Hi guys,
When you reach more than 100 comments to a post about a flooded office, including e-books and hot air balloons, it is time for a new post.
We have decided not to delay Chess Tactics from Scratch to wait for the Suba book, but just put it out alone. So, the current publishing schedule looks like this:
Martin Weteschnik | Chess Tactics from Scratch – UCT 2nd edition | 17 February |
Suba | Positional Chess Sacrifices | Early Spring |
John Shaw | The King’s Gambit | Early Spring |
Ftacnik (Aagaard) | GM 6 – 2nd edition | Spring |
Boris Alterman | Alterman Gambit Guide – Black Gambits 2 | Spring |
Boris Alterman | Das Alterman Gambit-Handbuch: Gambits mit Schwarz 2 | Spring |
Boris Avrukh | Grandmaster Repertoire X – Beating 1.d4 Sidelines | Spring |
Jacob Aagaard | Attacking Manual 1 – German | Summer |
Jacob Aagaard | Attacking Manual 2 – German | Summer |
Artur Yusupov | Chess Evolution 2 | Summer |
Marc Esserman | Mayhem in the Morra | Summer |
John Shaw | Playing 1.e4 – A Grandmaster Guide – The Open Games | Summer |
John Shaw | Playing 1.e4 – A Grandmaster Guide II – The Semi-Open Games | Summer |
Ftacnik (Aagaard) | GM6 – German | Summer |
Jacob Aagaard | Grandmaster Repertoire x1 – 1.e4 | Summer |
Boris Avrukh | Grandmaster Repertoire – Beating Minor Openings | Summer/Autumn |
Artur Yusupov | Chess Evolution 3 | Autumn |
Victor Mikhalevski | Grandmaster Repertoire X – The Open Spanish | Summer/Autumn |
Romanovsky | Soviet Middlegame Technique | Autumn |
Judit Polgar | Judit Polgar Teaches Chess 1 | Olympiad |
Presumably John’s 1.e4 books will have less critical lines than Jacob’s GM repertoire?
Something like 2.c3 Sicilian, Ruy Lopez exchange?
Hi Clement,
Not exactly. The lines you mention would be less critical than the ones we have in mind for the books. We still want ambitious lines, just not as much theory as is required in the GM Repertoire series. Essentially, my 1.e4 books are planned as a king pawn equivalent to Lars Schandorff’s 1.d4 book.
Judit Polgar!!! Great news! What kind of book will that be i.e. what audience?
@student
Where the Grandmaster Repertoire books are a sort of academic project – books that try to prove one thing or the other, the Grandmaster Guide have a more practical approach, with serious lines, but less detail and a slightly less determination to prove advantage everywhere. Not that we don’t want to prove an edge, but the application is a bit more in focus than the theoretical principles.
What is meant by “Minor Openings”?
You have Grandmaster Repertoire – Beating Minor Openings listed up there. Is that meant to be for Black against Flank Openings? Or for White against the rarer defenses, like Alekhine/Scandinavian/Pirc/Modern/Nimzovich (similar to Everyman’s recent “Beating Unusual Chess Defenses: 1.e4”) or a d4-equivalent, talking about how to beat the Benko, Chigorin, Albin, Budapest, etc.?
@Patrick M
1.b3, Reti, English, 1.f4, stuff like that. Applicaple for QG, NID and KID/GID alike.
English = minor opening? Having published 3 (three!) tomes on the English opening in the Grandmaster Repertoire series, you must be kidding…although it would be interesting to see how one of your authors (Avruck) would make short process of the excellent work done by another of your authors (Marin)!@Jacob Aagaard
Dear Jacob and other members of the staff,
Many thanks for the books which you’ll publish, especially receive warm regards for Avrukh’s “Grandmaster Repertoire – Beating 1.d4 Sidelines” and “Grandmaster Repertoire – Beating Minor Openings”.
Since the era of GM Repertoire, the flagship known thanks to, in first place, to GM Avrukh, I switched from 1.e4 to 1.d4 🙂 Thanks to Mr. Avrukh I, as well other friends outside, will have complete and well rounded repertoire for White and Black. Really divine thing 🙂
Please publish this year also GM Repertoire KING’S INDIAN. 🙂 Don’t forget us 🙁
Also I’m very pleased with Victor Mikhalevski’s “Grandmaster Repertoire – The Open Spanish”. Such dynamic opening will bring us many points! But, shall you include also full lines for Black after 1.e4 e5, starting with King’s Gambit, just like Marin did in 2 volumes, or this will be Ruy Lopez only?
Last but not the least I wish you best of luck with you GM 1.e4 books! After all, Marin and Avrukh pushed the bar very very high 🙂
PS Marc Esserman’s (IM, Elo 2450) “Mayhem in the Morra” will be pitted against Hannes Langrock’s (IM, Elo 2374) upcoming SECOND EDITION of “The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon against the Sicilian”. Langrock’s was good, so yours should be even better.
Will John’s King’s Gambit book focus on King’s Bishop’s Gambit, King’s Knight’s Gambit, or both? Or must we wait for the excerpt to come out?
In King’s Knight’s Gambit I was at one point excited about an old MacDonnell idea from the early 1800’s, recently reintroduced at top level by Zvjaginsev, 1.e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 (my motivation to find something new for White came from the discouraging feeling that the line 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Bg7!? produced in my stomach when I lost a training game with White to my FM coach and then was trying to make it promising for White again at home) 4…Bg7 5. O-O d6 6. d4 h6 7. c3 Nc6 8. Qa4!?, but I became discouraged again when I found an improvement for Akopian: 8…Bd7 9.Qb3 Na5 10.Bxf7+ Kf8 11.Qa3 Kxf7 12.Qxa5 c5! 13.Qa3 (Zvjaginsev – Akopian, Rijeka 2010) 13…Qc7!(N?)
