Yesterday we published three books, Dynamic Decision Making in Chess by Boris Gelfand, the second volume in his series. Grandmaster Repertoire 1B – The Queen’s Gambit, which is the second out of four books in Boris Avrukh’s reimagining of a 1.d4 repertoire. And finally Grandmaster Repertoire – 1.e4 vs. the Sicilian III by Parimarjan Negi, which is the fourth volume out of six. All three authors will continue their work on these projects and release more books next year.
Tomorrow the Baku Olympiad begins. We have created a small Quiz, where the winner will win a box of chess books, sent to anywhere in the World. Please go to this link to see the conditions for entering (which is mainly to structure the email according to the example!).
Andrew, John and Colin are all playing in the Olympiad for Scotland, while Nikos is the captain of the Danish team. Claire and I will stay at home. Orders will go out as usual, but single purchases might take 1-2 days longer before they go in the mail.
We will put another newsletter together after the Olympiad – with actual chess content!
Adding to this newsletter, I would like to say that once the Olympiad is over and everyone are back, we will be able to work out exactly where we are with various projects. I have a bit of news now, which is that the Ragozin and the final Kotronias book on the KID are basically done from the authors and will be big priorities. King’s Indian Warfare and Grandmaster Repertoire 19 – Beating Unusual Openings are both going to print this weekend and a few other books are nearing completion. I know at least of one author who is done and just rechecking stuff. But he is playing in Baku too, so probably we will get that book delivered once the guys are back.
Excerpts will be slow in coming. I am busy and Colin is in Baku. We still don’t have an official publication date for these two books. It will be close to radio silence from us for the next two weeks; except that I will pop in, do the Monday poll and a few other minor things.
Let’s say (hypothetically ;)) that I have ordered Gelfand’s book last week – will it be shipped in the next few days ?
Sorry for being impatient 😉
@Pierre
No
That’s too sad.
I am going to cry, alone, in the dark.
I got the new Gelfand book today and like it very much! 🙂 Nothing else to say about it… 😉
@Pierre
Because they were sent out two days ago…
If it is OK, would we be able to get an idea of like the first move against 1. Nf3 and 1. c4 that are recommended in the GM repertoire 19 – beating unusual openings? I don’t really want to wait for 2 weeks to see… 😛
I’d be interested to know how he deals with the transpositions and such.
@Jacob Aagaard
How cruel! 😉
@Jacob Aagaard Is there any chance Lars would make a new and updated Caro-Kann repertoire book? There’s been a lot of developments since his book in 2010. Players such as: Eljanov, Ding-Liren, Jobava, Grischuk and Navara pushing the theory forward over the last several years. I think the Caro-Kann would also make a good addition to the “Playing the” series if you could find an author willing to do it.
@James
In my opinion Lars’ book on the Caro-Kann fits more to the ‘Playing the’ profile than the GM Rep profile.
@Jacob Aagaard
You got me there 😀
Great news !
There is the excellent work from Houska on the Caro-Kann, and I like her choice on varations more as well.
Where can I find up to date theory on the line 1.c4, c5 2.Nf3, Nf6 3.Nc3, Nc6 4.d4, cxd4 5.Nxd4, e6 6.g3, Qb6 7.Nb3, Ne5 8.e4, Bb4 9.Qe2?
My wish is that grandmaster repertoire 19 will cover this line in depth.
@Bebbe
You could try chesspublishing.com for example – that’s fairly up to date. I’m also hoping for 1c4 c5, but Im guessing the repertoire will recommend 1.c4 e5. But after 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 black then has the problem that he has to prepare two systems against the English…
I previously had a look at chesspublishing. com but they had hardly anything on this line.
It seems to be out of fashion for some reason. The best I have found is Mastering the Chess openings 3 by Watson. The coverage is rather shallow though.
Maybe he recommends 1.Nf3, d5.
@Bebbe
I don’t think 1.Nf3 d5 is a good recommendation, since black can be move-ordered with 2.d4! There is a recent book by Delchev which recommends 1.Nf3 d5, but it’s only suitable for black players who have 1.d4 d5 in their repertoire.
The only way I can see a rep for 1.c4 bring compatable with a 1.Nf3 rep is to play 1.c4 c5 and 1.Nf3 Nf6 c4 c5. Also is independent of what 1.d4 defence you play
I guess it would be something like the series on chess24 from Huschbeth; 1…c5 against 1.c4 and 1.Nf3…
@Maik
Only Sicilian players can have 1. Nf3 c5 in their repertoire otherwise they would get move-ordered with 2. e4.
Depending on how big the book is, then it would make sense to recommend a ‘non transpositional’ line against 1 c4, for example 1..e5 or 1..c5 (1..c5 might transpose to a Sicilian but that can be controlled) rather than 1..e6, 1..c6, 1..Nf6.
1 Nf3 is more slippery as that could easily transpose elsewhere unless perhaps a sub-optimal move is played by black, for example 1 Nf3 b6 which could be met by 2 e4. It will be interesting to see what is recommended.
