OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND (Volume 7)
Author: Khalifman
Chess Stars (2006)
www.chess-stars.com
280 pages
$29.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND (Volume 7) by former FIDE World Champiion Alexander Khalifman is another in the famous series of opening books published by Chess Stars. The first series started with an opening repertoire based on the games of Vladimir Kramnik based on 1.Nf3. The present book is part of a multi-volume work devoted to 1.e4 based on the regular practice of Viswanathan Anand. 
 
This book, and the series, is for ambitious players. If you are looking to minimize opening study it is not for you. If you want opening books in which ideas and explanation drown out concrete analysis this book is also not for you. Those who will find OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND most helpful are strong players (even GMs and IMs), those who like to go for the maximalist approach in the opening and correspondence players.
 
GM Khalifman does not coddle his readers in OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND (Volume 7) which deals with White treatments against the French Winawer. Yes, you read correctly, this is a one volume opening guide from White's viewpoint analyzing all the lines after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5. This includes closed treatments (4...Qd7/4...b6), the Armenian variation (4...c5 5.a3 Ba5) and the main line Winawer after 4...c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qc7 and 6...Ne7. Against the latter Khalifman advocates 7.Qg4 (135 pages!).
 
This series is unique in the chess literature -- opening books written for Grandmasters. Khalifman identifies the critical positions in contemporary theory and gives lots of original analysis with many theoretical novelties offered. Despite the wealth of concrete information, Khalifman does his best to orient the reader and explain key points. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of what is covered.
 
If you play the White side of the Winawer with 7.Qg4 and like to study, this book is for you. The same hold true, even more so if you play Black. In fact I go so far as to say it is required reading for those who play the Winawer as Black.
 
Highly Recommended

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