More precise than Akopian’s 13…Qb6?! when 14.Nbd2 threatened Nc4 with gain of tempo, and what’s more with 13…Qc7 the e5 square is well covered, seeming to hold back e4-e5 more or less permanently. Despite Black’s uncastled king, he has freer development (White’s is constricted by Black’s still-intact kingside majority pawn wedge, depriving White of especially the e3 square) and lots of pressure against the White center, which is kept static. 14.Qb3+ is well met by 14…Be6 15.d5 Bd7 leaving a permanent hole on e5. It takes a long time for White to activate, and in the meantime Black intends something like …Kg6, …Ne7, …Rhf8, and depending on how White plays, either …Rae8 or …cxd4 followed by …Rac8. At some point Black may also be threatening …g5-g4 to undermine d4.
I would for GM John Shaw to show me something exciting for White against the Kieseritsky with 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Bg7!?
But if the book is about the King’s Bishop’s Gambit I just might buy it anyway.
Very good news to see a book on such an opening like the Morra Gambit … May be we’ll see one on the Budapest one day !
Esserman is probably the guy to write on this subject (as is Langrock) but a book on the Smith-Morra declined should be fine too, after all it’s a major variation in the Sicilian and would complete the Morra book. Sveshnikov has write a book quite recently but a QC view would be largely appreciated.
Whatever , I’m very pleased with the list above and I’m sure I’ m not the only one !
Good luck !!
@ Nikolaos Ntirlis about Ruy Lopez – Breyer
What did you mean with following statement which you wrote on chesspub. forum:
“I think that the second edition of “Chess Advantage” by Kaufman will promote the Breyer as a repertoire choice but if I was him I would wait at least until late 2012 before i publish a work on it.”
You’ll write something like GM Rep or?
Thx for reply 🙂
PS I ordered your Tarrasch in hardcover 🙂
@Abramov Anjuhin
Thank you.
Open Spanish starts at 4.Ba4 just like Marin.
We have done a lot of work on 1.e4, but there is still a lot of way to go. We are working a bit on all openings, Dragon one time, the Caro-Kann another. Basically we want to know what we are doing everywhere and get the books out close together.
King’s Indian would earliest be 2013.
The Playing 1.d4 books might come earlier than I thought. Had lunch with the author today and his progress has surprised me a bit. Maybe in the spring!?
Marc had a lot of the improvements published in the new Morra book already. A pity, but shows that they are good ideas. Hopefully our book will be very good; we think so anyway.
@Jeff Dixon
We don’t like to discuss lines before the books are published.
But we are happy to hear about people’s expectations all the same! Sorry, did not want the last comment to be negative.
@Michel Barbaut
I think we are covering 3…Nf6 as well. I know Sveshnikov’s book was very praised and that some people loved it, but theoretically it did not really work. For example, there was no improvement to Sveshnikov – Aagaard, Dresden 2008 – which by the way I think was not the best way to play for Black :-). Marc says he has some ideas. We are expecting a first draft reasonably soon.
@student
This is something I am really looking forward to. Judit will write about chess improvement based on her career. Each bookwill be divided into various topics, like Tricks, Endgames and so on. She is getting help to write the book from her friends since her childhood, Mihail Marin. The first draft is done. I have read big parts of it and sent a few thousand comments back to the authors. It is quite clear to me that Mihail has adviced on structure and how to present stuff, but this is 100% Judit’s thoughts and ideas. I have discussed the book a lot with her, of course and I know her sentence structures and expressions and they are all over the book. Marin is of course the best chess author in the world (at least I think so), but here he has worked as much as a secratary taking notes as a ghost writer.
What I have read I really liked. The chess level is high in the way that it is good chess, but it is explained in an accessible way, based on concepts and ideas more than variations. It is really nice to read and we are justifiedly hoping this will be a big success in 2012.
I should say that we have agreed three volumes with Judit.
Jacob thanks for the info about the 1. e4 book but I’m still very interested in Judit’s debut, what will she be writing about, and for what kind of audience?
@Jacob Aagaard
But in order to present a full repertoire for Black after 1.e4 e5 you will launch also a GM Repertoire 1.e4 e5 minor lines except Spanish for Black?
I’m surely right 🙂 Who shall be the author?
Hi Jacob,
When you talked about Playing 1.d4 books, are you talking about the Lars project for all other openings other than covered in Playing the Queens Gambit?
Thanks!!!
Looks like a great line this year, best regards!
@student
Already answering I think!?
@Abramov Anjuhin
Beating the Open Games is not new, but still in print…
@Jacob Aagaard
Yay! Very happy to hear about the “Playing 1.e4” volumes. I hope that you sell a LOT. QualityChess, you guys are influencing other publishers to up their game. And I sense that QC books are improving their own pedagogical format. A reader like me (2077 USCF) just needs the critical, need-to-know stuff and some tips to get me generally oriented in the opening. I can fill in any obscure details, if needed, by myself with a huge database and modern analysis engines.
I think the so-called “competition” among chess-publishers is overblown. Book-buying is not zero-sum. Morra gambit players will buy both Langrock and Esserman, not only one or the other. And every new book on an opening nudges up the demand for a new book on the opposing side. So chess publishing is a positive feedback cycle, like a nuclear arms race. So everybody wins, publishers and consumers both.
Lots of good news here. I can’t wait for the Polgar book, and Esserman writing on the Morra should be great.
On another note, I’m really enjoying GM 10, but am wondering what the best fit with a Tarrasch repertoire is after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 (2…Nf6 has worked well with my Slav, but doesn’t seem to fit with the Tarrasch so well). Do I need to wait for Avrukh? I’ve almost talked myself into 2…c5 – it’s been played at the highest levels, and White’s non-transposing lines look pretty innocuous.
Polgar book during Olympiad? When is that?
The schedule with seasons is interesting. I never knew which months constituted spring, summer, etc. Especially since in Britain there is only one season–overcast. But I suppose “spring” means March/April/May? Hopefully this does not refer to seasons in the Southern Hemisphere…
Interested in both of Avrukh’s GM Repertoire books. Interested especially in the subject of trying to play against 1. c4 specifically for Grünfeld players. 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 d5 or something else (then what else?). I am still unclear on this issue. Also interested in attempts by White to cause problems with the move-order with regards to trying to play against the King’s Indian rather than the Grünfeld for Grünfeld players.
