Chess Books

I was familiar with Dan Heisman's articles on a popular website, but this is the first book of his that I've come across. Like his articles, it is intended for chess players from beginner to average club level. Also like his articles, it is characterized by clear and logical writing, with well chosen content reflecting his vast experience as a chess teacher. One of the things that separate this book from other tactical books is that it covers what Heisman calls the Counting tactic. This refers to positions where a piece is attacked and defended a number of times, and the player must count whether a sequence of captures leads to a net material gain. It also covers the possibility that the defense is inadequate due to defending pieces being more valuable than the capturing pieces. For a lot of the kids I coach, this is one of the main tactical issues they face in every game.

My rating is just above 1000 and this book has perfectly organized presentation on the common tactical techniques that I need to improve my mid-game. It may be too basic for 1500-rated players, but for me it is the best chess book I have ever read.

I am relatively new to chess study, and found most puzzle books just a little too hard to really deal with. I bought the Reinfeld books and just felt lost.

Then I saw a review of this book and decided to give it a go. MAN, has it helped me. Heisman gives a wonderful primer on each type of tactic complete with a section of puzzles just on that tactic. Then he goes into a section of checkmates, and a wonderful (and difficult) section on defensive tactics.

Finally he wraps it up with a long section of puzzles that cover all the various subjects in the book. This is a wonderful book for those who are new to chess tactics and feel a little overwhelmed by the various puzzle books. I know the book is working because while going through this book I would get one of my Reinfeld books and open to a random puzzle and more times than not be able to solve it! Before, I was just staring cluelessly at the Reinfeld puzzles.

This a great book written by someone who takes education very seriously! Highly recommended for those who need work on basic tactical understanding.

I'm around a 1200-1400 player trying to improve. Most chess books are unfortunately excruciating to read. With the exception of Logical Chess : Move by Move, most books are a chore to sit through. I've had a few other books on tactics, but just working through problem after problem with no explanation gets old fast. "Why is the move that I thought about a bad one?" "Doesn't this move win as well?" "What are the basic patterns of a certain mate or tactic?" These are all questions that most of the books don't answer, but Heisman's book does! There's text and even essays on certain themes and tactics, to make sure that you understand what they are and how to use them. This book includes Double threats vs double attacks, opening traps, checkmates, defensive tactics, how to avoid tactical self destruction, as well as the usual removal of the guard, forks, skewers, pins, discovered checks, and trapped pieces. It's all there with more than adequate explanations ,as well as helpful tips and mini articles scattered throughout. This is definitely easy to read and that makes a huge difference. It doesn't matter if a book has 10 million problems if it bores you to tears going through it because you'll never pick it up. I'll be lloking for some more Heisman books later on. Great work !

As a USCF 1790-rated player, i bought this book for a quick tactics refresher. I read the book, solving all the puzzles in a few days (while noting major errors on examples 2-70 [1...Kh3] and 2-120 [1.Ne4#]) The #1 greatest tactics primer is still the immensely enjoyable book, Winning Chess: How To See Three Moves Ahead. This book by Heisman not as enjoyable, but a bit easier and therefore perhaps an even better starting point than "Winning Chess". Also worthy is Chess Tactics (Batsford Chess Book).

Especially valuable for the improving player are Heisman's early sections on "counting" and piece safety, because proper evaluation of a tactic is impossible without accurately tallying the "body count" of a series of exchanges. (while being mindful of any "zwischenzug", of course!) The only other book that competently covers "counting" ideas is the VASTLY underrated Lasker's Manual of Chess, though Lasker labels the idea something else that escapes me at the moment.

Make no mistake, B2B:T is about how to win material. There were times when i would think twice about snagging a certain pawn because i imagined it would grant the opponent some sort of extra piece activity (counterplay), but on checking the answer i saw that Heisman's comment was only, "wins a pawn." That is probably well enough, as the book's intended audience is usually afraid of phantom threats when they ought to simply win the material, and usually in a game i'd probably end up taking the pawn anyway. There is a short section on checkmates, but it is insufficient in itself. You will NEED The Art of the Checkmate and (secondarily) How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (Gambit Chess) to complete your basic study of checkmates.

This book is full of practical pointers and wisdom, many of which go a long way toward instilling objectivity in a player rather than emotions like hope, fear, greed, overconfidence which invariably spell poor results at *any* level.

