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Bestselling chess author Jeremy Silman presents chess INSTRUCTION, INTERVIEWS, OPENING THEORY, PUZZLES, the web's LARGEST archive of CHESS BOOK REVIEWS and much more by a host of prestigious Grandmasters and International Masters.
 



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UPDATES FOR JUNE

From this point on, material will be posted throughout each month at random times

INSTRUCTION & OTHER

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) GM Yasser Seirawan answers a reader's question about an experimental line in the CARO-KANN ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) Postal Master Manuel Gerardo Monasterio talks about the OBNOXIOUS TORRE ATTACK ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 9, 08) IM Silman talks about DYING WITH YOUR BOOTS ON:
His brother (who was also playing at the event) rushed to his side and Cecil whispered something into his ear. Then he died. His final words? One might imagine something like, "Tell my wife I love her." Or  "The gold is hidden under the bedroom floorboard." But no, this is a chess player and so his last thoughts were about chess. His dying message to his brother:  "I have a win, but it will take time!" ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 5, 08) IM Silman tells the tale of THE MASKED GRANDMASTER:
Of course, Mills won the brilliancy prize, and none of us could do anything but applaud him. Truly a fantastic creative effort and, perhaps, the greatest game by a non-master of all time... MORE

bullet triangle (November 12) Grandmaster van der Weide gives us Part 15 of THE PAIN AND ANGUISH OF OPENING THEORY ... MORE

bullet triangle(October 07) Larry Tamarkin gives us Part Four of his entertaining series, MEMOIRS OF A CHESS FISH ... MORE

bullet triangle (September 07) IM Silman presents ENDGAME OF THE MONTH 4 ... MORE


BOOK REVIEWS

WANT TO WRITE A GUEST REVIEW? Anyone that has a strong need to praise or lambast a chess book should send their review to jeremysilman.com for consideration.

bullet triangle (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews STARTING OUT - THE c3 SICILIAN:
This book, by English GM John Emms, is an excellent introduction to one of the most important “anti-Sicilian” variations. All lines are covered with close to 90 percent of the book devoted to Black’s two principle choices – 2...d5 and 2…Nf6. Against the third alternative, 2...e6, Emms focuses exclusively on 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5 and not 4.e5 transposing into the Advance French ... MORE

bullet triangle (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews PLAY THE QUEEN'S INDIAN:
There are few top players that have not employed the Nimzo-Indian at one time or another, and theoretically it has always stood its ground. One could make a strong argument that it is among the soundest of Black’s defenses. Yet its effectiveness has always created a bit of a problem as many players avoid it by playing 3.Nf3. This leaves Black in a bit of a quandary ... MORE

bullet triangle (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews TRUE COMBAT CHESS:
This is a very personal book from a veteran of over 40 years of tournament play. Anyone who has read his books or articles in Chess Life know that Taylor is one of Caissa’s truly devoted who still dreams of becoming a Grandmaster as he nears his 60th birthday ... MORE

bullet triangle (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS - FLANK OPENINGS:
The present work is primarily devoted to the English with seven of the twelve chapters dedicated to it. This includes coverage of the old Nimzovich favorite 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 and two chapters and over 40 pages to lines after 1.c4 e5 2.g3 where Black opts for a quick ...c6. Another two chapters are devoted to the Mikenas attack (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4) where both of Black’s two tries – 3...c5 and 3...d5 – are examined at length ... MORE

bullet triangle (June. 5, 09) IM John Donaldson reviews MY 60 MEMORABLE GAMES:
Few if any chess books need as little introduction or recommendation as Bobby Fischer’s classic. Considered one of the greatest games collections of all time since it first appeared in the late 1960s, until recently it was tough to find ... MORE

bullet triangle (May. 15, 09) IM Silman reviews CHICAGO 1926 and LAKE HOPATCONG 1926:
I should point out one important oddity in the battle between a database and tournament book: the tournament book features every known game from an event (sadly, many are permanently lost), while a good database is often missing huge amounts of games from lesser-known tournaments and/or lesser-known players. Thus my database of over 3,850,000 games only has 27 from the Chicago 1926 event, while the tournament book we’re about to discuss has 78 ... MORE

