2 comments about Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 (Dover Books on Chess).

1. This book - originally written by Nimzovich, and translated by Marfia - is one of the greatest books of all time. Nimzovich helped author the "hyper-modern" movement. He was one of the strongest players of his day, second only to Alekhine. And his writings have now helped shaped generations of chess players.
   
   It is said that Petrosian - when he was young - was greatly shaped and influenced by the ideas of Aron Nimzovich. GM Bent Larsen felt that "My System" was the most influential book that he had ever read. I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the idea. (I also feel that Nimzovich was a powerful force in my development as a chess player.)
   
   Perhaps the ONLY criticism that I could offer of this book is that the openings look a little dated, a player who wants to see ONLY modern games should skip this one. But this book is a bargain, and if you want to study some great chess, and {also} be influenced by the writings of Nimzovich, then grab it!



2. This book isn't even the best book that Nimzovich himself wrote.
   
   It appears to be a straightforward account of the 1929 Carlsbad tournament.
   
   However, Nimzovich, in the course of this book, assails Capablanca for adopting the true "hypermodern-restraint-blockade" course of play that Nimzovich felt was his patent.
   
   Pure sour grapes on Nimzovich's fault.
   
   If you don't mind reading a tournament book intermingled with polemics, this is the book for you.
   
   The reader might view this aspect of the work as antiquatedly charmful (Imagine Anand assailing Shirov in book form!) but I view it as petty.
   
   The book itself is adequate enough, though perhaps a tad less detailed in its variations then other contemporaneous books.
   
   However, I would steer the general reader towards other tournament books such as Zurich 1953 by Bronstein, New York 1924 and/or 1927 by Alekhine, and Wijk aan Zee 1975 by Kavalek ahead of this book.
   
   Readers interested in reading more of Nimzovich's material beyond "My System" and "Chess Praxis" should likewise skip this book until they've read "Blockade" by Nimzovich and "Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal" by Keene.
   
   There are better tournament books out there. There are better books about and by Nimzovich out there. This book is not essential reading, unless you must have everything Nimzovich.
   
   

No comments about Art of Boxing in Chess.

1 comments about Starting Out: Attacking Play (Starting Out - Everyman Chess).

1. This book was a big disappointment in that it provides almost no general principles of, or clear guidance for setting up and executing attacks. It is left to the reader to develop and understand attacking concepts from a series of examples from Plaskett's own games. These games often provide good examples of an attacking motif but without meaningful statements distilling the essence of the concepts being displayed I found it difficult to learn from them. Many comments are simplistic, e.g. "In any attack we must always also consider the safety of our own king," others are rather obtuse, e.g. "When executing an attack be wary of fantastic finishes." Since I paid for the book I read all of it, but I felt it was mostly a watse of time.

3 comments about Find the Checkmate (Batsford Chess Book).

1. I have several puzzle books but this is one of the better ones. The standard games are missing which is a relief and the vast majority of puzzles are new to me. The comments at times are quite amusing and help the flow of the book.Some chapter headings such as 'Celebrity or Blunders and Brilliancies' mean that some work has gone into the book. Mr Lane says all the puzzles have been computed checked to eliminate multiple answers. This will be a help to me because I train kids and there is nothing more annoying than a quicker win after you say checkmate in 5. Is it worth buying? Yes.



2. An easy to read book with lots of original chess puzzles.
   The best algebraic tactics book on the market. A must-have



3. An explanation of checkmate positions is the purpose of the book. It contains over 400 recent examples with clear diagrams and text to entertain the reader.The book opens with one move mates which are a series of errors by famous players. Then straighforward mating patterns illustrated by thematic diagrams slowly increase in complexityuntil the final chapter is "The Ultimate Test". Lively and educative, Find the Checkmate will improve your understanding and chances of winning.

No comments about The Sicilian Scheveningen: Sicilian : ...E6 and ...D6 Systems (Batsford Chess Books).

No comments about Keres' Best Games of Chess 1931-1948.

1 comments about The Magic of Chess Tactics.

1. Having 1800+ Elo strenght of play and still some more ambitions I search for the books getting chance to lift up my understanding of chess. Not with this book. Everybody using chess software can analyse some nice positions coming from typical themes like two bishops same colour, ... played by some recognizable players (best if champions) and pomp all the options and variations into the page adding some diagrams. Its like cook book for some new authors. Reading this book I don't feel the same fun like when reading for example Tal's "Attack". So, it is not totally bad book, but if I have been lifted then back to old evergreen books. Sorry for being so tough...

5 comments about A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire (Cadogan Chess).

1. I have bought many chess books (about 100) especially on openings, and I have found this book is my best one - well analyzed, easy to understand, concised, etc.



2. This book has a few weak spots, but is still a fine opening repetoire as white for an attacking player. Mr Baker makes many fine suggestions for generating attacking play and dynamic positions that are in most cases reasonably sound, and that often take your opponent "out of book" and throw them onto their own resources. This is especially helpful when playing a complex opening like the sicilian defense against a "booked up" opponent (someone who has memorized reams of opening theory). The book shows the majority of reasonable responses from your opponent, as well as responses likely to be seen by non masters / grandmasters (that would be the rest of us).

   Where the book falls a little short is in it's ability to give a player the "bigger picture". To play an opening well you need to understand the ideas behind it, and not just memorize lines of play. Mr. Baker provides little to none of this, nor does he consistently elaborate on a position once it has been reached. He may say "and white stands better" but it is up to the reader to discern the how and why they stand better... which is necessary to derive an advantage from the position. With this in mind, having a reasonable knowledge of positional play and tactics will allow the reader to get more enjoyment from this book.