This is a solid & worthy 4-star book for its stated audience (under 1500). Higher-rated players can read it with very little time investment (while unfortunately paying the same purchase price), so the book can benefit a wide range of players.

Don't get this book for instruction. If you want to read some fun and amazing stories in chess (with some instructive parts) you will find "Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood" to be very entertaining! I read this book long ago and recommend it for anyone age 12 or older.

This must be the absolute most enjoyable book to read! Once you start you cannot put it down. It doesn't contain as much instruction as it does fun reading.
A must if you love reading interesting things about chess history!

I got this book many years ago. This is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable chess books money can buy. Edward Lasker has a way with words!

I found this book a lot of fun to read. lasker makes his point precisely. The book is very easy to read and instructive too. It talks abt genreal statergies in chess and the way ametuers and preofessional view it. A must read for all chess lovers...

This is a fun book, not just the part entitled 'Chess for fun'. For the one year when I lived on campus during my undergraduate days, I had a next-door neighbour with whom I played chess, and whenever he would take a piece, he would issue his war-cry, 'Blood!' How could I not purchase this book when I saw the title?

Edward Lasker (1885-1981), an American chess champion, may have been related to Emanuel Lasker (1868 - 1941), who was the second official World Chess Champion, a title he held for 27 after claiming it from Wilhelm Steinitz. The term of 27 years as champion is still a record. Edward Lasker played a famous game against Emanuel Lasker, which is recorded in this book in detail with commentary.

This is not a how-to manual specifically, although one will get many tips, particularly about combinations, end-game set-ups, and general strategy ideas. Edward Lasker brings in many historic games and show their strategies, and does so in both sections. The section on 'Chess for Blood' goes into more detail about major games and master play, but even here the focus is on strategy and psychology, albeit of a different sort. At the highest level, chess ceases to be a game (much like professional sports) - 'Such games are no fun, even for the winner. They are the hardest work imaginable. You play for blood!' Lasker in this section shows a move-by-move recreation of some of his own games, giving not only insight to the chess but also into the state of mind, the psychological aspects, of what goes on during a high level chess match.

This is indeed interesting, but the better part of the book for all but the most obsessive of chess players is the first, in which Lasker looks at the hobby aspect of chess (well, perhaps not entirely hobby). He looks at the history of sportsmanship, good and bad, such as the sixteenth century text that advocated that the chess player try to put the sun in the eyes of his opponent as a distraction. Lasker explores the makings of a good chess player, which includes (in no particular order) memory, mathematical skill, concentration, creativity, and artistry.

While there are definite strategies and tactics in chess (it does sound like war, and with elements such as knights, pawns, and other military features, it makes sense to think of chess in terms of martial imagery), there is no particular science that always leads to the same outcome. 'The general laws of chess strategy are surprisingly simple and few in number. In fact, they can almost be reduced to one single principle which might be termed the principle of mobility.' How this principle is used, however, it dependent upon the psychology and personal taste of the player. Lasker makes chess-playing ability out to be similar to music, where there are definitely guidelines, but also enormous range for individual style.

This is a very personal book in many ways. Lasker was a concentration camp survivor from the second world war, and credits chess with helping him to get through the ordeal. When he arrived in England after the war, he was tired and seasick, and spoke no English, but did find a chess game (and he recounts this game, which he won, in a move-by-move exposition here, too). Lasker's tale is interesting, as much chess as his own life here.

Lasker includes a complete listing of the International Chess rules, well worth having. The notations throughout the book are standard to chess books, and Lasker's love of the game comes through very clearly, from a boyhood obsession to a lifelong avocation that becomes a true calling.

Check!

I really enjoyed this book. I have over a dozen books on the KID but this one tops them all. Joe is informative to such an extent. All chess books should be written like this. Massive amounts of data!!!!!!

Gallagher has written a really good book. The lines he offers are quite good and he explains a lot of what is going on, the book is not all about lists of moves.

I simply loved this book. I think the author's enthusiasm and love for the opening comes through loud and clear. A must for the true KING'S INDIAN fanatic.

I like the level of detail and the easy on the eye setting out of the games. I found most of the games in my personal chess database and used the pgn files to easily cycle through the listed sidelines within the games. The openings of some of the games have been standardised.

In short, an excellent text.

