01-01 january cover layout 1 11/12/2016 21:21 page 1 · the christmas quiz ... level games, and...

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ContentsEditorial.................................................................................................................4Malcom Pein on the latest developments in the game

60 Seconds with... Ilya Smirin ....................................................................7The leading Israeli GM has several tips for the club player

The Play-off .......................................................................................................8After Carlsen’s fightback, the big match came down to rapid chess

Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................10Where will you be playing in the new year?

More WCH .........................................................................................................12Steve Barrett

Again to Leeds!...............................................................................................13Andrew Smith enjoyed his return to the British Rapidplay

Millionaire Chess ............................................................................................16Steve Barrett reports from Atlantic City, home of MC3

How Good is Your Chess? ..........................................................................20Daniel King examines the decisive play of Valentina Gunina

Studies with Stephenson............................................................................23Brian pays tribute to Miroslav Sindelar

The Christmas Quiz.......................................................................................24Charles Higgie has 12 fiendishly difficult festive puzzles

Find the Winning Moves .............................................................................26Can you do as well as the players at the 4NCL

Santa Monica is Coming to Town! ..........................................................30John Henderson remembers the second Piatigorsky Cup

Are You Sitting Comfortably? .................................................................40Amatzia Avni shares some of his favourite chess stories

Overseas News ...............................................................................................42Ju Wenjun will be in the next women’s world championship match

Running Out of Theory: Part 2 ...............................................................44Matthew Lunn continues to draw some important lessons

Never Mind the Grandmasters................................................................46Carl Portman remembers hosting the legendary Lev Polugaevsky

Home News.......................................................................................................48Success for Gawain Jones, Paul Macklin, John Nunn and Peter Wells

Solutions............................................................................................................52

More of the Best............................................................................................53Sean Marsh on the best of 2016 and coverage of the latest releases

Saunders on Chess ........................................................................................58John reflects on New York and looks forward to Gibraltar

Photo credits: Steve Barrett (pp.18-19), Kidge Elder (p.49), Grand Chess Tour (p.58),Eteri Kublashvili (p.21), Millionaire Chess (p.17, 19 top), (pp.Rod Middleton (p.48), RayMorris-Hill (pp.14-15, 50), Lennart Ootes (pp.4-7, 10), Moritz Reuter (pp.8-9, 12).

ChessFounding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc †Executive Editor: Malcolm PeinEditors: Richard Palliser, Matt ReadAssociate Editor: John SaundersSubscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington

Twitter: @CHESS_MagazineTwitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm PeinWebsite: www.chess.co.uk

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Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by:Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RTTel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015Email: [email protected], Website: www.chess.co.uk FRONT COVER:Cover Design: Matt ReadPhoto: Lennart Ootes

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03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 21:21

It seemed appropriate that MC3, the thirdand probably final iteration of Maurice Ashleyand Amy Lee’s Millionaire Chess tournamentseries, took place in Atlantic City in the sameweek the Trump Taj Mahal casino shut its doorsfor the final time on Monday, October 10th.The closure of the $1 billion hotel, which hashad no direct connection to president-electDonald Trump since February 2016, was thelatest blow for an iconic city in decline, a citywhere Millionaire Chess had relocated – fromLas Vegas – to save money. As me and my brother, who was visitingfrom England, queued at Port Authority in NewYork City for an early bus down to Atlantic Citywith a bunch of regular – and slightlydesperate-looking – casino dwellers, nothingabout the experience shouted ‘glamour’,‘mainstream’ and ‘Millionaire’, but we werelooking forward to it nonetheless. The third tournament, at Harrah’s Casino,lacked many of the big names thatcharacterised the first two, including theAmerican glamour trio of Fabiano Caruana,Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So – the lattertwo taking home the top prize of $100,000in 2014 and 2015. They chose instead toplay in the Isle of Man rather than continue tosupport Ashley’s tournament, which had aheavily reduced prize fund this year. As Ashley says, “The top players in ourevent in previous years were compensated toplay elsewhere – so they went. It really camedown to that simple a formula.” He defends his decision not to offerconditions and believes the first two versions ofthe tournament showed what could beachieved with his formula to revolutionise “theconventional models of chess tournamentsglobally”. That model included ‘MillionaireMonday’ play-off finishes for the top four ineach section, no short draws, prizes for thebest-dressed players to raise presentationstandards, and an opening breakfast. “We never offered conditions,” explainsAshley. “Conditions seemed ridiculous for anevent that you can win $100,000 for first place.That’s a bad formula, and it’s one of the thingsthat have held chess back. When you have elitetournaments where players are offered fullconditions and then first place might be$10,000, that’s one of the reasons you can’t getfans’ attention. The stakes aren’t high enough. Itsounds like a little ‘hobby’ sport.” Indeed, toillustrate Ashley’s point, the first prize in the Isleof Man was about $15,000.

In a blog on her website Lee, who lost a totalof about $2 million overall on the MillionaireChess adventure, says MC1 provoked interestfrom potential sponsors such as Visa, AmericanExpress, Bulgari, and Tesla, which all eventuallydeclined because they “wanted to see proof ofconcept first”. The second tournament attracted an Emmyaward-winning production company, SunsetLane Entertainment, which apparently led todiscussions with both ESPN and NBC Sports,but the $1.5 million asking price was too high tofacilitate a network show. “Whether chess takes off comes down tothe perceived excitement around the gameand number of fans willing to play orparticipate,” says Ashley. “The perception isthat it is not exciting, interesting and fun towatch. So broadcasters shy away from it,don’t feel it’s televise-able, and it’s notsomething they’re going to spend millions ofdollars trying to showcase in the way youmight a professional sport.” This year there was no commentary, no‘Confession Room’, and no live broadcastonline. There was definitely a feeling of ‘afterthe Lord Mayor’s show’, only compoundedwhen Lee was rushed to hospital on the eveof the tournament for an emergency gallbladder operation and was not present at theopening or closing ceremonies. Just 400 people showed up in AtlanticCity, paying entry fees of around $550 perperson, compared to 550 people for MC1and MC2 in Vegas, paying nearer $1,000 toenter. I certainly didn’t see many New Yorkfaces at the event, so maybe chess playerssimply aren’t able or willing to invest such asum into entering a tournament. Atlantic City isn’t helped by not having adirect rail link to NYC – you have to go viaPhiladelphia – and the casino environment isnot to everybody’s taste, especially one suchas Harrah’s. The Borgata is the only AtlanticCity casino where I would voluntarily spendtime and my brother, I and the only otherEnglish participant, GM Gawain Jones,accompanied by his wife Sue, did escape overthere one night for a much-needed breakfrom the Harrah’s routine. Having said all this, there were someexcellent players competing, including 132600-plus GMs, and great fighting chessover the five days of the tournament. The topseeds were the genial Indian BaskaranAdhiban and U.S. Olympiad star Sam

