in practice, even if a long time has passed since the learning moment. School kids often memorize a lot of facts before an exam, and forget most of it within a few weeks. (I, for one, would not like to repeat today my French or Maths exams from 1990.)'

The material is presented in the following sections:

Basics Concepts of Strategy
Improving the Pieces
Exchanges
Pawn Play
Prophylaxis
Miscellaneous
Exercises

Readers have the chance to study bite-sized chunks of strategic wisdom in the first parts of the book, before using testing their knowledge on the exercises.

The positions are very well chosen. I think it must be a tougher task to select game snippets to demonstrate strategic ideas rather than little tactics or checkmates and the author has done a very good job.

Here's a simple example which gives a clear demonstration on how to improve the prospects of a particular piece.

V. Chuchelov - Kir. Georgiev
Manz 2002

The position looks very pleasant for White, but Black took direct steps to improve the harmony of his position with 21 ...g6 22 ...Ng7 and 23 ...Nf5 and very quickly stood better.

There's an abundance of eye catching examples. I like this one, showing GM Polugaevsky fully appreciated that what is left on the board after an exchange is the important thing to keep in mind.

L. Polugaevsky - C. Partos
Biel Interzonal 1985

20 Ba6! exchanging what is, on the surface, a good Bishop for a bad one. The point is that the removal of Black's Bishop loosens his control of the c-file, which Polugaevsky was quick to utilise on his way to victory.

In all, there 240 examples followed by 382 exercises. That's a lot of instructive material; it's a big book and ideal for dipping in and out of. It's the pick of the bunch featured in this review article.

Attacking Chess:

The King's Indian
Volume 1
By IM David Vigorito
368 pages
Everyman Chess

This book marks the start of a brand new series from Everyman Chess.

'Attacking Chess is a brand new series which focuses on traditional attacking openings, as well as creative and aggressive ways to play openings that are not always associated with attacking chess. It provides hard-hitting repertoires and opening weapons designed for players of all levels.'

The King's Indian had become more popular at the highest levels over the last few years, thanks partly to the games of GM Radjabov - the new hero of the KID.

The first two parts cover The Classical Variation 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 e5 and the third part analyses The Saemisch Variation, against which Black is given the line 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 Nc6 7 Nge2 a6 8 Qd2 Rb8 to play.


Coverage of some lines is slighter than expected. For example, 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Bg5 is skimmed over in brisk fashion.

The main lines are given considerable coverage. Indeed, this is a variation-heavy book and as such it reminds me a lot of the Nunn/Burgess times on the Classical King's Indian published by Batsford in the mid-1990s. I would have preferred more prose explanations; this book will appeal to more advanced KID fans and not necessarily to club players looking to learn about the defence for the first time.

Volume 2 is due in 2011 and will cover all lines other than those considered here.

Play The Dutch
By GM Neil McDonald
176 pages
Everyman Chess

Essentially, this book aims to provide:

'...an opening repertoire for Black based on the Leningrad Variation'.

The selection of the Leningrad as the backbone of the repertoire means, of course, that Black will have to play 1 d4 f5 rather than 1 d4 e6 and only then 2 ...f5. Black is obliged to spend some time looking at all of the gambit lines at White's disposal.

The chapter titles give an excellent indication of what to expect:

Introduction
Some Strategical and Tactical Themes in the Dutch
Gambit Lines and Early Oddities
White Plays 2 Nc3
White Plays 2 Bg5
White Avoids an early g2-g3 against a Leningrad Set-up
Sidelines in the Leningrad Variation
The Main Line Leningrad: 7 Nc3 c6
The Main Line Leningrad: 7 Nc3 c6
The Dutch versus 1 Nf3 and 1 c4

There are some moment so finterest in the coverage of the unusual lines. Against 2 Nc3, GM McDonald used to prefer 1 d4 f5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bg5 d5, allowing 4 Bxf6 but now now recommends 1 d4 f5 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 a6

Too many pawn moves? Maybe...but Black prevents all ideas of Nb5 followed by c2-c4.

There are two main line options for Black.

1 d4 f5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 0-0 0-0 6 c4 d6 7 Nc3 and now both 7 ...c6 and 7 ...Nc6 8 d5 Na5 are covered.

There are some oddities. From the position above, one line starts with 9 Qa4, which the author claims is 'A modern idea' , but I'm not sure what he means by that, as Keres beat Korchnoi back in 1952 in a very well known game.

This is an curious thing to say too:

'If you decide to play the Dutch against everything, you will face the English quite often.'

In fact, you will face the English just as often if you don't play the Dutch at all.

The Introduction was written in September 2008, suggesting a long gestation period prior to publication. Unfortunately, this seems to date the book a little bit, albeit subliminally.

Neil McDonald writes well for club players and I'd suggest this book would suit that level best of all. The analysis is light and advanced players will want more meat on the bones. I didn't feel particularly inspired by this book, which I don't think is one of GM McDonald's best.

Checkmate Tactics
By GM Garry Kasparov
96 pages
Everyman Chess

Strongly emphasising the importance of pattern recognition, this tactical primer is primarily aimed at juniors but inexperienced club players will also have fun learning about the various checkmating attacks.

The material is presented in the following sections:

Introduction
Basic Tactical Ideas
Further Tactical Ideas
The f7-square
The Back Rank
Checkmating Attacks
Danger in the Opening
Puzzles

It's a colourful book and the material is presented attractively. The puzzles and exercises do tend to jump in at the deep end (the first three example feature Queen sacrifices for forced checkmates) so when it comes to juniors, this book may be best off in the hands of their coaches.

The are 58 puzzles to solve, including this one.

Grigoriev - Nadisewa USSR 1975

Black to play

Have a go, dear readers!

For further details regarding Everyman Chess books, please click here.

Further Reading

My latest report on our Chess in Schools and Communities activities can be found here:

November Update