The first book is available, so Forward Chess has asked us what books we are hoping to put out over the next few months on FC. This is the list I sent to them. As always – things may take longer than anticipated, but this is the plan!
| Pump Up Your Rating | Nov |
| Playing the French | |
| Grandmaster Repertoire 14 – The French Defence Vol 1 | |
| Grandmaster Repertoire 15 – The French Defence Vol 2 | Dec |
| How I Beat Fischer’s Record – Judit Polgar Teaches Chess 1 | |
| Grandmaster Repertoire 17 – Classical Slav | Jan |
| Grandmaster Repertoire 11 – Beating 1.d4 Sidelines | |
| Playing 1.d4 – A Grandmaster Guide – The Queen’s Gambit | Feb |
| Playing 1.d4 – A Grandmaster Guide – The Indian Defences | |
| Mayhem in the Morra | |
| Grandmaster Repertoire 16 – The French Defence Vol 3 |
Can anyone tell me about the Playing 1 d4 Grandmaster Guides? Author….lines recommended….level of detail. Also which line is Avrukh picking in the main line Slav after 6 Ne5?
I would like a bundle book & ebook with a reduced price for the ebook. Is this possible?
Any plans for bundle book and ebook ?
are there new editions of some books named in the list
If it is on the electronic version in January, then I suppose the physical book GM17 is for January then too?
Do the blanks mean a release for month in box
above? Eg play the French in Nov?
A bit off topic, but maybe not so much. I was looking at the Sokolov book about sacrifices, and I noticed that in the bibliography it doesn’t cite the Suba book. I think the Suba book is a vastly underappreciated work, and I was pretty surprised to see no mention in the Sokolov book. Which brings me to my point, any chance of putting Suba back to work writing? He is an interesting writer and I would love to see him do some more work for QC.
Looks like a very ambitious schedule, much appreciated. I love to see the French books coming first. Also a good decision to place one of the most significant books (“Pump Up Your Rating”) at the first place in the list. I consider this book a “must have” for any serious player. It was a real eye-opener to me – and not only for the reason to make me aware that I’m a mummy …
@Paul
This is how I read it. Wouldn’t make any sense to list the books with a blank column otherwise.
Mayhem in the Morra?
Is thgis a second edition?
@Boki
Technically this is not so easy. We are looking at options at the moment. I would like to do it, but we have to work out how we can do it. It is not the number one priority.
@Paul
Yes
@Gilchrist is a Legend
This is the plan
@Daniel
Playing 1.d4 are previously released books; you can get excerpts. For non-published titles I generally avoid saying anything, but I know that the Nbd7 and Qc7 lines are investigated in that book.
@Jacob
Well, not so important , some books I will buy anyway as ebook and as “real book”, eg GM 17
@boki
We are in discussion with Forward Chess for a possible solution.
Jacob,
I’m playing as Black Grunfeld and Tarrasch. Is it advisable to include solid Avrukh’s Slav repertoire also? Does it takes many working hours and theory heaviness?
In Playing the French there some chapters which are not interesting for me, e.g. Tarrasch with c5 and Qxd5, exchange variation with short castling and advance variation with Nc6, Bd7.
But I am thinking of switching from 3. Nc3 Bb4 to 3. Nc3 Nf6 and then Playing the French might be useful and worth buying.
Can you tell us a bit, no detailed lines of course, which lines Mr. berg will present to us?
Advance with Nc6 and Qb6? Exchange with long castling? If I remember right, he will analyse 3. Nd2 Nf6.
This information would help me decide which book(s) to buy.
How come that such expert and strong GM as Vitiugov Nikita, Elo 2741, writes on page 132 in his book “The French Defence Reloaded” following:
“It is considered that after 3.Nd2, Black has two main possibilities at his disposal – 3… c5 and 3… Nf6. … The system with 3… Nf6 was undoubtedly a fairly trustworthy weapon for Black for many years and also deserves attention. However, I do not like it very much, because in that line Black can find it difficult to reach really complicated positions. And there are so many weak squares in Black’s camp that he is likely to fail to equalize.” 🙁
@LE BRUIT QUI COURT
Sry, not sure what you are intending to say … my english is not that great 🙁
After 3. Nd2 there is only one “worthy” system with …c5 and …exd5
@ Waldorf, Re: Bruit
Played French on and off for 25 years here (tho only play chess occasionally!). Back then – using an old Psakhis book. Must admit, I kinda agree re: Nf6. Little room to complicate things. Interesting to note that Vitiugov opines as such. In contrast to me, a fellow worth listening to. A good mixing-up system is …Nc6 versus lower-rateds. Keeps bits on, and unorthodox positions reached.