Shankland, followed by tough Azerbaijaniinternational Rauf Mamedov, and othernotables such as newly crowned World JuniorChampion Jeffery Xiong, Chinese GMJianchou Zhou, and regular U.S. competitorsincluding Varuzhan Akobian, Sam Sevian,Alejandro Ramirez, Alexander Stripunsky,Conrad Holt, and Kayden Troff. But the favourites were eclipsed by ourvery own Jones, who was clear leader of thetournament after seven rounds and the onlyplayer to qualify for Millionaire Mondaywithout needing a play-off on Sundayevening, and the ultimate winner, toughPolish GM Darius Swiercz. While Jones certainly rode his luck on hisway to the finals, it took no little skill and nerveto rescue poor positions, grind out wins fromlevel games, and pounce when his higher-ratedopponents overplayed their hands.

G.Jones-B.AdhibanRound 7

74 f4 Ìc3 75 Êf3 Ìb5 76 f5 Ìd4+ 77 Êe3 Ìc2+ 78 Êf2 Êf8 79 Íf1Êg7? 80 Íe2 Êh6 81 Íd1 Ìd4 82 Êe3Ìb5 83 Êd3 Ìd4 84 Êc4 Ìc6 85 Êc5Ìd4 86 Êb4 Ìc6+ 87 Êc4 Ìd4? 87...Ìd8 88 Êd5 Ìf7 89 Êe6 Êg7 90 Íxh5 Ìh6 is a fortress.88 Êc5 Êg7 89 Íxh5 Ìc2? And here 89 ..Ìb3+ 90 Êd5 Ìd2 wouldhave clung on.90 Êd6 Ìd4 91 Íd1 Êf7 92 h5 Ìb5+93 Êc6 Ìc3 94 Íf3 Ìb1 95 Êd7 Ìd296 Íg2 Ìb3 97 h6 Ìc5+ 98 Êd6 Ìd399 Íf3 Ìf4 100 Íd1 Ìh3 101 Íb3+Êf8 102 Êe6 Ìg5+ 103 Êxf6 Ìxe4+104 Êg6 Ìc5 105 h7 1-0

January 2017

Steve Barrett reports from Atlantic City, home of the third Millionaire tournament

Millionaire Chess

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Swiercz could have saved himself thetrouble of fighting through the rapid play-offsif he’d seen the following brilliancy at the endof a tough fight with Mamedov in round seven.

D.Swiercz-R.MamedovRound 7

Both players made the play-off after 37Ëf5 Ëh2+ 38 Êg4 Ëe2+ 39 Êh3 Ëh2+40 Êg4 Ëe2+ 41 Êh3 ½-½, but 37 Ëg7+!would have won and in some style as 37...Îxg738 fxg7+ Êxg7 39 Îxb7+ leaves Black withnothing better than 39...Îf7 40 Îxh7+ Êf641 Îhxf7+ Ëxf7 42 Îxf7+ Êxf7 43 Íxd3and a hopeless bishop endgame.

Jones swept aside Zhou handily in theMillionaire Monday semi-final to set up arematch with Swiercz in the big finale. Havingplayed on the same White Rose 4NCL teamas Jones when he was still at primary schooland followed his ascent up the chess ranksclosely, it was with much pride that I watchedhim gradually outplay Swiercz in the first

play-off game, nursing a pawn advantageinto an ending that looked sure to conclude inJones’ favour, especially given his significanttime advantage. But Swiercz had already proved himself anextremely tough competitor and, down to theincrement, he kept setting Jones problems untilthe relative times for each player were level.Jones missed a deflection tactic that wouldhave enabled him to queen his advanced d-pawn and all of a sudden fell into a three-move checkmate, which the Pole delivered withjust three seconds remaining on his clock.

G.Jones-D.Swiercz1st matchgame (rapid)

64 Îh7+! Ìxh7 65 e7 would have forcedthe pawn home, but with both players by nowliving largely on the 5-second delay, Jones wasto miss that and see the tide cruelly turn.64 Ìf6+ Êh6 65 Ìg8+ Êh5 66 Îe8 f4+67 Êf2 Îd2+ 68 Êg1? 68 Êf1 Êh4 69 e7 Êg3 70 Îd8 was theway to do it.68 ..Êh4! 69 e7 Êg3 70 Îd8? It still wasn’t too late to draw with 70 Êf1!Îxg2 71 Êe1 Ìxf3+ 72 Êd1.70...Îxg2+ 71 Êf1 Ìxf3 72 Îd2 Îxd273 e8Ë Îf2# 0-1

It was a tragic end to the adventure and nosurprise that Jones was unable to bounceback in the must-win second game, whichstarted just 25 minutes later. So Swiercz tookthe $30,000 first prize, leaving Jones tocontemplate the cost of his misstep, butconsoled by a still not-too-shabby $15,000second-prize cheque. In fact, this is thebiggest prize Jones has ever won in his chesscareer thus far. For my part, I really enjoyed the tournamentand managed to gain 11 FIDE rating points,despite only scoring 3/9. I played one GM andfour IMs, including a draw against 2475-ratedChilean Pablo Salinas Herrera in round one and awin against Mexican IM Uriel Capo Vidal. Vidal scored 7/8 playing for Mexico in theOlympiad in Baku in September, so I wasexpecting a much tougher fight than whattranspired in the game – perhaps he had beenup late playing the tables the night before.

Q & A with

MauriceAshley

What were you trying to introducewith Millionaire Chess?“Players showing up on time and dressingwell is just basic professionalism. Unlesschess is packaged in a way that makes itattractive to sponsors, advertisers, andbroadcasters there’s no way it’s going togo anywhere.“We know we’ve got lots of fans in chess,but how many eyeballs are watching oursport or willing to participate? If only 400people turn up at this year’s Millionaire,the answer is ‘not that many’ for an eventlike this. Other tournaments bring in morethan that; some of those numbers areapproaching what you might see at anNBA stadium, possibly a soccer (football)stadium. Chess really has no way ofmaking it into the mainstream. “We were successful in the first two years,but we’re running against the presentcurrent, and I don’t see that changing.“If you’re going to get some interest insomething, the prize money has to berobust. We asked the players we felt hadthe potential to win big prize money topay like everybody else, which the topplayers did in the first two editions. We

Gawain Jones was the sole leader afterseven rounds, but suffered a cruel reversalin Millionaire Monday’s final against Swiercz.