I am writing this review fresh after slaughtering a cheeky 1.d4 player who attempted the Petrosian system against my WELL INFORMED Kings Indian. Indeed, I can still taste the victory; after sacrificing 2 pawns I gained a devastating initiative on the kingside. Here is a quote from the book (Main Line): "White will attempt to tear Black from limb to limb on the queenside while Black will endeavour to hang, draw, and quarter White on the kingside. Sometimes both sides succeed in their aim and then Black wins. That is the advantage of attacking the King". I just want to add to other reviewers by giving my thoughts on this book as compared to Gallaghers other fantastic book: "Starting Out: the Kings Indian". I was completely new to the Kings Indian prior to buying SOKID and it helped with some of the basic themes but, after buying PTKID shortly thereafter, I will not be going back to that other book. PTKID is just so much richer in ideas etc. So if you really are just starting out in the KID, but are somewhat strapped for cash, I would recommend you to get PTKID first, so long as you are not a beginning chess player. (Again, SOKID is a fantastic book. It explains the typical themes w/ diagrams, etc. very well). Happy hunting!
------- USCF 1420

I just finished this book. I have 3 little kids, so it took me about 2 years. This is a fun tactics book. As other reviews have said before, the problems are arranged by themes, and they are *hard*. Some problems go as deep as 6 moves. Others are just brilliancies that some of us will never think of.

To me, the biggest value of this book is that it makes you work under time pressure. Like in a tournament game, you don't have infinite time to find the winning combination. You must learn to manage your time. You can't just sit on a given position and keep going through it in your head endlessly. You must work out all variations and replies fairly quickly and make a move.

The positions in this book are all taken from real games. Sometimes the losing side doesn't choose the best reply, and hence that's why he/she loses. I have wasted a lot of time on some problems because I didn't see a forced win only to find out that the defending side didn't chose the optimal move.

One example is problem 398. 1...Rxe1 is not forced, the king can just move to f8 and give up the rook. A losing proposition, but it sure beats getting mated on the next move! Problem 402's solution is also not optimal play. 1.Nxd7 Qxd7 2.Bxe4 is better (Fritz8) than the given line. There are a few of these.

I would advise you to only purchase this book if you are going to devote the time to go through it right. Use a board, a chess clock and be honest with yourself. Once you think you have the winning combination, write all the moves down, make your first move, and hit the clock. If you followed the main line, and went wrong on a 3rd or 4th move inside the combination don't give yourself full credit.

Will this book make you a better player? I guess as much as any other tactics book that you really work on. There is nothing special on this book that will suddenly transform you.

This book is instructive and fun. I really enjoyed it. I will go through it again in a few months.

I just finished the final test in this book this week after going thru it off and on for nearly ten years (??). When I began the book I was a rank beginner rated under 1000 USCF and when I finished I'm now a mid-1500 player. This book has some fantastic problems...I mean some of them are just art incarnate. That was probably the thing I enjoyed most about this book ; the fact that some of these moves were possible and actually won! My final score was woefully pathetic partly due to the fact that this was one of my first tactics books. And also because I used up enormous amounts of time trying to figure out every line I could with every problem. The time factor in this book will really help tournament players since it adds a pressure element that one would have in an actual game. But it also forces you to either abandon a problem you stubbornly want to solve or burn points using extra time and then possibly not solve it anyway. I would recommend this book to anyone who really wants to elevate his or her tactical ability but be sure to have a solid grounding in basic tactics first. A good workup to this book would be when you were very easily solving problems from a book like Chess Tactics for Students which I found very helpful recently.

Wow. I'm impressed. You can learn a lot of chess with this book, and if you honestly grade and time yourself, you'll get a realistic picture of where you stand.

These puzzles are not easy. They take about 5 minutes each, and you'll have to put in that much time if you want your rating to be indicated accurately. This is NOT for tactics training, even though you will learn from it. You need to be VERY GOOD at tactics before you attempt these; otherwise, you'll get NOTHING correct. You'd be wise to go through Lev Alburt's Chess Training Pocket Book at least once before tackling these.

If you're 1500, you could start this book, but don't rush through it. Do one 8-problem test per week and monitor your progress through the year. (There are 56 tests.)

Each test is prefaced with the sort of tactics you will be looking for, and some of the puzzles are very similar within a test. This is intentional. The authors want you to LEARN, but without making things too obvious.

I have noticed minor typos in the answers, but no actual errors, which is quite rare for a puzzle book. The font, diagram size, printing, and layout are all excellent. The original games are named in the answers, rather than in the problems, to avoid distraction. Remember: These tests are timed!

