"The Pirc Defense" by GM Alexander Chernin and Jan R. Cartier,
1997 Hays Publishing, Flexicover, English Algebraic Notation,
167pp., $17.95

The publisher's blurb of this new opening book declares that the
Pirc is "not for the faint-hearted ... If you dream of demolishing
White's psyche along with his center, then there is no better
opening choice than the Pirc." Well, that may be pushing it a bit,
but the bottom line is that the book does deliver in an acceptable,
comprehensive way.

The past few decades have seen the emergence of the Pirc (or the
Ufimtsev; or Modern Defense) from its origins as an eccentric, off-
beat opening (Alekhine declared that this opening - he dubbed it
the "Joke Opening" - had "no claim to any theoretical significance"
in the opening analysis section in the book on the New York 1924
tournament) to its establishment as one of Black's trusted defenses.
Well respected authors and analysts such as John Nunn and Andy
Soltis have produced opening manuals in these systems; to this list
we now add GM Alexander Chernin and ... Jan Cartier. Who? Uh,
well, actually, uh, we don't know.

Grandmaster Alexander Chernin is listed first as author, with a one
"Jan R. Cartier" listed (second) as a co-author. We dwell on this
not to ridicule but simply to wonder who might be making opening
theory recommendations and analysis. This is not an idle question.
For as one makes it through this fairly competent treatment of one
of Black's sharpest defenses, one should be entitled to know who
is making analytical suggestions and evaluations.

The reader is not told anything about "Jan R. Cartier." This is not
meant to slight or belittle Mr. Cartier. But we are told nothing
about who he is, what his abilities are, etc., etc. The book and its
analysis seem to focus on the games and annotations of Chernin,
but the material also seems to be presented through the analytical
eyes of Cartier.

Having endured this bit of opinionated digression, dear reader, you
should know that the final product is indeed a worthy contribution
to the publishing of opening manuals. Although the author(s)
certainly steer Black's play into specific pre-selected lines, less
good alternatives and the occasional untried suggestion are also
discussed.

The book is divided into nine chapters, each discussing a different
reaction to Black's set-up: (1) The Austrian Attack; (2) Be3 and
Qd3 by White; (3) 4 Bg5; (4) Bc4 Systems; (5) 3 Bd3; (6/7) Two
chapters on the Classical System (Be2); (8) g3 Systems; and (9)
Early h4 Systems. The book is well indexed, but laid out in a
confusing manner that often results in the reader spending more
time than should be necessary finding lines or determining what
variation is being discussed by the author(s). This is frustrating but
manageable.

The author(s) do spend time discussing the strategic underpinning
of many positions. Understanding ideas in the openings is often
more important than knowing concrete lines, and a credible job is
done is this regard. However, note bene: examples of praxis rarely
go beyond 1995; in the ever-changing world of opening theory, the
student should beware. That notwithstanding, most lines are
discussed thoroughly, although more definitive and clearer
evaluations in some variations would have been in order.

To the extent that (usually) one and only one line in each section is
emphasized and recommended, this book may be viewed as a
"repertoire" book, at least from Black's point of view. Thus, for
example, against the dreaded Austrian attack, 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3
Nc3 g6 4 f4 Bg7, the author(s) only analyze Chernin's favorite
reply, after 5 Nf3 - 5...c5. It should also be noted that if you play
the "Modern" move order, 1...g6 and 2...Bg7 in response to
virtually any first two moves by White, this book will have less to
offer you; most lines presented in the book already have the Black
King Knight developed on f6, usually after 1...d6 and 2...Nf6.

The proverbial bottom line here is that the pluses certainly
outweigh the minuses. Messrs. Chernin and/or Cartier have
produced a good opening manual on one of the more difficult
Black defenses. It will serve as a solid base for the student and
practitioner of the defense formerly known as Joke.