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29-29 Everyman advert_Layout 1 11/12/2016 21:28 Page 1

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January 2017

In this second part of my examination into‘running out of theory’, I look at what canhappen when we emerge from an openingwith a strong position, yet lack the theoreticalknowledge to make the most of it.

J.S.Robertson-M.Lunn4NCL, Birmingham 2015King’s Indian Defence

1 d4 Ìf6 2 c4 g6 3 Ìc3 Íg7 4 e4 d6 5 Íe2 I really like this move – Black must wait alittle longer before seeing what set-up Whiteis going to opt for.5...0-0 6 Íg5

The Averbakh variation, a solid line which tendsto be a little less theory-heavy than 6 Ìf3.Whilst it is thematically similar with numerousvariations of the KID, it is pretty easy for Black togo wrong if he doesn’t know what to do.6...Ìa6 Preparing to meet any d5 push (a naturalresponse to ...e5) with ...Ìc5. Notably 6...e5, which some Black playerswould play without thinking, is undone by 7 dxe5dxe5 8 Ëxd8 Îxd8 9 Ìd5, after which Blackmust part with the exchange or the c7-pawn. Agood friend of mine, rated around 2250,unthinkingly picked up his e-pawn after 6 Íg5before realising his mistake and placing it sadly onthe sixth rank. It was not a successful game. Instead, 6...c5 7 d5 (after 7 dxc5 thethematic 7...Ëa5 is sensible and good;nevertheless, a number of seasoned GMs,such as Petursson and Lalic, have had successin the line 8 Íd2 Ëxc5 9 Ìf3) 7...e6,heading to a Benoni structure, is very natural.8 Ëd2 seems to be the test of this line, and

scores very highly for White. Carlsen-vanWely, Wijk aan Zee, 2013, continued 8...exd59 exd5 Ëb6 10 Ìf3 Íf5 11 Ìh4 Ìe4 12 Ìxe4 Íxe4 13 f3 Ëxb2 14 Îc1 and wehave reached, according to Krasenkow’snotes, a line which is “quite risky” for Black,due to White’s large lead in development.7 Ëd2 Ëe8 7...e5 is now playable, since White doesn’t winanything after 8 dxe5. Now 8...dxe5 9 Ëxd8Îxd8 10 Ìd5 Îd6 leaves everythingdefended; indeed, this line makes little senseafter Ëd2, as White is a tempo down on anexchange KID, so he tends to prefer 8 d5.8 h4 e5 9 d5 Ìc5 10 f3 Ìh5

10...a5, preventing b4, is an instinctivemove. It is worth noting that compared tostandard KID positions, White has begun togenerate activity on the kingside, andconsequently 11 g4 is not to be taken lightly.That is one of the reasons why 10...Ìh5 is astrong continuation, taking advantage of the...Ìh5-f4 manoeuvre while I can, and facilitatinga future ...f5. I did not think any of this at thetime, because I was still in my preparation.11 g4 Ìf4 11...Ìg3 bears consideration, but it’s worthnoting that after 12 Îh3 Ìxe2 13 Ìgxe2Black has exchanged off a good knight forWhite’s inert bishop, and activated two of hisopponent’s pieces in the process. Nevertheless,13...f5 looks eminently playable.12 Ìh3 12 Íxf4 doesn’t feel right – 12...exf4with ...f5 to follow leaves Black withincredible prospects, not least on the darksquares. Furthermore White can’t nab a pawnwith 13 Ëxf4 as the forcing 13...f5 14 gxf5gxf5 15 Ëe3 fxe4 16 fxe4 Íf5 wins it back,

with a huge positional advantage.12...f5 13 Ìxf4 exf4 14 gxf5 14 Íxf4 fxg4 15 0-0-0 looks holdable,until you realise that Black can jettison histremendous bishop with 15...Íxc3, when 16 bxc3 gxf3 17 Íxf3 Ëf7 leaves White’sbishops looking very silly.14...gxf5 15 exf5 I was happy to see this move, whichincreases the scope of my queen and light-squared bishop. 15 Îg1 looks more dangerous, meeting15...fxe4 (15...Êh8 is a more pragmaticoption) with 16 Íh6. After 16...Îf7 White canwin the pawn back with 17 Íxg7 (17 0-0-0,preparing an onslaught on Black’s king, is anattractive alternative) 17...Îxg7 18 Îxg7+Êxg7 19 Ëxf4, with a solid advantage.15...Íxf5 16 0-0-0

An important moment. I am now well andtruly out of theory. I like my position a lot –my bishops look magnificent, my queen iswell positioned on the half-open e-file. Andyet, try as I might, I could not come up with aplan. I had no understanding of what I shouldbe looking for, just the comfortlessknowledge that this was a good position.16...Íg6 Not a bad more per se; I’m defending thef-pawn and covering h5. Yet it hardly sets theheart racing, and after my opponent’s next, Iam still without a plan. I was convinced that my two powerfulbishops were central to my advantage, andfailed to reassess this even after minutes offrustrated analysis. Had I done so, I mighthave seen 16...Íxc3!. Whilst it is dangerousto give up my dark-squared bishop like this,given my kingside weaknesses, this is entirely

Matthew Lunn continues to draw some instructive lessons from his own praxis

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justified. Crucially, 17 bxc3 is forced due tothe hanging e2-bishop. Consequently White’s queenside pawnsare shattered and the knight’s c5 outpost isstrengthened. Black can immediatelycapitalise on this with 17...Ëa4 when Whitemust play 18 Ëb2 to prevent ...Ìb3+, butafter 18...Îae8 it is White who is strugglingfor play, even if he can pick up the f4-pawn.17 Îdg1 Êh8 17...Íxc3 is no longer so strong: 18 bxc3(after 18 Ëxc3 Ëxe2 19 h5 Black canchoose between the unbalanced 19...Ìa4 20 Ëb3 Ìxb2 21 hxg6 Ìd3 or going for arepetition with 19...Ìd3+ 20 Êb1 Ìe1+ 21 Êc1 Ìd3+) 18...Ëa4 19 Êb2 and now19...a5, threatening ...Îa6-b6, lookspurposeful and good. Nevertheless, White isdoing well after 20 Íd1 Ëxc4 21 h5, as21...Ëb5+ 22 Íb3 leaves Black with theslower attack. 18 Îg4 Íf5 18...Ìa4 is a useful move to play beforedriving away the rook: for instance, 19 Ìd1Íf5. Having marvelled at the knight’s strongc5 outpost, I did not dream of moving it.19 Îg2 19 Îxf4 Ëe5 is perhaps not as bad forWhite as it looks, as he can unravel with 20 h5 and Íh4. Nevertheless, Black hasdecent compensation for the pawn; the f4-rook is more of a burden than a strength.

