I've been a big fan of the Torre Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5) for a long, long time. Its potential sting, easy to learn setup, and clear ideas make it ideal for players ranging from 1400 to 2200, while even IMs and GMs can (and do) toss it out on occasion.

One problem with the Torre was the lack of a really good book that would divulge all its theoretical secrets. One of the first tries to catalogue the Torre's features was Bellin's Trompowski Opening and Torre Attack (1983). Good for its time, both systems were covered within 90 pages and, as a result, lacked the depth that a serious player would expect today.

In 1991 Varnusz came out with Play Anti-Indian Systems (213 pages), by far the best book on the Torre market at that time. However, for some unknown reason, I was never very happy with it; the poor thing just lingered on my shelf and collected dust.

In 1993 two books appeared that attempted to further define the theory of the venerable Torre: Gufeld and Stetsko's Winning With The Torre Attack (192 pages) and Tangborn's The Complete Torre Attack (106 pages). Though both books offered up lots of variations (the Gufeld book was superior to Tangborn's low budget effort), neither appeared very instructive (leaving the poor low rated player in the dark) and both left certain theoretical questions unanswered.

Personally, the book I recommended to students who loved the Torre may appear a bit surprising: A collection of articles (published in 1991) written by World Champion Tigran Petrosian titled Petrosian's Legacy. Turning to the chapter on page 24 ("An Opening For One's Taste Or Why I Like To Play Bg5"), we get 8 pages of Torre discussion that allows the reader to get a real feel for the key main line position of this opening.

Nevertheless, I still hadn't found anything that I'd consider to be the ultimate Torre guide. Then, out of the blue, Burgess's book arrived. Though I sometimes question Burgess's ability to properly assess some positions, he's proven many times over that he is world class when it comes to offering up all pertinent theoretical information in a logical and digestible format. This book is no exception, and (finally!) all key lines of the Torre Attack are examined in fairly exhaustive detail.

This is great for titled players, who want all that information at their fingertips. But what about amateurs? Have they been forgotten? No, Burgess makes a real effort to address them in Chapter One ("Strategic Introduction"), which offers up 25 pages of games, discussion, and repertoire advice. Unfortunately, effort in a mission is one thing and complete success is another. I feel that the Torre Attack is one of the those openings conducive to clear plans and rules, and this wasn't presented as well as it could have been (so the poor class "C" and "B" players might find themselves a bit confused at times).

Okay, so Graham didn't offer up perfection here. He did give us lots of key games filled with instructive comments and notes, a nice historical perspective of the Torre, and the best analysis (by far) of this opening that you will find.

This is now THE book on the Torre, and a must buy if you play either side of this interesting opening. Congratulations to the prolific Burgess for churning out yet another excellent product.

Click to see Bauer's review of this book.

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