I look forward to both …c5, …Qd5: and Nf6 digitally on Forward Chess soon.
Keep up the great work QC people! And enjoy the grim Scottish winter.
I don’t agree with this. 3… Nf6 is quite good and complicated.
> “Black can find it difficult to reach really complicated positions. And there are so many weak squares in Black’s camp that he is likely to fail to equalize”
What? He just probably kidding…
@SimonB
I don’t agree. 3.Nd2 Nf6 has plenty of very complicated lines. A very sharp player like Williams recommends it and I’m almost sure that Berg will also recommend it in his GM Reportoire book (at least he has played it a lot).
@LE BRUIT QUI COURT
I’m playing the Slav myself. It is quite a lot of theory. It seems almost impossible for amateurs to combine the Slav with both the Grunfeld and the Tarrasch (which are both quite theory-heavy as well)…
@Ray
It depends on the complex within 3…Nf6. I am almost sure that Berg would choose 11…Qc7, which I find much more dynamic than 11…0-0. The aspect of 11…Qc7 that I notice is that it does not let White settle like in 11…0-0; the …Nh5, …Bd7-e8 and …h6/g5 manoeuvres means White has to be more alert for kingside attacks. If I played 3…Nf6, I would inevitably almost always play 11…Qc7.
Also I suppose that we shall see soon–the list above shows GM16 for February.
@Gilchrist is a Legend
Indeed! This is what I play as well. But also in the systems with 5.f4 there are many sharp variations, with knight sacrifices on e5 abound. And let’s not forget the so-called ‘universal system’ with Ngf3, in which black can choose for exciting play with …g5.
guessing the playing 1.e4 are dead projects?
@zigurds
Why? This is about books on Forward Chess. According to a previous schedule the first ‘hardcopy’ part of Playing 1.e4 will be published this winter.
This is the ebooks; not the general publishing schedule.
Thanks for the schedule. I’ll get *Pump Up Your Rating* as soon as it’s there. In fact, I’m going to go check right now.
Can I ask whether John Shaw’s e4 repertoire books will be on Forward Chess shortly after their official release? I can imagine they’ll be big sellers—I’ll certainly be first in line.
Also, any chance of Petrov’s book on the Modern Benoni getting on there?
I’m glad to see Quality Chess moving forward with the ebooks! Keep up the good work.
@Joseph Knecht
Next week I assume.
I hope that the Kotronias book on KI (the first one on the fiancetto variations) would also be available as an e-book (although i have the book its much easier to use on a tablet).
Maybe later along with the other books of the series
@Kostas Oreopoulos
This one I am not sure about. The conversion time would be brutal.
Chess as one of sports at the World Games 2017 in Wroclaw.
Help chess with your vote please.
http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/15-chess-news/7551-chess-as-one-of-sports-at-the-world-games-2017-in-wroclaw.html
@Zagreb1959
Is it me or is their Capcha at the Wroclaw site just a brick wall?
Oh I see! Sorry I misunderstood 🙂
I like the idea of the Forward Chess app. However, I really think a crucial function is missing, namely the ability to switch on an analysis engine. Several chess engines are available for free, and a lot of chess software for the PC allows the user to play through chess games with an engine running one or more lines of analysis in a separate window.
When and if a chess engine is incorporated in the Forward Chess app, I will certainly prefer to buy the app version of the great books offered by Quality Chess.
Any plans for such an update of the app?
Yes, an engine will be there, or is it there already?
@oestergreen
The Android version of the app already has an engine incorporated. The next major release for iOS is likely to have one too.
@oestergreen
You need to remember that the engine in FC would be weaker than the engines we work with and that we will be right in the books when there is a conflict :-).
Sincerely, I love the Forward Chess app. I consider that it is the best chess-ebook application.
Also, I think that adding an engine is necessary.
But I have one suggestion: give the reader the possibility to add personal commentaries or notes to the moves.
I have bought books for iPad version of Forward Chess , will I still get them on the Android version of Forward Chess if I want to see them on my android phone?@ForwardChess
@SovietSchool, when you buy other applications for your iPad, do you get the Android version free?
Jesse one can view kindle products on ipad and android platform for no extra cost so i wonder if that is possible with forward chess the forward chess app itself is free on both platforms i believe
It seems that there’s been a delay in the release of Axel Smith’s book. Do you have any idea when it might come out?
It is published in paper form and will be on Forward Chess any day now. Maybe you are trying to get it through a discount store (Amazon and friends). They insist on an ineffective delivery system and thus it takes too long to get it out.
