| Everymanchess (www.everymanchess.com) has two new books that have just come out in their Starting Out series. The first is on a variation in the Sicilian that doesn't have that many books on it, in fact one of the best books on it was written by the same author almost thirty years ago! Starting out: Sicilian Scheveningen ( 2006, 192 pages. figurine algebraic, paperback, $23.95) by the Scottish IM Craig Pritchett covers the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6. This very topical line, that after 6.Be2 can often transpose from Najdorf or Taimanov move-orders, could easily take up 500 pages so Pritchett wisely limits himself to examining what he feels are the best and most relevant lines for Black. This translates to 6...h6 versus the Keres Attack and lines with ...Bd7 and without it against 6.Be2, but no lines with ...Nbd7 or systems with ...e5. The English Attack, something that didn't exist when Pritchett did his first book on the Scheveningen, gets almost twenty pages. The positional 6.g3, which is not so popular these days, gets only a few pages. Starting out: Sicilian Scheveningen , which is very much written from Black's point of view, uses 46 well-annotated games to teach this flexible and time honored system. The repertoire that Pritchett proposes is not one that will collapse as a result of one or two strong novelties. Players from 1800-2200 can use it as a stand alone guide, those 2200 on up as a very useful starting point. Highly Recommended Starting out: Queen's Gambit Accepted ( 2006, by GM Alexander Raetsky and IM Maxim Chetverik ( 2006, 172 pages. figurine algebraic, paperback, $23.95) covers an opening that was dealt with extensively by IM James Rizzitano in a book for Gambit Publications. While that book had a very definite repertoire this latest book on the QGA covers pretty much everything. 51 illustrative games. There is plenty of explanatory prose and the theoretical and theoretical status boxes at the end of each chapter make for a quick and helpful way to orient oneself. I found the section on Rublevsky's favorite move order (1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 e6) to be particularly insightful. The authors explain that Black is trying to avoid the Furman line ( 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.Qe2 by 3...e6 4.e3 c5 5.Bxc4 a6!? 6.0-0 Nf6. They characterize 3...e6 as a tricky move-order. No less than Kasparov has given it his recommendation. Recommended |