As you know, jeremysilman.com is a 100% free service. Our new shop will, hopefully, allow us to pay for new writers and articles, which will make your time here even better and more productive. So, if you intend to buy chess books or chess equipment, please shop here and support the site. I want to go to the JEREMYSILMAN.COM CHESS SHOP I want to make use of MR. SILMAN'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS and DIRECT LINKS. I would like to ask Mr. Silman about what books might be right for me.
UPDATES FOR JULY
From this point on, material will be posted throughout each month at random times
INSTRUCTION & OTHER
(March. 1, 2010) Postal Master Manuel Gerardo Monasterio shows why the Accelerated Dragon is still alive and well ... MORE (Nov. 4, 09) Postal Master Manuel Gerardo Monasterio talks about the OBNOXIOUS TORRE ATTACK, PART THREE ... MORE
(July. 4, 09) Postal Master Manuel Gerardo Monasterio talks about the OBNOXIOUS TORRE ATTACK, PART TWO ... MORE (Jan. 7, 09) GM Yasser Seirawan answers a reader's question about an experimental line in the CARO-KANN ... MORE (Jan. 7, 09) Postal Master Manuel Gerardo Monasterio talks about the OBNOXIOUS TORRE ATTACK ... MORE (Feb. 9, 08) IM Silman talks about DYING WITH YOUR BOOTS ON:
His brother (who was also playing at the event) rushed to his side and Cecil whispered something into his ear. Then he died. His final words? One might imagine something like, "Tell my wife I love her." Or "The gold is hidden under the bedroom floorboard." But no, this is a chess player and so his last thoughts were about chess. His dying message to his brother: "I have a win, but it will take time!" ... MORE (Feb. 5, 08) IM Silman tells the tale of THE MASKED GRANDMASTER:
Of course, Mills won the brilliancy prize, and none of us could do anything but applaud him. Truly a fantastic creative effort and, perhaps, the greatest game by a non-master of all time... MORE (November 12) Grandmaster van der Weide gives us Part 15 of THE PAIN AND ANGUISH OF OPENING THEORY ... MORE (October 07) Larry Tamarkin gives us Part Four of his entertaining series, MEMOIRS OF A CHESS FISH ... MORE (September 07) IM Silman presents ENDGAME OF THE MONTH 4 ... MORE
BOOK REVIEWS
WANT TO WRITE A GUEST REVIEW? Anyone that has a strong need to praise or lambast a chess book should send their review to jeremysilman.com for consideration.
(July 4, 2010) IM Silman reviews
CHESS DUELS: Clearly, this isn’t your typical chess writer! Instead of egotistical posturing, boring bouts of “tournament reports”, or pages of mind-numbing variations, Yaz (as he is affectionately called by his friends) intertwines smooth storytelling, fascinating information about the various World Champions and about chess politics, and annotations filled with down to earth, instructive, highly informative, prose ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Silman reviews
GRANDMASTER REPERTOIRE 7 - CARO KANN:
For me, any time a new book on the Caro-Kann appears it’s cause for celebration. Of course, that initial “feast” mentality more often than not turns into a famine state of mind. Why? Because most books on this opening fail to live up to expectations. Fortunately, I can finally let out a cheer since grandmaster Schandorff’s book actually surpassed whatever expectations I might have harbored ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) Paul Kane reviews
DEVELOPING CHESS TALENT: The second section, “Training”, was very much focused on the nuts and bolts of any particular training plan. It covered the content of what was to be taught (strategy, the endgame, etc.), the method through which it was to be delivered (e.g. a game quiz along the lines of “How Good is Your Chess?”), the tools and resources to be used and much else ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
ALEKHINE ALERT - A REPERTOIRE AGAINST 1.e4: As one might guess from the chapter headlines, Taylor has a lively writing style. This book is not only informative but also fun to read ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
HEROES OF CLASSICAL CHESS - LEARN FROM CARLSEN, ANAND, FISCHER, SMYSLOV, & RUBINSTEIN: This is a book that belongs in every chessplayer’s library, especially young ones who are apt to spend most of their time studying sharp openings with a computer and are in need of developing their chess culture ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
A KILLER OPENING REPERTOIRE:
Johnsen has chosen to build on the first edition, addressing the areas where theory has substantially changed or Summerscales’s original coverage needed expanding. There are seven new model games (68 overall) which strike a good balance between explanatory prose and concrete variations ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
THE RUY LOPEZ REVISITED:
