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03-03 Contents_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 21:21 Page 3

Chess
Founding Editor: B.H. Wood, OBE. M.Sc †
Contents
Executive Editor: Malcolm Pein Editorial.................................................................................................................4
Editors: Richard Palliser, Matt Read Malcom Pein on the latest developments in the game
Associate Editor: John Saunders
Subscriptions Manager: Paul Harrington 60 Seconds with... Ilya Smirin ....................................................................7
The leading Israeli GM has several tips for the club player
Twitter: @CHESS_Magazine
Twitter: @TelegraphChess - Malcolm Pein The Play-off .......................................................................................................8
Website: www.chess.co.uk After Carlsen’s fightback, the big match came down to rapid chess
Subscription Rates:
Forthcoming Events .....................................................................................10
United Kingdom
1 year (12 issues) £49.95
Where will you be playing in the new year?
2 year (24 issues) £89.95
3 year (36 issues) £125 More WCH.........................................................................................................12
Steve Barrett
Europe
1 year (12 issues) £60
2 year (24 issues) £112.50
Again to Leeds!...............................................................................................13
3 year (36 issues) £165 Andrew Smith enjoyed his return to the British Rapidplay

USA & Canada Millionaire Chess ............................................................................................16

1 year (12 issues) $90
Steve Barrett reports from Atlantic City, home of MC3
2 year (24 issues) $170
3 year (36 issues) $250 How Good is Your Chess? ..........................................................................20
Rest of World (Airmail) Daniel King examines the decisive play of Valentina Gunina
1 year (12 issues) £72
2 year (24 issues) £130 Studies with Stephenson............................................................................23
3 year (36 issues) £180 Brian pays tribute to Miroslav Sindelar
Distributed by: The Christmas Quiz.......................................................................................24
Post Scriptum (UK only), Charles Higgie has 12 fiendishly difficult festive puzzles
Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way,
Dagenham, RM9 6LN - Tel: 020 8526 7779 Find the Winning Moves .............................................................................26
LMPI (North America) Can you do as well as the players at the 4NCL
8155 Larrey Street, Montreal (Quebec),
H1J 2L5, Canada - Tel: 514 355-5610
Santa Monica is Coming to Town!..........................................................30
John Henderson remembers the second Piatigorsky Cup
Views expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the Editors. Contributions to Are You Sitting Comfortably? .................................................................40
the magazine will be published at the Editors’ Amatzia Avni shares some of his favourite chess stories
discretion and may be shortened if space is limited.
No parts of this publication may be reproduced Overseas News ...............................................................................................42
without the prior express permission of the publishers. Ju Wenjun will be in the next women’s world championship match
All rights reserved. © 2016 Running Out of Theory: Part 2 ...............................................................44
Chess Magazine (ISSN 0964-6221) is published by: Matthew Lunn continues to draw some important lessons
Chess & Bridge Ltd, 44 Baker St, London, W1U 7RT
Tel: 020 7288 1305 Fax: 020 7486 7015
Never Mind the Grandmasters................................................................46
Email: info@chess.co.uk, Website: www.chess.co.uk Carl Portman remembers hosting the legendary Lev Polugaevsky

FRONT COVER: Home News.......................................................................................................48

Cover Design: Matt Read
Photo: Lennart Ootes
US & Canadian Readers – You can contact us via our
American branch – Chess4Less based in West Palm
Beach, FL. Call toll-free on 1-877 89CHESS (24377).
You can even order Subscriber Special Offers online
via www.chess4less.com
Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing
Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC
suppliers www.magprint.co.uk
Success for Gawain Jones, Paul Macklin, John Nunn and Peter Wells
Solutions............................................................................................................52
More of the Best............................................................................................53
Sean Marsh on the best of 2016 and coverage of the latest releases
Saunders on Chess ........................................................................................58
John reflects on New York and looks forward to Gibraltar
Photo credits: Steve Barrett (pp.18-19), Kidge Elder (p.49), Grand Chess Tour (p.58),
Eteri Kublashvili (p.21), Millionaire Chess (p.17, 19 top), (pp.Rod Middleton (p.48), Ray
Morris-Hill (pp.14-15, 50), Lennart Ootes (pp.4-7, 10), Moritz Reuter (pp.8-9, 12).