@katar
Yes, this is well known. Actually we are in negotiations with Everyman’s US distributor, from the principle that it makes chess buying easier for the shops, and thus good for both. It would be a disaster to us if all the other chess publishers died, as the market would shrink terribly.
@dfan
I played 2…c5 there as well.
@Gilchrist is a Legend
The Olympiad is in September.
@Abramov Anjuhin:
I wrote that comment you quoted, because i believe that there is a lot of development happening now on that opening and we should wait for the major theoretical discoveries to be played. During 2009-2010 i am sure many GMs worked hard on the opening, so there are a lot of ideas still waiting to be played there.
… but then what’s the point of Mikhalevski’s book if the main body of Black repertoire won’t be covered. After all we need also a GM Repertoire companion to Open Ruy Lopez. Please ask Marin to update and convert his “Beating the Open Games” into GM Repertoire for Black 🙂
Good to see four GM Repertoire books in the new publishing schedule. So there is GM11, 12, 13 and 14. Interesting GM Repertoire on Open Spanish, written by author Mikhalewski. I have played in a few tournaments where Mikhalewski has played, seems like an openings expert to me.
@Gilchrist is a Legend
Victor is the biggest expert in this opening as far as I know. We are very lucky to have him. Obviously he is also a big Grunfeld expert, but we got another Israeli expert on that opening!
There will be many Grandmaster Repertoire books in the next 18 months. Maybe you will come to regret your pleasure with a multitude in them :-).
I will continue to buy all of the Grandmaster Repertoire books, in hardcover, and will read all of them. I have read Avrukh’s Grünfeld books, and will probably finish GM10 in a couple of months or so. I hope the Grandmaster Repertoire series does not end, and someday there will be GM Repertoire 50.
Still wondering what new line is against 6. Bg5 in GM6 2nd Edition, but it would not matter since I would buy that book anyway. And is Lars Schandorff going to write a book on the repertoire for 1. d4 on the King’s Indian, Grünfeld, Benkö, Benoni, etc.?
I was wondering if there will be any speculative plans on a Classical Sicilian repertoire in the near future. I think that it’d would be very cool if Kotronias or Avrukh were to write a book on the Classical Sicilian.
I am not so sure about them writting a Classical Sicilian book as both have stopped playing this opening!
@Gilchrist is a Legend
Yes he is. He is half way done.
@WuvMuffin72
No plans at the moment.
Not to be pessimistic, but I think a lot of GMs have stopped playing the Classical Sicilian. Probably due to 6. Bg5?
@Jacob
So excited on Schandorff’s upcoming Playing 1.d4 againtst the Indian Defences.Hoping to get it before the end of 2012.
@caronov
Unless something unexpected happens, it will be out May/June, with an updated version of the Queen’s Gambit at the same time. I play in the same team with Lars in Denmark and hopefully also for Denmark at the Olympiad. We had lunch Friday and he showed me his progress. I am very optimistic and I think the book will be good fun and at least as good as the first book.
@Jacob
You mean there will be a second edition of Playing the Queen’s Gambit by Lars?Wow that’s great!!!I just wait for his two books and my white repertoire (1d4) is complete.
Actually it should be. At least this is the idea.
@Jacob
I think it’s actually good if you will have a second edition of the Playing the Queen’s Gambit by Lars.It’s been 3 year since the released.And there are many changes in the lines, especially at top level.And we all know that 1.d4 is widely used even in amateur level.
Good news about the Lar’s books, Playing QG 2nd edition and one against the indain defenses, will be exciting to see the lines Lar’s pics, Plus GM6 2nd, and the GM sidlines against 1.d4 and minor openings plus English. And now lots of 1.e4 projects, A Championship match this year, a Candidates cycle with Magnus and possible Kramnik’s last,
plus Tata steel right now and other big tournies this year. 2012 sound like a great year for QC and Chess in general, and lets not forget the world cup! Chess and Football!!!
Congrats to Jacob, John, Andrew and all of QC for a great line up!
I meant Euro Cup…
@caronov
Partly it is also because we did not feel like reprinting the first edition, when we know that Lars has looked at the lines continuously. Why not add the progress when we have to do it again?
@Michael
I think you are delusional. Kramnik will be very strong in five years as well!
LOL – Kramnik on his last leg? I haven’t heard a dumber thing about chess in my life. Michael, Kramnik will crush you 35 years from now. Karpov, over 20 years older than Kramnik, would still crush you. Even Korchnoi, and he’s over 80!
World Cup? Euro Cup? Blah! BORING! It’s all about the SUPER BOWL! The only “Football” worth watching!
And now that the Giants crushed the #1 seeded Packers, Giants are going all the way!
There is nothing but Chess and Stamp collecting….
I doubt many people watch SuperBowl here in Britain. Or the rest of the EU countries…because football are played with the foot here. QC are after all, based in the UK. 🙂
I saw five seconds of SuperBowl. To me it was like seeing two GMs play the Exchange Slav spending 10 minutes on each move only to agree to a draw on move 8.
These Grandmaster Repertoire books will definitely be reading with Euro 2012.
The Superbowl half-time show with the Black Eyed Peas was excellent! 🙂
You have GOT to be kidding me that you REALLY think you can validly judge something on the basis of having seen 5 seconds of it.
If you seriously think you can validly make that judgment on 5 seconds worth of viewing, your credability has just been deemed non-existant!
Gilchrist, when you comment on how great or horrible a chess book is, have you gotten past page 10 yet when you make that comment? Starting to wonder here.
It was probably more than five seconds, but I could not watch too much more than that without wondering why it is not as popular in Britain and continental Europe (or Australia/NZ, or India, or the West Indies, or Africa, etc.) than football (6+ billion(?) viewers) or cricket (2+ billion(?) viewers) 🙂
Of course I spend time reading chess books before commenting on them, or looking at excerpts before buying them. With GM Repertoire books I forgo reading the excerpt before deciding whether to buy or not because I buy them anyway. 😀
The five seconds was not too much by itself, but I have seen a few minutes in past years of random NFL games. I have heard of teams such as the 49ers and Green Bay and Cincinatti. However my opinions have not changed since then; I would rather watch the Manchester Derby Man Utd v. City or the current Test match series between Australia and India. 🙂
But honestly, the World Cup of Football cannot be too boring if more than six billion watch it. And last year’s Cricket World Cup if about two billion or however watch it. Even the USA’s neighbour Canada competed in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
@Jacob Aagaard
I think your right, I just meant if he decides he does not want to play anymore, thought I heard him once say he would play for sure until age 40 and then think about where he is at and if he will continue, not that he will diminish with time, I can’t imagine a Canidates cycle without Kramnik!!!
