| New Releases from England - Book Reviews by IM John Donaldson The three leading chess book publishers in the world: Batsford (www.batsford.com), Everyman (www.everymanchess.com) and Gambit (www.gambitbooks.com) all have new releases out this summer which run the gamut from highly specialized opening books to works for beginners. One book that is sure to find a wide audience among active tournament players is GM Dorian Rogozenko�s Anti-Sicilians: A Guide for Black (Gambit, 2003, 192 pages, paperback, figurine algebraic, $22.95). This excellent first effort by the Moldovan GM, builds on an earlier pioneering work by GM Joseph Gallagher in covering all non-main line (d4) systems by White in the Sicilian. This means not only answers to the popular Rossolimo and Alapin (2.c3) variations but also sidelines like 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 and 2.g3. Rogozenko is very thorough and his love of theory shines through. The coverage in this book is extensive enough that GMs and IMs could use it with profit. Rogozenko goes his own way. Where else would you see a GM announce in print that White has enough for the pawn in the Smith Morra Gambit accepted? Readers might initially think that Rogozenko was just being practical, that by declining the Smith Morra with ...Nf6 Black was killing two birds with one stone (using ...Nf6 versus both the Smith Morra and the Alapin), but that is not the case. Rogozenko is a perfectionist that believes in playing the best move in the position even if it means learning more lines than are absolutely necessary. For example, he proposes after 1.e4 c5 2.d3 to play a setup based on ...g6, ...d6, and ...e5, while after 2.g3 he recommends 2...d5 while acknowledging that Black would very likely transpose into 2.d3 lines with ...g6, ...d6, and ...e5. Rogozenko writes after 2...d5: "This is the most principled move, by which Black seeks to exploit White�s temporary vulnerability on the long diagonal. I consider such an approach (to exploit the drawbacks of the opponents moves) to be an excellent general policy. One should know the possibilities that exist in a certain position and have the pleasure of choosing for more options. The reader may instead simply prefer to deal with 2.g3 by means of the same plan as in Line D, and this would be an understandable practical decision (reducing two variations to one. However, it is wiser first to acquaint yourself with the present line and only then to make up your mind. As explained in the introduction of Chapter 4, the easiest way is not always the best one. For me it would be easier to say that in the diagram position Black should play 2...g6 or 2...Nc6 and reach the same positions as in the previous line. However, that means ignoring the strongest move in the diagram position, which is based on strategic principles (such as developing pieces in the most active and quick way). By learning the best moves in a certain position, the reader will improve his general positional understanding of chess, and this reason alone is enough to justify having a look at good alternatives when learning an opening variation." Another example of Rogozenko�s desire to extract the maximum is his advocacy of 3...g6 against the Rossolimo. He could have proposed 3...e6, which would have fit in better transpositionally - for example: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Bb5. Another variation where Rogozenko offers multiple variations is against the Alapin System where he proposes both the main lines after 2...Nf6 and also variations based on early ...Nf6 and ...e6. His coverage is excellent but the reader may not grasp so easily that he can actually employ the latter line against almost all White�s tries after 2.c3. Anti-Sicilians: A Guide for Black is a first rate book which should find a wide audience among players of Master level and beyond. Ambitious readers below that level will also be able to get a lot out of this work. Secrets of Positional Chess (Gambit, 2003, 224 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $23.95) is the third in a series of books on the middlegame by the respected Croatian GM Drazen Marovic. This present volume, which like his earlier efforts is organized along the lines of the books by the late GM Pachmann, is a solid effort. The book is divided into two parts. The first is devoted to a discussion of weak and strong squares, outposts, and static weaknesses. The second to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual pieces. Readers below 2400 will find this a helpful book. Batsford, which was the preeminent name among chess book publishers in the 1970-80s, is once again returning to the forefront after a period of troubles. Three new efforts, devoted towards club players, are Starting Chess (Batsford, 2003, 175 pages, algebraic, paperback, $16.95) and Simple Chess Tactics and Checkmates (Batsford, 2003, 160 pages, algebraic, paperback, $16.95), both by A.J. Gillam, and Mastering Checkmates (Batsford, 2003, 160 pages, algebraic, paperback, $19.95) by Neil McDonald. The first book by Gillam, which is a revised and enlarged edition of the book of the same name published in 1977, is aimed at the absolute beginner. It starts with an explanation of the rules of the game and then moves on systematically to cover more advanced material introducing basic themes like pins, forks, discovered checks, etc. Mr. Gillam�s second work continues along the lines of his first book methodically leading the reader step-by-step through more advanced material. By the time the student has mastered the material in these two books, they should have reached the playing strength of approximately 1000. Both books would be excellent to use when working with children. Mastering Checkmates by Neil McDonald is aimed at a considerably more advanced level than the two previous books. It reminds one of an updated version of Renaud and Kahn�s The Art of Checkmate. GM McDonald covers the basic checkmate patterns presenting new modern examples, which are likely to be unfamiliar to the reader. This book can be read with advantage by players from 1600-2000. Everyman has two new important opening books. The first, the �a6 slav (Everyman, 2003, 176 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $19.95) by GM Glenn Flear, is devoted to a variation of the Slav that has existed for less than twenty years and which has really only become popular in the last five. Just how popular it has become can be measured by the fact that such strong players as Kasparov, Morozevich, and Bareev use it frequently. This is the first book devoted to the so called (Chebanenko) or Moldovan Variation and Flear does an excellent job. The 176 pages are packed with coverage on all White�s tries including 5.e3, 5.c5, 5.a4, 5.Bg5, 5.Ne5, and 5.Qb3. There is also a chapter to the Exchange Variation with ...a6. Lines where White dose not develop his Knight on f3 (or c3) are covered as well. Flear also examines the ...a6 treatment against Reti move orders where White avoids or delays d4. This is an excellent pioneering work by GM Flear. The Nimzo-Indian Kasparov variation (Everyman, 2003, 160 pages, figurine algebraic, paperback, $19.95) by GM Chris Ward is the first specialized look at the anti-Nimzo System 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3. This line, which sometimes straddles the boarder between the Nimzo and Queen�s Indian, is usually given somewhat cursory treatment on books devoted to the Nimzo-Indian. Ward, through the use of 68 model games with heavy annotations, seeks to address this gap in the chess literature and does an excellent job covering the main lines that can arise from both 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 and 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6. The reader should know that the latter is the preferred move order in this book and the Queen�s Indian lines where Black meets Bg5 with ...Be7 or ...h6 and g5 are not covered. Those wishing to reach the Kasparov variation via Queen�s Indian move order will not find material on 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5 Be7 or 5...h6. That one caveat aside, the reader will find a wealth of material here. The sharp lines with 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 receive extensive treatment. There is a whole chapter devoted to the modern 5...Bb7 6.Nd2. Yasser Seirawan�s favorite 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Qb3 gets its own chapter. The second half of the book is devoted to the lines arising after 4...c5 5.g3. If you are looking for a system against the Nimzo-Indian, or play it as Black, you will want to get Ward�s book. |