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Petrosian’s Proverbs The Armenian World Champion Tigran Petrosian is one of my favorite players of all time, and he made two statements about the openings that are pertinent to the titles reviewed this month: “If a player insists on playing the Dutch, there is no reason to prevent him from doing so,” and “If you want to be a successful player, you must score at least 80% against the King’s Indian Defense.” These statements have stayed with me ever since I first read them, so it is fitting that we will concentrate on five titles about either the Dutch or the King’s Indian Defense. The latter is seeing a sort of a mini-revival, particularly in the hands of Azeri top grandmaster Radjabov. Win with the Stonewall Dutch by Sverre Johnsen and Ivar Bern, Gambit Publications 2009, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 223pp. $29.95
The present work is very much a Norwegian production; the co-authors are Sverre Johnsen, who has co-authored two very good books published by Gambit Publications, and Ivar Bern who is a Correspondence Chess World Champion and an over-the-board international master. In the foreword, Agdestein pays his respect to fellow Norwegian, IM Helmers, who introduced him to the Stonewall and to Danish IM Kristiansen, who in return inspired Helmers. Agdestein describes the Stonewall as an incredibly flexible opening with many interesting options for Black. That said, in the Main Line Stonewall, the authors have only chosen to cover the Modern approach with ...Bd6, thus avoiding Botvinnik’s favorite set-up with ...Be7. However, the authors have also presented a repertoire for Black against earlier deviations by White, including all of the annoying, but ultimately harmless gambit moves and indeed also what to do when White avoids d2-d4 and instead plays a set-up with c4, Nf3 and g3. The contents are divided as follows:
The material is appropriately categorized with careful consideration to the strength of the moves and how commonly they are played. The entire game is presented and well annotated, though there is a clear emphasis on the opening and early middlegame. The annotations are normally done by either Simen Agdestein (for his own games) or Ivar Bern (who also plays the Stonewall), and both instruct the reader wonderfully on the intricacies of this opening. I learned a lot about this opening from this book and most players will have a similar experience. Here is a game from in the introduction, in this book called "Stonewall Invitation," where Agdestein plays the opening against an English Grandmaster. The annotations are selected from those in the book. Matthew Turner-Simen Agdestein 1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.0–0 Bd6 6.c4 c6 6...0-0!? is a Scandinavian specialty championed by Agdestein and Karlsson. The critical lines are: a) 7 c5 gains time and queenside space but a bishop on a6 may become strong. b) 7 b3 is logical as 7...Qe7?? would lose a piece to 8 c5, but after 7...b6 Black may gain time by playing ...c5 in one go. 7.b3 This is clearly White’s most popular move. White seeks to exchange dark-squared bishops with Ba3 - partly in order to demonstrate the superiority of his own light-squared bishop over that ‘that sorry figure on c8’. As we shall soon see, the truth isn’t quite so simple. 7...Qe7! This, at least temporarily, stops Ba3. There are alternatives as Black shouldn’t worry too much about exchanging dark-squared bishops. But why not make the trade a little more difficult for White? 8.Bb2 White fights for control over e5 but may also follow up with Qc1, preparing Ba3. Another popular way to prepare Ba3 is 8 a4. However, only the non-developing 8 Ne5!, the subject of Lesson 2, presents Black with any real problems of equalizing. 8...b6! Black prepares to develop his bishop to b7 or, occasionally, to a6. Black weakens c6 somewhat but White isn’t ready to exploit the weakness. This developing scheme is particularly effective against slow lines where White spends time exchanging dark-squared bishops at the expense of development and piece activity. The basic idea behind White’s Ba3 manoeuvre is to control e5, and that is a good strategy if Black runs with his light-squared bishop to the kingside. But with this modern ...b6-set-up, the e5-square becomes much less important - there are other important squares! 9.Qc1!? This somewhat artificial move prepares the desired bishop exchange on a3. 9...Bb7 10.Ba3 Nbd7 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.Qa3 c5!? The sharpest solution, trying to priove that White’s queen is offside on a3. 12...Qxa3 13.Nxa3 Ke7 has repeatedly been shown to be fine for Black. 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Nc3 0–0 15.Rac1 15.e3 Ne4 16.Rac1 a6 17.Ne2 g5 18.Rfd1 Rae8 19.Qb2 Qe7 20.Nc3 f4 21.dxc5 fxe3 22.fxe3 Nxc3 23.Qxc3 bxc5 =+ Mchedlishvili-Iliushin, European Under-18 Ch, Tallinn 1997. 15...f4! The name ‘Stonewall’ has tricked many white players. The wall is actually extremely mobile. 16.Rfd1 a6 17.dxc5 An earlier game, Ro.Hernandez-Peralta, Barcelona 2004, continued 17.Rc2 Rae8 18.Bh3 fxg3 19.hxg3 Nh5 20.Bg2 Nxg3 21.fxg3 Qxg3 22.Rcc1 Re6 23.Rf1 cxd4 24.Rc2 0-1 17...bxc5 18.Ng5 fxg3 19.hxg3 Ng4 20.Nf3 Rae8 Black increases his pressure. Next he plans ...Qh6 and ...Nde5. 21.Rd4?!