Highly recommended. But if you're below 1500 USCF, caveat emptor! You don't want to ruin the future value of this book by cheating and looking at all the answers now!

Since this book is in the form of 56 tests, to be taken seriously, as if one were playing a tournament game, I have one obvious complaint. Namely, why tell the reader what the theme is?

Why say it is "double attack," or "discovered attack," or "discovered check," or "pin," or "diversion," or "decoy," or "interference," or "defence-elimination," or "square vacation," or "line-opening," or "utilization of open files," or "diagonal-opening," or "utilization of open diagonals," or "smothered mate," or "blocking," or "x-ray" or "overloading," or "back rank weakness," or "weakness of the second rank," or "zwischenzug," or "passed pawns," or "simplifying combinations," or "stalemating combinations," or "geometrical motifs," or "attack on the king side castled position," or "attack on the king caught in the center," or "destructive combinations?"

These are great themes to test us on, but in a real game, we don't know that there is a theme, let alone which theme!

How good should one be at chess to profit from this book? I think you need to be at least a C-player (1400 USCF) to get the full benefit. And I've seen Masters go through it too! It's good practice for a big range of chess players. It definitely helped me.

This is the first book in the "Test your Chess IQ" series. That in no way means that this book is easy. If you aren't at least about 1500 or so, this book will be way too much for you. Make sure that you read Seiriwan's Winning Chess Tactics and work through both of Reinfeld's 1001 books before tackling this one.

The book consists of dozens of 8-problem tests, spanned across two pages each with the solutions on the next page(to discourage cheating, which I like). The book covers a wide number of themes, and in many cases progresses in difficulty as you work through a motif. For example the first test in Double Attack will be fairly easy, but the next test will take considerably more work.

The author provides a table in the back for you to record your progress. I immediately copied this(so as to have a 'clean copy' incase I want to go through this again, and I'm sure I will). In the beginning of the book the author provides instructions on how to score your answers, and approximately what rating they correspond to.

The best way to go through these puzzles is to do one a week, making sure to use all or most of the time given to solve the puzzles(remember, you have to find all the reasonable defenses for the losing side, not just the first move or one particular winning line).

Don't be discouraged if you struggle with it in the very beginning. You'll be amazed by how quickly you begin to see things and your percentage scores will rise. A nice thing about this book is that most of the problems were taken from real games, proof that these sort of combinations DO happen and you need to be able to see them when they do.

The book is thin but large enough that it folds open easily and is written in descriptive notation. Almost all of the analysis I've done on problems has been accurate(only his move is best), except for one problem where my move was a little better according to Fritz.

All in all this is an outstanding and challenging introduction to advanced tactics. Go through the books I mentioned above first, but make sure that this book is in your hands afterwards.

Funny and adorable! Clever rhymes and cute expressions on this poor, unfortunate piggy who gets lost at the grocery and then confused for everything from soda pop to a ruler. Teaches kids how lots of foods and other items have terms in common with human body parts--rulers have feet, soda bottles have a neck, corn has ears, etc. Illustrations are not very modern, but it's very much worth it anyway!

Love it, love it, love it! I own another Bill Grossman book - MY LITTLE SISTER ATE ONE HARE - and absolutely loved it, so I was looking for other Bill Grossman books when I came upon this one. I couldn't believe the selling price of the book. I said to myself, "It must be a fantastic book because at Used, I couldn't find it no less than $40 anywhere." So, just by risk, I bought the book (and paid a pretty hefty price for paperback), and it is worth every penny. I love this book and my kids can't get enough of it. I highly recommend it if you can afford it, if not, try to find it cheaper, because you are really missing out. I would not recommend paying that high of a price for any paperback children's book, but if you have the money, go ahead. It's a collector's and we've all enjoyed it.

I found this book a number of years ago in a remainder bookstore in Britain. My three year old daughter loved it and, what also counts for a lot, I loved reading it to her as well. Wonderful ideas and beautifully written. I lost the book in a house move and am over the moon to have found a copy again.

This is one of the very best children's books I have found. It was recommended by a book store after I asked for rhyming books for my then 3 year old. 3 years later we are STILL reading it, have read it to all his school classes, recommended it to friends, and it's a big favourite.
Great for vocabulary-building, funny, and wonderful illustrations.