   As a last thought, while I am not thrilled with every line the author presents, and explanations and ideas could be fleshed out a little more, I still recomend this book as a good read for the 1400-2100 crowd. A book must be judged on it's own terms. Mr. Baker has provided a reasonably complete repetoire for white that often generates attacking chances and gets black out of his prepared opening variations quickly. To have produced this book with all that, along with comprehensive positional analysis of all possible lines, and comprehensive strategic goal analysis of all the various opening systems at black's disposal would create a book that was both unweildy in size and price. There are a ton of books available that read like encyclopedias, or that talk forever about the goals of an opening without actually providing reasonable coverage of potential lines of play. So when all is said and done, even good books rarely have the chance to be all things to all readers. But if you have some positional knowledge, and want to have some fun dynamic chances as white then this is a fine book for your repetoire.




3. This is not a very good repertoire book. For example, the Cochrane Gambit against the Petroff is a joke. The lines recommended after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 are mostly favorable to Black (the book is a repertoire book for White). The analysis is full of holes. The author could have tested some of his material against computer programs; obviously he did not. The player who tries out some of these dubious lines against strong opposition will be startled at how fast he winds up in hot water.



4. I find the book generally well conceived and indeed "startling" in some areas. Take the title for what it is; sound, proven lines are seldom "startling" so expect to be taken, at times, rather close to the edge... for this reason I feel criticisms of the book for doing just that (going to the edge) are not fully justified ... do you want to be "startled" or do you want well-trodden pathways?
   
   That said, keep a couple of things in mind. First, being "startling" is not without risk. Do you try it in the first round of an open Swiss when facing an opponent 400 points higher in rating? You would either (a) get instantly demolished, or (b) actually have an interesting game. It all depends. Do you try it against an equally-ranked player? Perhaps, depending on the tournament or match situation. Against a lower-ranked player? Again, perhaps....
   
   This leads to the second point: with all repertoire books, but with this one especially, you MUST do your OWN thinking. The author cannot do that for you. You must go through the book, choosing lines that interest you, and then decide when and if you might try them out. For instance, I found this book's chapters on the Sicilian and the French rather interesting; certainly off the beaten track and worthy of more study. I don't know that I would try the Cochrane against the Petroff, as other reviewiers have also opined.
   
   As to whether the book's analysis is sound and complete, I am not qualified to judge. But I do find it interesting and worthy of selective study. I would actually rate the book 3.5 stars.



5. About the Book:
   Chris Baker has created a much more profound repertoire than most people appreciate. It is truly "startling" and well thought, yes as others have mentioned it's not always stupendously perfect but that is not its intention!
   The book has two major goals, one- to impart the wisdom of understanding ideas rather than memorizing the latest issue of whatever. Two- to equip the novice player with a repertoire that is build on development, open lines and good endgames. Baker takes on the "classic" approach of swift development that was forgotten and revives it quite well.
   After reading this book you may feel that you need to "graduate" Some of the openings that he offers, for instance, as fascinating as it may be the Max-Lange is probably not as sufficient as other tries - however, it is important to master none the less! Not to mention that it's fun!
   Also, as others have mentioned the 4.Nxf7 against the Petroff is not everyone's cup of tea (I prefer 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3) but is educational none the less! There are other openings that you may feel like you need to study harder and perhaps find better ways to tackle them but one thing is certain - you will not find a better opening repertoire book! Believe me I'm a book collector and a "Book Hunter" I buy many chess books and I can say with out a doubt that this is one of the bests! This is the book I get back to the most!
   The chapters on the Sicilian are stupendously magnificent and enlightening.
   
   I can't say enough good things on this book, a true classic, profoundly important, deep and thorough, go out and buy it! The chapter on the Rossolimo alone makes it worth every penny. Well done Chris, well done!

1 comments about Starting Out: Defensive Play (Starting Out - Everyman Chess).

1. This is an excellent book about how to defend difficult positions. Unlike the few books available that discuss defense, Dunnington describes defensive plans with tips that you don't find in other books. For example, while most books on defense tout exchanging off attacking pieces, Dunnington cautions against trading too many pieces and ending up with a lost position. This involves analyzing moves beyond the defensive exchanges. He also suggests trading off pieces that you won't need later on after the attack is neutralized, but keeping your more useful pieces for the endgame. Dunnington also proposes sacrificing pieces when defending lost positions. This is not a theme found in most books on defense. All in all, this is valuable addition to the chess defense literature.

3 comments about New in Chess 2007 (New in Chess Magazine).

1. Many chessplayers believe that New In Chess is the best chess magazine in the world. This issue lives up to that standard, with plenty of games, analysis, commentary and human interest stories. While this magazine is more expensive than the USCF magazine, it is well worth it.



2. I bought this for a friend and he and others are enjoying it immensley. thank you.



3. Since I ordered this item quite some time ago (almost a year now) and still have not received it, it will be impossible for me to review it. I will say, though, that I cannot understand why I received New in Chess 2007/5 before I received this, 2007/4. Actually, I've been informed that this was sent to me recently, but was, for some reason, not delivered. It was sent back to the warehouse. Eric Layne informed me that it was not possible for him, or anyone at Amazon, to re-do my order and that I would have to place it again, which I did. Yet I see that, even though I've waited all this time, I will have to wait EVEN LONGER, until April 25, I think, before it will be shipped.
   If, and that's a mighty BIG IF, I ever receive the best chess magazine in the world, I will be happy to review what will do doubt be the last issue I purchase from Amazon. I've been able to purchase them from USCF Sales. Matter of fact, they sent me 4 issues recently. Only took them a few days, as opposed to the many months it takes you people...
   Michael Bacon