| How to Build You Chess Opening Repertoire (Gambit 2003, www.gambitbooks.com, paperback, 144 pages, figurine algebraic, $19.95) by FM Steve Giddins is not a book for those looking for specific information on a particular line. Rather it is a guide on how to study openings and build up a proper repertoire. The author relates how he reached master strength with an unsystematic study program and found himself unable to progress further with a repertoire of junk openings. Unclear on how to address his problems, Giddins was saved when business called him to Moscow and he started working in his spare time with Russian IM Igor Belov. The latter, raised in a no-nonsense chess environment, immediately set him straight with solid advice, which forms the basis for this book. Some of the material presented in How to Build You Chess Opening Repertoire has been covered before in works by Nunn, Tisdall, Sadler and Dvoretsky. Clearly it would have been pretty hard for Giddins to have started out from scratch. That said this book is very well written and quite entertaining. Giddins writes about an incident in which he discarded his normal repertoire to sidestep a well-prepared opponent and predictably got a bad position from his "surprise"opening. We can hear the sarcasm in Belov's voice when going over the game with his pupil afterward; It is easier to win from an equal position that you have played before, than from a bad one you know nothing about! Today, when opening theory is growing by leaps and bounds the thought of picking up a new opening can be daunting. If you have always played the Caro-Kann trying to take up a Sicilian line can be a bit overwhelming. Giddins (Belov) offers sound counsel. Rather than try to learn an entirely new opening why not look for variety within your opening complex. Are you a 5...exf6 Caro player who wants to mix it up on occasion? Then why not add 5...gxf6? The material you need to combat the Panov-Botvinnik, Advance and Two Knights variation are already in your pocket. Play the Sveshnikov and want something to go along with it? The Four Knight's Sicilian might just fit the bill. Who is this book for? Giddins points out quite correctly that those below 1600 should not focus on openings but instead direct their attention at mastering basic skills. Players from 1600 up to 2400 will learn things from this book, but those in the range 2000-2400 will derive the greatest benefit. Recommended Play the Classical Dutch (Gambit 2003, www.gambitbooks.com, paperback, 128 pages, figurine algebraic, $18.95) by Simon Williams. When it rains it pours. IM Robert Bellin's ground breaking debut on the Classical Dutch came out 25 years ago (with an update in 1990) and until recently it was still the most topical book on this opening. Now two books have just appeared within the space of a few months. Play the Classical Dutch (Gambit 2003, www.gambitbooks.com, paperback, 128 pages, figurine algebraic, $18.95) by IM Simon Williams follows on the heels of The CLASSICAL DUTCH by Polish IM Jan Pinski. Both books deal primarily with the line 1.d4 f5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 d6, also known as the Iljin-Zhenevsky system. In the past the main line was always 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.Re1 Qg6 9.e4, but both Williams and Pinski considers this to be clearly better for White. They both agree that Black is fine after 7…a5 and 7…Ne4. The difference is that Williams feels the latter is clearly Black's best move, going so far as to give it an exclamation mark. There is not a lot of material on the position after 7...Ne4, and what is available is often not of high quality. The result is that Williams has written something quite unusual today in Chapter 3 - few game citations and lots of original analysis, which looks to be of a high standard. Williams does not confine himself to the Iljin-Zhenevsky system, but also takes a detailed look at an old Alekhine favorite, 6...Ne4 as well as systems with ...Bb4+. The book is rounded out by a look at White non-fianchetto systems, anti-Dutch systems without c4 and the Dutch versus 1.c4, 1.Nf3, etc. Reading this book one can see that there is sufficient variety inside the Dutch to have it one's primary weapon versus 1.d4 throughout their career. Recommended New in Chess Yearbook 66 (NIC 2003, www.newinchess.com - in the US the agent is Chess Combination Inc., POB 2423 Noble Station, Bridgeport CT 06608-0423FAX 203-301-0792 Messages 1-800-354-4083 email [email protected] , paperback, 235 pages, figurine algebraic, $23.95) edited by Genna Sosonko and Paul van der Sterren is the 66th edition of the famous Dutch series which started in 1984. The core is 36 opening surveys covering variations of the Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Petroff, Ruy Lopez, Two Knights, King�s Gambit, Chigorin, Queen�s Gambit Declined, Slav, Catalan, Nimzo-Indian, Queen�s Indian, Gruenfeld, King�s Indian, Benoni, Volga Gambit and the Richter-Veresov Attack. These are, as usual, done on a high level, but equally interesting to my mind are some of the more recent regular features. These include the NIC Forum where readers (both Grandmasters/International Masters and amateurs) from around the world join in discussions of previous surveys and throw out new ideas. In YB 66 the Cuban IM Vilela continues his debate on the playability of Reti's 9...Nd5 in the Botvinnik variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 Nd5 and the new move 11...Qe7 is proposed in the venerable Four Knights Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Ndb5 Bb4 7.Bf4 Nxe4 8. Nc7+ Kf8 9.Qf3 d5 10.0-0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3). Other interesting feature are Sosonko's Corner where the highly regarded sage shares his chessic wisdom and the indepth book reviews by English GM Glenn Flear. Dutch addicionados will appreciate his perceptive comments on two first rate books on this difficult opening by GMs Beim and Kindermann (Valeri Beim: Understanding the Leningrad Dutch, Gambit 2002 - Stefan Kindermann: Leningrader System, Chessgate 2002). |