@Manuel
Manuel, this is something we have been discussing for a while.
One of the (many) advantages of the electronic formats is the ease of updating the materials. You simply wipe out the old file and replace it with the new. What would happen to the notes? 🙁
If you keep the note in a separate file to begin with, then they are not explicitly linked to a move you wanted to comment on.
That’s the challenge.
Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome!
@ForwardChess
One suggestion: you can link the commentary to the position not to the move so, even if you update the file you can link again the commentaries to the different positions. I know that it is easy to say so than to do it (I work in programming), but it is a possible solution.
@ForwardChess
One suggestion: you can link the commentary to the position and not to the move so, even if you update a file you can restore the different links taking into account the positions as they doesn’t have changed.
I understand that it is easier to say it than to do it (I work in programming), but it is a possible solution.
@Jacob Aagaard
I was referring specifically to the FC release (since it was supposed to have been released some time last month). Hopefully it won’t be much longer. Thank you for your response.
@Jacob Aagaard
Fellow viking,
having checked a lot of the analysis in your books with the indispensable help of Houdini, I will (almost) promise that I will never again question any of your evaluations or conclusions. Since the ability to question any kind of information is what separates humans from animals, I will have to break my promise now and then to avoid being a monkey in the true sense of the word 😉
On a more serious note, I would like to point to the fact that several strong engines are already available for the iPad (GM-strength, I think), so I do not think that there is bound to be a lot of discrepancy between the analysis you or one of our excellent authors have done with the help of a very strong engine and the analysis done within Forward Chess @Jacob Aagaard
@Bill
Our conversion guy was in a car crash. I hope people can forgive a few days delay on these grounds. Also, we threw the Carlsen book after him, which I hope will be out any day now. We are just awaiting IOS approval.
@oestergreen
It has to compete with GM with a computer, which is stronger than either could ever be on their own…
@Jacob Aagaard
Being involved in a car accident is certainly an acceptable reason for an unexpected delay. I hope that he is doing well and look forward to his work when he is able to return to it.
Does this forward chess app work on a desktop computer too?
@Waldorf
Yes, but you need additional software to run Android-Apps on Windows-PCs or Mac – for instance:
http://www.bluestacks.com/home.html
@Waldorf
It works on IOS (Apple) and Android only. Sorry.
@Bill
He took a day off, but as he works from home, he had no problems going to work the day after. He is a true hero.
The Forward Chess GM15 comes before the paper book is formally published or same week?
@Manuel
Manuel, we have come up with a few exciting (at least to us!) ideas to implement the notes feature, they will be tested over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Is there any update on this?
As is well-established (we have not deleted any complaints) we have had some technical problems. There are progress, but it is slow. So, can I owe the update 1-2 weeks at least, till we have understood fully where we are?
Not so big surprise: Slav out on March 5th in paper, probably mentioned elsewhere.
Must have caught you on a bad day and probably should have expanded on the question :o)
It wasn’t a complaint – simply interest in this format – especially the schandorff books.
Anyway, happy to wait a few weeks, plus hope your chap has fully recovered from his accident
@ForwardChess
Another suggestion: add a forum (ideally like this one) in your page.
Anticipating that Slav book–I already have my copy pre-ordered last week.
@Kieran
Nope. There is no annoyance in my answer :-).
@Aagaard
I am eagerly awating more of your book titles in the Forward Chess digital store.
According to Forward Chess several of your books would appear in this digital format in January, but Forward Chess has now pushed most of these books to March or Spring.
I know Quality Chess is doing their own conversion to the Forward Chess format and that tecnical problems and accidents have slowed the process, but is it possible to inform about an ETA for the upcoming titles?
Keep up the good (Quality!) work, which makes me buy more of your books than I have time to read 🙂
@oestergreen
Nikos is working on finishing the Slav. It will be out any moment. Next comes the two Judit Polgar books. He has been working on building a big database for us, so he got a bit sidetracked.
@Jacob Aagaard
Is Nikos now the FC man for you? I thought it was someone else (who suffered an accident not too long ago).
@Bill
Nikos is not the only one, but the main one.
My wife won’t allow me to buy any more physical chess books. She doesn’t mind if I purchase electronic ones. Thus, I can’t spend any more money on your products until they come out on FC. FYI.
When will the Playing the French book be available in electronic form?
You also mentioned that you would publish a general book on the King’s Indian? Is it likely to appear this year and who is the author?
Bill, I feel with you – My wife has stumbled upon so many QC books everywhere in our appartment, she’s starting to wonder if Boris is a secret lover of mine 😀