This is one of the best children's books I have ever read. My 4 1/2 year old and I laughed out loud reading it. It is lots of fun to read with alliterative rhymes and cute pictures as well as a very funny story. This is a great children's book!

Traditionally chess books are often grouped in the categories: opening, middle game and ending. Marovic's book "Understanding pawn play in chess" covers a very important topic in chess, which includes all the three phases of a game. It will help you little if you know the moves in the French opening, but you don't know how to handle the pawn chain from a French opening. Means how to attack the wedge and the base of the pawn chain. "Understanding pawn play in chess" will help you to do understand what to do with pawn chain. So if you want to extend your knowledge about pawn structures this is the book for you. The topics covered in this book are: isolated pawns, isolated pawn couples, hanging pawns, passed, doubled, backward, pawn chains and pawn islands.

One Minus with this book, is that the author and Gambitbooks could have used more diagrams for each game. You must always use the board when going through this book. With more diagrams describing the most interesting position for the pawn subject, the book would become more readable.

I personnaly own half a dosen books wrote in croatian from Drazen Marović, and they are excellent. Unfortunately, he doesnt publish in Croatia any more, so this is the only way to read his fresh stuff. Games of high quality in this book are anotated in a way which can help to improve your understanding, not just about pawn play, but about overall strategic issues in midgame, and correspondance between pawns and pieces. Recomended.

Having read the classic manual Pawn Structure Chess by Soltis, I was very interested to see how this book would stack up. I learned a lot from Soltis, and I hoped to expand my understanding about how pawn structures affect plans and strategy. I was not disappointed. Marovic uses many, many complete game examples, but his annotations are so succinct and clear as to make the large number of games effortless to get through. One thing he does well which is VERY hard for most chess authors is present the model games in a sequence in which their respective lessons build upon one another to deeply reinforce the concepts he's trying (and succeeding) to instruct. The one caveat, if you want to call it that, is that I think this book will be most helpful for people with an intermediate knowledge of openings, as the pawn positions discussed tend to reoccur in specific openings with specific piece placements. However, this shouldn't be a problem as I believe the intended audience is above 1600 USCF anyway, and should thus know the difference between a QGA and a QGD.

Often overlooked is the importance of preparing long term planning for not just the endgame, but the use of pawn chains, and even what is considered a weakness, doubled pawns being used as a "battering ram!" and opening a file. These are very important aspects of chess and what has been called the "backbone" of chess is often forgotten in light of only tactics. True, tactics books, trap books and opening books have a very important place and all should be studied. But the "use of pawns" should not just be a chapter in a book, it should be a couple volumes of books! If you are a beginner, even an lower end intermediate player you will get more results in studying tactic and chess traps. But Once you reach a solid intermediate level then you should start thinking more about the finer points of play. Now, I like the overall approach of "Understanding Pawn Play in Chess" but I think a few words (to say the least) were lost in the translation (it seems clear to me that the author's first language was not english), which is why, though I feel this is a good book, some of the important ideas were lost the the translation, and can be a little confusing. Solitis's "Pawn Structure Chess" is a good alternative. I also like going over complete game books such as, "Understanding Chess" and "Unbeatable Chess Lessons and More Unbeaable Chess Lessons" as ways to gain an understanding of all aspects of the game, including the critical use of pawns.

This book uses complete games to examine pawn structures--their strengths and weaknesses. Marovic uses a conversational tone to explain important points and keeps analysis to the minimum needed to illustrate the explanation. In separate chapters he examines isolated pawns, passed pawns, doubled pawns, backward pawns and pawn-chains.
Marovic uses games from throughout the history of chess to illustrate his material and does a great job. I would recommend this book for players rated (USCF) from Class B and up, although rapidly advancing lower rated players would also benefit from reading the book as well.
The only thing that could make it better would be a few more diagrams.

I bought this book a week ago. Although I haven't had time to study it all in depth, I already like it more than my other opening books. I already played the accelerated Dragon, without knowing a lot of theory.

Many Whites play some sort of move order to reach the Yugoslav variation of the Dragon. That's not possible against the Accelerated, since Black can play ...d5!. But there are many tactical points in those lines to make Black equalize or win a pawn right away, and I always missed them. This book will allow me to punish mistakes every White seems to make, and I like that most :).

Furthermore, this is an opening book with quite a lot of text. It starts out with an overview of typical plans for both sides, and in the analysis chapters, many moves are accompanied with a small line saying what the idea is. I know I played many moves from other books not knowing why...