The variations that Sokolov examines range from the sharp (3...f5 the Jaenisch or Schliemann Gambit) to the solid (Smyslov’s 3...g6), to the strategically challenging (Bird’s 3...Nd4) to the onetime Fischer/Spassky favorite (3...Bc5/3...Nf6 followed by 4...Nf6/4...Bc5). Sokolov normally answers the Ruy Lopez with 3...a6 but he has plenty of experience with all the lines he covers ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
THE CUTTING EDGE - THE OPEN SICILIAN 1:
This book, the first in a new series from Quality Chess, is aimed at those who want an up to date guide of where theory stands (and where it is likely to head) in important theoretical battlegrounds. There are no older games cited nor are the lines arranged to cobble together a complete repertoire. The author doesn’t write for either color, letting the cards fall where they will ... MORE
(July 4, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
WOJO'S WEAPONS - WINNING WITH WHITE:
The late Alexander Wojtkiewicz was a complicated and tragic figure. A product of the Latvian chess school that produced such talents as Shirov, Shabalov and Kengis, the teenage Wojtkiewicz served as one of Mikhail Tal’s seconds during the 1979 Interzonal where he impressed a young Yasser Seirawan as a great talent ... MORE (June 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
ATTACKING MANUAL 1 and ATTACKING MANUAL 2:
The number of different books published on the game of chess is huge, easily in excess of 50,000 volumes and likely closer to 100,000. Unfortunately few of these are devoted to attacking the king, which seems sort of strange ... MORE (June 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
CHESS RESULTS 1951 - 1955 and CHESS RESULTS 1956 - 1960: Di Felice has followed in the footsteps of a giant, the great pioneering chess archivist Jeremy Gaige, but his own contributions have been large ... MORE
(June 1, 2010) IM John Donaldson reviews CRITICAL MOMENTS IN CHESS: The subject of Gaprindashvili’s book, those critical forks in a game in which multiple choices are possible and failure to select the correct one has serious consequences, has been covered before but not extensively ... MORE
(June 1, 2010) Paul Kane reviews
CHESS SECRETS - THE GIANTS OF POWER PLAY: This is another impressive work by Neil McDonald, brimming with all of his love and enthusiasm for the game ... MORE
(June 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
STUDYING CHESS MADE EASY: Most instructional books offer reams of opening analysis, pages and pages of middle or endgame positions or hundreds of tactical positions to solve. STUDYING CHESS MADE EASY averages less than a diagram a page and offers few concrete variations but is likely to help many amateur players significantly improve their game ... MORE
(June 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
THE GIANT PUZZLE CHESS BOOK: There are many different opinions on how to improve at chess. Some advocate studying the openings intensely while others suggest endgame mastery is the key, but all agree that studying puzzles is excellent training ... MORE
(May 12, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
NIC YEARBOOK 92: The need to reflect quick changes in opening theory is one reason why the NEW IN CHESS YEARBOOK series has been published for over 25 years ... MORE (May 12, 2010) Joshua Anderson reviews MY BEST GAMES OF CHESS 1935-1957:
The games themselves begin in 1935 and end with Smyslov’s victorious match over Mikhail Botvinnik. His opponents include World Champions, candidates for the World Championship, and lesser-known players ... MORE
(May 12, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE: David Bronstein will be remembered for his many contributions to chess – not least the role he played in developing the King’s Indian Defense – but his two high points were likely the drawn match with Botvinnik and authorship of ... MORE
(May 12, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
CHICAGO 1926 and LAKE HOPATCONG 1926 CHESS TOURNAMENTS: Sandwiched in between the great New York tournaments of 1924 and 1927, were strong events at Lake Hopatcong and Chicago in 1926. The former is better known thanks to the participation of World Champion Jose Capablanca and a book devoted to the tournament ... MORE (May 12, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
THE ALTERMAN GAMBIT GUIDE - WHITE GAMBITS:This book, which should enjoy a wide audience, is an instructional manual for improving players that’s not a high-level theoretical work, but rather aims to teach the fundamentals – tactics, the importance of development, how to attack and king safety – by playing gambit openings... MORE
(May 12, 2010) Paul Kane reviews
THE NEW SICILIAN DRAGON:As a writer, Williams’ prose is engaging and conversational, but he can also be rigorous and methodical when needed. He begins each chapter by outlining the plans available to Black and then summarizes the key findings at the end. And naturally there are pointers to correct play in the notes to the games too – all very helpful and useful ... MORE
