| Recent Books by Gambit Publishing reviewed by IM John Donaldson This is truly the Golden Age of chess book publishing. Fifty years ago a serious book might appear every five years. Today you might only have to wait two months. It�s really incredible the number of outstanding books that are coming out. ChessBase and Fritz certainly help make the author�s job easier, but the fact remains that a lot of midnight oil is getting burned. Witness the recent efforts by GMs Igor Stohl, John Nunn and Jonathan Rowson. All three books are published by Gambit Publications, an English firm that has only been around since 1997, but is setting the standard for chess publishing in the new century. All three of these books are so good that I can recommend, without reservation, that you go out and buy them right now. They are easily worth the money, the question is, will you find the time to do these books justice? If you have a chance to be hired to work in Antarctica for a season, or to work as a fire watch in a distant tower deep in some forest, grab it and, of course, take along a copy of one of these books! Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces by Igor Stohl (Gambit 2001, 320 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $24.95) is clearly a labor of love. One could safely guess that the Slovak GM has dedicated one year of his life to this book. Stohl could have probably made more money flipping burgers at McDonalds, but he has instead chosen to give us an outstanding work. This collection of fifty great games from 1993-2000 is a feast of good chess. Stohl tells us in the introduction that he first started writing �a game of the month� column in the magazine Ceskoslovensky Sach in 1994. This column, in which Stohl would dissect a high level encounter each month, served as the foundation for this book. Think of it as a foundation for a three story house because that column was only the beginning. Later, he reworked the annotations, utilizing material by the players and other annotators. Stohl quotes Dutch GM Jan Timman �Analyzing and annotating games is a continuous process. You are rarely finished with a game. In the course of time, new ideas may crop up or analogous situations may further deepen your insights. � Stohl has taken these words to heart. The fifty games in this book are heavily annotated, typically averaging six pages each. Stohl has chosen very tactical games rich in content. The central thesis of his book is the emphasis on dynamic play in modern chess, that more and more top players are breaking the �so called� traditional rules of chess to create winning chances. On a practical note, one has to wonder whether any reader will actually make it through the entire book. Some of the analysis is really involved. Of course, if you are a world class GM, you could try to read the book blindfold and there are plenty of diagrams if you need a little peek now and then. Another possibility would be to play over the games using two chess sets, one for the game itself and another for the variations. Stohl gives the following advise, which I think is the most sensible, �A combination of a suitable chess database and a playing program is, together with a chess board, almost the most suitable way to study this book.� I remember when I was first starting out to play in 1972, my friend, future IM Eric Tangborn, told me about a book called Logical Chess, Move by Move. The author�s name was Irving Chernev and the book came highly recommended by the great chess barnstormer, Jude Acers. Jude had paid a visit to Eric�s school in Tacoma, Washington, and had praised the book. Eric and I could quickly see why. Unlike a lot of other books that we had come across, Logical Chess, Move by Move, actually used a lot of words to explain what was happening. In fact, as the title implies, it gives a note after every single move. Chernev�s book first appeared in 1957 and continues to sell well today. John Nunn was responsible for the first algebraic edition of this book which surprisingly didn�t appear until the late 1990s. GM Nunn wanted to correct all the analytical errors when he typeset the new edition, but was overruled. Gambit Publishing had yet to be founded! Clearly, Nunn liked Chernev�s idea of producing a book with lots of instructive prose explanation, but felt that it could be done even better. He was right! Understanding Chess, Move by Move (Gambit 2001, 240 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $19.95) by John Nunn is a first rate instructional work. Adapting Chernev�s format, Nunn has annotated thirty games with a note after each move. Reflecting the considerable changes that have taken place in the forty plus years since Chernev�s work first appeared, Understanding Chess, Move by Move has considerably more concrete variations. The games are also much richer in tactical content reflecting the modern emphasis on dynamic play. Nunn does a very good job of explaining the key points of the game in such a way that the reader is given a true account of what is happening and not some watered down version. Reading Chernev�s book, one often gets the impression that chess can often be a pretty simple game. In the past, when a strong Grandmaster played a weaker Master, this might have been the case. The weaker player didn�t see the danger coming until it was much too late. Today, of course, there are many more strong players than ever before and when one of them gets into trouble, he doesn�t sit back and get slowly strangled but rather tries to complicate things. Nunn does a good job of translating the muddy world of modern master chess into something that is understandable to the layman. Stohl and Nunn both provide the reader with very useful summaries and conclusions at the end of each game. Both books are beautifully produced, oversized (almost 10 x 7 inches) paperbacks that are a pleasure to read. Which one should you get? I would recommend both, but if you have to choose, I would go with Nunn�s book for players 1800-2200 and Stohl�s for players of master strength and above. Both books represent excellent value for the money. A third Gambit book, which appeared late last year, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins by the Scottish Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson (Gambit 2000, 208 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $24.95) is a very original work. Rowson arranges his book around seven chapters entitled Thinking, Blinking, Wanting, Materialism, Egoism, Perfectionism, and Looseness. This is not a book for everyone. Rowson mixes a lot of solid practical chess advise with metaphysical musings (for want of a better term) that some readers may not find useful. Personally, I found this book to be very helpful and thought provoking and would recommend it to players 2200 on up. |