And it is complete. Aside from the main Accelerated e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 g6, it also covers lines like the hyper-accelerated (e4 c5 Nf3 g6) which I sometimes like to play to avoid 3.Bb5, in 23 pages!, and things like the dubious e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 g6.

The authors are absolute Accelerated enthusiasts so maybe there is a small Black bias, but I think most people who want to buy this book play it as Black anyway. The opening is completely playable.

I am one of those people who doesn't play the Sicilian often, because of how sharp and bookish it can be. In particular, the Sicilian Dragon is something I play only in the least important blitz games, as there are so many variations, and one's king gets stormed so darn often. From hard experience, I'd known that the Yugoslav variation stuff doesn't work against the accelerated dragon, but I'd never known the move sequences nor how to deal with all those c4 Maroczy Bind situations. This book capably tells you how to play the Accelerated, how to turn back white's efforts to try the Yugoslav Attack, and how to deal with the bind. It has a nice chapter on the Hyper Accelerated, and a mildly throwaway chapter on the Semi Accelerated system with ...Nc6 and ....g6. This is a good book, easily understandable by a B player like myself. Well done.

This book supplied lots of practical information. A "must have" for the dedicated chess player.

The Sicilian Dragon is an exciting opening to play as black but dangerous too. This is an excellent book for those who love to play the Dragon. Dragon players should add this one to their opening collections. It contains some tactical themes too. Shows how to play against whites setups, including the Maroczy Bind. Very solid and theoretical. Advanced players will find this one useful too.

In an earlier review about "Chess Openings for Black, Explained (A Complete Repertoire) by Lev Alburt", I've stated that GM Dzindzichashvili left out the line starting with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 as on his 4th DVD of "Roman's Encyclopedia of 40 Essential Chess Openings" featuring also the Accelerated Dragon. Instead, he only treats the main line where Black plays 7...0-0, not 7...Qa5 (assuming that it was him who wrote the part on the Accelerated Dragon - read my review there if you wonna know why I think this is so).

For people who have this DVD, I've got good news: the book "Accelerated Dragons" (Everyman Chess - by J.Silman and J.Donaldson - first published 1998 and reprinted 2004) contains 38 pages (!) devoted to this particular line. Note: instead of 13.a3 a5 (Dzindzi's recommendation) they only mention 13...b4 and 13...a6, so maybe 13...a5 really is part of Dzindzichashvili's (later?) revelation on this line...

Accelerated Dragons also spends 22 pages on the Hyper Acc. Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6) although there's one little error on page 296; the authors mixed up two games. They wrote: (after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 Bg7) "4.dxc5 Na6? 5.Bxa6 bxa6 6.Qd5 Rb8 7.Qe5 and Black resigned in a few more moves in Braley-Pupols, Match 1970", but this way White simply drops his queen to the bishop on g7! The actual move order came from a Smith-Morra Gambit (in a friendly reply from J. Silman regarding this matter, he didn't mention which game exactly though): 1.e4 c5 2.d4 g6 3.dxc5 Na6 4.Bxa6 bxa6 5.Qd5 Rb8 Qe5.

Summarizing: in the book "Chess Openings for Black,explained" the "Anti-Yugoslav Variation" (with 7.Bc4 Qa5) is lacking completely, although on DVD 4 of "Roman's Encyclopedia of 40 Essential Chess Openings", GM Dzindzichashvili recommends this line to be used as a major weapon for Black after White plays 7.Bc4.

One thing Dzindzichashvili and Silman/Donaldson have in common: they both give the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 (2...g6, Dzindzi, but this transposes) 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.f3? (their evaluation) Qb6 9.Bb3 Nxe4 which, according to them, wins a pawn for Black after White plays 10.Nxe4 Bxd4 (Dzindzi, page 62) or 10.fxe4 Bxd4 (Silman/Donaldson, page 11).

