TIGER’S MODERN

Author: Tiger Hillarp Persson

Quality Chess (2005)

216 pages

$24.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

Tiger’s Modern by Tiger Hillarp Persson is a very personal work with tons of original analysis in which the Swedish Grandmaster advocates a special treatment of the Modern Defense with an early ...a6 (after 1...g6, 2...Bg7 and 3...d6). For example after 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 the idea is 4...a6 with ...b5, ...Bb7, ...Nd7 and ...c5 to follow. This general scheme works pretty well against 1.e4 and the only variations where it can be sidestepped are lines with an early Bc4, where White plays c3 instead of Nc3, and g3 systems. In all these Tiger suggests heading back into the Pirc (which he analyses) as Black has sidestepped White's sharpest tries.

Lines against 1.e4 make up almost all the book but there is a section on the Averbakh at the back where Hillarp Persson advocates 4...e5 after 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 and examines all the major White tries including 5.Nf3, 5.dxe5, 5.Be3, 5.Nge2 and 5.Be2 which the author judges the most annoying. One thing that isn't addressed specifically is the move order 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3. I would assume that 4...e5 would again be the choice though it would have been good to have taken a look at 5.dxe5 (when d4 hasn't been weakened by playing e4) ...dxe5 6.Qxd8+ when White often has a small but persistent advantage. Other than this, I think Tiger has covered all the bases.

Highly Recommended

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