KARPOV’S STRATEGIC WINS Volume 2: The Prime Years

Author: Tibor Karolyi

Quality Chess (2011)

576 pages

Paperback $24.95

Hardcover $38.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

This is the second of a two-volume work on the 12th World Champion by International Master Tibor Karolyi, and covers the years 1986-2010. The two books together are over 1000 pages and fill a major gap in the chess literature as Karpov has never done a definitive collection of his best games in the way Alekhine, Fischer and Kasparov have.

Hungarian Tibor Karolyi was just the right man for the job. The author of game collections on Polgar, Kasparov (two volumes) and a book on Karpov’s best endgames, he is noted for being extremely conscientious. The present work, over 100 pages longer than volume one, features 67 well-annotated games. The commentary for some games runs over ten pages but the combination of plenty of explanatory prose, concrete variations where needed and many diagrams make them a pleasure to play over.

Karpov was not only a player who possessed the highest positional understanding; he was, as Karolyi points out, also an extremely practical. While we can never hope to play at the level of Kasparov or Karpov one can’t help but feel that the latter’s games are more accessible. 

Playing through a typical Kasparov brilliancy with a sharp theoretical opening followed by mind-boggling complications ending in a brilliant attack one can’t help come away amazed but also a little confused. Sure the example was brilliant, but what happened? Contrast that with a bit of Karpov magic like his famous win over Alterman (game 38) in a bishops of opposite colored endgame. Here Karpov shows a completely different but equally effective way to win. Thanks to Karolyi’s 11 pages of notes to this game it becomes understandable and the economy of force Karpov employs a lesson we can apply in our own games.

Like KARPOV’S STRATEGIC WINS: VOLUME 1: THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION, the present volume features detailed indices for players, openings and themes plus a general index and records of Karpov’s tournament performance. It evens features an index for games that are featured in the book that did not involve Karpov – over 70. Mostly they are game references but some come with detailed notes themselves! The only thing missing is photographs of Karpov excepting the color cover shot.

This book is nicely laid out in a generous two-column format and printed on good paper.

KARPOV’S STRATEGIC WINS 2: THE PRIME YEARS is a great book by an outstanding author who is one of the very best at making the great players games accessible to all levels without talking down to them.

Highly recommended for all chessplayers.

Click to buy (or get more information about) the paperback version of: KARPOV'S STRATEGIC WINS Volume 1: The Making of a Champion (1961-1985)

Click to buy (or get more information about) the hardcover version of: KARPOV'S STRATEGIC WINS Volume 1: The Making of a Champion (1961-1985)

Click to buy (or get more information about) the paperback version of: KARPOV'S STRATEGIC WINS Volume 2: The Prime Years (1986 - 2010)

Click to buy (or get more information about) the hardcover version of: KARPOV'S STRATEGIC WINS Volume 2: The Prime Years (1986 - 2010)

You should also take a look at this other excellent by Tibor Karolyi: ENDGAME VIRTUOSO: ANATOLY KARPOV