This assessment is probably wrong (I've read this in a review on "Chess Openings for Black, Explained (A Complete Repertoire)" written by "A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G."". He says:

'Also - on page 62, there is another oversight. After 8.f3?, Qb6!; our team of authors provide the following comment: "Black threatens ...Nxe4 and ...Qxb2. White does not have an adequate defense - for example: 9.Bb3, Nxe4!; 10.Nxe4, Bxd4; and Black wins a Pawn." All this might be true, but 10.Nxe4? is a terrible move, ('??'); White has to play 10.Nd5!, with a fairly good game. Play could then continue: 10...Qa5+[]; 11.c3 Nc5; 12.Nxc6 dxc6; 13.Nxe7+ Kh8; 14.Nxc8 Raxc8; (Fritz confirms that this is Black's most solid move in this position.) 15.0-0. ("+/=") White is slightly better due to the two Bishops, the computer confirms that Black cannot play ...Nxb3; anytime soon, as this releases the WR on a1. (Bobby Fischer reached this position as early as 1958!!!) See the contest: GM W. Watson - GM M. Chandler; ICT / Lloyds Bank (Open) / London, ENG/UK; 1984. (All this was adequately covered in a book on the Accelerated Dragon - published a few years ago, written by IM's John Donaldson and IM J. Silman. There was also a good book on this opening by GM's P.H. Nielsen and C. Hansen, published in 1998, I believe.)'

This reviewer obviously skipped page 11 of "Accelerated Dragons", but I do get the impression he knows what he's talking about concerning White's refutation of 8.f3 Qb6 9.Nxe4 (by playing 10.Nd5 instead of 10.Nxe4 or 10.fxe4).

So, except for a few minor errors in "Accelerated Dragons" and the inconsistency between Dzindzi's DVD featuring the Accelerated Dragon and his new book (as I've explained above), the two books "Accelerated Dragons" and "Chess Openings for Black, Explained" together should provide a pretty thorough guide to the (Hyper) Accelerated Dragon.

This book compiles all known games played by Alexander Alekhine over his career. It includes many (MANY) games from Simultaneous displays, as Alekhine did so many of these exhibitions all over the world, throughout his career. It also includes every 'serious' tournament game, and all of Alekhine's match games, along with many consultation and blindfold games. This is not a biography, although there are light biographical sketches periodically, and also information on his travels between each new destination.

As with every McFarland Chess book I own, the physical quality is quite high -- hardcover, very well bound.

There is a lot to like -- I'd consider it the only book on Alekhine's games anyone would need, but for two slight drawbacks:

First, not every serious game is annotated. This is not a really serious problem, because the games which are not annotated are generally annotated elsewhere. For example, none of the Alekhine/ Capablanca match games are annotated, despite the fact that Alekhine annotated most of his wins and some of the draws for his best games collection. It's hard to fathom why they were not included here. This makes it less all inclusive than it would otherwise be.

Second, all the annotations are Alekhine's. This is a minor issue, since his notes are generally accurate and good. Still, notes by other players would be nice, especially in the way it was done in Forster's epic biography of Amos Burn (in my opinion, the book by which all other Chess biographies should be measured). Forster commonly included notes by several players of the day within individual games, and he often added his own notes, or annotated a game fully himself where no other notes were available.

Another slight demerit to this book are a regrettable number of typos. I have not noticed any in the prose of the book, but I have noticed a few in the game notes, just going from a random sample of games.

That said, this is a great work. I wish it had been more of a true biography/ games collection, but that would have made the book absolutely huge, and a truly monumental work, as Alekhine lived, as the saying goes, in 'interesting times'.

This is a wonderful book in any Chess lover's collection, and is a true desert island book.

Alekhine was not just World Champion, he was important for the development of Chess itself. He thought in terms of what it meant to unbalance the position. Alekhine took this concept and forced it into his games. Whether he was on the hunt with his own attack, or desperately defending he relished positions in which he could take some advantage he had and use it to the maximum. That he greatly favored being the attacker is obvious. This book is the most complete collection of his games in existence and will reward your study many times over. Not for the beginner, it is very expensive but worth every penny

This book is truly a marvelous book to have in my library. I have been collecting chess books since 1969 and despite having almost 500 chess books not much comes close. This book most clearly resembles the excellent two volume book on Rubinstein by John Donalson and Nicolay Minev. As big as a phone book this book does not easily fit on all bookshelves. The only caveat is that there could have been more anotated games. One example is that all the games from NY 1924 should have been annotated as Alekhine himself annotated all the games from the tournment and all of his games from that tournment should have been annnotated.

This book is excellent! It is expensive but worth every penny! It would have been nice if it included some rare photos but this is very minor. Even if you own other works of Alekhine's this is still a good book to have because of it's completeness. The publisher has other chess books of this quality on chess masters such as Capablanca, Marshall, Steinitz and Reshevsky.