@chess25652
I do get 2.e4 very very rarely when facing 1.Nf3 and answering with 1…c5…
And I do play like this for about 20 years now….
### off-topic! case for Attacking Manual 1&2 to be compared??? ###
In recent New in Chess Magazine book reviewer GM Sadler gave 5/5 stars to Herman Grooten’s new book “Attacking Chess for Club Players”. I was very naive and I bought it last month, and went trough the material in few days.
There’s no real content in it, and for me it’s a waste of time of money. Grooten only compiles and names techniques (which can be found in Yussupow’s training books), and I didn’t read any new thing!
Aaggard’s book and Vukovic’s masterpiece are the best ones on attack. Everything else is a rude disappointment.
PS NIC pays Sadler to review THEIR books!? What a charade!
@LE BRUIT QUI COURT
Yes I’ve always wondered about those NIC reviews, even if the bias is only at a subconscious level.
@The Doctor
I agree!
By the way, I received these three books last friday. They are really great!!
If Mikhalevski’s book is getting “printed this weekend”, when’ll it be available?
I ask cause I will be making a purchase of a few other books, so I’ll postpone it a bit if next week I can get Mikhalevski’s book sent as well.
3rd October is my guess
Am not seeing quality chess books on sale at Olympiad.
I think the move 1.-c5 is the cure against 1.Nf3, 1.c4 and 1.g3 and 1.e4 if one has the sicilian in his/her repertoire. The question is what to choose after Whites second and third move?
I propose 1. Nf3, c5 2.c4, Nc6 if 3. Nf3, e5 aiming for the Wedberg system or 3.g3,g6
1. c4, c5 2.g3, g6 aiming for the Wedberg system
1.-c5 is also reliable against 1.Nc3, 1.f4 and 1.b3
@ Bebbe:
But, believe it or not, there are still people out there who don’t play the Sicilian, so Mikhalevski’s book can’t recommend 1.Nf3 c5 as the only option.
Is it true? It is hard to believe. The goal of a chess game is to win and the sicilian is best suited for that.
A technical question:
How can I install chessbase on my Ipad? Previously I used a PC.
I know that chessbase now has an online database.
Have used the free version of the chessbase but has not figured out how to
add my own games and analyse them with an engine and then saving the analysis.
On my PC this was easy done after installing Chessbase on the harddrive from a CD-rom.
Don’t laugh, I fell very old-fashioned.
I will soon start to play more tournaments (after a period of almost 10 years of low activity) so I really need to have a database with my own games and analysis.
@Jacob Aagaard
Well, I’m still in the dark, alone, crying. No book in my mailbox ;(
@Bebbe
You can’t. A windows program won’t run on an Ipad.
I think they do have an app, though? chessbase online or some such?
Just got my copy of Negi. Still above my level, but what the heck. So will the next Negi cover the Spanish, or are you saving the best for last?
@Pierre
No book here too. Will stay like that for a while now as I moved so they have to redirect it.
Hi Jacob,
I know you have a very small number of staff in at the moment but I was wondering if there is a concrete publication date for GM Repertoire 19 yet please? Thank you.
@John Hartmann
I use Parallels on my iBook – it’s a Windows emulator and Chessbase runs perfectly well on it. Maybe that’s also available for the iPad?
I have chessbase on my iPhone what’s the problem it’s in App Store
It’s chessbase online actually but still same difference?
Not the same difference. Two different beasts.
@Pierre
Are you really going to read it in the dark? Or burn it for light?
@James2
Here late at night, I can’t be sure, but I think it will be the 3rd October for Gm19 annd KID Warfare
I guess Chessbase Online should also work on an iPad.
Chessbase online works on an Ipad. The problem is that there are not the same features as in the normal chessbase. I have not figured out how to use an Engine and to save the analysis.
There is a possibilty to add variations in an opening tree. One for your white openings and one for your black openings. Same problem here, there is no way to analyse with an Engine. As John wrote: two different beasts.
@LE BRUIT QUI COURT
It’s Attacking chess for Club Player. What don’t you understand of club players?
Aagaard’s manuals are for advanced players and masters. Not for beginners and 1700 elo players.
The aiming of the book is reached if club players improve theri attacking skills. In that one can consider that a 5 stars book. If its name was Attacking chess for challenge Carslen in the World crown, it would receive 0 stars of 5 (if 0 is possible). You can sell that book at half price, in case 🙂
@Riccardo
Sorry to disagree with you on my own book, Riccardo (I will not comment on the other book; I have no opinion). It is absolutely relevant for players at 1200 or 1700. I have been accused by others that the book is too simplistic. This is not an unfair criticism. The book is simplistic. But so is the strategy of attack and dynamics. I have seven clear ideas on the attack in the book that everyone can implement better and better and have seen it many times.
Attack and Defence is a very high level book of course, but that is a different matter.