www.chess.co.uk 3
16-19 Millionaire_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 21:12 Page 16
Millionaire Chess
Steve Barrett reports from Atlantic City, home of the third Millionaire tournament
It seemed appropriate that MC3, the third
and probably final iteration of Maurice Ashley
and Amy Lee’s Millionaire Chess tournament
series, took place in Atlantic City in the same
week the Trump Taj Mahal casino shut its doors
for the final time on Monday, October 10th.
The closure of the $1 billion hotel, which has
had no direct connection to president-elect
Donald Trump since February 2016, was the
latest blow for an iconic city in decline, a city
where Millionaire Chess had relocated – from
Las Vegas – to save money.
As me and my brother, who was visiting
from England, queued at Port Authority in New
York City for an early bus down to Atlantic City
with a bunch of regular – and slightly
desperate-looking – casino dwellers, nothing
about the experience shouted ‘glamour’,
‘mainstream’ and ‘Millionaire’, but we were
looking forward to it nonetheless.
The third tournament, at Harrah’s Casino,
lacked many of the big names that
characterised the first two, including the
American glamour trio of Fabiano Caruana,
Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So – the latter
two taking home the top prize of $100,000
in 2014 and 2015. They chose instead to
play in the Isle of Man rather than continue to
support Ashley’s tournament, which had a
heavily reduced prize fund this year.
As Ashley says, “The top players in our
event in previous years were compensated to
play elsewhere – so they went. It really came
down to that simple a formula.”
He defends his decision not to offer
conditions and believes the first two versions of
the tournament showed what could be
achieved with his formula to revolutionise “the
conventional models of chess tournaments
globally”. That model included ‘Millionaire
Monday’ play-off finishes for the top four in
each section, no short draws, prizes for the
best-dressed players to raise presentation
standards, and an opening breakfast.
“We never offered conditions,” explains
Ashley. “Conditions seemed ridiculous for an
event that you can win $100,000 for first place.
That’s a bad formula, and it’s one of the things
that have held chess back. When you have elite
tournaments where players are offered full
conditions and then first place might be
$10,000, that’s one of the reasons you can’t get
fans’ attention. The stakes aren’t high enough. It
sounds like a little ‘hobby’ sport.” Indeed, to
illustrate Ashley’s point, the first prize in the Isle
of Man was about $15,000.
16
In a blog on her website Lee, who lost a total
of about $2 million overall on the Millionaire
Chess adventure, says MC1 provoked interest
from potential sponsors such as Visa, American
Express, Bulgari, and Tesla, which all eventually
declined because they “wanted to see proof of
concept first”.
The second tournament attracted an Emmy
award-winning production company, Sunset
Lane Entertainment, which apparently led to
discussions with both ESPN and NBC Sports,
but the $1.5 million asking price was too high to
facilitate a network show.
“Whether chess takes off comes down to
the perceived excitement around the game
and number of fans willing to play or
participate,” says Ashley. “The perception is
that it is not exciting, interesting and fun to
watch. So broadcasters shy away from it,
don’t feel it’s televise-able, and it’s not
something they’re going to spend millions of
dollars trying to showcase in the way you
might a professional sport.”
This year there was no commentary, no
‘Confession Room’, and no live broadcast
online. There was definitely a feeling of ‘after
the Lord Mayor’s show’, only compounded
when Lee was rushed to hospital on the eve
of the tournament for an emergency gall
bladder operation and was not present at the
opening or closing ceremonies.
Just 400 people showed up in Atlantic
City, paying entry fees of around $550 per
person, compared to 550 people for MC1
and MC2 in Vegas, paying nearer $1,000 to
enter. I certainly didn’t see many New York
faces at the event, so maybe chess players
simply aren’t able or willing to invest such a
sum into entering a tournament.
Atlantic City isn’t helped by not having a
direct rail link to NYC – you have to go via
Philadelphia – and the casino environment is
not to everybody’s taste, especially one such
as Harrah’s. The Borgata is the only Atlantic
City casino where I would voluntarily spend
time and my brother, I and the only other
English participant, GM Gawain Jones,
accompanied by his wife Sue, did escape over
there one night for a much-needed break
from the Harrah’s routine.
Having said all this, there were some
excellent players competing, including 13
2600-plus GMs, and great fighting chess
over the five days of the tournament. The top
seeds were the genial Indian Baskaran
Adhiban and U.S. Olympiad star Sam
Shankland, followed by tough Azerbaijani
international Rauf Mamedov, and other
notables such as newly crowned World Junior
Champion Jeffery Xiong, Chinese GM
Jianchou Zhou, and regular U.S. competitors
including Varuzhan Akobian, Sam Sevian,
Alejandro Ramirez, Alexander Stripunsky,
Conrad Holt, and Kayden Troff.
But the favourites were eclipsed by our
very own Jones, who was clear leader of the
tournament after seven rounds and the only
player to qualify for Millionaire Monday
without needing a play-off on Sunday
evening, and the ultimate winner, tough
Polish GM Darius Swiercz.
While Jones certainly rode his luck on his
way to the finals, it took no little skill and nerve
to rescue poor positions, grind out wins from
level games, and pounce when his higher-rated
opponents overplayed their hands.
G.Jones-B.Adhiban
Round 7
74 f4 Ìc3 75 Êf3 Ìb5 76 f5 Ìd4+
77 Êe3 Ìc2+ 78 Êf2 Êf8 79 Íf1
Êg7? 80 Íe2 Êh6 81 Íd1 Ìd4 82 Êe3
Ìb5 83 Êd3 Ìd4 84 Êc4 Ìc6 85 Êc5
Ìd4 86 Êb4 Ìc6+ 87 Êc4 Ìd4?
87...Ìd8 88 Êd5 Ìf7 89 Êe6 Êg7
90 Íxh5 Ìh6 is a fortress.
88 Êc5 Êg7 89 Íxh5 Ìc2?
And here 89 ..Ìb3+ 90 Êd5 Ìd2 would
have clung on.
90 Êd6 Ìd4 91 Íd1 Êf7 92 h5 Ìb5+
93 Êc6 Ìc3 94 Íf3 Ìb1 95 Êd7 Ìd2
96 Íg2 Ìb3 97 h6 Ìc5+ 98 Êd6 Ìd3
99 Íf3 Ìf4 100 Íd1 Ìh3 101 Íb3+
Êf8 102 Êe6 Ìg5+ 103 Êxf6 Ìxe4+
104 Êg6 Ìc5 105 h7 1-0
January 2017
16-19 Millionaire_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 21:12 Page 17

play-off game, nursing a pawn advantage

into an ending that looked sure to conclude in
Jones’ favour, especially given his significant
time advantage.
But Swiercz had already proved himself an
extremely tough competitor and, down to the
Q&A
increment, he kept setting Jones problems until
the relative times for each player were level.
with
Jones missed a deflection tactic that would
have enabled him to queen his advanced Maurice
d-pawn and all of a sudden fell into a three-
move checkmate, which the Pole delivered with
just three seconds remaining on his clock.
Ashley
G.Jones-D.Swiercz
1st matchgame (rapid)

Gawain Jones was the sole leader after

seven rounds, but suffered a cruel reversal
in Millionaire Monday’s final against Swiercz.

Swiercz could have saved himself the

trouble of fighting through the rapid play-offs
if he’d seen the following brilliancy at the end
of a tough fight with Mamedov in round seven.

D.Swiercz-R.Mamedov 64 Îh7+! Ìxh7 65 e7 would have forced

Round 7
Both players made the play-off after 37
Ëf5 Ëh2+ 38 Êg4 Ëe2+ 39 Êh3 Ëh2+
40 Êg4 Ëe2+ 41 Êh3 ½-½, but 37 Ëg7+!
would have won and in some style as 37...Îxg7
38 fxg7+ Êxg7 39 Îxb7+ leaves Black with
nothing better than 39...Îf7 40 Îxh7+ Êf6
41 Îhxf7+ Ëxf7 42 Îxf7+ Êxf7 43 Íxd3
and a hopeless bishop endgame.
Jones swept aside Zhou handily in the
Millionaire Monday semi-final to set up a
rematch with Swiercz in the big finale. Having
played on the same White Rose 4NCL team
as Jones when he was still at primary school
and followed his ascent up the chess ranks
closely, it was with much pride that I watched
him gradually outplay Swiercz in the first
the pawn home, but with both players by now
living largely on the 5-second delay, Jones was
to miss that and see the tide cruelly turn.
64 Ìf6+ Êh6 65 Ìg8+ Êh5 66 Îe8 f4+
67 Êf2 Îd2+ 68 Êg1?
68 Êf1 Êh4 69 e7 Êg3 70 Îd8 was the
way to do it.
68 ..Êh4! 69 e7 Êg3 70 Îd8?
It still wasn’t too late to draw with 70 Êf1!
Îxg2 71 Êe1 Ìxf3+ 72 Êd1.
70...Îxg2+ 71 Êf1 Ìxf3 72 Îd2 Îxd2
73 e8Ë Îf2# 0-1
It was a tragic end to the adventure and no
surprise that Jones was unable to bounce
back in the must-win second game, which
started just 25 minutes later. So Swiercz took
the $30,000 first prize, leaving Jones to
contemplate the cost of his misstep, but
consoled by a still not-too-shabby $15,000
second-prize cheque. In fact, this is the
biggest prize Jones has ever won in his chess
career thus far.
For my part, I really enjoyed the tournament
and managed to gain 11 FIDE rating points,
despite only scoring 3/9. I played one GM and
four IMs, including a draw against 2475-rated
Chilean Pablo Salinas Herrera in round one and a
win against Mexican IM Uriel Capo Vidal.
Vidal scored 7/8 playing for Mexico in the
Olympiad in Baku in September, so I was
expecting a much tougher fight than what
transpired in the game – perhaps he had been
up late playing the tables the night before.
What were you trying to introduce
with Millionaire Chess?
“Players showing up on time and dressing
well is just basic professionalism. Unless
chess is packaged in a way that makes it
attractive to sponsors, advertisers, and
broadcasters there’s no way it’s going to
go anywhere.
“We know we’ve got lots of fans in chess,
but how many eyeballs are watching our
sport or willing to participate? If only 400
people turn up at this year’s Millionaire,
the answer is ‘not that many’ for an event
like this. Other tournaments bring in more
than that; some of those numbers are
approaching what you might see at an
NBA stadium, possibly a soccer (football)
stadium. Chess really has no way of
making it into the mainstream.
“We were successful in the first two years,
but we’re running against the present
current, and I don’t see that changing.
“If you’re going to get some interest in
something, the prize money has to be
robust. We asked the players we felt had
the potential to win big prize money to
pay like everybody else, which the top
players did in the first two editions. We