(April 6, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
GENIUS IN THE BACKGROUND: Most of the people featured in this book have recorded significant achievements, yet they remain virtually anonymous to the great majority of chess fans. A few of them are known amongst certain segments of the chess world, but none are known as widely as I believe they deserve to be ... MORE (April 6, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR CHESS: This is not only an excellent guide to systems against the Nimzo-Indian and King’s Indian and the black side of the Stonewall Dutch, with fine chapters on isolated queen pawn structures and the Botvinnik System ... MORE (April 6, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews
NEW IN CHESS YEARBOOK 91: This series continues to stay fresh and relevant after twenty-five years of publication. YEARBOOK 91 is no exception with material ranging from an in depth analysis of the classic Kieseritzky Gambit encounter Rosanes-Anderssen, Breslau 1863, to important theoretical duels played at Linares 2009 ... MORE (April 6, 2010) Joshua Andersen reviews
CHESS EXAM - YOU vs. BOBBY FISCHER: As for the puzzles themselves, this is where the book is quite useful. Each puzzle has a good evaluation of the position and a very thorough summary ... MORE (April 6, 2010) Paul Kane reviews
STRATEGIC CHESS - MASTERING THE CLOSED GAME:The author focuses on “unbalanced strategically clear openings” and variations, by which he means openings which give rise to complicated positions where each side has a definite plan ... MORE
(March 1, 2010) IM Silman reviews BLINDFOLD CHESS: This is one of the best chess books I’ve ever seen, and it justifiably won the Kramer Award for best chess book in 2009. In my view, this is something that should be in every player’s library if he has any interest at all in chess history ... MORE (March 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviewsTHE MAMMOTH BOOK OF CHESS: This is the third edition and at 33 pages longer (the chapter on computer chess and chess on the Internet has been completely rewritten as well) it is getting close to 600 pages ... MORE (March 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviewsDISMANTLING THE SICILIAN: Players who want to open 1.e4 and do so in a principled way choose to meet 1...c5 with the lines of the Open Sicilian. The large amount of theoretical knowledge this requires is considerable and has been a problem for serious amateurs for some time ... MORE (March 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY THE ALEKHINE: Bogdanov does a good job of explaining the ideas for both sides and explaining what lines are popular and why. Even stronger players will appreciate some of the trends he points out like 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 used by Carlsen to defeat Topalov. Where this book has to cut corners is in its detailed examination of theoretical lines ... MORE (March 1, 2010) IM Donaldson reviewsTHE RULES OF WINNING CHESS: English Grandmaster Nigel Davies, with over a dozen books and twice as many DVDs to his credit, is carving out a niche for himself as a strong player who writes for the masses from the aspiring club player who would like to become an Expert or Master, to those who dream of one day becoming an International Master ... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS:
Today’s top professionals constantly complain about the proliferation of opening theory, but they are not the only chess players to feel themselves overwhelmed. Pity the club player who not only feels totally lost but lacks the foundations of chess understanding essential to getting out of the opening with a playable position ... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews FUNDAMENTAL CHESS OPENINGS:
A modern day version of Reuben Fine’s IDEAS BEHIND THE CHESS OPENINGS, FCO primarily uses words to describe the ideas and motivations behind different opening systems. The emphasis is on understanding rather than memorization ... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews BOBBY FISCHER THE CAREER AND COMPLETE GAMES:
German GM Müller has annotated pretty much every single tournament game Fischer ever played that is available... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews IMPROVE YOUR CHESS BY LEARNING FROM THE CHAMPIONS:
Hansen intersperses classic examples of old with more contemporary model games, many from his own practice, to illustrate key points. He provides through annotations, primarily with prose rather than concrete variations... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) IM Donaldson reviews REGGIO EMILIA 2007/2008:
This is a throwback to an earlier time when strong tournaments merited serious books. All the games are annotated, sometimes by both players, there are over 60 black and white photos, in depth interviews ... MORE (Feb. 2, 2010) Paul Kane reviews MASTERING THE CLOSED GAME:
