Checkpoint
by Alexander Baburin
This month features two books and two chess CDs. Reviewing
chess CDs is something new to me and I decided not to give my
assessment yet (see The Ratings at the end of the column), but
instead give as detailed a description of my experience with
those CDs as possible. As ultimately there will be more and
more chess CDs on the market, let's start with discussing this
new product first.

Year Book No. 50, the Grandmaster Guide to Opening News
1999, CD by Interchess BV

I must say that it took me a good while, before I became
familiar with this CD. The main reason is that I am a
ChessBase user and other programs, such as Chess Assistant or,
as in this case, NiCBase, are new to me. If this program is new
to you as well, then this review may be particularly suitable for
you, as novices often have a fresher look than experienced
users. So, let's start with the very beginning - what it is, how it
looks like and how it works.

Once you have this CD, you insert it into your computer's CD-
drive and install it. The process takes little time and is
described on the CD's label. Presumably, the CD works in
Windows 3.0/3.1/3.11, Windows 95 and Windows 98, as
instructions are written for these environments. Once you
install the program, a 'NiCrom' option is added to your
'Programs' menu. By clicking on that, you see the following
screen: 2d

Let's go over this screen step by step, talking about some
functions. I should say that most menus offer you a choice
between English, German and Dutch. 'Introduction' explains
what is on the CD and how you can work with it. It claims that
there are tens of thousands of games on the CD, but to my
shame I failed to find how to list them all (to see what and how
many games there are). I managed to find my own games (29
altogether) by using the 'Game Viewer' function and typing
'Baburin', but when I left the field empty (I thought I was
clever and would get ALL the games listed), the program
showed me only 999 games. Maybe more intelligent users will
be luckier...

Anyway, you can search for particular players and see their
(mostly unannotated) games; for example you can see 552
games by Kasparov. Selecting one, you will see the following
screen: 2e

You can play through the game or overview it by clicking on
'Goto'. Annotated games on this CD are not particularly deeply
commented and this is a major drawback, as 'row' games are
widely available and in huge numbers. This means that the
main value of this CD is presumably in its 'surveys'. I looked at
a few of them and think that they are good. Here is one
example: 2f

You can scroll down and read the whole article, after which you
can click on 'Main games', to see the game(s) mentioned in the
survey. Clicking on 'Study' will bring you games where the
same system was employed.

There are 31 surveys in Yearbook No. 50 as well as some
surveys from previous yearbooks. Alas, I failed to find an
explanation how old surveys had come to make their way onto
this CD and which criteria they satisfied. One little point   most
survey/letters are accompanied by photos of their authors,
which is nice. You saw an example above   Glek's survey and
his photo. However, the survey by GM Belikov is accompanied
by photo of GM Szabo... OK, Belikov discusses the 'Hungarian
Variation' here, but this is still confusing. Also, some photos
are rather old, for instance Tiviakov's survey comes with a
picture taken in 1994. He lives in Holland now and therefore it
should not have been a problem to find a recent photo.

The 'Theory' section consists of Sergei Tiviakov's discussion
of the English Attack in the Sicilian Defence and Jeroen
Bosch's coverage of the following gambit: 1 e4 e6 2 Nf3 d5 3
e5 c5 4 b4. The 'Forum' section, where many letters are
featured, is quite worthwhile. Particularly interesting is GM
Scherbakov's letter concerning the QGA with 3 e4 e5. The
'Index' section is useful, if you have lots of yearbooks or plan
to buy them. There you can quickly find information on where
you favourite line was discussed. For example, I looked for my
favorite Alekhine Defense: 2g

The 'NiC info' section introduces and advertises other products
'NiC' is offering, including books by GMs Donner and
Timman.

It's hard to assess this CD. I guess that if you are very keen on
opening theory, you will find this CD useful, particularly if you
are already familiar with the interface of 'NiCBase' and their
code system (which does not look convincing to me!).
Otherwise you may need time to get used to it. In any case,
using just those surveys in your work on opening repertoire
may not be sufficient   they should be viewed only as an
addition to books and your own research.

'The Open Games' 1999, CD by Interchess BV

This is yet another CD from 'New in Chess' and this is how it
looks like, when you enter it: 2h

The technical side of the program was dealt with in the
previous review, so I will not repeat it here   it is the same
'NiCBase' interface.