www.chess.co.uk
17
29-29 Everyman advert_Layout 1 11/12/2016 21:28 Page 1
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43-43 ChessBase Houdini advert_Layout 1 11/12/2016 20:55 Page 1
44-45 OutofTheoryPart2_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:55 Page 44
Matthew Lunn continues to draw some instructive lessons from his own praxis
In this second part of my examination into
‘running out of theory’, I look at what can
happen when we emerge from an opening
with a strong position, yet lack the theoretical
knowledge to make the most of it.
J.S.Robertson-M.Lunn
4NCL, Birmingham 2015
King’s Indian Defence
1 d4 Ìf6 2 c4 g6 3 Ìc3 Íg7 4 e4 d6 5 Íe2
I really like this move – Black must wait a
little longer before seeing what set-up White
is going to opt for.
5...0-0 6 Íg5
The Averbakh variation, a solid line which tends
to be a little less theory-heavy than 6 Ìf3.
Whilst it is thematically similar with numerous
variations of the KID, it is pretty easy for Black to
go wrong if he doesn’t know what to do.
6...Ìa6
Preparing to meet any d5 push (a natural
response to ...e5) with ...Ìc5.
Notably 6...e5, which some Black players
would play without thinking, is undone by 7 dxe5
dxe5 8 Ëxd8 Îxd8 9 Ìd5, after which Black
must part with the exchange or the c7-pawn. A
good friend of mine, rated around 2250,
unthinkingly picked up his e-pawn after 6 Íg5
before realising his mistake and placing it sadly on
the sixth rank. It was not a successful game.
Instead, 6...c5 7 d5 (after 7 dxc5 the
thematic 7...Ëa5 is sensible and good;
nevertheless, a number of seasoned GMs,
such as Petursson and Lalic, have had success
in the line 8 Íd2 Ëxc5 9 Ìf3) 7...e6,
heading to a Benoni structure, is very natural.
8 Ëd2 seems to be the test of this line, and
44
Running Out of
Theory: Part 2
scores very highly for White. Carlsen-van
Wely, Wijk aan Zee, 2013, continued 8...exd5
9 exd5 Ëb6 10 Ìf3 Íf5 11 Ìh4 Ìe4
12 Ìxe4 Íxe4 13 f3 Ëxb2 14 Îc1 and we
have reached, according to Krasenkow’s
notes, a line which is “quite risky” for Black,
due to White’s large lead in development.
7 Ëd2 Ëe8
7...e5 is now playable, since White doesn’t win
anything after 8 dxe5. Now 8...dxe5 9 Ëxd8
Îxd8 10 Ìd5 Îd6 leaves everything
defended; indeed, this line makes little sense
after Ëd2, as White is a tempo down on an
exchange KID, so he tends to prefer 8 d5.
8 h4 e5 9 d5 Ìc5 10 f3 Ìh5
10...a5, preventing b4, is an instinctive
move. It is worth noting that compared to
standard KID positions, White has begun to
generate activity on the kingside, and
consequently 11 g4 is not to be taken lightly.
That is one of the reasons why 10...Ìh5 is a
strong continuation, taking advantage of the
...Ìh5-f4 manoeuvre while I can, and facilitating
a future ...f5. I did not think any of this at the
time, because I was still in my preparation.
11 g4 Ìf4
11...Ìg3 bears consideration, but it’s worth
noting that after 12 Îh3 Ìxe2 13 Ìgxe2
Black has exchanged off a good knight for
White’s inert bishop, and activated two of his
opponent’s pieces in the process. Nevertheless,
13...f5 looks eminently playable.
12 Ìh3
12 Íxf4 doesn’t feel right – 12...exf4
with ...f5 to follow leaves Black with
incredible prospects, not least on the dark
squares. Furthermore White can’t nab a pawn
with 13 Ëxf4 as the forcing 13...f5 14 gxf5
gxf5 15 Ëe3 fxe4 16 fxe4 Íf5 wins it back,
with a huge positional advantage.
12...f5 13 Ìxf4 exf4 14 gxf5
14 Íxf4 fxg4 15 0-0-0 looks holdable,
until you realise that Black can jettison his
tremendous bishop with 15...Íxc3, when
16 bxc3 gxf3 17 Íxf3 Ëf7 leaves White’s
bishops looking very silly.
14...gxf5 15 exf5
I was happy to see this move, which
increases the scope of my queen and light-
squared bishop.
15 Îg1 looks more dangerous, meeting
15...fxe4 (15...Êh8 is a more pragmatic
option) with 16 Íh6. After 16...Îf7 White can
win the pawn back with 17 Íxg7 (17 0-0-0,
preparing an onslaught on Black’s king, is an
attractive alternative) 17...Îxg7 18 Îxg7+
Êxg7 19 Ëxf4, with a solid advantage.
15...Íxf5 16 0-0-0
An important moment. I am now well and
truly out of theory. I like my position a lot –
my bishops look magnificent, my queen is
well positioned on the half-open e-file. And
yet, try as I might, I could not come up with a
plan. I had no understanding of what I should
be looking for, just the comfortless
knowledge that this was a good position.
16...Íg6
Not a bad more per se; I’m defending the
f-pawn and covering h5. Yet it hardly sets the
heart racing, and after my opponent’s next, I
am still without a plan.
I was convinced that my two powerful
bishops were central to my advantage, and
failed to reassess this even after minutes of
frustrated analysis. Had I done so, I might
have seen 16...Íxc3!. Whilst it is dangerous
to give up my dark-squared bishop like this,
given my kingside weaknesses, this is entirely
January 2017
44-45 OutofTheoryPart2_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:55 Page 45
justified. Crucially, 17 bxc3 is forced due to
the hanging e2-bishop.
Consequently White’s queenside pawns
are shattered and the knight’s c5 outpost is
strengthened. Black can immediately
capitalise on this with 17...Ëa4 when White
must play 18 Ëb2 to prevent ...Ìb3+, but
after 18...Îae8 it is White who is struggling
for play, even if he can pick up the f4-pawn.
17 Îdg1 Êh8
17...Íxc3 is no longer so strong: 18 bxc3
(after 18 Ëxc3 Ëxe2 19 h5 Black can
choose between the unbalanced 19...Ìa4
20 Ëb3 Ìxb2 21 hxg6 Ìd3 or going for a
repetition with 19...Ìd3+ 20 Êb1 Ìe1+
21 Êc1 Ìd3+) 18...Ëa4 19 Êb2 and now
19...a5, threatening ...Îa6-b6, looks
purposeful and good. Nevertheless, White is
doing well after 20 Íd1 Ëxc4 21 h5, as
21...Ëb5+ 22 Íb3 leaves Black with the
slower attack.
18 Îg4 Íf5
18...Ìa4 is a useful move to play before
driving away the rook: for instance, 19 Ìd1
Íf5. Having marvelled at the knight’s strong
c5 outpost, I did not dream of moving it.
19 Îg2
19 Îxf4 Ëe5 is perhaps not as bad for
White as it looks, as he can unravel with
20 h5 and Íh4. Nevertheless, Black has
decent compensation for the pawn; the f4-
rook is more of a burden than a strength.
19...Ëe3
My dithering over the past few moves has
cost me dearly. I am about to drop a pawn and
do not have the activity to justify it.
20 Ëxe3 fxe3 21 Íxe3 Îae8 22 Êd2 a6
22...Îf7, defending the bishop and
preparing to double on the e-file, has a lot
more fight in it.
23 Îhg1 Íe5 24 Íh6 Îg8
This is a ghastly move, and one which I’m
rather ashamed of.
I was not thrilled with my long term
prospects after 24...Îf7, which I think is
reasonable. Nevertheless, it’s a lot easier for
me to generate counterplay with my major
pieces on the board, even if it means biding
my time.
25 Îxg8+ Îxg8 26 Îxg8+ Êxg8 27 b4
Ìd7 28 Ìe4 Êf7 29 h5 Íb2 30 Íd3
Êg8
www.chess.co.uk
I am utterly without a plan – very much