Mednis shows how the strategic themes of certain of the closed games are carried through into the middlegame and even the ending ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Silman reviews TWO GIFT IDEAS FOR THE CHESS LOVER:
I’ve found the CHESSMATE ULTRA-WALLET to be a great travel item for chess players of all strengths – it’s well made, very classy, durable, has a see-through place for your driver’s license, several easy to access compartments for credit cards, and a couple places for copious amounts of cash, papers, or whatever else you carry around in your normal wallet ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) Paul Kane reviews OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND, VOLUME 12:
This is the latest volume in a series that, taken together, presents a complete White repertoire with 1.e4. The conceit behind the series’ title is that these are lines that Anand has played, or might play ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE NEW SICILIANDRAGON:
This is the first comprehensive examination of the Dragon-Najdorf hybrid the author dubs the Dragadorf. Though played a couple of times by the great world champion Mikhail Botvinnik in the early 1960s, it has only recently caught on and is still in the development stages compared to more well established Sicilian lines ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews KILL K.I.D:
Anyone who has ever been checkmated on the White side of the Classical Variation of the King’s Indian, where Black has sacrificed pieces and pawns to drive the enemy King into the middle of the board, will understand the motivation behind finding an aggressive way of meeting the KID ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews STUDIES FOR PRACTICAL PLAYERS:
Most Western players have until recently been in the dark about the value of game-like positions with few pieces on the board that combine beauty and piece efficiency to create art while educating ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE ENGLISH OPENING: VOLUME 1:
Thisis an opening book of the highest standard. It deals exclusively with the position after 1.c4 e5 2.g3 and covers all attempts to combat it by placing the Black Bishop on e7, c5 and b4 as well as g7 ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BULLET CHESS - ONE MINUTE TO MATE:
Everything the would-be bullet chess aficionado could want to know is here, from strategies of playing different phases of the game to the all-important topic of pre-moving ... MORE (Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews GRANDMASTER SECRETS - COUNTERATTACK!:
The highlight of this book is the final chapter, Three Memorable Struggles, where Franco takes apart Szabo-Botvinnik, Budapest 1952, Browne-Fischer, Rovinj/Zagreb 1970 and Kasparov-Topalov, Linares 2004. The analysis of the Browne-Fischer game will be of special interest to fans of Bobby ... MORE
(Dec. 5, 09) IM Donaldson reviews WIN WITH THE STONEWALL DUTCH:
It bears in mind that one early advocate of the Modern Stonewall was former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews 7 WAYS TO SMASH THE SICILIAN:
The author’s state their case with 109 deeply annotated games from Lasker-Pirc, Moscow 1935 to Nispeanu-Ruck, Croatian Championship 2006. Not all the sacrifices are successful. Among the highlights in this book is the game Becerra-Novikov, US Championship 2004, where Novikov refutes an early Nxb5 in excellent style ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews AUSTRALIAN CHESS BRILLIANCIES:
is several books in one. Part games collection and part informal attacking manual, it also includes biographical information on leading Australian players including Grandmasters Ian Rogers, Darryl Johansen, Zong Zhao and David Smerdon ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews FIGHTING THE RUY LOPEZ and ATTACKING THE SPANISH:
Examining the two books closely, the following observations can be made. Pavlovic devotes more attention to Anti-Marshall lines and offers more verbal explanation while Brunello gives more analysis of main line Marshall positions. Both books are very good in their own way ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY THE CATALAN:
Davies is known as an author who writes with skill for the amateur player, but with the Catalan he has selected an opening that isn’t played much by players below 2200 even less so 2000. So who is this book aimed for? Davies writes that his goals for this book were to give a good overview of the Catalan and recommend specific ways of playing it. What he definitely did not intend to do was write a theoretical manual ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews UNDERSTANDING CHESS ENDGAMES:
this is an excellent comprehensive one-volume introduction to the endgame that is aimed at a wide audience ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews CHAMPIONS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM:
