It's fun to mix it up in chess, and players that delight in tactical cut and thrust, penetrating attacks, and bloodthirsty king hunts will find plenty to like in this book. Former U.S. Champion Larry Christiansen has a well-deserved reputation as a world-class attacking player, and his attitude toward chess permeates this book. This spirit is infectious, and even the most stodgy materialist may find some sacrificial ideas they can employ from study of the selected games.

This is an enjoyable book on many levels. It starts with a twenty-page recollection of the developmental years of a future grandmaster. While there isn't a lot of "chess" here, there are some great anecdotes, and at least a few good tips on how a beginning player can work to improve their game.  Others will likely enjoy the recounting of well-known events, such as the old Lone Pine tournaments and the early years of the Linares international tournament.

While Christiansen develops his chapters around general themes, this is not really a "how to" book. The games are definitely the primary concern, and they are of a high quality.  Almost all are of the recent variety, with the majority being games from the 1990s. 

There is some decent discussion of attacking motifs – as an example there are some neat illustrations of the Bxh7+ idea against the kingside castled black king. However, there is not a general cataloguing of various attacking methods in this book. The author jumps around a fair amount, and the lead-ins to the games are a bit short on thematic discussion.  There are, however, many useful notes in the games that will call attention to important concepts.

As noted before, this is a book that you should primarily enjoy. I think that the chess improvement will come from working through the lines and seriously looking for the combinations that arise within the games. Although I consider myself mostly a positional player, I think that this study will help me identify some opportunities to sharpen the play in my own games.

As most of the games contained here are recent, quite a few can be found in other books or periodicals. From my count, there are approximately 76 complete games included as well as about 15 game fragments. Of these, I would judge about 20 of the games as definitely well known, and perhaps another 10-15 as fairly well known. Even so, I think that most players will find plenty of new material, and Christiansen also adds some new notes from time to time in the well-known games as well.

As is generally the case, the production values from this Gambit Publication are strong.  The paper is of decent quality, the printing and diagrams are clear, and the layout is efficient.

In summary, if you play chess and read chess books for enjoyment, this is a book to buy. The author has selected many outstanding examples of sacrificial attacking chess. A player hoping to improve their attacking play should benefit, but those seeking a catalogue of "how to" tactical or sacrificial concepts might want to look elsewhere.

Click to see JOHN WATSON'S REVIEW OF STORMING THE BARRICADES.