19...Ëe3 My dithering over the past few moves hascost me dearly. I am about to drop a pawn anddo not have the activity to justify it.20 Ëxe3 fxe3 21 Íxe3 Îae8 22 Êd2 a6 22...Îf7, defending the bishop andpreparing to double on the e-file, has a lotmore fight in it.23 Îhg1 Íe5 24 Íh6 Îg8 This is a ghastly move, and one which I’mrather ashamed of. I was not thrilled with my long termprospects after 24...Îf7, which I think isreasonable. Nevertheless, it’s a lot easier forme to generate counterplay with my majorpieces on the board, even if it means bidingmy time.25 Îxg8+ Îxg8 26 Îxg8+ Êxg8 27 b4Ìd7 28 Ìe4 Êf7 29 h5 Íb2 30 Íd3Êg8

I am utterly without a plan – very muchthe strap-line for the game.31 Ìf6+ I thought this move, giving back the pawn,was a bit of an extravagance. Yet my resultantking position, coupled with the power ofWhite’s two bishops, certainly justifies it.31...Íxf6 31...Ìxf6 32 Íxf5 Ìxh5 only temporarilyrestores material parity: 33 Íe6+ Êh8 34 Íc8.32 Íxf5 Ìe5 33 Íe6+ Êh8 34 c5Ìxf3+ 35 Êe3 Ìe5 36 Êe4 Threatening Íc8, as ...Ìg4+ is no longer aresource.36...b6 37 cxb6 cxb6 38 a4 Giving Black a glimmer of hope. 38 Êf5 is stronger, and Black is in seriousdanger of landing in zugzwang, due to thepawn weaknesses on b6 and d6: for instance,38...Íg7 39 Íf4 Íf8 40 h6 and I’mstruggling to keep afloat.38...Ìc4 39 Íf8 Íe5 40 h6

40...a5 40...Ìb2 41 Íd7 will transpose into thegame in a number of lines (after 41 a5 bxa542 bxa5 Ìc4 Black should hold the draw)and while 41...Ìd1 does offer some much-needed counterplay, White retains strongchances after 42 a5 bxa5 43 bxa5 Ìc3+ 44 Êf5. Now 44...Êg8 is forced as44...Ìxd5 45 Êe6 leaves Black without asensible means of preventing Êf7 and Íg7+.41 bxa5 bxa5 Now I was pretty certain I could hold thedraw, but I had missed a detail.42 Íf7 After 42 Íe7 Ìb6 43 Íd8 Ìxa4 44 Íxa5Ìc3+ Black has just one weakness to defend.

42...Ìb6 43 Íe8 Ìc8 My ‘drawing’ idea, which ostensibly trapsWhite’s dark-squared bishop.44 Íd7 Ìb6 45 Íb5 Ìc8

My opponent went into the tank at thispoint, giving us both time to take stock.Unfortunately, this entailed the sharedrealisation that...46 Êf5 ...leads to a winning ending.46...Êg8 47 Íg7 Íxg7 48 hxg7 Êxg749 Êe6 It is incredible to think that Stuart has justtwo pawns, neither of which are passed, andyet it is I, with an extra, outside passer whomust soon embrace defeat like an old friend.49...h5 50 Êd7

50...Êf6 Trying to mix things up a bit, but White hasno difficult moves to find. 50...Ìb6+ is slightly more challenging: 51 Êxd6 h4 (Black can never give up hisknight for either pawn) 52 Êc6 h3 (or52...Ìc8 53 d6) 53 Íf1 (not 53 Íe2 h2 54Íf3 Ìc4 and the extra tempo derived fromthe threat of ...Ìe5+ is enough to draw: forinstance, 55 Êc7 Ìe5 56 Íg2 Êf6 57 d6Êe6) 53...h2 54 Íg2 Ìc4 55 d6 and Black’sking is one painful tempo away from savingthe game.51 Êxc8 Êe5 52 Íe2 Êxd5 53 Íxh5Êc4 54 Êc7 d5 54...Êb4 55 Íd1 (55 Íe8? d5 draws)55...d5 56 Êb6 d4 57 Êa6 transposes.55 Êb6 Êb4 56 Íd1 d4 57 Êa6 1-0 Soon my king will have to move from thedefence of the a-pawn.

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This month we take a look at some newbooks and glance back over our shoulder toacknowledge a number of fine volumes fromthe outgoing year. First of all, the winner of the 2016 ECFBook of the Year award – Chess for Life byMatthew Sadler and Natasha Regan (GambitPublications) – will, I hope, have found itsway on to as many Christmas lists as possible.The other three books featured on the short-list also deserve to reach a wider audienceand they are: Ignaz Kolisch – The Life andChess Career by Fabrizio Zavatarelli(McFarland), Fundamental Checkmates byAntonio Gude (Gambit), and VladimirTukmakov’s Risk and Bluff in Chess (New inChess). They all offer something different andmade the final choice a very difficult decision. 2016 saved some its big-hitters almostuntil the end, such as this one.

Timman’s TitansJan Timman, 334 pages

New in ChessRRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65

Jan Timman has been around for a long timeand players of a certain age will rememberwhen he was ‘the Best of the West’ and tippedto be a serious title challenger. Here he relatestales of his meetings with, and memories of,chess luminaries Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik,Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer,Karpov and Kasparov. Of course, he never met Alekhine, butnevertheless there is a delightful chapter allabout the fourth world champion at the start ofthe book, with Timman following a trail of cluesin Lisbon as he tries to piece together the final,tragic years of the chess genius. For each of theother Titans the book follows the formula of aphotograph, some biographical information,Timman’s personal memories and tales of thegreats, followed by a selection of games (not allbetween Timman and the titans). Timman also shares some of his chessdreams, adding a mystical element to the prose.Some of the dreams occasionally came true,

such as spending time with Fischer in anightclub. The time they shared back in 1990saw Fischer spend his time talking about theusual things: rook endings, fixed games, Jewsand conspiracies. “Despite his long absence fromthe chess arena, his insight was still very sharp.However, Fischer’s commentary was bizarre.”Spassky was present too and he tried to keepthings jovial. When Fischer returned once againto the subject of fixing matches (during whichhe repeatedly referred to Kasparov by hisoriginal name of Weinstein), Spassky chipped inwith: “But Bobby, our match was predeterminedtoo. It was clear that you were going to win.”This comment drew no reaction from Fischer. This is a very interesting book, full ofanecdotes I have never seen elsewhere. Forinstance, Timman remembers seeing Petrosianand Tal playing table football together.“Obviously Tal was the attacking line, andPetrosian defended.” It is little snippets like thiswhich really bring the titans to life. The chess games have many interestingmoments. This one is from “probably themost interesting game between Petrosianand me” and it features a remarkable decisionby Petrosian.

