A
Proven Blueprint!
Reviewer: A.J. G. from Pensacola, FL (USA)
This is one of the best ideas for a chess book I have ever seen. Many
times I have had students ask me, "Is there a book out there where a
proven player, (a multiple U.S. Champion winner like GM Yasser Seirawan);
has laid out the openings he plays and/or approves of?" Is there a book
out there that will give me the opening repertoire of a World's 'Top 100'
player? Someone who has won many international tournaments? Will he analyze
the variations for me? Tell me what a few of the basic ideas are? If the
answer is yes, then this is the book you have been looking for.
GM Yasser Seirawan, one of the best players the U.S. has ever produced,
lays out - in great detail - an opening repertoire that should be
successful for ANY player. And its not just esoteric knowledge. Yasser
gives you many of the openings he personally plays. This is a proven
commodity based on one of the more successful players this country has had
over the last 20 years. (At one time, maybe the ONLY U.S. player to have
defeated BOTH Karpov AND Kasparov!)
On top of this, you are getting one book of the best set of chess books
ever produced anywhere. MS Press has assembled a top-notch team of
writers, editors, proof-readers, etc. They have all assisted in bringing
forth maybe the best overall set of chess books ever published.
If you are looking for an opening repertoire, and like the openings played
by Seirawan ... this is THE book for you.
Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14 (McKay
Chess Library) by Nick De Firmian
An
Education Reviewer: tcarnahan75 from Minneapolis
I'm an intermediate chess player. Up until receiving this book as a gift I
never really studied deep chess strategy. This book is absolutely amazing.
The notations are initially dense. But, if you actually take out your
board and diagram the opening sequences your game can improve
dramatically, and quickly. Within a month of study I have a handle on many
of the openings, and have found explanations concerning why certain
sequences work, and others don't.
Within a few practices many basic openings can be mastered, and the larger
strategies behind the moves understood. This book is great for all
players, but especially those looking not only for an education in
strategy, but in the history of the game itself. This is a book you will
use throughout your chess playing days.
One gripe, but it's minor. I wish more historical context could be
provided regarding the sequences, just for trivia's sake.
An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire
for Black by Jouni Yrjola, Jussi Tella
Incredible! Reviewer: A reader from Illinois United States
One of my favorite chess books. I have
stumbled around looking for a repertoire for years, and this book, based
on 1...d6, brought me home. What is great about it is verified by modern
techniques (computer analysis), so the moves given really are good. Plus,
I love that it considers weak alternatives by white, that GMs would never
play, but you will see often in your internet games, such as 1. d4 d6, 2.
e3. Great, great book.
Nunn's Chess Openings by John Nunn, Joe Gallagher, John Emms, Graham Burgess
A great
reference for intermediate players and up. Reviewer: Bryan Castro from Williamsville, NY USA
I decided to write this review after reading the other reviews on this
book. I have used this book for about two years and I think it is very
helpful. However, there are a few things to remember when deciding to
purchase this book:
1. This is a reference book meant for people who are serious about
learning chess openings. It is not meant as an "instructional" tool to
tell you the ideas of the openings, but instead as a reference if you
already have some knowledge of openings and basic strategy.
2. This is not meant for beginners. When it comes to openings, players
under say 1300-1400 should concentrate on learning the ideas behind the
openings rather than worrying about specific opening lines past move 10.
Players under 1300 should try Reuben Fine's
Idea's Behind the Chess Openings or Seirawan's
Winning Chess Openings to get ideas that come from these openings.
Players below this level more often lose games because of tactical
blunders rather than not knowing an opening. I actually got this book when
I was rated around 1200, and I basically put it away until I was rated
around 1500. Now, at 1700, I use it after each of my games to see what
"theory" says about the opening I play.
3. This is a comprehensive reference, so it will not have every opening
known to man. Some of the unsound gambits and "trick" openings are not
covered because a) not many people play them and b) these can be refuted
or defeated by understanding tactics better (many of these off-beat
openings require the other player to play a natural move and lose because
they "missed" the tactical trick. These types of openings should not be in
a book such as this, because many players can probably figure out these
traps and avoid them in their play. It is true that some of my openings
are not covered very much in this book, but a majority of them are, and
usually the ones that aren't covered I play because I already have a book
or other resource for that opening.
This is a great book if you have some experience in chess and wish to look
up openings when analyzing your games or even to learn new openings (until
you get good enough that you need more specialized material).
Ideas Behind the Chess Openings: Algebraic Edition by Reuben Fine
Still
informative after all these years Reviewer: Oscar A. from Dallas, TX
Bobby Fischer, when asked by a young boy how
to improve the boy's chess, picked up a copy of "The Ideas Behind the
Chess Openings," and advised the boy to "read this book. This book has
everything. It's one of the best chess books, and can definitely help to
improve your game." Whenever the legendary Fischer speaks of how to
improve one's chess, I have just a word of advice: Listen.
In comparing the 1943 edition of this book to the more recent 1989/90
works, it appears that most of the revisions involve the Indian and
Sicilian Defenses. For good reason: These are still the overwhelming
choices of many an international grandmaster to 1 d4 and 1 e4,
respectively. Other than that, the text is about the same. In fact, the
more recent editions even have a few misspellings and caption-reference
errors to boot.
Still, I think that's a trivial reason for chess players to shy away from
this book. The title states the principle: As long as you understand the
IDEAS of the openings you play, you will be ready for nearly any
surprises--curve balls, if I may--that your opponent might have in store.
It made sense in 1943; it still makes sense today.
I would recommend this book to those in the beginner-to-intermediate
range. I believe that, once you understand the ideas of your preferred
openings, then and only then should you begin to intensify your studies of
opening theory. After that, I feel that everything will fall into place
naturally.
A
Proven Blueprint!
An
Education