the strap-line for the game.
31 Ìf6+
I thought this move, giving back the pawn,
was a bit of an extravagance. Yet my resultant
king position, coupled with the power of
White’s two bishops, certainly justifies it.
31...Íxf6
31...Ìxf6 32 Íxf5 Ìxh5 only temporarily
restores material parity: 33 Íe6+ Êh8 34 Íc8.
32 Íxf5 Ìe5 33 Íe6+ Êh8 34 c5
Ìxf3+ 35 Êe3 Ìe5 36 Êe4
Threatening Íc8, as ...Ìg4+ is no longer a
resource.
36...b6 37 cxb6 cxb6 38 a4
Giving Black a glimmer of hope.
38 Êf5 is stronger, and Black is in serious
danger of landing in zugzwang, due to the
pawn weaknesses on b6 and d6: for instance,
38...Íg7 39 Íf4 Íf8 40 h6 and I’m
struggling to keep afloat.
38...Ìc4 39 Íf8 Íe5 40 h6
40...a5
40...Ìb2 41 Íd7 will transpose into the
game in a number of lines (after 41 a5 bxa5
42 bxa5 Ìc4 Black should hold the draw)
and while 41...Ìd1 does offer some much-
needed counterplay, White retains strong
chances after 42 a5 bxa5 43 bxa5 Ìc3+
44 Êf5. Now 44...Êg8 is forced as
44...Ìxd5 45 Êe6 leaves Black without a
sensible means of preventing Êf7 and Íg7+.
41 bxa5 bxa5
Now I was pretty certain I could hold the
draw, but I had missed a detail.
42 Íf7
After 42 Íe7 Ìb6 43 Íd8 Ìxa4 44 Íxa5
Ìc3+ Black has just one weakness to defend.
42...Ìb6 43 Íe8 Ìc8
My ‘drawing’ idea, which ostensibly traps
White’s dark-squared bishop.
44 Íd7 Ìb6 45 Íb5 Ìc8
My opponent went into the tank at this
point, giving us both time to take stock.
Unfortunately, this entailed the shared
realisation that...
46 Êf5
...leads to a winning ending.
46...Êg8 47 Íg7 Íxg7 48 hxg7 Êxg7
49 Êe6
It is incredible to think that Stuart has just
two pawns, neither of which are passed, and
yet it is I, with an extra, outside passer who
must soon embrace defeat like an old friend.
49...h5 50 Êd7
50...Êf6
Trying to mix things up a bit, but White has
no difficult moves to find.
50...Ìb6+ is slightly more challenging:
51 Êxd6 h4 (Black can never give up his
knight for either pawn) 52 Êc6 h3 (or
52...Ìc8 53 d6) 53 Íf1 (not 53 Íe2 h2 54
Íf3 Ìc4 and the extra tempo derived from
the threat of ...Ìe5+ is enough to draw: for
instance, 55 Êc7 Ìe5 56 Íg2 Êf6 57 d6
Êe6) 53...h2 54 Íg2 Ìc4 55 d6 and Black’s
king is one painful tempo away from saving
the game.
51 Êxc8 Êe5 52 Íe2 Êxd5 53 Íxh5
Êc4 54 Êc7 d5
54...Êb4 55 Íd1 (55 Íe8? d5 draws)
55...d5 56 Êb6 d4 57 Êa6 transposes.
55 Êb6 Êb4 56 Íd1 d4 57 Êa6 1-0
Soon my king will have to move from the
defence of the a-pawn.
45
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53-57 Books_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:41 Page 53
More of the Best
Sean Marsh continues to reveal some of his favourite books and DVDs from 2016
This month we take a look at some new
books and glance back over our shoulder to
acknowledge a number of fine volumes from
the outgoing year.
First of all, the winner of the 2016 ECF
Book of the Year award – Chess for Life by
Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan (Gambit
Publications) – will, I hope, have found its
way on to as many Christmas lists as possible.
The other three books featured on the short-
list also deserve to reach a wider audience
and they are: Ignaz Kolisch – The Life and
Chess Career by Fabrizio Zavatarelli
(McFarland), Fundamental Checkmates by
Antonio Gude (Gambit), and Vladimir
Tukmakov’s Risk and Bluff in Chess (New in
Chess). They all offer something different and
made the final choice a very difficult decision.
2016 saved some its big-hitters almost
until the end, such as this one.
Timman’s Titans
Jan Timman, 334 pages
New in Chess
RRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65
Jan Timman has been around for a long time
and players of a certain age will remember
when he was ‘the Best of the West’ and tipped
to be a serious title challenger. Here he relates
tales of his meetings with, and memories of,
chess luminaries Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik,
Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer,
Karpov and Kasparov.
Of course, he never met Alekhine, but
nevertheless there is a delightful chapter all
about the fourth world champion at the start of
the book, with Timman following a trail of clues
in Lisbon as he tries to piece together the final,
tragic years of the chess genius. For each of the
other Titans the book follows the formula of a
photograph, some biographical information,
Timman’s personal memories and tales of the
greats, followed by a selection of games (not all
between Timman and the titans).
Timman also shares some of his chess
dreams, adding a mystical element to the prose.
Some of the dreams occasionally came true,
www.chess.co.uk
such as spending time with Fischer in a
nightclub. The time they shared back in 1990
saw Fischer spend his time talking about the
usual things: rook endings, fixed games, Jews
and conspiracies. “Despite his long absence from
the chess arena, his insight was still very sharp.
However, Fischer’s commentary was bizarre.”
Spassky was present too and he tried to keep
things jovial. When Fischer returned once again
to the subject of fixing matches (during which
he repeatedly referred to Kasparov by his
original name of Weinstein), Spassky chipped in
with: “But Bobby, our match was predetermined
too. It was clear that you were going to win.”
This comment drew no reaction from Fischer.
This is a very interesting book, full of
anecdotes I have never seen elsewhere. For
instance, Timman remembers seeing Petrosian
and Tal playing table football together.
“Obviously Tal was the attacking line, and
Petrosian defended.” It is little snippets like this
which really bring the titans to life.
The chess games have many interesting
moments. This one is from “probably the
most interesting game between Petrosian
and me” and it features a remarkable decision
by Petrosian.
J.Timman-T.Petrosian
Moscow 1981
15...f6
“How did it occur to Petrosian to make
such moves? In Moscow, I talked about this
with Eugene Torre. He thought that Petrosian
was prepared to make any move, even the
most improbable, as long as it made him feel
good. He wanted to control the e5-square,
which would allow him to play his knight to
a5, and at the same time close the long
diagonal for White’s queen’s bishop.”
Timman played the obvious-looking
16 Íxh7, but criticises it now for being
“much too sharp”, suggesting 16 0-0 instead.
After some adventures the game was drawn
in 33 moves. The point is that it is all too easy
to keep away from draws when flicking
through a modern database and it takes the
human touch to highlight magical moments
and curiosities we would otherwise overlook.
Entertaining and instructive, Timman’s
Titans is also Timman’s finest.
The Agile London System
A.R.Holmes & O.De Prado Rodriguez, 335 pages
New in Chess
RRP £22.45 SUBSCRIBERS £20.20
What can one say about the London
System? It has risen from the ashes of old