bullet triangle (May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews HOW TO PLAY AGAINST 1.e4:
This book offers two repertoires against White’s main tries – 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2. One, the Fort Knox variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7), so-called for its solidity (Black’s plans ….Bc6xf3 and ….c6), does double duty since it can be played against both moves ... MORE

bullet triangle (May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews GREAT ATTACKERS:
This book examines three giants of the 1970s and 1980s – the young Gary Kasparov (1975-78), Leonid Stein (1972-73), Mikhail Tal (1978-79) and again Kasparov (1978-1982). IM Crouch analyses 22 of their most interesting efforts offering plenty of detailed variations where needed but perhaps even more importantly much needed explanatory prose ... MORE

bullet triangle (May. 15, 09) IM Donaldson reviews KASPAROV - HOW HIS PREDECESSORS MISLED HIM ABOUT CHESS:
Not only is this book not a rehash, it is in fact a most original work combining instructional writing and humor ... MORE

bullet triangle (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews QUESTIONS OF MODERN CHESS THEORY:
Karpov writes that it was remarkable that Lipnitsky’s masterwork didn’t just disappear. It was published in Kiev in 1956 far from the Soviet chess center of Moscow, in a small edition and with printing errors. But strong players from the aforementioned Fischer to Mikhail Botvinnik appreciated the ability of Lipnitsky’s work to stimulate them ... MORE

bullet triangle (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS EXPLAINED - THE MAIN LINE SLAV:
New England International Master David Vigorito’s latest book discusses all major lines following the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4. Following Gambit’s CHESS EXPLAINED template, Vigorito uses 25 current, well-annotated games, to illustrate his points ... MORE

bullet triangle (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE BLACK LION:
This bible to the darker version of panthera leo is devoted to playing an aggressive version of the Philidor. Black’s problem in the Philidor proper is how to find a way to safely reach the tabiya at move five. The traditional move order, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6, allows White to gain an advantage by 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd5. To circumvent this, Van Rekom and Jansen propose two alternatives. The “Lion’s Den” commences with 3...Nbd7 and the “Lion’s Yawn” with ... MORE

bullet triangle (April. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews WINNING CHESS MIDDLEGAMES:
Using 45 model games, which include a nice balance of analysis and prose, Sokolov explains the pros and cons of each structure. Showing the virtues of doubled c-pawns, which so often arise from both the Saemisch and Rubinstein variations of the Nimzo, he gives as one idea for White a plan first realized in ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE PETROSIAN SYSTEM AGAINST THE QID:
Petrosian's prophylactic system no longer enjoys the huge popularity it experienced back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Garry Kasparov, for one, scored many beautiful wins, but it is still a formidable weapon ... MORE

bullet triangle (April. 10, 09) Guest writer Ben Havey reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS - FLANK OPENINGS:
I play the Mikenas Attack myself, and I learned many new things even though I thought that I knew the theory well. This book is filled with gems that English players of any level can enjoy ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews BLINDFOLD CHESS:
Among the topics the authors discuss in the first part of their book are the early origins of blindfold (even before Philidor), who they feel is the world record holder (Najdorf with 45 games in 1947), and who was the strongest blindfold player of all time (Alekhine) ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews GARY’S ADVENTURES IN CHESS COUNTRY:
seeks to teach kids the basics of chess in a way that will improve their reasoning and develop their problem-solving abilities ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews JOHN NUNN’S CHESS PUZZLE BOOK:
This meets all the criteria one is looking for in a good tactics book. It features 300 well-chosen examples, accurate and complete solutions and clear diagrams to solve from. One nice extra touch, which accounts for most of the additional size for the present edition, is including small diagrams by each solution which are given at the back of the book ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE OPENING FOR WHITE ACCORDING TO ANAND, 1.e4 (11th Volume):
This book is dedicated to the Accelerated Dragon and Dragon Variations of the Sicilian. The winner of the 1999 FIDE World Championship, Khalifman has played the Dragon off and on throughout his career, and is well qualified to write this book, which advocates Bc4 systems against both variations ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY 1.b3 The Nimzo-Larsen Attack:
This book is a smorgasbord – sometimes offering sharp analysis of critical positions (1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 d5 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.f4) using a traditional opening book format, and other times featuring model games to illustrate typical middle game plans ... MORE

