Book Reviews

The Queen's Gambit Declined: Move by Move, Nigel Davies, Everyman Chess, Paperback, ISBN 9781781944073, 304pp., 27.95 Nigel Davies is an international grandmaster, the author of many books and DVDs, a former contributor at ChessCafe.com, and an experienced chess coach. The book is also available in the following formats: CBV, PGN, Kindle, and Epub for $21.95. The book is described as follows: “The Queen's Gambit Declined is one of the central pillars of chess opening theory. Virtually every world champion has played the opening with both the white and black pieces and it is a great favourite at all levels in chess. The reason for its enduring popularity is that it is rich in the c … [Read more...]

Before we begin our review of the excellent work by Urcan and Hilbert, let’s take a moment to mention the new title Chess International Titleholders, 1950-2016 by Gino Di Felice, McFarland, ISBN 9781476671321, Paperback, 376pp. $49.95. The book lists more than 18,000 players who received FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) titles from 1950 to 2016. Entries include, when available, the player’s full name, federation, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death, title and year of award and peak rating (month and year), with references provided. It lists those players from candidate master to grandmaster, including wome’s titles and excluding correspondence titles. … [Read more...]

A World of Chess, Its Development and Variations through Centuries and Civilizations, by Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick Knowlton, McFarland, ISBN: 9780786494279, Paperback, 408pp. $49.95 Jean-Louis Cazaux of Toulouse, France is a scientist by profession, and is said to be a prolific author on chess and chess history. He has a website at history.chess.free.fr. Rick Knowlton of Sarasota, Florida, has a background in fine arts and is said to have studied and recreated historic chess sets from an early age. His internet site is ancientchess.com. This book is an expanded edition of the French title L'Odyssée des Jeux d'Échecs, written by Cazaux in 2010. A World of Chess explores the evolution o … [Read more...]

A to Z Chess Tactics, George Huczek, Batsford, Paperback, ISBN: 9781849944465, 349pp., $19.95 George Huczek is a Canadian Correspondence Chess Association Senior Candidate Master and was on the Canadian Chess Federation Board of Governors. A to Z Chess Tactics is his first book. Here is how it is described on the back cover: “An indispensable reference book of chess moves, perfect for any chess player, beginner or club player. A to Z Chess Tactics provides an explanation of all the key terms and jargon used in chess so you can understand them and put them into practice in your own game, from Castling to Zugzwang, from Underpromotion to Zwischenzug. “Written in a clear and informative sty … [Read more...]

Master vs. Amateur By Davide Nastasio A Repertoire Against the Sicilian, by Lorin D'Costa and Nick Murphy, ChessBase Fritz Trainer, Video running time 6 hours, $34.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.87) In this "Master & Amateur" DVD, International Master Lorin D'Costa and chess software expert Nick Murphy outline the various "anti-Sicilians." As with many 1.e4 players, I have struggled against the Sicilian for years. Using the Smith-Morra works well up to a certain point (and there are illustrious names among the victims of the gambit), next I turned to the Alapin, adored by GM Sveshnikov, and then I finally approached the idea of playing sharper lines. When this DVD was published I jumped … [Read more...]

Fortune Favors the Bold Review by Davide Nastasio The Killer Dutch, by Simon Williams, Everyman Chess 2015, Paperback, Algebraic Notation, 468pp. $29.95 (ChessCafe Price $25.56) The Dutch is not for every player. It requires a player who is a fierce attacker, and in order to avoid studying a lot of theory in some gambit lines, it requires a player to know the French as well. GM Williams well represents this type of player. I have a love-hate relationship with the Dutch. I love to study it; I love to watch the games of the great players, Botvinnik especially; but I hate the fact that I cannot win convincingly with the Dutch like GM Williams does. I am trying to learn other openings … [Read more...]

As Good Once as it Ever Was by Brian Almeida New In Chess Magazine, 2015/1, by New In Chess, 2015, 106pp. $12.99 (ChessCafe Price $11.04) New In Chess Magazine has long been the world’s top chess magazine, and is now being billed as “The Club Player's Magazine” at the New In Chess website. This seems to indicate they are trying to attract a broader audience, since I know of very few club players who even show an interest in the magazine and fewer still that actually subscribe. However, this is their loss because NIC is one of the few printed chess magazines still worth reading nowadays. The content of issue 2015/1 is as follows: NIC’s Cafe Qatar Masters Open Burmese Days … [Read more...]

Coakley’s Great Predecessor by Michael McGuerty The Soviet Chess Primer, by Ilya Maizelis, Quality Chess 2014, Paperback, Figurine Algebraic Notation, 400pp. $24.95 (ChessCafe Price: $21.39) The Soviet Chess Primer is a modern English translation of Ilya Maizelis’s classic introduction to the game, which was simply titled “Chess” in the original Russian publication. It has been read by generations of players, including, most notably, Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, who each provide accolades for the book cover. The main content is as follows: Part One: The Elements of Chess The Game Explained Aim of the Game Tactics and Strategy Techniques of Calcula … [Read more...]

Trending Now Review by Steve Goldberg Trends in Modern Openings, by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, 2014 ChessBase, DVD, 4 hours playing time. $38.95 (ChessCafe Price: $33.27) In this four-hour opening review DVD, former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov examines a variety of commonly encountered openings, beginning with either 1.e4 or 1.d4. No offbeat Orangutans here. I would suggest that hardly any player will struggle to find something (or many things) of interest here. The openings that Kasimdzhanov touches upon include: Scotch Opening Petroff Defense Queen’s Gambit Declined – Lasker Variation Caro-Kann (3 video segments) Classical Slav Ruy Lopez with 3...g6 Ruy Lop … [Read more...]

A Window into a New World Review by Davide Nastasio The French Defence for the Tournament Player, Nicholas Pert, ChessBase DVD, Video running time: 7 hours, $39.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.96) English GM Nicholas Pert is the current National Head Coach of the English Chess Federation, and has regularly played for English teams in the Olympiads and the European Team Championships. On this DVD he provides a complete attacking repertoire for black in the French Defense. The French Defence for the Tournament Player piqued my interest because I wanted to know more about what a French player thinks. A few weeks ago, during a tournament, I was playing as black when my opponent transposed from … [Read more...]