CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS Volumes 2-3

Authors: Komarov, Djuric, Pantaleoni

NIC (2009)

Volume 2 – 288 pages, Volume 3 – 336 pages

$31.95

 

Reviewed by John Donaldson

 

Today’s top professionals constantly complain about the proliferation of opening theory, but they are not the only chess players to feel themselves overwhelmed. Pity the club player who not only feels totally lost but lacks the foundations of chess understanding essential to getting out of the opening with a playable position.

 

The New in Chess series: CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS seeks to address this situation with a series of easy to use guides. CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS, Volume 2 (covers 1.d4 d5 / 1.d4 various / Queen’s Gambits) and CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS, Volume 3 – (covers all Indian Defenses), both co-authored by GMs Dmitri Komarov and Stefan Djuric and IM Claudio Pantaleoni, are updated translations of an Italian series CAPIRE LE APERTURE, published in 2005. Like many things to come from Italy the design and layout of the original books was quite beautiful with lots of color and style. The New in Chess series is also quite handsome.

 

The New in Chess preface by Editor Peter Boel states the following aims for this series:

 

These books helps beginners to develop a solid understanding of fundamental opening play, gives casual players the ability to choose the opening that suits their style and taste, and is a tool for club players to test and review their opening repertoire.

* Comprehensive: covers all main variations likely to arise 
* Easy-to-use: important moves and key positions are highlighted in colour
 * Long-lasting: it doesn't outdate because it is about basics – not the latest fashions 
* Complete: explains the plans and counterplans for both Black and White 
* Down-to-earth: simple, verbal introductions (not a database dump full of dead trees) 
* Convenient: every opening is illustrated with a number of instructive games.

 

Examining these two volumes, I would say the authors have done a pretty good job of explaining the basic ideas and plans behind most openings for an audience rated between 1600 and 2000, with even players up to Master level finding items of interest. The only thing that doesn’t work for this book is the inclusion of unannotated model games. No doubt these games were carefully selected for their pedagogic value but while master level players on up can benefit from such games it is extremely unlikely club players will be helped. These unannotated games only make up about 15 percent of each volume but a better idea would have been to dump them and include a smaller number of model games with explanatory prose.

Click to buy (or get more information about)

CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS Volume 1 ($28.95)

CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS Volume 2

CHESS OPENING ESSENTIALS Volume 3