TACTICS IN THE CHESS OPENING, VOLUME 3

Authors: Frisco Nijboer and Geert van der Stricht

New In Chess (2005)

237 pages

Reviewed by John Watson

TACTICS IN THE CHESS OPENING is a fairly recently started series by New in Chess that resembles SOS in look and proportion. The latest that I have is #3 by Friso Nijboer and Geert van der Stricht. The title is not misleading but the material isn't what you might expect. There are plenty of standard traps, but not many superficial ones. And mostly, the volumes consist of tactical ideas that arise in a given opening after reasonable moves for both sides, such that the combination may not appear until move 15-20 or so.

Most of the time these tactics are tied to opening theory, e.g., a dynamic move that improves upon a previously established one or the punishment for an error. But sometimes the tactics are simply from a nice game in a particular opening system having little or nothing to do with theory.

All in all this is a very instructive series; I wouldn't call it a personal favorite in the sense of SOS or other works on that I ve praised, but it is a high-quality product that is particularly appropriate for getting an overall grasp on the dangers and opportunities available in a given opening.

To be clear, however, the material is divided by variation and thematic context of various tactics is usually not presented. I do think that it is too advanced for most young students and less experienced players. Just about everyone else can benefit from the TACTICS IN THE CHESS OPENING series, especially the average club and tournament player.