KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1999-2005
Authors: Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin
336 pages
$21.95
Batsford Chess (2006)

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

Recently we've seen two major works devoted to Kasparov's games. The first to appear were Stohl's two volume hardcover set titled, GARRY KASPAROV'S GREATEST CHESS GAMES. Donaldson raves about Stohl's work in his reviews of KASPAROV'S GREATEST CHESS GAMES, VOLUME 1 and KASPAROV'S GREATEST CHESS GAMES, VOLUME 2. These are indeed excellent books, but the price tag ($35.00) will a bit much for some players.

This short review is about the other set of books, written by the famous Hungarian chess trainer Tibor Karolyi (with Nick Aplin). I don't have the first volume (covering the years 1993-1998), so I'll only write about the second: KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1999-2005. This paperback is a hefty 336 pages and is crammed with extremely dense analysis covering 77 games.

Each year (from 1999 to 2005) is summed up with (often colorful) prose telling us what Kasparov did and didn't do in each tournament, and sharing his trials and tribulations every step of the way. The games for that year follow, which also feature lots of verbal discussion and explanation on top of the very thorough analysis.

I personally found the seamless integration of copious prose and analysis to be very effective and very entertaining. In fact, it offers something for everyone if you just want to read about Kasparov and follow his adventures from tournament to tournament, KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1999-2005 will keep a smile on your face for many happy hours. If you want to indulge in a deep study of a chess god's games, it's hard to imagine a more detailed analysis.

KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1999-2005 is a tremendous deal at $21.95 and will prove to be a welcome addition to any serious chess library. If you have the means, then pick up both the Stohl duo and the Karolyi duo. But if that seems like overkill, grab Karolyi's KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS. You'll be glad you did.

Click to buy (or get more information about) KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1993-1998

Click to buy (or get more information about) KASPAROV'S FIGHTING CHESS 1999-2005

Click to buy (or get more information about) GARRY KASPAROV'S GREATEST CHESS GAMES, VOLUME 1 (Author: Stohl. Price: $35.00)