White tries to fend off the attack by tactical means. It backfires badly but it seems White had serious problems anyway. 21...Nxf2?! This spectacular move wins. But Fritz points out that the prosaic 21...Qe6 is even stronger: 22.Rd2 (22.Ng5 Qf5 and 22.Rxg4 Qxg4 also win for Black) 22...Qh6 23.Rcd1 d4 24.Na4 Rxe2 25.Rxe2 Bxf3 26.Bxf3 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Rxf3 -+. 22.Kxf2 Qe7 23.Rdd1 No better is 23.Rd3 Ne5. Probably White’s best try was 23.Rf4 Qe3+ 24.Kf1 Rxf4 25.gxf4, but 25...d4 wins the piece back with a continued attack. 23...d4 24.Kg1 Or 24 Na4 Qxe2+ 25 Kg1 Rxf3, and Black wins easily (although it may not be easy to calculate the mate in 9 which Rybka announces). 24...Qe3+ 25.Kh2 Nf6 25...Re6 and 25...Rf6 win too. [CH: But Black’s most direct win is 25...Rxf3! 26.exf3 Re6, and it is curtains for White] 26.Qxc5 Ng4+ 27.Kh3 Nf2+ 27...Re5 is the most direct win, but a repetition brings Black closer to the time control. 28.Kh2 Ng4+ 29.Kh3 Nf2+ 30.Kh2 Nxd1 30...Qh6+ 31.Nh4 Ng4+ 32.Kh1 Bxg2+ 33.Kxg2 Rf2+ 34.Kg1 Qe3 -+. 31.Nxd1 Qh6+? 31...Qxe2! 32.Qc4+ Qxc4 33.Rxc4 Bxf3 34.Bxf3 Rxf3 35.Rxd4 Re2+ 36.Kh3 Rxa2 -+. 32.Kg1? 32.Nh4 is far from clear, e.g. 32...Rc8 33.Qxd4 Rxc1 34.Bxb7. 32...Rc8 Now Black wins easily. 33.Ng5? Rxc5 34.Rxc5 Qd6 35.Ne6 Bxg2 0-1 In this great inspirational game, White’s feet never really touched the ground as he was being carried off the board. It shows that the opening is fully viable and can be played at grandmaster level with good results. This book is incredibly well-written and it makes the theory of this opening extremely accessible. The authors are honest and objective in their appraisal of the individual lines, which makes the book a perfect tool for the study of this fascinating opening. If you have not already bought this book, it is time to do so now. For those who need a new weapon against 1 d4, this book makes an excellent case for it to be the Stonewall Dutch.
Kill K.I.D. 1 – A White Repertoire with the Four Pawns Attack by Semko Semkov, Chess Stars 2009, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 139pp. $25.95
The material is divided as follows:
As you can see from the above, the topic of discussion and the chosen method to kill the King’s Indian is the Four Pawns Attack. This has been out of favor for quite some time in grandmaster chess, but it is resurgent, as can also be seen in the Dangerous Weapons volume reviewed below. The author is Bulgarian IM Semko Semkov, who previously co-authored The Safest Sicilian and The Queen’s Gambit Accepted, both of which are quality books and worth a read. Similar to those books, this one uses "Quick Repertoire," "Step-by-Step," and "Complete Games" segments that make these books easy to read and the openings easier to learn. Because the author plays the opening himself, he clearly knows the ins and outs of the variations and he occasionally recounts the process of find the ones that are presented in the book. I found a few omissions; for instance, one line recommended for Black in the Dangerous Weapons book, as well as a couple less significant lines, but overall the coverage is very impressive and detailed. Furthermore, the author has included lines of the Modern and other related variations that are often neglected in other books. The lines recommended in those chapters are quite different in style from the rest of the book, but it isn’t always a good idea to be a swashbuckler when the opening doesn’t call for it. While there is plenty of prose throughout the book, I find it to be a bit too advanced for players rated below 1900 or so, but for those rated above, this book will make an excellent read.