J.Timman-T.PetrosianMoscow 1981

15...f6 “How did it occur to Petrosian to makesuch moves? In Moscow, I talked about thiswith Eugene Torre. He thought that Petrosianwas prepared to make any move, even themost improbable, as long as it made him feelgood. He wanted to control the e5-square,which would allow him to play his knight toa5, and at the same time close the long

diagonal for White’s queen’s bishop.” Timman played the obvious-looking 16 Íxh7, but criticises it now for being“much too sharp”, suggesting 16 0-0 instead.After some adventures the game was drawnin 33 moves. The point is that it is all too easyto keep away from draws when flickingthrough a modern database and it takes thehuman touch to highlight magical momentsand curiosities we would otherwise overlook. Entertaining and instructive, Timman’sTitans is also Timman’s finest.

The Agile London SystemA.R.Holmes & O.De Prado Rodriguez, 335 pages


What can one say about the LondonSystem? It has risen from the ashes of oldclub players’ dreams to become somethingfar more substantial. The Phoenix has gainedits wings by temporarily omitting (after 1 d4)the move Ìf3, in favour of an immediate 2Íf4, with this modern idea even attractingthe interest of world champions. Thisseemingly insignificant twist is effectiveagainst some key Black move-orders. Two recent books offer differingapproaches to this nuanced way of playing. Ofthe two, this one easily has the more in-depthcoverage. There are recommendations againstall of Black’s replies, whether he plays 1 ...d5,1...Ìf6 or something else entirely (and thatincludes the likes of 1...e5 and 1...b5). There are two sets of exercises: onecovering tactical themes and one dealing withstrategic matters. The book concludes with a very interestingchapter on the Pereyra Attack, named afteran Argentinean player. This aggressive systemsees White jumping his knight into e5 veryquickly, making way for the queen, andfollowing up with 0-0-0 and an early h4 tostart an attack on the enemy king as quicklyas possible. It’s easy to see this sort of rapidattack working like clockwork at club level, soit should not be underestimated.

Sean Marsh continues to reveal some of his favourite books and DVDs from 2016

More of the Best

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January 201754

Power Play 23: A Repertoire for Blackwith Queen’s Gambit Declined

& Power Play 24: A Repertoire for Blackagainst the Catalan

Daniel King; PC-DVD, running time: 11 hours, 30 minutes in total

RRP £25.99 (each) SUBSCRIBERS £23.39 Avoiding mainline theory with either theleft hand (when playing the London System)or the right hand (with the Italian Game, asWhite continues to find it too difficult toknock down the Berlin Wall) is all very well,but it can leave one feeling nostalgic for somegood old main lines. At such times it is always wise to turn totrusted sources and openings which havedefinitely stood the test of time, rather thanthose that just happen to act as the latesttemporary bandwagon. Daniel King’s Power Play series forChessBase has proved consistently strong. Thistwin set proved to be one of the ChessBasehighlights of 2016, as King guides the viewerthrough the building of a sold, reliablerepertoire against the brave white players whodare to play 2 c4 and enter the well-troddenworlds of the Queen’s Gambit and Catalan. King’s polished style – honed to perfectionsince his early days as a TV summariser fromthe 1993 world championship onwards –instils confidence in the viewer. The lines onoffer are definitely not quick-fixes or basedon hope and low-level traps. Against the Queen’s Gambit he advocatesplaying with a very straight bat, maintainingthe pawn on d5 as a stronghold in the centre.The repertoire – based on the Tartakowersystem – stands on giants’ shoulders, havingbeen played by numerous world champions.There is also considerable material on White’soptions to the absolute main line, such as 5Íf4 and the Exchange variation. The Catalan is a tricky beast. Black oftenbecomes slightly worse and stays that way,hoping to hold the endgame to draw. King’sapproach here is consistent with the otherDVD, as he stresses the importance of holdingon to the strong pawn on d5, rather than headfor the Open Catalans Whites know so well.The twist is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3 Ìf6 4 g3Íb4+ when Black is not angling for anexchange of pieces (as the bishop usually dropsback to d6 or e7), but to give White somethingto think about regarding development. Whichpiece should be used to block the check? Whatsort of inconveniences is the first player goingto accept? If you, dear reader, are alreadymentally pondering the options then it is clearthat this line could be effective over the board.

I have never seen a bad DVD by DanielKing. These two, offering a repertoire built onconcrete, are sure to stand the test of time.

Maneuvering: The Art of Piece PlayMark Dvoretsky, 212 pages

Russell EnterprisesRRP £20.95 SUBSCRIBERS £18.85

I’m sure it came as a shock to most of thechess world when the death of top trainerand author Mark Dvoretsky was announced,especially as his books had been appearingwith increasing regularity over the lastcouple of years, ensuring him of a highprofile. I have already reviewed both volumesof his chess memoirs, For Friends andColleagues (Russell Enterprises), and cancertainly recommend both volumes asexcellent reading material. For this column Iwould like to recommend one his mostrecent and less heralded works. This book deals with “one of the mostimportant aspects of positional skill, namelythe art of playing with pieces, of maneuveringand finding the best squares for your men.” Itis “an exercise book meant for self-training.” The exercises start with a ‘Warm-Up’chapter and work their way through severalgenres before finishing with ‘DifficultExercises’. The material does start off intricky fashion and anybody below strong clubplayer level will struggle even with theWarm-Up section. Here is one of the easierexercises, which should help the potentialbuyer to test the level of suitability.

I.Khenkin-V.KarpmanUSSR Championship, Minsk 1990

White already has a winning move at hisdisposal: 26 Îf4!. “The knights are ‘hobbled,’and after 27 Îc4, one of them willunavoidably fall. Black resigned.”

This is not Dvoretsky’s longest or toughestbook, but it is full of excellent trainingmaterial. The art of manoeuvring is a verytricky area and hopefully readers will find theexercises in this book will help them improvein this department as we head towards thefirst chess battles of 2017.