Reading an interview with Anand recently where he pointed out that Kramnik pretty much dictated how opening play at the top has been played for the last 12 years, pretty big influence Kramnik has over the game!
I hope he plays for a very long time, he is definitly one of my favorite players…
@Patrick M
Never meant Kramnik was weak, only a personal choice I have heard him talk about in interwiews…I hope he never retires and have no delusions he is the best of the best!!!
He is a Champion!!!
Yep, Euro Football is boring that’s why it is the most popular sport in the world!!!
You got me there…
@Jacob
Good news about Lar’s two upcoming book this year!I hope you will also write a grandmaster repertoire series on the sicilian taimanov or the kan soon.
@Patrick M
Football with the hands. Americans have anatomy problems! Btw. I still think
Korchnoi at 80+ is better than I will ever be…
@Michael
In my opinion he and Topalov are the most influencial players since Kasparov. Obviously Carlsen and Aronian are not setting a different standard. Both are taking practical chess to new hights after a long time with theoreticians. Obviously Aronian’s openings are great, but it is how he plays that really impress. Carlsen has no openings and is no. 1. This is exceptional.
@Jacob might there be the possibility of a GM book on the Pirc in future? I think this is one of Marin’s main weapons against e4 and he’d be a great candidate for such a book.
@Jacob
I can’t get my hands on Grandmaster Repertoire 10 The Tarrasch Defence.It’s super expensive on amazon.com.Yes I also like a grandmaster repertoire series on the taimanov sicilian.It’s my second defence against 1.e4.The caro-kann is my main weapon.
@caronov
Based on your mentioning of amazon.com, I presume you are in the United States.
Use one of the other merchants. I use ChessCafe.com all the time to shop for chessbooks. The paperback is roughly $29 ($28.95 to be exact) while the hardcover is $39.
Also, if you shop $95 or more, you also get free shipping.
@Jacob Aagaard
I miss Kasparov, he is my fav. And I think Kramnik was genuis with his strategy in taking the title from Kasparov with out letting him win once, this was amazing and only the second time in history if I am remebering correctly. So I have a lot of respect for Kramnik. I missed seeing Topalov play as much this year, he is a very infuential and exciting player. I hope he plays a lot more this year in big tournies…
Aronian’s play can be like a magician sometimes he finds incerdible resources in positions that I think most plyers would miss, I especially liked his recent win against Svidler Bf4 Grunfeld where he sacrificed his knight for a great win at the Tal Memorial 2011. And Carlsen like you said being number one with no openings, how can this be? He is exceptional…His intution on the board in nothing short of amazing. I think I remeber Carlsen saying that Kasparov when they first started working together was a little suprised at how little Carlsen knew about particular openings, And I remeber that he also compared Carlsen’s Style to the likes of Karpov and Capablanca! Obviously Kasparov thinks very highly of Carlsen’s abilities over the board. And he has really excelled dramatically.
Carlsen can play anything it is amazing to watch.
Kramnik, Topalov, and Anand at least for me are the players I want to see stay around for a long time, for me they are still a link back to the glory days of Kasparov and Karpov!
I would love to see a remath between Kramnik and Anand…
I like what Kasparov said about Kramnik “He is the hardest player to beat.”
Carlsen beat Aronian yesterday in a pretty exciting game, and what do you know they transposed to the QGD Exchange, fun to watch your opening being played at the very top.
Kasparov said about the game that Carlsen was playing a great game, in an interview I saw Carlsen after the game, he did not look completely satisfied with his play, being humble makes me think he has the makings of a Champ. But any one of these players mentioned above are a threat right now!
Off to check the standing of Tatta Steel,
Take care…
@caronov
A bit strange, since the website you are posting on ships GM10. It says 32,99 € hardcover, 27,99 € softcover on http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/1/115/grandmaster_repertoire_10_-_the_tarrasch_defence_by_nikolaos_ntirlis_and_jacob_aagaard/.
(Sigh) In Canada, it seems we have to be resigned to waiting 4 months for Quality titles to make an appearance unless we want to order internationally.
Of course Carlsen is already a Champion!!!
What does everyone think of the upcoming Candidates Cycle tournament? Do you like the format? Do you think it will help the drawing problem? Does the set up show who is the best? I love match play, I love the idea of 2 players playing until one prevails, but I guess the matches would have to be to long and fans and investers lose interest. And even if they went back to something like first one to 6 wins, would that help? Or could you still play it safe and make a tie going to rapids or blitz?
Any thoughts?
If you think American football is boring, try watching baseball. I’ve been living in New York for over 20 years, and I just can’t watch it even if it’s the last inning with the season on the line. I’m not kidding, but I’m yet to meet anyone who wasn’t born in the US who would think that baseball is actually a sport. The last sentence is an genuine observation and is not meant to be offensive. I guess we all have our tastes… btw, cricket does for me as much as baseball 🙂
@Patrick M
Will try your suggestion.Thanks!
@Barry
I find it really surprising that those words would come from a chess player. Baseball is a chess match, especially National League Baseball, where the Pitcher actually has to pick up a piece of lumber and swing the bat. Also, baseball is not an American sport. You have 16 countries in the World Baseball Classic, or whatever that thing is called in the winter, and it’s highly popular in Japan.
In National League Baseball (American League is for losers), your pitcher has pitched a gem, and gave up 1 solo home run in the top of the first as the only hit he’s given up. It’s the bottom of the 7th, 2 outs, runner on 2nd, first time a runner on the home team ever reached scoring position (i.e. 2nd or 3rd base), you trail 1-0, and your pitcher is due up. Your bullpen has a reputation for being shaky. What do you do? It’s like a chess match, where you have 5 legal squares to put your king on when it’s in check, and none of the 5 possibilities look good.