club players’ dreams to become something
far more substantial. The Phoenix has gained
its wings by temporarily omitting (after 1 d4)
the move Ìf3, in favour of an immediate 2
Íf4, with this modern idea even attracting
the interest of world champions. This
seemingly insignificant twist is effective
against some key Black move-orders.
Two recent books offer differing
approaches to this nuanced way of playing. Of
the two, this one easily has the more in-depth
coverage. There are recommendations against
all of Black’s replies, whether he plays 1 ...d5,
1...Ìf6 or something else entirely (and that
includes the likes of 1...e5 and 1...b5).
There are two sets of exercises: one
covering tactical themes and one dealing with
strategic matters.
The book concludes with a very interesting
chapter on the Pereyra Attack, named after
an Argentinean player. This aggressive system
sees White jumping his knight into e5 very
quickly, making way for the queen, and
following up with 0-0-0 and an early h4 to
start an attack on the enemy king as quickly
as possible. It’s easy to see this sort of rapid
attack working like clockwork at club level, so
it should not be underestimated.
53
53-57 Books_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:41 Page 54
Power Play 23: A Repertoire for Black
with Queen’s Gambit Declined
& Power Play 24: A Repertoire for Black
against the Catalan
Daniel King; PC-DVD, running time:
11 hours, 30 minutes in total
RRP £25.99 (each) SUBSCRIBERS £23.39
Avoiding mainline theory with either the
left hand (when playing the London System)
or the right hand (with the Italian Game, as
White continues to find it too difficult to
knock down the Berlin Wall) is all very well,
but it can leave one feeling nostalgic for some
good old main lines.
At such times it is always wise to turn to
trusted sources and openings which have
definitely stood the test of time, rather than
those that just happen to act as the latest
temporary bandwagon.
Daniel King’s Power Play series for
ChessBase has proved consistently strong. This
twin set proved to be one of the ChessBase
highlights of 2016, as King guides the viewer
through the building of a sold, reliable
repertoire against the brave white players who
dare to play 2 c4 and enter the well-trodden
worlds of the Queen’s Gambit and Catalan.
King’s polished style – honed to perfection
since his early days as a TV summariser from
the 1993 world championship onwards –
instils confidence in the viewer. The lines on
offer are definitely not quick-fixes or based
on hope and low-level traps.
Against the Queen’s Gambit he advocates
playing with a very straight bat, maintaining
the pawn on d5 as a stronghold in the centre.
The repertoire – based on the Tartakower
system – stands on giants’ shoulders, having
been played by numerous world champions.
There is also considerable material on White’s
options to the absolute main line, such as 5
Íf4 and the Exchange variation.
The Catalan is a tricky beast. Black often
becomes slightly worse and stays that way,
hoping to hold the endgame to draw. King’s
approach here is consistent with the other
DVD, as he stresses the importance of holding
on to the strong pawn on d5, rather than head
for the Open Catalans Whites know so well.
The twist is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3 Ìf6 4 g3
Íb4+ when Black is not angling for an
exchange of pieces (as the bishop usually drops
back to d6 or e7), but to give White something
to think about regarding development. Which
piece should be used to block the check? What
sort of inconveniences is the first player going
to accept? If you, dear reader, are already
mentally pondering the options then it is clear
that this line could be effective over the board.
54
I have never seen a bad DVD by Daniel
King. These two, offering a repertoire built on
concrete, are sure to stand the test of time.
Maneuvering: The Art of Piece Play
Mark Dvoretsky, 212 pages
Russell Enterprises
RRP £20.95 SUBSCRIBERS £18.85
I’m sure it came as a shock to most of the
chess world when the death of top trainer
and author Mark Dvoretsky was announced,
especially as his books had been appearing
with increasing regularity over the last
couple of years, ensuring him of a high
profile. I have already reviewed both volumes
of his chess memoirs, For Friends and
Colleagues (Russell Enterprises), and can
certainly recommend both volumes as
excellent reading material. For this column I
would like to recommend one his most
recent and less heralded works.
This book deals with “one of the most
important aspects of positional skill, namely
the art of playing with pieces, of maneuvering
and finding the best squares for your men.” It
is “an exercise book meant for self-training.”
The exercises start with a ‘Warm-Up’
chapter and work their way through several
genres before finishing with ‘Difficult
Exercises’. The material does start off in
tricky fashion and anybody below strong club
player level will struggle even with the
Warm-Up section. Here is one of the easier
exercises, which should help the potential
buyer to test the level of suitability.
I.Khenkin-V.Karpman
USSR Championship, Minsk 1990
White already has a winning move at his
disposal: 26 Îf4!. “The knights are ‘hobbled,’
and after 27 Îc4, one of them will
unavoidably fall. Black resigned.”
This is not Dvoretsky’s longest or toughest
book, but it is full of excellent training
material. The art of manoeuvring is a very
tricky area and hopefully readers will find the
exercises in this book will help them improve
in this department as we head towards the
first chess battles of 2017.
Black is Back!
Andras Adorjan, 319 pages
New in Chess
RRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99
Andras Adorjan’s highly anticipated new
book picks up once again on his favourite theme
– proving that Black is OK. However, as he
mentions in his foreword, this is to be his last
work on the subject, bringing his “30-year
mission” to an end. He states with confidence
that White does not have any advantage. “It is
not true. Not in the beginning position and not
in the further development of the game.”
Adorjan, with collaborator Peter Boel, provides
plenty of evidence from his own games to help
him in his campaign to overturn the dogmatic
favouring of the first player, covering his
tournament chess career from 1962-1999.
Chapters on his own games are segregated by
sections on other matters, such as the large
discrepancy in results for the respective colours
between chess giants Gelfand and Nakamura.
Adorjan offers the large black score as evidence
that “a game between two fighters always gives
both of them winning chances – whether they are
Black or White, in a blitz game, a rapid game or a
classical game. Which is some proof for the Black
is OK! theory.” He then releases the burden of