Black is Back!Andras Adorjan, 319 pages


Andras Adorjan’s highly anticipated newbook picks up once again on his favourite theme– proving that Black is OK. However, as hementions in his foreword, this is to be his lastwork on the subject, bringing his “30-yearmission” to an end. He states with confidencethat White does not have any advantage. “It isnot true. Not in the beginning position and notin the further development of the game.” Adorjan, with collaborator Peter Boel, providesplenty of evidence from his own games to helphim in his campaign to overturn the dogmaticfavouring of the first player, covering histournament chess career from 1962-1999.Chapters on his own games are segregated bysections on other matters, such as the largediscrepancy in results for the respective coloursbetween chess giants Gelfand and Nakamura.Adorjan offers the large black score as evidencethat “a game between two fighters always givesboth of them winning chances – whether they areBlack or White, in a blitz game, a rapid game or aclassical game. Which is some proof for the Blackis OK! theory.” He then releases the burden ofproof by passing it on: “And if these two gentlementhink otherwise, let them prove it on the board!”. The chapter called ‘Who’s the Boss?’ answersits own question early on. “Not White. [...] Wakeup, folks! I’m not talking rubbish!” There is nodoubt that Adorjan is a free spirit and an originalthinker. Nor he is afraid to stress the point. “I aminactive since 2000, but only as far as tournamentchess is concerned. I’m still trying to exercisecreative thinking, as opposite to a shockinglylarge and growing part of the human race.” ‘All Kinds of Reflections’ offers quotes fromnumerous sources, including grandmasters,offering their thoughts on the colour problem.For example, Lajos Portisch is of the opinionthat “at least two thirds of all ‘tested’ openingsgive White an apparent advantage”, but goeson to say if the second player makes the correctopening choices then “Black is indeed OK”, whileTom Cooper from Ireland states: “White wins. Iwas always led to believe that this was so.” The final chapter offers tributes to peoplewho have proved influential to Adorjan’s life.


www.chess.co.uk55

These include Jozsef Szentgyorgyi, a playerwith little or no chess history, but with whomAdorjan “made a burlesque and wrote songs.”It’s possible that only Adorjan could use such asentence in a chess book. The epilogue bringsthis intriguing book to a close in dramatic style,with Adorjan relating how he collapsed and washospitalised at the end of December 2015,going on to spend several months in a numberof medical institutions before returning to finishthe swansong to his favourite subject. Quirky; eccentric; different. Never dull.Like author, like book.

Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography

Tim Harding, 582 pagesMcFarland

RRP £49.95 SUBSCRIBERS £44.95**Unfortunately this work is currently out ofstock, but will be available again at Chess &

Bridge after New Year.** 2016 was a very good and productive yearfor McFarland chess books. As mentionedearlier, the Kolisch book was the pick of thebunch and it came very close to being the ECFBook of the Year. Miguel A. Sanchez’s chessbiography of Jose Raul Capablanca is excellenttoo, adding a lot of colour to the life of the thirdworld champion, including significant detail onthe health problems that impacted on his lateryears. The blood pressure problem made him avery ill man indeed. Blackburne is by no means as wellrepresented in chess literature as any worldchampion which is one reason why TimHarding’s big book is so welcome. There is nodoubt whatsoever that the subject of thebook was a top player who made a significantmark in the world of chess. “Blackburne’speak achievements and long career mark himout as the greatest practical player Britainproduced until the last quarter of thetwentieth century. [...] For at least twodecades he was among the world’s top tenand in the top three in his best years.” Harding makes it clear at the start thatresearching the life and games of Blackburne wasa huge task (“There are no notebooks, diaries orpersonal letters”), but has produced a wonderfulwork that is unlikely to be surpassed. Eschewingthe genre of loose-lipped anecdotes in favour ofhard facts, Harding has put plenty of biographicalflesh on the bones, taking the Blackburne storyall the way from his birth in Manchester in 1841to his death in London in 1924. All of the available competitive games ofBlackburne are included (some game scoreshave been lost), and there is a large number of

games from his exhibition games and otherminor encounters. He certainly played a lot ofgames as he made his living from all manner ofexhibitions, including blindfold simultaneousdisplays, in addition to prizes gained in majorcompetitions. The games are numbered up to1,184, although this tally incorporatessurviving fragments from missing games. Blackburne’s chess career was longer thanmost; he was already 72 when he battled awayagainst the best of them at St. Petersburg in1914. His games were very rarely dull and heplayed a whole range of openings, embracingthe attacking potential of the King’s Gambit oneday and then utilising quieter lines such as theFrench Exchange and, dare I say it, the LondonSystem the next. He was more than capable of beating thebest, as Emanuel Lasker found to his cost at themost famous of all the Hastings tournaments.

E.Lasker-J.BlackburneHastings 1895

This was the penultimate round and Laskerwas sharing second place with Pillsbury, half apoint behind Chigorin. Both Lasker and Chigorinlost, paving the way for Pillsbury’s remarkabletriumph. Yet beating Lasker was never an easytask and the end of the game featured a finalflurry of pitfalls and complications.40...e4!? “Black avoids the evil trap 40 ...Îh4 41 Îxh3 when Black is mated if he takes thequeen. Nevertheless, the text jeopardises thewin, whereas 40 ...Ëh6! (not mentioned bythe old commentators) would ensure it,meeting 41 Ëc4 by 41 ...Ëb6.”41 Îxh3 41 Ëxe4! is better.41...Ëa1+ 42 Êg2 exf3+ 43 Êg3? 43 Ëxf3 is given by Chigorin.43...Ëe5+ 44 Êxf3 Ëxd5+ 0-1

There are numerous photographs showingBlackburne and his contemporaries, including avery fine one taken at the start of his finalsimultaneous exhibition in 1921, at the age of 80. Typically for McFarland, they go the extramile by granting extra space for a series ofappendices. These cover Blackburne’s matchand tournament record, his record against his

principal rivals, his own chess compositions,interviews and other articles. This is sort of book readers could losethemselves in for days on end and as such it ishighly recommended reading for the festive break.

Winning with the Modern London SystemNikola Sedlak, 222 pages

RRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75 It is very important to note that this bookdeals only with positions arising from 1 d4 d52 Íf4, as after 1 ...Ìf6 “Black has the optionof playing ...d6 when the London set-upseems less logical and I don’t believe in it.” Just as with The Agile London System, weare given a short history of the opening, withJames Mason again receiving recognition.Getting to the meat of the book, Sedlak isstrong on explaining the nuances created by 2 Íf4 and also on certain transpositions, suchas 1 d4 d5 2 Íf4 c5 3 e3 cxd4 4 exd4 whenan Exchange Variation of the Caro-Kann hassuddenly appeared. Incidentally, he mentions,but does not analyse or advocate, the reversedAlbin Counter-Gambit possibility of 3 e4. The final chapter offers material on typicalLondon System endgames. This could havebeen more thorough and would havebenefited from given some thematicpositions and plans outlined in prose beforemoving on to the three illustrative games. This is the more immediately accessible ofthe two books, but the repertoire is verylimited, making it the choice for readers whowant to get up and running with an occasionalsurprise weapon. However, those who havemore study time and would like to hone theLondon into a serious, mainline repertoirechoice should angle for the Agile.