The three authors have chosen 18 players for their book with the original criteria being all had to be over 2700 in rating and under age 30. Most of those featured meet this criterion but a few “old-timers” namely Anand and Ivanchuk, who will both be 40 before the year is out, just had to be included – you can’t leave a World Champion and a perennial top ten player out ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews KASPAROV vs. KARPOV 1986-1987:
Besides the analysis of the games, Kasparov also gives his account of the behind the scenes machinations that seem to always surround Kasparov - Karpov matches. There is plenty to read about various intrigues but in the end most chess players will want to get this book for Kasparov’s analysis of some of the most important games in chess history ... MORE
(Nov. 4, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE COMPLETE HEDGEHOG Volume 1:
The author is well qualified to write on this subject. Best known for his roles with Kasparov.com and Crestbook.com, Shipov is a strong player (2662 peak Elo) who prefers the role of chess commentator these days. His love and fascination for the Hedgehog shines throughout this book where he uses very well annotated games, with plentiful prose and analysis, to explain this dynamic setup ... MORE
(Sept. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BUILD UP YOUR CHESS 2:
is the second book in a trilogy designed to provide the novice player with the necessary information on their road to mastery. Yusupov makes it very clear that studying his series, by itself, will not turn a club player into a Master, that it must be supplemented by playing regularly, analyzing one’s games diligently and also studying other chess literature ... MORE
(Sept. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BUILD UP YOUR CHESS 3:
the third and final volume in a trilogy by Artur Yusupov designed to assist the club level player in making the long quest to the Master title ... MORE
(Sept. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE BUDAPEST GAMBIT:
Taylor, who has made a reputation as an author willing to challenge prevailing opinion, believes that White’s most challenging line against the Budapest is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4. He is hardly alone in holding this opinion but what he thinks is Black’s best reply will surprise many ... MORE
(Sept. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BOTVINNIK vs. SMYSLOV - 3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES:
is a complete record of one of the greatest rivalries in chess history. The two great champions played three matches in four years and not the half marathons (12 game affairs) that try to pass for the real thing today. The 69 games they contested lasted almost six months ... MORE
(Sept. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews ISAAC KASHDAN AMERICAN CHESS GRANDMASTER:
The United States has produced many outstanding chess personalities, but for all around contributions to the game Isaac Kashdan has to rank at the very top or very close to it. This might seem to be a big claim but consider the following facts ... MORE
(August 7, 09) IM Silman reviews WIN WITH THE STONEWALL DUTCH: I expect copious, reliable analysis with any opening book from Gambit, but WWSD won me over with its flowing, enjoyable prose, its detailed descriptions of the plans for both sides, its historic discussions, its simple but logical layout which makes it easy to find anything and everything, and its lesson overviews and summaries, which make sure you understand the ideas it’s trying to impart ... MORE
(August 6, 09) Tony Rotella reviews KILL KID 1: The analysis contained in the book can’t be found anywhere, and will certainly surprise your opponents when it’s played. Most of the other 4PA books just rehash old material and recommendations, but not this one ... MORE (August 6, 09) IM Silman reviews FIGHTING THE RUY LOPEZ: The Ruy Lopez for Black can easily turn into a lifelong romance offering an opening partner that will rarely let you down (you may let it down, but the Lopez will still be waiting when your guilt fades and you once again return to it) ... MORE (August 6, 09) IM Silman reviews KASPAROV vs. KARPOV 1986-1987: Kasparov writes with a lot of passion and, like every other person in the world, tends to see things through the prism of his own experience/reality. Thus, when he wins, the game was often a brilliant effort on his part. When he loses, it’s usually some sort of gift ... MORE (August 6, 09) IM John Donaldson reviewsSTARTING OUT: THE SICILIAN (2nd Edition): Like the first edition the present work is meant to be an introduction to the Sicilian. Emms aims to explain the basics and also provide the reader with the opportunity to get an idea of what Sicilian lines might best suit them ... MORE (August 6, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews INSTRUCTIVE MODERN CHESS MASTERPIECES (Enlarged