proof by passing it on: “And if these two gentlemen
think otherwise, let them prove it on the board!”.
The chapter called ‘Who’s the Boss?’ answers
its own question early on. “Not White. [...] Wake
up, folks! I’m not talking rubbish!” There is no
doubt that Adorjan is a free spirit and an original
thinker. Nor he is afraid to stress the point. “I am
inactive since 2000, but only as far as tournament
chess is concerned. I’m still trying to exercise
creative thinking, as opposite to a shockingly
large and growing part of the human race.”
‘All Kinds of Reflections’ offers quotes from
numerous sources, including grandmasters,
offering their thoughts on the colour problem.
For example, Lajos Portisch is of the opinion
that “at least two thirds of all ‘tested’ openings
give White an apparent advantage”, but goes
on to say if the second player makes the correct
opening choices then “Black is indeed OK”, while
Tom Cooper from Ireland states: “White wins. I
was always led to believe that this was so.”
The final chapter offers tributes to people
who have proved influential to Adorjan’s life.
January 2017
53-57 Books_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:41 Page 55
These include Jozsef Szentgyorgyi, a player
with little or no chess history, but with whom
Adorjan “made a burlesque and wrote songs.”
It’s possible that only Adorjan could use such a
sentence in a chess book. The epilogue brings
this intriguing book to a close in dramatic style,
with Adorjan relating how he collapsed and was
hospitalised at the end of December 2015,
going on to spend several months in a number
of medical institutions before returning to finish
the swansong to his favourite subject.
Quirky; eccentric; different. Never dull.
Like author, like book.
Joseph Henry Blackburne:
A Chess Biography
Tim Harding, 582 pages
McFarland
RRP £49.95 SUBSCRIBERS £44.95
**Unfortunately this work is currently out of
stock, but will be available again at Chess &
Bridge after New Year.**
2016 was a very good and productive year
for McFarland chess books. As mentioned
earlier, the Kolisch book was the pick of the
bunch and it came very close to being the ECF
Book of the Year. Miguel A. Sanchez’s chess
biography of Jose Raul Capablanca is excellent
too, adding a lot of colour to the life of the third
world champion, including significant detail on
the health problems that impacted on his later
years. The blood pressure problem made him a
very ill man indeed.
Blackburne is by no means as well
represented in chess literature as any world
champion which is one reason why Tim
Harding’s big book is so welcome. There is no
doubt whatsoever that the subject of the
book was a top player who made a significant
mark in the world of chess. “Blackburne’s
peak achievements and long career mark him
out as the greatest practical player Britain
produced until the last quarter of the
twentieth century. [...] For at least two
decades he was among the world’s top ten
and in the top three in his best years.”
Harding makes it clear at the start that
researching the life and games of Blackburne was
a huge task (“There are no notebooks, diaries or
personal letters”), but has produced a wonderful
work that is unlikely to be surpassed. Eschewing
the genre of loose-lipped anecdotes in favour of
hard facts, Harding has put plenty of biographical
flesh on the bones, taking the Blackburne story
all the way from his birth in Manchester in 1841
to his death in London in 1924.
All of the available competitive games of
Blackburne are included (some game scores
have been lost), and there is a large number of
www.chess.co.uk
games from his exhibition games and other
minor encounters. He certainly played a lot of
games as he made his living from all manner of
exhibitions, including blindfold simultaneous
displays, in addition to prizes gained in major
competitions. The games are numbered up to
1,184, although this tally incorporates
surviving fragments from missing games.
Blackburne’s chess career was longer than
most; he was already 72 when he battled away
against the best of them at St. Petersburg in
1914. His games were very rarely dull and he
played a whole range of openings, embracing
the attacking potential of the King’s Gambit one
day and then utilising quieter lines such as the
French Exchange and, dare I say it, the London
System the next.
He was more than capable of beating the
best, as Emanuel Lasker found to his cost at the
most famous of all the Hastings tournaments.
E.Lasker-J.Blackburne
Hastings 1895
This was the penultimate round and Lasker
was sharing second place with Pillsbury, half a
point behind Chigorin. Both Lasker and Chigorin
lost, paving the way for Pillsbury’s remarkable
triumph. Yet beating Lasker was never an easy
task and the end of the game featured a final
flurry of pitfalls and complications.
40...e4!?
“Black avoids the evil trap 40 ...Îh4
41 Îxh3 when Black is mated if he takes the
queen. Nevertheless, the text jeopardises the
win, whereas 40 ...Ëh6! (not mentioned by
the old commentators) would ensure it,
meeting 41 Ëc4 by 41 ...Ëb6.”
41 Îxh3
41 Ëxe4! is better.
41...Ëa1+ 42 Êg2 exf3+ 43 Êg3?
43 Ëxf3 is given by Chigorin.
43...Ëe5+ 44 Êxf3 Ëxd5+ 0-1
There are numerous photographs showing
Blackburne and his contemporaries, including a
very fine one taken at the start of his final
simultaneous exhibition in 1921, at the age of 80.
Typically for McFarland, they go the extra
mile by granting extra space for a series of
appendices. These cover Blackburne’s match
and tournament record, his record against his
principal rivals, his own chess compositions,
interviews and other articles.
This is sort of book readers could lose
themselves in for days on end and as such it is
highly recommended reading for the festive break.
Winning with the Modern London System
Nikola Sedlak, 222 pages
RRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75
It is very important to note that this book
deals only with positions arising from 1 d4 d5
2 Íf4, as after 1 ...Ìf6 “Black has the option
of playing ...d6 when the London set-up
seems less logical and I don’t believe in it.”
Just as with The Agile London System, we
are given a short history of the opening, with
James Mason again receiving recognition.
Getting to the meat of the book, Sedlak is
strong on explaining the nuances created by
2 Íf4 and also on certain transpositions, such
as 1 d4 d5 2 Íf4 c5 3 e3 cxd4 4 exd4 when
an Exchange Variation of the Caro-Kann has
suddenly appeared. Incidentally, he mentions,
but does not analyse or advocate, the reversed
Albin Counter-Gambit possibility of 3 e4.
The final chapter offers material on typical
London System endgames. This could have
been more thorough and would have
benefited from given some thematic
positions and plans outlined in prose before
moving on to the three illustrative games.