Sean Marsh

A Round-Up of New Books & Software

Checkmate: Bobby Fischer’s Boys’ Life Columns

Peter Kurzdorfer (ed.), 128 pages, paperback

RRP £15.95 SUBSCRIBERS £14.35


January 201756

From December 1966 until January 1970,Bobby Fischer wrote a chess column for Boys’Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scoutsof America. That was undoubtedly a key timein his progression towards the chess summit,but this complete collection of his columnswill be of interest to much more than just thehistorian. Indeed, Fischer frequentlyaddressed readers’ queries and, just as in MySixty Memorable Games, supplied a wealth oftips which will still be of much use to playersof all levels.

Attacking 101 Volume #002Joel Johnson, 188 pages, paperbackRRP £13.50 SUBSCRIBERS £12.15

Johnson continues his Attacking 101series by demonstrating a large number of hiswins against lower-rated opposition in the1000-1800 rating range. The emphasis isunsurprisingly on attacking with the U.S.National Master explaining the typical sortsof mistakes he has encountered at club leveland the best ways to punish them.

ChessBase 14 – Starter PackageChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £169.99 SUBSCRIBERS £152.88 ChessBase continue to dominate thedatabase market and have recently releasedthis latest version of their main program. Inrecent years they have been pushing the use oftheir cloud functions and users of ChessBase14 are even able to access annotated games inthe Live Database. This starter package comeswith the Big Database 2017, three issues ofChessBase Magazine and six months premiumChessBase membership. ChessBase 13 users wishing to upgrademay do so for the special price of £89.99(£80.99 for Subscribers), while one mightprefer to buy the Mega Package, which retailsat £249.95 (Subscribers – £224.95) andhas all the same features as the StarterPackage, but includes the Mega Database2017 and longer premium access toChessBase’s various web-related tools.Finally, there’s the Premium Package for thosewho make the most use of ChessBase. Thisretails at £339.95 (Subscribers – £305.95)and comes with all the features of the MegaPackage, as well as the latest correspondencedatabase and the Endgame Turbo 4 whichcontains the Syzygy Tablebases.

David vs GoliathPeter Zhdanov, 256 pages, paperbackRRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75

Last month we listed Andrew Soltis’s latest

work, David vs Goliath Chess. One can restassured though that the folks at ChessEvolution thought up the title and subjectmatter themselves. As with Soltis’s work, thisbook sees the reader being shown a numberof upsets, a subject on which Zhdanov haslong penned columns for www.pogonina.com.Soltis settled for 50 well-annotated games;Zhdanov, a sometimes controversial figure inthe chess world, as well as the husband ofNatalija Pogonina, prefers 111 games,including major rating shocks being sufferedby the likes of Carlsen, Karpov and Kasparov.

FIDE Golden Book 1924-2016 Willy Icklicki, 372 pages, paperback

RRP £29.99 SUBSCRIBERS £26.99 Founded in Paris in 1924, FIDE has certainlyhad a long history, as well as quite a chequeredone in recent times. Everything that one couldwish to learn about the organisation iscontained within this well-written history, evenif Icklicki is sometimes a little too at pains toexplain all the important organisational aspectswhich FIDE currently undertakes.

Foxy 166: Learn Chess in 1 HourAndrew Martin; PC-DVD,

running time: 1 hour, 8 minutesRRP £16.99 SUBSCRIBERS £15.29

As part of a series entitled Train Yourself inChess – from Beginner to Expert, Martinbegins by explaining exactly how the piecesmove and the basic rudiments of the game.The DVD includes a program called MasterChess 8000, which features some 2 milliongames, as well as a number of chess engines.

Foxy 167: New Secret Weapon in theExchange Ruy Lopez

Andrew Martin; PC-DVD, running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

RRP £16.99 SUBSCRIBERS £15.29 The experienced English IM and popularpresenter turns his attention here to moreadvanced matters, examining 1 e4 e5 2 Ìf3Ìc6 3 Íb5 a6 4 Íxc6 dxc6 for White, buthere’s the twist: the follow-up is not 5 0-0. Asusual for Martin, his focus is solely on the clubplayer and while Magnus and Sergey might notlose sleep over this DVD, its repertoire couldwell cause trouble for the odd 130 or two.

Fritz Powerbook 2017ChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £44.95 SUBSCRIBERS £40.45 This openings tree works in both Fritz andChessBase and presents some 21 millionpositions, drawn from 1.5 million leading

games. As such, one can quickly see whichlines have scored well, as well as which arenew and perhaps worth trying out. Ownersof the Fritz Powerbook 2016 can upgrade forjust £25.99 (Subscribers – £23.39)

H.E. BirdHans Renette, 596 pages, hardback

RRP £59.95 SUBSCRIBERS £53.95 It will come as no surprise that theforeword to this work subtitled ‘A ChessBiography with 1,198 Games’ is by RichardForster, the author of a similar lavishly-researched, epic work on Bird’s contemporaryAmos Burn. Henry Bird (1829-1908) was aleading figure in the British chess scene forthe second half of the nineteenth century,but just what do we remember him fortoday? As Renette demonstrates, Bird’s lifewas far from dull and neither was the mannerof his play. Indeed, there was much more tothis titan of British chess than just 1 f4 and 1e4 e5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 Íb5 Ìd4.

Houdini 5 StandardChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £69.95 SUBSCRIBERS £62.95 Robert Houdart is back with a new versionof his famous analysis engine. Do see the advertearlier in this issue for all the particulars andnote that Chess & Bridge are also selling themultiprocessor version, Houdini 5 PRO, for£89.99 (Subscribers – £80.99).

Luther’s Chess ReformationThomas Luther, 232 pages, paperbackRRP £22.50 SUBSCRIBERS £20.25

The eye-catching title aside, there isplenty to interest the reader in this new workfrom Quality Chess. The GermanGrandmaster has been a regular on thetournament scene for many a year. Writing inquite an engaging and fun style, Luther drawson his huge experience to provide a widerange of tips to help players of all levels getcloser to their goals. Please note that, as usual for new QualityChess works, a hardback version of this workis available for an extra £4.