@Jacob
Just curious, are you not planning to have a second edition of Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 Volume 1 by Boris?
It seems like ODI cricket is most similar to chess. Bowlers can be fast bowlers (aggressive 1. e4 or Najdorf players) or spin bowlers (positional Caro-Kann or Petroff players). Batsmen can attack, defend, or leave each delivery, similarly to how a chess player can play aggressively/attack, play positionally/defensively, or simply play passively and do nothing.
As in chess, there are different methods of playing for the initiative; how to attack in chess–almost recklessly or with control; how to play positionally–shuffle pieces around in the back ranks or try to exchange off pieces to reach a good endgame. In the same manner, a fast bowler can bowl bouncers, short of a good length, good length, half volley, or yorker. A leg spinner can bowl a leg spinner, top spinner, googly, flipper, or slider. An off spinner can bowl an off spinner, top spinner, arm ball, or doosra.
If the first innings score is 250 and the team batting second is at 249-6, then it is like a chess game where one has to find a move that wins perhaps a knight or bishop that gains a decisive material advantage to win the game. A more difficult position is when in chess one has to find a move that must end in checkmate, a draw, or a loss in a very sharp attacking game. This would be like if the first innings score is 250 and the team batting second is at 246-9. One wicket remaining, only one chance to win the game. A six is needed to win, a four to draw, and anything less is a loss. Team batting second must find the perfect timing to get that six runs, just like how one needs to find that only move that wins in an extremely sharp position. One mistake will need to a loss (3 runs or less, or a wicket or dot ball), and a less drastic mistake will end in a draw, just like how in a sharp chess game, one ends up with perpetual check due to mismanaging an attack.
If I remember correctly, there was an article about Irina Krush trying to play cricket in the nets in Gibraltar during the Gibraltar Chess Festival, though I am not sure if that was because she thought chess was similar to cricket.
There’s a cute youtube video where this guy tries to make a parallel between the current Top 4 chess players and legendary tennis players. I thought it was cute, except I did not agree with his comparison between Andy Murray and Vladimir Kramnik. Link is below b-t-dubs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1itzOLHdbY
@James
We have so many projects lined up. This is quite far down the list of our ambitions.
@caronov
People who want to buy at a discount will have to wait. So is the laws of economics. Go to our FAQ and you will find the US chess specialists who are happy to pay for having the books sent by FedEx.
@Michael
I am worried that there is an opening for cheating with an all-play-all format. I don’t trust all players in the top 20 to be entirely honest. The temptation can be too great – even a trainer or relative could think they are helping by offering money to an opponent to throw a game… But on the other hand it is less of a lottery this way. And Carlsen is willing to play!
@caronov
Not in the immediate future.
I went into the London Chess Centre to get Kauffman’s new Black and White Repertoire and Everyman’s new “Move by Move” book on the Caro Kann. Ended up buying latest Chess Evolution and GM Rep 10. Everyman, and to some extent NiC, appear to be obsessed by making their books (esp Move by Move) as huge as possible. Given the amount of content in it (which appeared to be very good on first glance) the Caro Kann book should have been half the size with some sensible typesetting.
Disappointed that Chess Evolution is not continuing (at least with Quality Chess). I didn’t buy it for the theory but as a collection of great games from the last few months with really great notes by top players.
@Matt
Hi Matt,
Sure, typesetting is one influence on the size of a book, and another is the type of paper used. For example, if at a bookstall you saw our ‘Advanced Chess Tactics’ and Everyman’s ‘Ruy Lopez – Move by Move’, you would see the Lopez book is much thicker, but in reality it is 318 pages and our book is 366. Naturally I prefer our paper, but it’s just a matter of taste.
I am sure the future editions of Chess Evolution will be excellent. Arkadij Naiditsch has assembled an immensely strong group of analysts.
Where is it announced that Chess Evolution will not be continuing with Quality Chess, or is it implicit in it being absent from the publishing schedule above?
@Jacob Aagaard
Carlsen has no openings – what about his Ruy Lopez Breyer which no one seems to get a convincing plus against? But I have to admit I can’t think of any other opening that he is really known for championing, except a few years ago his dragon, which eventually got crushed by Anand and Topalov in quick succession…
@Jacob Aagaard
I had not thought of that…but your right it is a great temptation.
It will be great to see Carlsen play!
Just recieved Challenging the Nimzo in the mail…This book is a huge!!!
I am not sure what the content of the paper in QC books, but it seems similar to those of my university textbooks. I prefer this paper over the previous paper used before GM6 (the kind that feels dry and causes the books to seem a centimetre or so larger than the new paper).
@Paul
We said it once or twice, but we have not announced it in a great way. When the January issue becomes available we are going to make a blog post and probably make it a product for a few weeks to help Arkadij as much as we can.
@Jeff Dixon
No openings is relative. Obviously he knows some theory, only he does not work hard on the opening and have endless amount of serious novelties, such as Topalov, Anand, Kramnik and so on.
@Michael
There are consistent rumours (probably quite believable ones, knowing the source – but that is as far as I am willing to go) that one of the players in the candidates had “help” getting there. Whether or not these are true, it is damaging for chess that we can have a system where it can be in one players interest to sell the game at a relative “low” price, cheating a third party of a chance at a far greater price in the process. But the alternatives were unattractive to Carlsen, so the best of luck to him. I would like to see him in a match. I am not sure he would be a huge favourite to beat Anand or Gelfand, but he probably would be the favourite.
I also think he was very sound in waiting to compete. He will most likely be world champion, but by not making it the only goal in life, he will have much more enjoyment from life and chess. And he might make it anyway!
@Michael
Multi-offset paper. Yes, quite large.
@Gilchrist is a Legend
The main thing for me with the “new” paper is that this compact, yet more flexible, format of the books is really desirable. Besides the obvious advantages for book sellers with more copies in each box, more copies on the shelves and easier to fit in envelopes, I also think they are nicer to read. The longer time we have both formats in the office, the more I prefer the new format. But let us be honest, it was driven by a recommendation from our printer, who again was driven by a mass-discount he had taken on :-). It is not so much cheaper for us that it matters, but we were willing to try, and years later we have no regrets.