This is the more immediately accessible of
the two books, but the repertoire is very
limited, making it the choice for readers who
want to get up and running with an occasional
surprise weapon. However, those who have
more study time and would like to hone the
London into a serious, mainline repertoire
choice should angle for the Agile.
Sean Marsh
A Round-Up of
New Books & Software
Checkmate:
Bobby Fischer’s Boys’ Life Columns
Peter Kurzdorfer (ed.),
128 pages, paperback
RRP £15.95 SUBSCRIBERS £14.35
55
53-57 Books_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:41 Page 56
From December 1966 until January 1970,
Bobby Fischer wrote a chess column for Boys’
Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts
of America. That was undoubtedly a key time
in his progression towards the chess summit,
but this complete collection of his columns
will be of interest to much more than just the
historian. Indeed, Fischer frequently
addressed readers’ queries and, just as in My
Sixty Memorable Games, supplied a wealth of
tips which will still be of much use to players
of all levels.
Attacking 101 Volume #002
Joel Johnson, 188 pages, paperback
RRP £13.50 SUBSCRIBERS £12.15
Johnson continues his Attacking 101
series by demonstrating a large number of his
wins against lower-rated opposition in the
1000-1800 rating range. The emphasis is
unsurprisingly on attacking with the U.S.
National Master explaining the typical sorts
of mistakes he has encountered at club level
and the best ways to punish them.
ChessBase 14 – Starter Package
ChessBase PC-DVD
RRP £169.99 SUBSCRIBERS £152.88
ChessBase continue to dominate the
database market and have recently released
this latest version of their main program. In
recent years they have been pushing the use of
their cloud functions and users of ChessBase
14 are even able to access annotated games in
the Live Database. This starter package comes
with the Big Database 2017, three issues of
ChessBase Magazine and six months premium
ChessBase membership.
ChessBase 13 users wishing to upgrade
may do so for the special price of £89.99
(£80.99 for Subscribers), while one might
prefer to buy the Mega Package, which retails
at £249.95 (Subscribers – £224.95) and
has all the same features as the Starter
Package, but includes the Mega Database
2017 and longer premium access to
ChessBase’s various web-related tools.
Finally, there’s the Premium Package for those
who make the most use of ChessBase. This
retails at £339.95 (Subscribers – £305.95)
and comes with all the features of the Mega
Package, as well as the latest correspondence
database and the Endgame Turbo 4 which
contains the Syzygy Tablebases.
David vs Goliath
Peter Zhdanov, 256 pages, paperback
RRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75
Last month we listed Andrew Soltis’s latest
56
work, David vs Goliath Chess. One can rest
assured though that the folks at Chess
Evolution thought up the title and subject
matter themselves. As with Soltis’s work, this
book sees the reader being shown a number
of upsets, a subject on which Zhdanov has
long penned columns for www.pogonina.com.
Soltis settled for 50 well-annotated games;
Zhdanov, a sometimes controversial figure in
the chess world, as well as the husband of
Natalija Pogonina, prefers 111 games,
including major rating shocks being suffered
by the likes of Carlsen, Karpov and Kasparov.
FIDE Golden Book 1924-2016
Willy Icklicki, 372 pages, paperback
RRP £29.99 SUBSCRIBERS £26.99
Founded in Paris in 1924, FIDE has certainly
had a long history, as well as quite a chequered
one in recent times. Everything that one could
wish to learn about the organisation is
contained within this well-written history, even
if Icklicki is sometimes a little too at pains to
explain all the important organisational aspects
which FIDE currently undertakes.
Foxy 166: Learn Chess in 1 Hour
Andrew Martin; PC-DVD,
running time: 1 hour, 8 minutes
RRP £16.99 SUBSCRIBERS £15.29
As part of a series entitled Train Yourself in
Chess – from Beginner to Expert, Martin
begins by explaining exactly how the pieces
move and the basic rudiments of the game.
The DVD includes a program called Master
Chess 8000, which features some 2 million
games, as well as a number of chess engines.
Foxy 167: New Secret Weapon in the
Exchange Ruy Lopez
Andrew Martin; PC-DVD,
running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
RRP £16.99 SUBSCRIBERS £15.29
The experienced English IM and popular
presenter turns his attention here to more
advanced matters, examining 1 e4 e5 2 Ìf3
Ìc6 3 Íb5 a6 4 Íxc6 dxc6 for White, but
here’s the twist: the follow-up is not 5 0-0. As
usual for Martin, his focus is solely on the club
player and while Magnus and Sergey might not
lose sleep over this DVD, its repertoire could
well cause trouble for the odd 130 or two.
Fritz Powerbook 2017
ChessBase PC-DVD
RRP £44.95 SUBSCRIBERS £40.45
This openings tree works in both Fritz and
ChessBase and presents some 21 million
positions, drawn from 1.5 million leading
games. As such, one can quickly see which
lines have scored well, as well as which are
new and perhaps worth trying out. Owners
of the Fritz Powerbook 2016 can upgrade for
just £25.99 (Subscribers – £23.39)
H.E. Bird
Hans Renette, 596 pages, hardback
RRP £59.95 SUBSCRIBERS £53.95
It will come as no surprise that the
foreword to this work subtitled ‘A Chess
Biography with 1,198 Games’ is by Richard
Forster, the author of a similar lavishly-
researched, epic work on Bird’s contemporary
Amos Burn. Henry Bird (1829-1908) was a
leading figure in the British chess scene for
the second half of the nineteenth century,
but just what do we remember him for
today? As Renette demonstrates, Bird’s life
was far from dull and neither was the manner
of his play. Indeed, there was much more to
this titan of British chess than just 1 f4 and 1
e4 e5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 Íb5 Ìd4.
Houdini 5 Standard
ChessBase PC-DVD
RRP £69.95 SUBSCRIBERS £62.95
Robert Houdart is back with a new version
of his famous analysis engine. Do see the advert
earlier in this issue for all the particulars and
note that Chess & Bridge are also selling the
multiprocessor version, Houdini 5 PRO, for
£89.99 (Subscribers – £80.99).
Luther’s Chess Reformation
Thomas Luther, 232 pages, paperback
RRP £22.50 SUBSCRIBERS £20.25
The eye-catching title aside, there is
plenty to interest the reader in this new work
from Quality Chess. The German
Grandmaster has been a regular on the
tournament scene for many a year. Writing in
quite an engaging and fun style, Luther draws
on his huge experience to provide a wide
range of tips to help players of all levels get
closer to their goals.
Please note that, as usual for new Quality
Chess works, a hardback version of this work
is available for an extra £4.
