| Book Reviews January 2003 by IM John Donaldson Israeli GM Valeri Beim, formerly of Odessa, is making a good name for himself as an author. His first book, Recipes from a Grandmaster's Kitchen, was an original guide for self-improvement that received excellent reviews. His new book, Understanding the Leningrad Dutch (Gambit Publishing: www.gambitbooks.com, 2002, 192 pages, figurine algebraic, $21.95), is another insightful work that should further enhance his reputation. Devoted to one of Black's sharpest answers to 1.d4, Understanding the Leningrad Dutch, is a personal look at this strategically rich opening. Those who play the mainlines with ...Nc6 (1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 Nc6) will be disappointed as this book doesn't cover them. What it does deal with is 7...Qe8 and the less dynamic but quite solid 7...c6. Beim has extensive practical experience with both these variations and it shows. Though this book is written from Black's point of view Beim is objective and gives full coverage to alternatives to the main lines, particularly systems based on b4 and b3. Those who play the Dutch, but not the Leningrad, may still want to get this book due to the excellent treatment that anti-Dutch lines like 2.Nc3, 2.Bg5 and the Staunton Gambit get. In all Beim gives 60 pages to lines where White doesn't play g3. I had always thought that the Staunton Gambit had long been refuted, but the material Beim presents shows that Black's task is not as easy as has been thought previously. An interesting introduction and 35 exercises to solve round out a first rate effort. If you play the Leningrad you will want to get this book. |
| It is well-known that books on openings are far and away the most popular subject for chess book publishers. But what is number two? If I had to guess the next category I would say "improvement books" Under this rubric I would put books on tactics or "puzzle books" as they are often called. In the old days students only had the Fred Reinfeld standards, but in the last few years there has been a veritable flood of books aimed at improving the reader's tactics. One of the latest is Batsford Chess Puzzles (Batsford: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 64 Brewery Road, London, N7 9NT, 2002, 176 pages, paperback, figurine algebraic, 14.99 English Pounds) by Leonard Barden. The author's name might be unfamiliar to younger readers but veterans will remember Barden as one of the top English players of the early 1950s and as the long time columnist for the (Manchester) Guardian. The 300 positions from Batsford Chess Puzzles are taken from over 200,000 of Barden's and other British chess columns. In most cases this means they are not likely to be familiar to the student. It also mean they are an eclectic collection running the gamut from game positions, to endgame studies, to chess problems. Barden does a nice job of enlivening the book by prefacing each puzzle with an anecdote. The solutions are to the point, with no accompanying prose. Batsford Chess Puzzles should prove useful for players from 1600 to 2400. |