Chess Explained the Queen's Indian

CHESS EXPLAINED: THE QUEEN'S INDIAN
Author: Peter Wells
Gambit (2006)
127 pages
$18.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

The second volume in Gambit's new CHESS EXPLAINED opening series is GM Peter Wells' THE QUEEN'S INDIAN EXPLAINED. Like the first volume in this series by GM Yermolinsky on the Classical Sicilian, the present book is aimed at the aspiring player who lacks a coach and needs a guide to explain what is important in the opening, what the reliable variations are and what typical middlegame plans crop up time and time again. Wells does all this and more in a book that is a pleasure to read for players 1800 on up to Grandmaster.

THE QUEEN'S INDIAN EXPLAINED features 25 recent games (mostly 2002-2006) that are thoroughly annotated with a nice combination of prose, explanation, and concrete variations as needed. Each chapter features an overview at the beginning and a summary at the end. Despite having only 127 pages, Wells manages to do a fine job of covering all that is important. He accomplishes this by treating less popular lines concisely. The old main line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3 gets only one game, and 4...Bb7 in entirety four while the modern and dynamic merits of 4...Ba6 gets twice as many. That seems a pretty fair division considering modern tournament play.

Wells continues this emphasis on dynamic lines in his treatment of the Queen's Indian/Nimzo Hybrid where he gives primary coverage to1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4, including the trendy 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.Nd2!?. Black defenders are given the no frills essentials to sidelines like 4.e3 and 4.Bf4.

This book is not an encyclopedia on the Queen's Indian nor is it for those who wish to face it as White, but it is a tremendously useful guide for those who wish to play this opening as Black. Wells makes a convincing case that the Queen's Indian is not the boring and drawish opening that it is sometimes made out to be.

Strongly Recommended

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