A SPANISH REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK
Author: Mihail Marin
Quality Chess (2007)
232 pages
$25.95

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

Last month I gave a glowing review of Marin's BEATING THE OPEN GAMES (click HERE to read that review), and now I'll address his companion volume, A SPANISH REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK. Where BEATING THE OPEN GAMES explored black's best replies to virtually everything White could throw at your (other than the Ruy Lopez), A SPANISH REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK explores every aspect of how Black should handle the Ruy Lopez. I think the idea of playing the Black side of the Ruy is alien for many players since most of us have been brought up on a steady Sicilian/French/Caro-Kann diet. However, when you realize that immortals like Alekhine, Keres, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Korchnoi, Karpov, Kasparov, and Kramnik have all regularly played the black side, then you might begin to see just how respected this opening is.

Before we get into the main lines Marin recommends, I should point out that he also deeply explores the Yates Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.d4), the d3 System (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3), the popular Worrall Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2), the Delayed Exchange Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6), the a4-System (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4), the Nc3 System (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3), and the tricky Central Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4). [The Exchange Ruy is given a complete analysis in his BEATING THE OPEN GAMES].

When I say he explores, I don't mean he gives you a bunch of moves with few comments. Instead, he DEEPLY explores every line in the book with a detailed look at the plans for both sides while also offering up an amazing amount of extremely useful and instructive prose. Let me repeat my comments from Marin's BEATING THE OPEN GAMES since they are equally true here:

1) Marin doesn't try to analyze everything. He would need thousands of pages to do so, and the reader would only end up confused and more than a little horrified by the final product. Instead he gives us HIS OWN repertoire, leaving nothing at all to the imagination! Here's what he had to say about this surprising decision: "In doing so I have followed Botvinnik's recommendation that any grandmaster with ambitions for further development should continually publish his analysis in order to submit it to the critical test of the wider public. There is also a psychological element of a stimulating nature involved: knowing that most of my knowledge of the open games in now revealed, I will definitely have to go further with my investigations and, who knows, maybe widen my repertoire."

The result of this is that we are given what he feels are the very best ways for Black to play, while refusing to hide the "good stuff" for himself. I have never seen an active professional grandmaster do this before.

2) Marin gives us the classic games in each line, balances it with all the latest games and assessments and analysis, and then puts it all together (at the end of each chapter) in MCO style analysis trees for easy access. Usually a writer will give games, and we'll only get the analysis trees in larger opening tomes, but I've never seen anyone give you both. I find this to be a very effective idea since looking at a bunch of annotated games is great, but can also leave you somewhat confused as to what to do during each step of the opening in question. The analytical trees pull it all together and show you, in total clarity, exactly what your lines are.

3) Marin pours out the prose! He never hesitates to let us know the plans, ideas, and history of all his lines. And his clear and incredibly useful explanations literally fill every page.

There are many ways for Black to play the Ruy, but Marin decided to stick with the classic interpretation (the Chigorin Variation) via 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2. But then he diverges and does a thorough study of two different plans from this position: 12...Nc6 (the Rubinstein Variation) and 12...Bd7 (the Petrosian System). Both seem completely acceptable.

Keep in mind that this repertoire allows you (once you master the ideas and plans) to experiment with any number of other, more violent, Lopez systems like the Marshall Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5) and the insanely complicated Zaitsev (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c5 when extreme chaos usually follows). If this system appeals to you, then the excellent THE RUY LOPEZ: A GUIDE FOR BLACK (by Sverre Johnsen and Leif Johannessen -- click HERE to see my review of this book) would be a nice addition to Marin's since it offers the most detailed study of the Zaitsev ever written. However, I think schooling yourself in the classic systems, as Marin recommends, is the way the go when you first take up this opening.

A SPANISH REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK and BEATING THE OPEN GAMES both get my highest recommendation for strong players that are willing to do the work (and it will take a real effort to master this material) to create a serious repertoire based on answering 1.e4 with 1...e5!

Click to buy (or get more information about) any of these excellent books by Mihail Marin:

BEATING THE OPEN GAMES

LEARN FROM THE LEGENDS - WORLD CHAMPIONS AT THEIR BEST

SPANISH REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK

SECRETS OF CHESS DEFENCE
 
If the super sharp Zaitsev Variation appeals to you, then I highly recommend you check out: THE RUY LOPEZ: A GUIDE FOR BLACK (Johnsen & Johannessen, $27.95)