Carlsen has a wide range of lines available to him and he knows something about everything, except that his preparation is not as deep as (some of his) his opponents’. Can you really say that he doesn’t work so hard on openings? I know he likes to say so but he also says that he barely works at all, something that ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
@csaba
I am not just saying this based on quotes from interviews. I have several reasons for believing him when he says this, not the least his practical play.
While Carlsen may not have a specific opening tied to his name, he has had some very impressive games that give you the impression that opening knowledge had to be part of it. If he didn’t know the opening all that deep, he’d be worse off early on at his level.
You think Kasparov, you think Najdorf, Scheveningen, King’s Indian, and Grunfeld
You think Karpov, you think Caro-Kann, Nimzo-Indian, Queen’s Indian
You think Fischer, you think Grunfeld, 1.e4 as White
etc etc.
However, one game that I can very easily say I found impressive of Carlsen’s, and he was only about 14 years old then, was in Wijk Aan Zee, 2004, against Ernst. Smacked Ernst silly and even mated him on the 29th move.
I’m sure he’s had far better games than that, but different games impress different people. The fact that my achillies heel with 1.e4 as White has always been facing the Caro-Kann might have something to do with that. I think I can safely say that hasn’t changed as since October 9th, I’ve played roughly 25 to 30 tournament games with White. 2 of those games Black played the Caro-Kann. The rest were something else, heavily Sicilian. The fact that my only 2 losses with White in that stretch were literally the 2 Caro-Kann’s pretty much confirms where I need the most help as White.
God I can’t wait for that first volume of GM Rep 1.e4 to come out, which I recall being French, Caro-Kann, and Philidor. I’m going straight to the Caro-Kann chapters the minute that book comes out! Hurry up Jacob! 🙂
@Jacob Aagaard
The issue is that with all these books coming on the French we have been thinking seriously about changing the order of the books.
@Jacob Aagaard
I agree with you about Carslen, I just watches a game analysis on ICC Carlsen vs. Aronian done by Yermo,
He was saying how much Carlsen has matured and that he is really finding his style.
By not making chess the only thing in his life he definitly will give him self the oppurtunity to enjoy other areas of life as well, and most likely talented enough to make WC too!
As far as openings I did enjoy the following game although I don’t see this move
10. Bh3 catching on, it was a fun game to watch. Three knights Nimzo…
[Event “4th Bilbao Masters”]
[Site “0:07:33-0:00:33”]
[Date “2011.10.10”]
[EventDate “2011.09.25”]
[Round “9”]
[Result “1-0”]
[White “Magnus Carlsen”]
[Black “Vassily Ivanchuk”]
[ECO “E21”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[BlackElo “?”]
[PlyCount “67”]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Qc2 Bb7 6.a3 Bxc3+
7.Qxc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 f5 9.g3 Nf6 10.Bh3 O-O 11.O-O a5 12.Rd1 Qe8
13.d5 Na6 14.Bf4 exd5 15.Bxf5 dxc4 16.Ng5 Qh5 17.Rxd7 Kh8
18.Re7 Nd5 19.Bg4 Qg6 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Bf5 Qxf5 22.Qxf5 Nxe7
23.Nh6+ gxh6 24.Qg4+ Ng6 25.Bxh6 Rf7 26.Rd1 Re8 27.h4 Nc5
28.h5 Bc8 29.Qxc4 Ne5 30.Qh4 Nc6 31.Rd5 Ne6 32.Qc4 Ncd8
33.Qg4+ Ng7 34.Qxc8 1-0
@Jacob Aagaard
Re: Challenging the Nimzo, not just big in size but lines covered…This is a serious study of the Nimzo from the white side…Time to get seroius about playing against the Nimzo? This book will help!
Hi Jacob and John
I was wondering about the Romanovsky book. Is it a reprint of his famous “Mittspiel” book, which was published as Middlegame Chess Combinations and Middlegame Chess Planning? (I have the American Chess Promotions editions from 1990-91 of those books.)
cheers
Graham
What are the differences between “Understanding Chess Tactics” and the soon-to-be released Chess Tactics from Scratch?
@Jacob
I hope you’ll also publish a grandmaster repertoire on the sicilian sveshnikov.John has knowledge on this subject.
Jacob I sent you 3 emails on 16th and 17th, did you get them? (nothing really to respond just making sure it did not get caught in your spam folder).
@Jesse
There are quite a lot of differences. We have revised the book quite a lot. We have now been a publishing house for eight years – when we put it out, it was into our second year. So we are far better editors. Also, the typeset is superior. Then there are two extra chapters, on Overloading and on Candidate Moves and 300 exercises at the end of the book. All in all it is a much superior book.
@caronov
John has no knowledge on this, but I am sure we would like to do this anyway.
@Hesam
Yes, thank you.
Will the 1.e4 Grandmaster Guide be a main line work like its 1.d4 equivalent? So as not to stoop to the depths of the aforementioned c3 Sicilians and Ruy Exchanges. After all, the d4 Grandmaster guide seemed a wee bit more main line than the Grandmaster Repertoire on d4 itself! For crying out loud, do not lower the “main line” standard that is QC.
@kissoff
Hi kissoff,
Firstly, you will note that I have changed your name to ‘kissoff’ from your original choice – keep it clean, thanks.
Your question: in the second comment to this post I answered a similar question. Yes, the 1.e4 Grandmaster Guide will be a main lines book, like its 1.d4 equivalent. No wet c3-Sicilians or Exchange Lopezs. Quality Chess books, as you note, are not about feeble sidelines. So for example, in this book it must be an Open Sicilian.
@John Shaw
“Quality Chess books, as you note, are not about feeble sidelines.”
So, do you consider the Morra to be a main line, since Esserman is using it regularly?
@werner
Hi werner,
I would have been very suspicious of the Morra just a few months ago, but Marc Esserman is very convincing about its merits. And Marc of course has used the Morra to beat Van Wely, which is impressive. But for all that, I would not claim that the Morra is a main line. So you have me on this point – QC is about the main lines, with the Morra book as one interesting exception.
