With so many "understanding" books coming in at the 120 page mark, I was delighted to see this well-fed tome bulging in the middle--apparently healthy and filled with vitality (in other words, Gambit Publications has come out with yet another impressive book).

Though I'm not familiar with the author, Rowson made an excellent impression by providing a nice mix of instruction, explanation, and analysis. All this, padded with his entertaining and energetic writing style.

For the student who has always wanted to learn the Grunfeld, the first two instructive chapters set the tone and actually make your mouth water at the prospect of facing 1.d4. In chapter three, Rowson begins a trend towards humanizing structures and pieces by naming White's d-pawn (at times powerful and at other times a target) "Delroy." After naming Delroy, he then tells you how to deal with "him" (in a rather large and very important instructive chapter).

Actual analysis only begins in chapter four. In general, he offers a repertoire approach, ignoring inferior Black tries and concentrating on what he thinks are your best choices. Here Rowson really shines, as he's able to combine flair, entertainment and ideas with all the most modern theoretical flavors. Where a "normal" author would list chapters by variation name (The Exchange Variation, The Russian Variation, etc.), Rowson gives us

• Random Monkeys - (chapter five),
• The Anchor - (chapter six),
• Drawn Endgames? - (chapter seven),
• Check! - (chapter eight),
• The Cake and the Cookie - (chapter nine),
• Delroy's Granite Statue - (chapter ten),
• A Pint of Carlsberg (chapter eleven),
• The Eager Lady (chapter twelve),
• Hydra (chapter thirteen), and
• The Silent Corridor (chapter fourteen).

In case the reader thinks that all these chapter headings are cute but useless, let me set the record straight! Each heading corresponds tightly to the chapter material, and acts as a memory tool that will make the student's work much easier and more enjoyable.

Of course, writing a "Black is Okay" type of book has its pitfalls. For example, when the author runs into a line that's hard to meet, he finds himself facing endless hours of analytical work in an effort to present the student with a good answer. At times, panic will set in and little errors may find their way into his well-meaning recommendations. For example, let's take a look at the following line in chapter thirteen (Hydra): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 c5 6.dxc5 Qa5 7.Rc1 (page 191) 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0! 9.Ne2. Here Rowson says that most sources have "massively underestimated" this variation. Much of the reason for this resides in the fact that 9...Qxc5 10.Qb3 Nc6 11.Nb5 Qh5, which was once considered to be all right for Black, actually falls on its face (according to Rowson's book) after 12.Ng3! Qh4 13.Nc7 g5 (he tells us that "13...e5 leads to very sharp play, but after a great deal of analysis, I do not believe it is adequate." This is a bit unfair to the more serious player. Rowson really should have given us some proof.) 14.Nf5!! and "in all lines Black is losing material for insufficient compensation." I must admit feeling a bit peeved that the author didn't follow 14.Nf5 up with some more analysis. Surely a class B-player would be confused, and even a master would be forced to do a quick double-take before grasping the truth of the position.

There is actually a bit of history here: first, this idea was discovered by Mrs. Daniela Nutu Gajic of Australia. While showing Grandmaster Ian Rogers a game she won against Z. Veroci, Jakarta 1997 (where Black answered 13.Nc7 with 13...e5), she pointed out the 14.Nf5!! idea and it soon made the pages of New in Chess Yearbook 45 (page 14).

Obviously taken aback by this since it interferes with his normal repertoire recommendations, Rowson dutifully tries to give the student an alternative. This is where the heretofore mentioned panic enters the picture. His offering of 9...Qxc5 10.Qb3 Qh5!? just doesn't seem right to me. For example, he says that 11.Nb5 "is now comfortably met by 11...Na6." Really? I would prefer White after 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Rfd1 since the a6-Knight isn't well placed and 13...Nc5 14.Qa3 leaves Black facing various nasty threats.

He also mentions ECO's suggestion of 10...Qa5 11.0-0 Nbd7 12.Rfd1 Nc5 13.Qb5 Qxb5 14.Nxb5 Be6 saying, "when it gives a few lines reaching equality, but to my mind Black is teetering somewhere not far from the brink: 15.Be5 Bxc4 16.Rxc4 Ne6 17.f3 a6 18.Nc7!? Rac8 19.Rdc1 Nxc7 20.Bxf6! Bxf6 21.Rxc7 Rxc7 22.Rxc7," and White has an enduring endgame advantage. All this is true, but Black should try 16...Ncd7 when it's not easy to prove a significant White plus.

Of course, some analytical and judgment errors are going to be found in any book where an author offers original analysis, and such efforts deserve praise since most chess "authorities" only parrot existing theory.

Oddly, the story of this line doesn't end here. Chess theory marches on, and any comments on a sharp opening should be subject to change and reevaluation at the drop of a hat. Indeed, it's fairly normal to find that many lines in opening books are dated and obsolete even before the book hits the stores!

Grunfeld players will be happy to hear that the sharp discovery of Mrs. Gajic is no exception. In New in Chess 49 (page 10), Ulf Dewenter offers the following against 13.Nc7 g5 14.Nf5 (!!): 14...Bxf5 15.Bg3 Nd4!! 16.Qxb7 (16.exd4 Qe4+) 16...Rab8 17.Qxb8 Qe4 18.Qxa7 Qxg2 19.Rf1 Nf3+ 20.Ke2 Bg4 21.h3 Ne4.

Naturally, questions also arise here, but I think it's now clear that any serious study of an opening must be supplemented with material from other sources (and kept constantly updated!). As mentioned earlier, this is a basic flaw of EVERY opening book.

As far as repertoire books go, I can highly recommend this one by Rowson. The guy worked hard, put together every relevant Black idea that was known at the time of writing, and showed that he can teach and write well.

It seems that another good chess writer has been discovered, and I look forward to new books by Rowson in the future. If you play the Grunfeld as Black, this is virtually a must buy. It's also well worth getting if you find yourself facing the Grunfeld with the White pieces.

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