Edition): This new edition features a revised introduction and 12 new games. The first edition spanned the period 1993 to 2000, the present work continues to 2007. Twelve new games might not sound like much for some writers but for Stohl it translates to an additional 130 pages ... MORE (August 6, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews SHARPEN YOUR CHESS TACTICS IN 7 DAYS: an attractively priced guide to tactics for club level players (1200 to 2000) looking to sharpen their game. The English/Australian IM’s easy to read work is centered around a specific theme each day with key points illustrated by well chosen games ... MORE (July. 4, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews GRANDMASTER REPERTOIRE 1.d4 – VOLUME 1:
There is no question that Avrukh’s book features an unusual level of detail, and the claim by the publisher’s that it “will certainly be read by grandmasters” is right on the mark ... MORE (July. 4, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews PLAYING THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT – A GRANDMASTER GUIDE:
Schandorff gives you everything you need to know in the Queen’s Gambit Declined and his choices against black's many tries tend to be extremely principled ... MORE (July. 4, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews SECRETS OF OPENING SURPRISES - VOLUME 10:
The publication of the 10th volume in the New in Chess series SECRETS OF OPENING SURPRISES by IM Jeroen Bosch, is a welcome event. Well received since its inception, the S.O.S. series has met a need by providing easy to learn lines that offer surprise value without sacrificing soundness ... MORE (July. 4, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS: THE KING’S INDIAN:
This book by IMs Richard Palliser and Yelena Dembo and GM Flear is written primarily for those who wish to play this dynamic opening with nine of the fourteen chapters written from Black’s perspective ... MORE (July. 4, 09) Joshua Anderson, in his quest to see what older chess books are or are not a good buy in a used bookstore, reviews MODERN CHESS BRILLIANCIES and CHESS OLYMPIADS, 1927-1968:
This ... MORE (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews STARTING OUT - THE c3 SICILIAN:
This book, by English GM John Emms, is an excellent introduction to one of the most important “anti-Sicilian” variations. All lines are covered with close to 90 percent of the book devoted to Black’s two principle choices – 2...d5 and 2…Nf6. Against the third alternative, 2...e6, Emms focuses exclusively on 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5 and not 4.e5 transposing into the Advance French ... MORE
(June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews PLAY THE QUEEN'S INDIAN:
There are few top players that have not employed the Nimzo-Indian at one time or another, and theoretically it has always stood its ground. One could make a strong argument that it is among the soundest of Black’s defenses. Yet its effectiveness has always created a bit of a problem as many players avoid it by playing 3.Nf3. This leaves Black in a bit of a quandary ... MORE
(June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviewsTRUE COMBAT CHESS:
This is a very personal book from a veteran of over 40 years of tournament play. Anyone who has read his books or articles in Chess Life know that Taylor is one of Caissa’s truly devoted who still dreams of becoming a Grandmaster as he nears his 60th birthday ... MORE
(June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS - FLANK OPENINGS:
The present work is primarily devoted to the English with seven of the twelve chapters dedicated to it. This includes coverage of the old Nimzovich favorite 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 and two chapters and over 40 pages to lines after 1.c4 e5 2.g3 where Black opts for a quick ...c6. Another two chapters are devoted to the Mikenas attack (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4) where both of Black’s two tries – 3...c5 and 3...d5 – are examined at length ... MORE
(June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews MY 60 MEMORABLE GAMES: Few if any chess books need as little introduction or recommendation as Bobby Fischer’s classic. Considered one of the greatest games collections of all time since it first appeared in the late 1960s, until recently it was tough to find ... MORE (May. 15, 09) IM Silman reviews CHICAGO 1926 and LAKE HOPATCONG 1926: I should point out one important oddity in the battle between a database and tournament book: the tournament book features every known game from an event (sadly, many are permanently lost), while a good database is often missing huge amounts of games from lesser-known tournaments and/or lesser-known players. Thus my database of over 3,850,000 games only has 27 from the Chicago 1926 event, while the tournament book we’re about to discuss has 78 ... MORE