Sure would be interesting as to what their updated analysis amounts to. I have the book that came out about 3 or 4 years ago on the Morra Gambit, and while the main lines can be tricky for Black (though solid if played right), and the Siberian Variation can be a one trick pony, back in the days when I was playing the Sicilian as Black, and still to this day today, I have always found the Chicago Defense to be a bust to the Morra gambit, and specifically, the line where Black plays 8…Nc6, 9…Ra7, 10…Rd7, and if White continues main line, one of the side variations. My favorite was 11…Na5, but 11…Bb7 was good too. Very tricky for Black, and you have to be willing to not castle, but in my couple of games over the board, and my many games on the internet, the results were always the same, 0-1.
We’ll have to see if he has anything new against the all-mighty Chicago Defense!
Morra Gambit seemed a bit strange at first, since I stopped studying what to do against it years ago in 2004 and just played the setup with …e6/a6/Nc6/Nge7/Be7/f6 and never lost with it, except for one time when I was up three pawns in an endgame against a 2200 and due to complete stupidity, hung an exchange and then some more pieces.
O.K. now I’m excited about the Esserman book – think I’ll buy it…
Maybe another case of computer based changes in tactical lines
That setup is Illegal, Gilchrist. Can’t put the Bishop and Knight both on e7.
For me, it’s c5/cxd4/dxc3/e6/d6/a6/b5/Nc6/Ra7. Of course, I quit playing the Sicilian now, but if I was 100% sure that I was facing someone that plays the Morra Gambit religiously, I wouldn’t hesitate to whip out 1…c5.
Missed a move. I meant …Ng6 then …Be7 and f6. Idea to develop with …Qa5 and a knight to e5, develop rooks, and later exchange dark squared bishops.
Jacob
What do you think of the idea tha Quality Chess publishes a book of positions containing a lot of the “Essential Chess Knowledge”, for easy, quick review and improvement of pattern recognition, an improved/expanded version of Alburt’s “Chess Training Pocket Book” so to speak, positions and ideas could even be the same as contained in others of your books like “CTFS”, Yusupov’s, etc. but the maing thing is to have “all” of the most important ones in one place for constant refreshment.
I like Alburt’s book, but would like to have a slightly more advanced one, or with more positions maybe, better paper and biding, overall a better product, and QC seems like the best candidate for something like that.
Please give it a thought
@werner
Obviously we will cover the main lines in the Morra and all the critical lines, not pretend all is honky dory with some lame new move with no analysis. I do not see it out of character to cover a more exotic opening, as the Morra or the King’s Gambit. The question is how you cover it.
@kissoff
Carlsen just beat World Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand with 4.e3 – the supposedly non-main line variation in GM1. For a non-main line, this is rather middle of the road…
@werner
For GM6 we found some forced wins in the Morra Chapter that the computers did not see. They are not there in the final book, but this obviously convinced us that the opening is quite tricky.
@FM To Be
We will consider it seriously.
@FM To Be, @Jacob:
There’s a book which delivers this to a certaindegree: Positional Chess Handbook by Gelfer. It’s a small booklet (ca. 200 pages) with 500 game fragments sorted by topic. The positions are generally simplified, so that they show exactly the theme. Most games are older. The topics follow the well-known structure (good N vs. bad B, etc.). Comments are reduced to pointing out the key positional decisions. Trivial stuff is not explained, it’s pretty much assumed that the reader has worked through at least basic endgame and a middle
game manuals.
This book isn’t everybody’s darling, but I like it. Of course now, 20 years later, you guys could do much better, plus give it a more attractive spin.
That setup is Illegal, Gilchrist. Can’t put the Bishop and Knight both on e7.
For me, it’s c5/cxd4/dxc3/e6/d6/a6/b5/Nc6/Ra7. Of course, I quit playing the Sicilian now, but if I was 100% sure that I was facing someone that plays the Morra Gambit religiously, I wouldn’t hesitate to whip out 1…c5.
I assume Gilchrist meant …Bd7? I have heard what you are talking about with …e6, …a6, …b5, …d6 and …Ra7 (idea Rd7!? to defend and unpin d6) being called “The Chicago Defense,” which I think is pretty cool because I am from Chicago, and I don’t know if we have any other opening named after our city. My friend FM Albert Chow was one of the players who led to it being called that.
That first paragraph was supposed to be quoting Patrick M
@Jeff Dixon
Gilchrist clarified that he had left out a …Ng6 move before …Be7.
Of course, there’s one thing to be said about chess that can’t be said about games that have already been figured out, like checkers. Novelties are unlimited. Albert Chow has found one that I personally find to be extremely strong for Black.
There is still 1 novelty that I have yet to see in any book, and was a line that I played as Black back when I played the French Defense (which I have since quit playing), and my record with it was 1 win and 1 draw in tournament play, and good results in online Blitz as well. Therefore, maybe I can tie my name to a defense and be famous, even though I was only 1900 when I came up with it!
In the French Tarrasch, Closed Variation, White has a gambit line that is played occasionally as an alternative to capturing on f6. It goes 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 (This line only applies when Black plays an early …Qb6 on move 7 or 8, which are interchangible, if you want to trade on d4 first, that works too) 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6.
At this point, the main move is 10.exf6, but White has a sideline, 10.Nc3, a pawn sacrifice, and the typical response has been 10…fxe5 11.dxe5 Ndxe5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Qh5+ Nf7. This is typically followed up by an intrusion via a minor piece to b5.
Any time I faced 10.Nc3, whether it be the 2 times I faced it over the board, or the few times I faced it on ICC, I took the timeout to play 10…a6, giving white the extra move, which was typically 11.O-O, and only then the same sequence, 11…fxe5 12.dxe5 Ndxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Qh5+ Nf7. The scariest move is probably 15.Re1 (I think, not looking at a board right now), but I have yet to find a bust for White, and White has yet to bust me with it.
So you chose the qc blog to present you novelty to the world?
Let’s call it
French Tarrasch Closed variation White Gambit PatrickM delay line
@Andre
I have this book and find it quite enjoyable.