Dangerous Weapons: The King’s Indian by Richard Palliser, Glenn Flear & Yelena Dembo, Everyman Chess 2009, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 272pp. $24.95
The material is divided as follows:
Dembo wrote chapters 1, 6, 12, 13 and 14; Flear 3, 4, 9 and 10; while Palliser took care of 2, 5, 7, 8 and 11. The book opens with a bang with several truly fascinating ideas; chapter 2 especially blew me away, because I have played the Four Pawns as White, but didn’t realize that Black could actually play 6...e5!? against it. Palliser’s presentation is very compelling, and I feel quite confident that we will see this played far more frequently. Also, the two chapters by Flear on some interesting alternatives for White in the Four Pawns are extremely worthwhile, as is the line mentioned in chapter 12 by Dembo, which is dismissed by Panczyk and Ilczuk (see below). These lines demonstrate why a book such as this is so relevant, it goes where the main theoretical works do not. I did find it somewhat disappointing, and perhaps I am being picky, that of the fourteen chapters in this book, four deal with the Four Pawns Attack, three with the Classical King’s Indian 6...Nbd7 and two on the Averbakh. Thus, the vast majority of the book only covers three lines of the amazingly broad complex that comprises the King’s Indian Defense. Still, the variations are well-supported, the chapters well-written, and the authors have added a great amount of original ideas and analysis to their respective chapters. For serious players who are looking for a way to spice up their opening repertoires or simply find a couple of useful ideas, this book will easily do the job and then some.
The Classical King’s Indian Uncovered by Krzysztof Panczyk & Jacek Ilczuk, Everyman Chess 2009, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 384pp. $25.95
The material is divided as follows:
Even though the authors have given each subject plenty of pages, I’m sure that they had to trim their the coverage in some areas, because the lines discussed in chapters 9 and 10, or those in chapters 11 and 12, could easily supply enough material to write an entire book. The book is written in a traditional tree-style; thus, the variation-laden layout makes the book largely inaccessible to anyone rated below 1900. It may be a worthwhile reference source for serious King’s Indian aficionados from either side of the board, but the technical presentation can be daunting to lower-rated players.
The King’s Indian: A Complete Black Repertoire by Victor Bologan, Chess Stars 2009, Figurine Algebraic Notation, 356pp. $29.95
Its comprehensiveness can be seen in the contents:
In addition to the traditional King’s Indian lines, this book, similar to Yelena Dembo’s fairly recent Fighting the Anti-King’s Indians, also has chapters on how to play the King’s Indian against English set-ups. In the chapter on the Four Pawns I have compared Bologan’s suggested repertoire with that of Semkov and that of Flear in the Dangerous Weapons book, and found that he makes no mention of a special diversion made by Semkov, though it may not be as serious as Semkov presents it; whereas in the lines covered by Flear, Bologan makes a suggestion for Black, supported by some original piece of analysis that makes the line playable for Black once again. Bologan has proven himself to be an excellent writer with a good touch for keeping the reader entertained and educated at the same time. He constantly explains to the reader why a certain move is preferred over another and why the pieces are placed on particular squares. For a highly-rated player (2700!), he has a great feel for what needs to be explained to the reader and what does not. In the introduction, Bologan writes that this book is written for amateurs as well as grandmasters, and the writing certainly supports that. All in all, this is a truly great book and it should be purchased by anyone playing the King’s Indian as Black or White. You will not only take your understanding of this opening to new levels, but your understanding of chess as a whole will also dramatically increase. So go get it.
Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily. Readers' Responses Patrick from The Netherlands - You mention that Bologan does not pay attention to a sideline in Semko's book. However, he has now written an extra three pages about the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0–0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.exd5, which you can download from Chess Stars here. Filippo from Italy - I really like to play the Dutch as black, but I found Petrosian’s Proverb on this opening very amusing: “If a player insists on playing the Dutch, there is no reason to prevent him from doing so". Could you tell me where he wrote that statement? Miguel from the USA - I have always made ChessCafe.com one of the sites I visit often. It contains something for every chess player. Some of my favorite columns include Pandolfini's "Q & A Way," and Hansen's "Checkpoint," but all of them are really good. I still miss Tim McGrew's "Gambit Cartel" because I am such a crazy gambiteer myself. Anyway, I just want to applaud you guys for the new look - it's G-R-R-REAT! Also, even though I have only looked at it briefly, I know that a new favorite column for me will be Abby Marshall's "The Openings Explained." It will be in my list of articles I look forward to each month. Way to go!! |
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