Meeting the Gambits Vol. 1:
Gambits after 1.e4
Andrew Martin; PC-DVD,
running time: 3 hours, 55 minutes
RRP £25.99 SUBSCRIBERS £23.39
Martin has certainly been busy of late and
here ventures into the ChessBase studio
determined to show the viewer that they
should not let opponents who gambit have
January 2017
53-57 Books_Chess mag - 21_6_10 11/12/2016 20:41 Page 57
things all their own way. The recommended
antidote is a mixture of prudent defence and
timely counterattack, while those gambits
which come under the microscope include five
after 1 e4 e5, the obvious two against the
Sicilian, the Milner-Barry and, for Caro and
Scandinavian players, the Blackmar-Diemer.
Mega Database 2017
ChessBase PC-DVD
RRP £144.95 SUBSCRIBERS £130.45
It’s that time of year where ChessBase
produce the latest versions of their huge and
hugely popular databases. The premium one is the
Mega Database, which now contains over 6.8
million(!) games, of which 70,000 are annotated.
Purchasers will enjoy access to weekly updates for
the next year and the latest version also comes
with an up-to-date Playerbase.
Do note that it’s possible for existing Mega
customers to upgrade: £54.95 if you’re
upgrading from Mega Database 2016
(£49.45 for Subscribers), or £89.95 if from
an older version (£80.95 for Subscribers).
Big Database 2016
ChessBase PC-DVD
RRP £54.95 SUBSCRIBERS £49.45
The standard version of the Mega Database,
containing the same vast number of games, but
without any annotations or upgrade service.
Najdorf x Najdorf:
An Intimate Biography
Liliane Najdorf, 208 pages, paperback
RRP £20.95 SUBSCRIBERS £18.85
Miguel Najdorf was undoubtedly one of
the most colourful figures in the chess world
of the 20th century, as quickly becomes clear
in this memoir penned by his daughter. Liliane
Najdorf had a great amount of respect for her
father, but also was frequently exasperated
by him. We might remember Najdorf for his
huge blindfold simultaneous displays, but it
turns out that he often forgot where he had
parked his car. For this first English edition of
what is, in short, a warts-and-all biography,
readers also get to enjoy a foreword and
selection of annotated games by Jan Timman.
New Weapons in the King’s Indian
Milos Pavlovic, 240 pages, paperback
RRP £24.95 SUBSCRIBERS £22.45
Having already tackled the Grünfeld for
Thinkers Publishing, the Serbian Grandmaster
turns his attention to the King’s Indian, once
again looking for dangerous, little-used ideas
which Black might employ. Recommendations
include 6 Íe3 Ìbd7 in the Sämisch and
www.chess.co.uk
meeting the Classical main line with
7...exd4!? 8 Ìxd4 Îe8.
Playing the Ragozin
Richard Pert, 436 pages, paperback
RRP £22.50 SUBSCRIBERS £20.25
The Ragozin is often seen as an ideal
accompaniment to the Nimzo-Indian, arising as
it often does after 1 d4 Ìf6 2 c4 e6 3 Ìf3 d5
4 Ìc3 Íb4. However, the aspiring Ragozin
player can also begin 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 when Pert,
on top of his examination of the main lines, looks
at both 3 Ìc3 Íb4!? and 3 Ìf3 Ìf6 Ìf6 4 g3
Íb4+. The creative English IM certainly makes a
persuasive case for why more club players should
imitate the GMs and adopt the Ragozin, while
providing a detailed repertoire with it.
The Caro-Kann Defense
Classical Variation
Anatoly Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets,
388 pages, hardback
RRP £17.99 SUBSCRIBERS £16.19
One presumes that this theoretical coverage
of 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Ìc3 dxe4 4 Ìxe4 Íf5
was penned by Karpov’s long-time second
Podgaets, but in any case it undoubtedly
includes many lines which once formed the
cornerstone of the 12th world champion’s
repertoire. This work for Russian Chess House
aims to explain the key ideas for both sides,
although there is certainly plenty of theory
included, as well as several new ideas for Black.
The Complete Manual of Positional Chess
Konstantin Sakaev & Konstantin Landa,
320 pages, paperback
RRP £22.95 SUBSCRIBERS £20.65
The sub-title of this New in Chess research
says it all: ‘The Russian Chess School 2.0:
Opening and Middlegame’. This work was
originally written for chess teachers at the DYSS,
the special sports school for young talents in
Russia. The two experienced and pretty strong
Russian Grandmasters provide a complete
course for both the chess trainer and the keen
pupil. Topics covered include reducing the use of
the computer on one’s chess development, with
the authors’ overall aim being to improve the
reader’s assessment of any chess position.
The Modern Endgame Manual:
Mastering Minor Piece Endgames 1
Adrian Mikhalchishin & Csaba Balogh,
256 pages, paperback
RRP £21.95 SUBSCRIBERS £19.75
Produced by Chess Evolution in association
with FIDE, this book forms part of an ambitious
9-work series designed to guide the reader
through every single sort of endgame. Here the
focus is bishop endings, incorporating three
major areas: bishop against pawns, same-
coloured bishop endgames, and opposite-
coloured bishop endings. Each chapter begins
by presenting the most important positions
which the authors believe the reader really
must know and throughout they are certainly
helped by the clarity of the layout.
In addition The Modern Endgame Manual:
Mastering Minor Piece Endgames 2 is also now
available (208 pages, paperback), retailing at
£21.95 or £19.75 for Subscribers, and
covering knight vs pawn, knight vs knight and
knight vs bishop endgames.
The Sicilian Sveshnikov: Move by Move
Cyrus Lakdawala, 400 pages, paperback
RRP £19.99 SUBSCRIBERS £17.99
Having written of late an Anti-Sicilians
guide for Black, the San Diego IM turns his
attention to his favourite type of Open
Sicilian, 1 e4 c5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 d4 cxd4 4
Ìxd4 Ìf6 5 Ìc3 e5. The dynamic nature of
the Sveshnikov may seem at odds with the
seemingly positional style of the London-
and-Colle-loving Lakdawala, but he is above
all keen on the practical aspect of the
openings he both plays and eulogises in his
books. Lakdawala turns out to have done his
usual fine job in explaining the key motifs and
theory after 6 Ìdb5 d6 7 Íg5 a6 8 Ìa3 b5,
while he also adds a detailed chapter on a pet
surprise weapon of his, ‘the Ulfie’, 6...h6!?.
Winning at Blitz
Genrikh Chepukaitis, 112 pages, paperback
RRP £7.99 SUBSCRIBERS £7.19
Chepukaitis was not a household name
outside Russia until the Internet Chess Club
propelled his blitz exploits on to a wider
stage, but he was a legend in his homeland,
frequently winning both the St. Petersburg
and Moscow blitz championships. After a
foreword by Genna Sosonko explains more
about Chepukaitis’ chess career, the reader
learns from the blitz master himself how to
excel at that version of the game in this work
subtitled ‘A Fun Guide to Blitz Chess’.
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