Meeting the Gambits Vol. 1: Gambits after 1.e4

Andrew Martin; PC-DVD, running time: 3 hours, 55 minutes

RRP £25.99 SUBSCRIBERS £23.39 Martin has certainly been busy of late andhere ventures into the ChessBase studiodetermined to show the viewer that theyshould not let opponents who gambit have


www.chess.co.uk57

things all their own way. The recommendedantidote is a mixture of prudent defence andtimely counterattack, while those gambitswhich come under the microscope include fiveafter 1 e4 e5, the obvious two against theSicilian, the Milner-Barry and, for Caro andScandinavian players, the Blackmar-Diemer.

Mega Database 2017ChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £144.95 SUBSCRIBERS £130.45 It’s that time of year where ChessBaseproduce the latest versions of their huge andhugely popular databases. The premium one is theMega Database, which now contains over 6.8million(!) games, of which 70,000 are annotated.Purchasers will enjoy access to weekly updates forthe next year and the latest version also comeswith an up-to-date Playerbase. Do note that it’s possible for existing Megacustomers to upgrade: £54.95 if you’reupgrading from Mega Database 2016(£49.45 for Subscribers), or £89.95 if froman older version (£80.95 for Subscribers).

Big Database 2016ChessBase PC-DVD

RRP £54.95 SUBSCRIBERS £49.45 The standard version of the Mega Database,containing the same vast number of games, butwithout any annotations or upgrade service.

Najdorf x Najdorf: An Intimate Biography

Liliane Najdorf, 208 pages, paperbackRRP £20.95 SUBSCRIBERS £18.85

Miguel Najdorf was undoubtedly one ofthe most colourful figures in the chess worldof the 20th century, as quickly becomes clearin this memoir penned by his daughter. LilianeNajdorf had a great amount of respect for herfather, but also was frequently exasperatedby him. We might remember Najdorf for hishuge blindfold simultaneous displays, but itturns out that he often forgot where he hadparked his car. For this first English edition ofwhat is, in short, a warts-and-all biography,readers also get to enjoy a foreword andselection of annotated games by Jan Timman.

New Weapons in the King’s IndianMilos Pavlovic, 240 pages, paperbackRRP £24.95 SUBSCRIBERS £22.45

Having already tackled the Grünfeld forThinkers Publishing, the Serbian Grandmasterturns his attention to the King’s Indian, onceagain looking for dangerous, little-used ideaswhich Black might employ. Recommendationsinclude 6 Íe3 Ìbd7 in the Sämisch and

meeting the Classical main line with7...exd4!? 8 Ìxd4 Îe8.

Playing the RagozinRichard Pert, 436 pages, paperback

RRP £22.50 SUBSCRIBERS £20.25 The Ragozin is often seen as an idealaccompaniment to the Nimzo-Indian, arising asit often does after 1 d4 Ìf6 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3 d54 Ìc3 Íb4. However, the aspiring Ragozinplayer can also begin 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 when Pert,on top of his examination of the main lines, looksat both 3 Ìc3 Íb4!? and 3 Ìf3 Ìf6 Ìf6 4 g3Íb4+. The creative English IM certainly makes apersuasive case for why more club players shouldimitate the GMs and adopt the Ragozin, whileproviding a detailed repertoire with it.

The Caro-Kann Defense Classical Variation

Anatoly Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets, 388 pages, hardback

RRP £17.99 SUBSCRIBERS £16.19 One presumes that this theoretical coverageof 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Ìc3 dxe4 4 Ìxe4 Íf5was penned by Karpov’s long-time secondPodgaets, but in any case it undoubtedlyincludes many lines which once formed thecornerstone of the 12th world champion’srepertoire. This work for Russian Chess Houseaims to explain the key ideas for both sides,although there is certainly plenty of theoryincluded, as well as several new ideas for Black.

The Complete Manual of Positional ChessKonstantin Sakaev & Konstantin Landa,

320 pages, paperbackRRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65

The sub-title of this New in Chess researchsays it all: ‘The Russian Chess School 2.0:Opening and Middlegame’. This work wasoriginally written for chess teachers at the DYSS,the special sports school for young talents inRussia. The two experienced and pretty strongRussian Grandmasters provide a completecourse for both the chess trainer and the keenpupil. Topics covered include reducing the use ofthe computer on one’s chess development, withthe authors’ overall aim being to improve thereader’s assessment of any chess position.

The Modern Endgame Manual: Mastering Minor Piece Endgames 1Adrian Mikhalchishin & Csaba Balogh,

256 pages, paperbackRRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75

Produced by Chess Evolution in associationwith FIDE, this book forms part of an ambitious9-work series designed to guide the reader

through every single sort of endgame. Here thefocus is bishop endings, incorporating threemajor areas: bishop against pawns, same-coloured bishop endgames, and opposite-coloured bishop endings. Each chapter beginsby presenting the most important positionswhich the authors believe the reader reallymust know and throughout they are certainlyhelped by the clarity of the layout. In addition The Modern Endgame Manual:Mastering Minor Piece Endgames 2 is also nowavailable (208 pages, paperback), retailing at£21.95 or £19.75 for Subscribers, andcovering knight vs pawn, knight vs knight andknight vs bishop endgames.

The Sicilian Sveshnikov: Move by MoveCyrus Lakdawala, 400 pages, paperback

RRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99 Having written of late an Anti-Siciliansguide for Black, the San Diego IM turns hisattention to his favourite type of OpenSicilian, 1 e4 c5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 d4 cxd4 4Ìxd4 Ìf6 5 Ìc3 e5. The dynamic nature ofthe Sveshnikov may seem at odds with theseemingly positional style of the London-and-Colle-loving Lakdawala, but he is aboveall keen on the practical aspect of theopenings he both plays and eulogises in hisbooks. Lakdawala turns out to have done hisusual fine job in explaining the key motifs andtheory after 6 Ìdb5 d6 7 Íg5 a6 8 Ìa3 b5,while he also adds a detailed chapter on a petsurprise weapon of his, ‘the Ulfie’, 6...h6!?.

Winning at BlitzGenrikh Chepukaitis, 112 pages, paperback

RRP £7.99 SUBSCRIBERS £7.19 Chepukaitis was not a household nameoutside Russia until the Internet Chess Clubpropelled his blitz exploits on to a widerstage, but he was a legend in his homeland,frequently winning both the St. Petersburgand Moscow blitz championships. After aforeword by Genna Sosonko explains moreabout Chepukaitis’ chess career, the readerlearns from the blitz master himself how toexcel at that version of the game in this worksubtitled ‘A Fun Guide to Blitz Chess’.


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