@Patrick M
The 8th board on my Danish team has played this a number of times. I think there is some sensible reaction, but I cannot remember which. Btw. I liked Tiviakov’s game yesterday. Theoretically equal, but what a smacking!
“In general, most developments have been good for White, for exemple the Chicago Defense is now not far from being refuted” H. Langrock “The Modern Morra Gambit” 2nd edition. I know that everyone playing the sicilian has his opinion on the gambit but I can’ t forget the following (from 1994) :
After a simul I asked the G.M Anatoly Vaisser .. (please add the russian accent)
– M.B : « What do you think about the Smith-Morra gambit ? »
– A.V : « … the Morra gambit … black takes the pawn … and, at least, has a draw »
– M.B : « Which variation do you play against it ? »
– A.V : « I … I don’t take the pawn … I play 3…Nf6 » (!!!)
Taking the pawn is obviously good but dangerous anyway !
Go on Marc !!
@Michel Barbaut
I’m referring to the Modern Morra Gambit book as well, and if you allow the killer line by White, which I think was 12.Na4, but working off memory as I’m not at home right now, i.e. the first 4 games in that chapter, then yes, Black is pretty close to busted.
However, look at the final 2 games in that chapter, where Black specifically plays 8…Nc6 and 9…Ra7. He doesn’t have time to play …Be7 lines. Then, on move 11, if White stays mainstream, he has 2 very nice options, and my personal preference is 11…Na5, which I believe is the 2nd-to-last game of the chapter is memory serves me right, but 11…Bb7 is also fine for Black.
Langrock can make it look good for White by putting in 4 wins for White out of 6 games, and only 1 draw and 1 win for Black. However, it takes only 1 line by Black to bust White’s gambit, and needless to say, the lines mentioned above, again, where Black avoids any …Be7 ideas, and plays the immediate 8…Nc6 and 9…Ra7, just so happen to be those 2 games where White doesn’t win. Why doesn’t White win? If you look deeper into both those games, it ain’t because White was so much better and just happened to make a gross blunder late. It was because the line is that good for Black. The absolute best White can get is an unclear position.
Black takes time to move Be7? Yes, White’s better then. Black doesn’t do so? Black’s better if you ask me.
@Patrick M
I agree with you if you look at the 1st edition. But in the 2nd edition, things are not great for Black … but I don’t check his analysis yet. Food fot thoughts !
I was asked 2-3 years back to propose a line against the Morra. I found my old notebook, out the line in my PC to check it with Rybka and i discovered that it was too dangerous for Black these days. I tried to find another set-up but i was refuting line after line untill i found something i thought it was equal (not better for Black, just equal!). I sent the file to the player that asked me advice and he quickly beat 2 players by playing the Morra! He was a 2.c3 player, so it was easy for him to play against the declined line with …Nf6.
In my opinion, Morra is a great supplement to players that already play 2.c3 against the Sicilian. And to be honest there is another gambit i respect very much these days: 2.b4!?, that has the added advantage comparing to the Morra, that White’s critical reaction is to accept it! I am no longer sure if the critical reaction against the Morra is to accept it.
But if the Morra is that good, surely someone would try to play it against someone like Topalov, Aronian, etc.?
No, because black could get easy equality by transposing to the c3 SI. Under the assumption that the Morra were proven to be extremely dangerous, the black players would simply say “I’ll take equality in the Alapin, thanks.”
Still, I am sure grandmasters such as Topalov, Aronian, Ivanchuk, Radjabov, Morozevich, etc. would rather just take the pawn and try to prove that they can forgo the c3 Sicilian for accepting the gambit?
@Gilchrist is a Legend
I think you are wrong. Why should they risk a life in a dangerous position where they have no preparation against one, which is probably in their repertoire with = in the notes? But Marc has assured us that he has ideas in the c3-system as well, so this is not going to be as foolish as it sounds.
@Jacob Aagaard
Nice to see c3 system in Esserman book. As I said before (#123) GM know that taking on c3 is good but prefer to switch to a 2.c3 sicilian. If i’m good remembering, Anand declined it some years ago vs Adams like others IM/-GM do … just like in the Blackmar-Diemer gambit , refused after 1.d4,d5 2.e4,dxe4 3.Nc3,Nf6 4.f3 with 4…e3 by Kramnik, Gurevich who said : “It looks complicated to take the pawn” … even a young Bacrot against me . (but he was only 12!)
Will Marc discuus alternate move orders with 2.Nf3 first, cutting off some black variations ?
@Michel Barbaut
The latter question I cannot answer. We are expecting the first draft in a few weeks and if I get the time to read it, I can tell you (although I will have forgotten by then). My guess is a fairly clear no. The problem is that 2.Nf3 d6 disallows the Morra after 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3 Nf6!.
Actually, Gilchrist has a point. Some GMs would take the safe route, like Kramnik, who has a “Don’t lose with Black” mentality, as the 2000 World Championship proved.
Then you have those that burn their bridges with Black. They are willing to take a risk in return for actually being able to win with Black. If GMs with this mentality didn’t exist, then why didn’t Kasparov and Fischer take up the Petroff and Orthodox QGD as their primary weapons as Black?
Well, there are some that prefer to decline the gambit, but when someone plays 2. d4 against me, in about one second I will take the pawn and press my clock instantaneously. The only gambit that I would not feel too comfortable with is 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b4, when I would just play 4…c4. This seems to frustrate people who play this gambit, but I am not sure if declining the Morra Gambit frustrates Morra players. From my experience seeing the board or two boards away from my game where someone plays the Morra Gambit and Black declines, the Morra player usually just leaves the pawn on d4 for as long as possible, as if it is somehow illegal to capture the pawn. This also makes no sense to me, e.g. 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 Nf6 4. Bd3, then play 0-0, Re1, Bf4/g5 and expect Black to play …dxc3…
I bought the Langrock book on kindle, only to find out that it was the first edition. It did not impress and I quickly returned it. Marc told us that Langrock had found a lot of his own novelties for the 2nd edition, so there will be some overlap there. Marc was obviously disappointed, but this is the way it goes. Famously the telephone was patented with just a few hours to spare before the next guy was in there to patent such an invention…