(May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews HOW TO PLAY AGAINST 1.e4: This book offers two repertoires against White’s main tries – 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2. One, the Fort Knox variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7), so-called for its solidity (Black’s plans ….Bc6xf3 and ….c6), does double duty since it can be played against both moves ... MORE
(May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews GREAT ATTACKERS: This book examines three giants of the 1970s and 1980s – the young Gary Kasparov (1975-78), Leonid Stein (1972-73), Mikhail Tal (1978-79) and again Kasparov (1978-1982). IM Crouch analyses 22 of their most interesting efforts offering plenty of detailed variations where needed but perhaps even more importantly much needed explanatory prose ... MORE
(May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews KASPAROV - HOW HIS PREDECESSORS MISLED HIM ABOUT CHESS: Not only is this book not a rehash, it is in fact a most original work combining instructional writing and humor ... MORE (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews QUESTIONS OF MODERN CHESS THEORY: Karpov writes that it was remarkable that Lipnitsky’s masterwork didn’t just disappear. It was published in Kiev in 1956 far from the Soviet chess center of Moscow, in a small edition and with printing errors. But strong players from the aforementioned Fischer to Mikhail Botvinnik appreciated the ability of Lipnitsky’s work to stimulate them ... MORE
(April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS EXPLAINED - THE MAIN LINE SLAV: New England International Master David Vigorito’s latest book discusses all major lines following the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4. Following Gambit’s CHESS EXPLAINED template, Vigorito uses 25 current, well-annotated games, to illustrate his points ... MORE (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE BLACK LION: This bible to the darker version of panthera leo is devoted to playing an aggressive version of the Philidor. Black’s problem in the Philidor proper is how to find a way to safely reach the tabiya at move five. The traditional move order, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6, allows White to gain an advantage by 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd5. To circumvent this, Van Rekom and Jansen propose two alternatives. The “Lion’s Den” commences with 3...Nbd7 and the “Lion’s Yawn” with ... MORE
(April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews WINNING CHESS MIDDLEGAMES: Using 45 model games, which include a nice balance of analysis and prose, Sokolov explains the pros and cons of each structure. Showing the virtues of doubled c-pawns, which so often arise from both the Saemisch and Rubinstein variations of the Nimzo, he gives as one idea for White a plan first realized in ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE PETROSIAN SYSTEM AGAINST THE QID: Petrosian's prophylactic system no longer enjoys the huge popularity it experienced back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Garry Kasparov, for one, scored many beautiful wins, but it is still a formidable weapon ... MORE
(April. 10, 09) Guest writer Ben Havey reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS - FLANK OPENINGS: I play the Mikenas Attack myself, and I learned many new things even though I thought that I knew the theory well. This book is filled with gems that English players of any level can enjoy ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BLINDFOLD CHESS: Among the topics the authors discuss in the first part of their book are the early origins of blindfold (even before Philidor), who they feel is the world record holder (Najdorf with 45 games in 1947), and who was the strongest blindfold player of all time (Alekhine)... MORE (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews GARY’S ADVENTURES IN CHESS COUNTRY: seeks to teach kids the basics of chess in a way that will improve their reasoning and develop their problem-solving abilities ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews JOHN NUNN’S CHESS PUZZLE BOOK: This meets all the criteria one is looking for in a good tactics book. It features 300 well-chosen examples, accurate and complete solutions and clear diagrams to solve from. One nice extra touch, which accounts for most of the additional size for the present edition, is including small diagrams by each solution which are given at the back of the book ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND, 1.e4 (11th Volume): This book is dedicated to the Accelerated Dragon and Dragon Variations of the Sicilian. The winner of the 1999 FIDE World Championship, Khalifman has played the Dragon off and on throughout his career, and is well qualified to write this book, which advocates Bc4 systems against both variations ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY 1.b3 The Nimzo-Larsen Attack: This book is a smorgasbord – sometimes offering sharp analysis of critical positions (1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 d5 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.f4) using a traditional opening book format, and other times featuring model games to illustrate typical middle game plans ... MORE