This book is everything Amazon's desription says. And it's a very solid hard-cover job, with excellent layout and printing. Some interesting biography bits prefacing each chapter were new even to a die-hard Alekhinbe fan like me.
Finally a book that does him justice. One could only wish that *all* the games were annotated, à la "Chess Stars" series (I have all four Tal volumes), but it's really hard to complain about a fine book like this.

This is a great book!! It is well worth your money. If you are planning a vaction, then buy this book. It has theme parks from Disney to Universal Orlando, to Cedar Point, all of the Paramount Parks and many, many more!! The ultimate guide to rollercoasters is this book!!

I had gone to the conference with much knowledge about the subject. I was told about the book from there. Could I have obtained it, I would have been the top in the list of performers.

This book is a must for all amusement park fans. It gives all the information you would need to have a fun and exciting day at any park in the U.S. or Canada. Mr. O'Brien has done a masterful job of helping you plan your visit by giving the operating times as well as the best rides and shows. There is also a listing of all the roller coasters in the park. His vivid description of the park gives you the feeling of being there. I would recommend this guide book to anyone planing a trip to an amusement park in the future.

This is, truly, the bible of amusement park guides. I am always amazed at its thorough coverage of parks, both large and small, in the United States and Canada - is there an international edition in the works??? If so, put me on the list of buyers.

It's difficult to think of a park that isn't listed here - from the mainstream parks such as Disneyworld and Universal, to the tiny, neighborhood parks such as Weona and Nelly Bly, they're all here, and beautifully documented. Signature rides are listed for each park - from the big, modern coasters, to the rarer flats. As a huge fan of Flying Scooters and Lusse Auto Skooters (you fellow park nuts will know what I'm talking about, here), I love that such rides are included. Park histories are here, as well, for all of us preservationists.

Directions, websites, and further information are included for the parks, also, which greatly helps if one wishes to visit a park. Also, common-sense tips for park visitors are here, as well as little-known secrets that assist with getting around a park to the greatest efficiency.

I was fortunate enough to find this book while visiting Knoebels Grove (the best park in America, as far as I'm concerned), and couldn't put it down during the entire ride home. It's addictive, informative, and, well, a must-have. What with the summer practically here, run, don't walk, and get your copy NOW.

This book is just awesome...it reviews over 350 theme parks, amusement parks, and waterparks all over the U.S. and Canada, providing everything you'd want to know about every park...the great roller coasters and other thrill rides, costs, operation schedule, directions, special tips, insider facts and trivia, historical milestones, etc. Also gives phone numbers and website addresses for each park. The author is a life-long park expert and senior editor of a major park industry publication...he really seems to know his stuff, and he injects some fun and personality into the book. It's a great guide to use to plan your park trips and to carry with you for quick reference. It's also fun to to sit down and read through it because it gives so much interesting trivia on the parks. Just a fantastic, authoratative, fun, easy-to-use resource on parks.

This book taught me so much stuff about Chess. I suggest you read this book. It has suspense and teaches some stuff about Chess. Its a very, very, very good book!

This story combines two of my passions, chess and who-done-its. The world's two leading junior chess players, Donna Winston and Greta van Leeuwen, are the favorites in a 64-player junior championship, but the tournament is marred by mysterious telephone threats and anonymous messages aimed at both contenders. Nancy Drew is assigned the task of unraveling the mystery in time to save the final-round match between the favorites. The excitement never stops. It is especially gratifying that most of the leading characters, including three of the four tournament finalists, are women, even in the traditionally male-dominated field of chess. This story should help to overcome some stereotypes, but its main value is superb entertainment.

Nancy friend is the top chess player in the world and her have to face other kids to win the match but it is a piece of cake but not for another girl that her sister is kidnapp and she will never see her again unless she drops out of the chess. And Nancy Drew will solve this mystery until her sister is safe .

I liked this book because it was a good mystery and I learned some things about chess too! My mom read Nancy Drew books when she was my age (11) and now I'm also starting to like them a lot. Besides Nancy, George and Bess, the other characters are interesting as well. If you like mysteries, you'll like Nancy Drew!

It's this story of a chess compitition and Greta's little sister gets kidnapped and Greata must win in order to see her alive. The other girl, donna all kinds of starnage things happpen. but Nancy and Donna get attacked in the park. Who will win? Will Anna survive?