bullet triangle (March. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews RUDOLF SPIELMANN Fifty Great Short Games:
IM Nikolay Minev, the noted Seattle author, researcher and trainer has recently written a monograph on the games of the one of the great attacking masters in chess history ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 16, 09) IM Silman reviews CHESS TACTICS FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS:
Back in 1984 a German company (Sportverlag Berlin) published a small, attractive, English language hardcover volume by Averbakh titled CHESS TACTICS FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS. This book quickly acquired a hardcore fan base and was a hot commodity until, like most books, it went out of print and faded from the public’s mind ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 10, 09) IM Silman reviews NEW YORK 1924:
You have the new, “unbeatable” World Champion Capablanca battling it out with old man (and ex champ) Lasker. Right behind them is a who’s who of legends: Alekhine (who took the World Championship from Capablanca three years later), Marshall, Reti (who beat Capablanca in one of their games – the World Champion’s first defeat in 8 years!), Maroczy, Bogoljubow, Tartakower, Yates, Edward Lasker, and Janowsky ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb.10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews MASTERING THE CHESS OPENINGS 3:
This is not a pure opening book on the English as we presently know it – for example you will find no coverage of 1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 a6 – but in many ways it goes beyond what we expect as Watson essentially explains the opening from the ground up with detailed discussions on move two and three in certain lines ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews RAMPANT CHESS:
I found the games and annotations to be on a consistently high level. Even the IM’s games feature strong opposition – examples being Andrew Muir’s win over Gata Kamsky and Roddy McKay’s defeat of Vlastimil Hort in his prime. Amazingly for a collection of games on this level, the annotations can be pretty much “read” as prose ... MORE

bullet triangle (Feb. 10, 09) IM Donaldson reviews ST. PETERSBURG 1909:
A year after St. Petersburg 1909, Emanuel Lasker published a book in English on this famous event annotating the 175 games played there. Recently a new edition has appeared, the first time in algebraic notation ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE BERLIN WALL:
This is the first book devoted entirely to the sequence 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6, the line Kramnik used to shut down Kasparov in their 2000 title match. Kramnik’s success has spawned many imitators and this book is chock full of examples of its successful use by 2700 GMs ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews THE CHESS INSTRUCTOR:
This is the first in a series of planned annual compendiums about chess training at all levels from the publishing house of New in Chess ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews DVORETSKY'S ANALYTICAL MANUAL:
This book, by the noted trainer and writer IM Mark Dvoretsky, is likely to be one of the most useful works ever published for the player who wants to improve. Yes, this might sound like a bold claim ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Donaldson reviews HOW TO BEAT THE FRENCH DEFENCE:
Conventional wisdom holds that if White wants to play for an advantage against the French Defense, 3.Nc3 is the way to go. However, Greek IM Andreas Tzermiadianos begs to differ and makes a compelling case for the adoption of the Tarrasch variation ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews BEAT THE KID:
Mr. Markos begins the study of all three systems with interesting details of its history and heady discussions of both side’s plans. And, when the analysis starts, it’s always in-depth with all important theoretical lines covered and lots of instructive/explanatory prose mixed in ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews GRANDMASTER REPERTOIRE 1.d4 Volume One:
I must admit to being impressed with Boris Avrukh’s work ethic. It’s clear that he put his heart and soul into this book, with original analysis and a refusal to always follow well-known paths vividly standing out ... MORE

bullet triangle (Jan. 7, 09) IM Silman reviews KASPAROV ON MODERN CHESS, PART TWO - KASPAROV vs KARPOV 1st & 2nd Matches:
How could this book be anything but superb? Quite simply, we have Kasparov discussing every detail of his first two matches with Karpov and deeply analyzing each and every game. If that isn’t chess gold, then what is ... MORE

bullet triangle (December 5) IM Silman reviews HOW CHESS GAMES ARE WON AND LOST ... MORE

bullet triangle (December 5) IM Donaldson reviews THREE BOOKS ON ATTACK ... MORE

bullet triangle (December 5) IM Donaldson reviews ALBERT BEAUREGARD HODGES, THE MAN CHESS MADE ... MORE

bullet triangle (December 5) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY 1.b4! ... MORE

bullet triangle (November 6) IM Silman reviews GRANDMASTER SECRETS THE CARO-KANN ... MORE

bullet triangle (November 6) IM Silman reviews STARTING OUT CLOSED SICILIAN ... MORE

