Given how informative Gligoric’s I PLAY AGAINST PIECES book is regarding opening theory, it's strange that he also authored Batsford's recent book KING’S INDIAN DEFENCE: MAR DEL PLATA VARIATION. I can only say that, having worked with players rather extensively on this line, I can’t recommend the book to opening fans. There seems to be only a half-hearted attempt to put work into the analytical section (it’s mostly a listing of games) or even to keep up with lines that don’t interest the author. I strongly suspect that this analytical part was put together primarily by someone other than Gligoric with his help, although of course I have no evidence for that. The lack of theoretical accuracy is a major problem in a book about a theory-laden variation that only begins on move 13 or so!

KING’S INDIAN DEFENCE: MAR DEL PLATA VARIATION (or at least the historically-oriented part of the book with the annotated games – it's not clear) is based upon a long lecture that Gligoric gave in 1999. The lecture section concerns the development of the variation in top-level chess and is the best part of the book. He claims and insists several times that he is the sole inventor of the “Mar del Plata Variation,” which is essentially a plan in the main line of the Classical King’s Indian rather than a specific innovation. I must say that this plan is rather obvious and would have been found in short order anyway. KING’S INDIAN DEFENCE: MAR DEL PLATA VARIATION might be a good introduction to the variation for those who prefer books to databases and have a strong theoretical bent. One can always absorb the ideas and relevant theory and then update the information later. Fairly new King’s Indian players could use it to delve into the opening’s structures and themes, although they could do the same with many other works. Otherwise it’s not clear to what audience this book is addressed and I can’t recommend it.

For Silman’s review of this same book, click HERE.