(March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews RUDOLF SPIELMANN Fifty Great Short Games: IM Nikolay Minev, the noted Seattle author, researcher and trainer has recently written a monograph on the games of the one of the great attacking masters in chess history ... MORE (Feb. 16, 09) IM Silman reviews CHESS TACTICS FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS: Back in 1984 a German company (Sportverlag Berlin) published a small, attractive, English language hardcover volume by Averbakh titled CHESS TACTICS FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS. This book quickly acquired a hardcore fan base and was a hot commodity until, like most books, it went out of print and faded from the public’s mind ... MORE (Feb. 10, 09) IM Silman reviews NEW YORK 1924: You have the new, “unbeatable” World Champion Capablanca battling it out with old man (and ex champ) Lasker. Right behind them is a who’s who of legends: Alekhine (who took the World Championship from Capablanca three years later), Marshall, Reti (who beat Capablanca in one of their games – the World Champion’s first defeat in 8 years!), Maroczy, Bogoljubow, Tartakower, Yates, Edward Lasker, and Janowsky ... MORE
(Feb.10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews MASTERING THE CHESS OPENINGS 3: This is not a pure opening book on the English as we presently know it – for example you will find no coverage of 1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 a6 – but in many ways it goes beyond what we expect as Watson essentially explains the opening from the ground up with detailed discussions on move two and three in certain lines ... MORE
(Feb. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews RAMPANT CHESS: I found the games and annotations to be on a consistently high level. Even the IM’s games feature strong opposition – examples being Andrew Muir’s win over Gata Kamsky and Roddy McKay’s defeat of Vlastimil Hort in his prime. Amazingly for a collection of games on this level, the annotations can be pretty much “read” as prose ... MORE
(Feb. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews ST. PETERSBURG 1909: A year after St. Petersburg 1909, Emanuel Lasker published a book in English on this famous event annotating the 175 games played there. Recently a new edition has appeared, the first time in algebraic notation ... MORE (Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE BERLIN WALL: This is the first book devoted entirely to the sequence 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6, the line Kramnik used to shut down Kasparov in their 2000 title match. Kramnik’s success has spawned many imitators and this book is chock full of examples of its successful use by 2700 GMs ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE CHESS INSTRUCTOR: This is the first in a series of planned annual compendiums about chess training at all levels from the publishing house of New in Chess ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews DVORETSKY'S ANALYTICAL MANUAL: This book, by the noted trainer and writer IM Mark Dvoretsky, is likely to be one of the most useful works ever published for the player who wants to improve. Yes, this might sound like a bold claim ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews HOW TO BEAT THE FRENCH DEFENCE: Conventional wisdom holds that if White wants to play for an advantage against the French Defense, 3.Nc3 is the way to go. However, Greek IM Andreas Tzermiadianos begs to differ and makes a compelling case for the adoption of the Tarrasch variation ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews BEAT THE KID: Mr. Markos begins the study of all three systems with interesting details of its history and heady discussions of both side’s plans. And, when the analysis starts, it’s always in-depth with all important theoretical lines covered and lots of instructive/explanatory prose mixed in ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews GRANDMASTER REPERTOIRE 1.d4 Volume One: I must admit to being impressed with Boris Avrukh’s work ethic. It’s clear that he put his heart and soul into this book, with original analysis and a refusal to always follow well-known paths vividly standing out ... MORE
(Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews KASPAROV ON MODERN CHESS, PART TWO - KASPAROV vs KARPOV 1st & 2nd Matches: How could this book be anything but superb? Quite simply, we have Kasparov discussing every detail of his first two matches with Karpov and deeply analyzing each and every game. If that isn’t chess gold, then what is ... MORE
I want to go to the 