bullet triangle (November 6) IM Donaldson reviews BUILD UP YOUR CHESS THE FUNDAMENTALS ... MORE

bullet triangle (November 6) IM Donaldson reviews PAWN SACRIFICE! WINNING AT CHESS THE ADVENTUROUS WAY ... MORE

bullet triangle (November 6) IM Donaldson reviews STARTING OUT THE MODERN DEFENSE ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 10) IM Silman reviews SECRETS OF OPENING SURPRISES, VOLUME 9 ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 8) IM Silman reviews DVORETSKY'S ANALYTICAL MANUAL ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 8) IM Donaldson reviews CHEBANENKO SLAV ACCORDING TO BOLOGAN ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 8) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS RESULTS 1947-1950 ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 8) IM Donaldson reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS BENONI and BENKO ... MORE

bullet triangle (October 8) IM Donaldson reviews THE EASIEST SICILIAN ... MORE

bullet triangle (September 6) IM Donaldson reviews THE FLEXIBLE FRENCH ... MORE

bullet triangle (September 6) IM Donaldson reviews 100 ENDGAMES YOU MUST KNOW ... MORE

bullet triangle (September 6) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY THE SLAV ... MORE

bullet triangle (August 19) IM Silman reviews the CHESSMATE TRAVELMATE DELUXE ... MORE

bullet triangle (August 17) IM Donaldson reviews STARTING OUT: THE ACCELERATED DRAGON ... MORE

bullet triangle (August 10) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS RESULTS 1941-1946 ... MORE

bullet triangle (August 10) IM Silman reviews THE ART OF BISGUIER: SELECTED GAMES 1961-2003 ... MORE

bullet triangle (August 10) IM Silman reviews BUILD UP YOUR CHESS 1, FUNDAMENTALS
... MORE

bullet triangle (August 10) IM Silman reviews ZUKE EM, THE COLLE-ZUKERTORT REVOLUTIONIZED ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 10) IM Silman reviews PAWN SACRIFICE ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Donaldson reviews THE ART OF BISGUIER 1961-2003 ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Donaldson reviews FORCING CHESS MOVES ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Donaldson reviews ELISTA DIARIES ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Silman reviews both PRACTICAL ENDGAME PLAY BEYOND THE BASICS and PRACTICAL ENDGAME PLAY MASTERING THE BASICS ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Silman reviews SECRETS OF SPECTACULAR CHESS (2nd Edition) ... MORE

bullet triangle (July 4) IM Silman reviews THE CHEBANENKO SLAV ... MORE

bullet triangle (June 20) IM Silman reviews both HOW TO CRUSH YOUR CHESS OPPONENTS and THE ART OF ATTACKING CHESS ... MORE

bullet triangle (June 7) IM Silman reviews PLAY 1.b4! ... MORE

bullet triangle (June 3) IM Donaldson reviews SURVIVAL GUIDE TO ROOK ENDINGS 2ND EDITION ... MORE

bullet triangle (June 3) IM Donaldson reviews PRACTICAL ENDGAME PLAY - BASICS
... MORE

bullet triangle (June 3) Guest writer Anthony Rotella reviews THE EASIEST SICILIAN ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 17) IM Silman reviews ATTACKING MANUAL 1 ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 7) IM Donaldson reviews DANGEROUS WEAPONS, 1.e4 e5 ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 7) IM Donaldson reviews FROM LONDON TO ELISTA ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 7) IM Donaldson reviews JON SPEELMAN'S PUZZLE BOOK ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 7) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS ON THE EDGE ... MORE

bullet triangle (May 7) IM Donaldson reviews DANGEOUS WEAPONS, QUEEN'S GAMBIT ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Saidy reviews EL FASCINANTE MUNDO DEL AJEDREZ ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Donaldson reviews CHESS EXPLAINED THE NIMZO-INDIAN ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Donaldson reviews THE ACCELERATED DRAGON ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Donaldson reviews HOOKED ON CHESS - A MEMOIR ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Donaldson reviews PLAY THE SEMI-SLAV ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Donaldson reviews STARTING OUT - SICILIAN GRAND PRIX ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Silman reviews CHESS TIPS FOR THE IMPROVING PLAYER ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) IM Silman reviews THE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO COMPETITIVE CHESS ... MORE

bullet triangle (April 5) Anthony Rotella reviews PLAY THE GRUNFELD ... MORE

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