First of all, the name is a bit misleading, as you will not find,
for example, the Ruy Lopez (Spanish) there, although I used to
think that 1 e4 e5 defines the game as 'open', whether White
puts his bishop on b5 on move 3 or not. Neither did I find the
Petrov Defense on the CD, so if you want to prepare against
Yusupov or Kramnik, look elsewhere! Again, I find the code
system of 'NiCBase' to be unconvincing. For example, by
clicking on 'Key Viewer', we get the following screen: 2i

This picture (key) is quite strange, if you think of it. Indeed,
why is 1 e4 e5 a separate sub-key, if the whole disk is called
'Open Games'? And what is hiding in that key? A lot of stuff, I
can tell you   for example 2 Nf3 d6 and 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6.
Isn't the latter the Italian Game, according to 'NicBase'?! Also
2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 is in the 1 e4 e5 key, etc. Now
let's look at the first key   'Italian Game'. I always thought that
the Italian Game arises after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3,
but little did I know... 

According to 'NicBase' the following lines, 3 Bc4 Be7
(Hungarian Game), 3...Nf6 4 d4 and 3...Bc5 4 b4 (Evans
Gambit) are all part of the Italian Game! I do believe that
definitions are important and cannot approve of this 'lax'
approach towards opening classification. Neither can I agree
with Jan Timman when he writes in the 'Open Games' that
"The Bishop Game is a variation on the Italian Game". I always
thought that the Bishop Opening (2 Bc4) is closer to the King's
Gambit (2 f4) or to the Vienna Game (2 Nc3), as White wants
to keep open an option to play f2-f4 later. Another thing worth
mentioning, in Timman's introduction   although it's available
in three different languages (English, German and Dutch)   the
same notation (Dutch algebraic) is used everywhere. So,
prepare to read something like this: "After 4...Pf6 White's best
continuation is 5 Pc6 bc6 6 e5..."   not exactly easy to follow,
if you are used only to English.

Now, what to say about the keys themselves? I checked many,
but certainly not all of them, and my impression is the
following: when there is a survey accompanying a sub-key,
then the sub-key looks good and one can learn from it. But
when there is no survey to go with the key, it looks like a
collection games, most of which are not annotated. Even
annotated games do not explain much, as it's all in symbols -
'!?', etc. Furthermore, some of the games are of low quality.

An interesting feature of this CD is its 'Famous Players' and
'Experts' function. By clicking on them you will find which
famous/well-known player contributed significantly to the open
games and what the contribution was. There is some interesting
and useful information there, but again, some selections raise
questions. For example, I would think that Chigorin merits to
be in the 'Famous Players' section, as he was a Challenger and
his contribution to the theory of the Evans Gambit was
substantial. Nevertheless, I welcome such sections as it's
important to show that there are people behind all those 'keys'!

To conclude, I would say that this CD does not impress me; I
would stick to books and game collections when/if I decide to
play 1 e4 or meet it with 1...e5. However, it has some value,
particularly when games are accompanied with surveys.

One feature common to both CDs under review   you can use
Fritz 4 or Fritz 5 with them. However, you cannot easily use
your favorite chess engine; you have to type in the path instead.
The path on my computer was too long to fit into the dedicated
line and therefore I could not avail of this function. I guess that
'NicBase' programmers should fix this problem.

As computers begin to play an increasingly important role in
our life, we may assume that chess publishing will move
towards this new medium and that there will be more and more
books, magazines, etc. appearing in electronic form. However,
personally I still prefer chess books and magazines (for
example, New in Chess!) to chess CDs   because it's awkward
to study CDs, lying on a sofa!

'The Dynamic English' by GM Tony Kosten. 1999 Gambit
Publications, Softcover, Figurine Algebraic Notation, 144pp.,
$19.95
This is sort of a book which you want to learn about before you
part with your money - it may or may not be for you and one
cannot judge by the title alone. First of all, the book does not
cover all White's set-ups in the English (Kosten does not aim at
that!) - it deals with systems where White plays 1 c4, 2 g3, 3
Bg2 and then develops his knight to f3 or e2, depending on
Black's system. For example, Botvinnik's set-up (c4, g3 and e4)
takes up a considerable portion of the book. On the other hand,
if you favor lines like 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 d4 or 4
e3, you may need look for a different book. This work would
appeal to those who play systems with Bg2 or have just started
playing the English Opening - you will find useful hints and
recommendations in the book. Before each chapter the author
explains how and why a particular line arises. Then he talks
about White's strategy (the book is written from White's point
of view) and gives some hints, which usually have something to
do with pawn structures, typical for a given line. One example -
on page 14 Kosten discuss the following position (See
Diagram): 
This position arose in the game Smejkal-Yusupov, 1991/92
after 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3 g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 e4 d6 6 Nge2
Nge7 7 d3 0-0 8 0-0 Be6 9 Nd5 Qd7 10 Be3 f5 11 Qd2 Rf7 12
f3 Raf8 13 Rae1 Kh8 14 b3 Ng8. Then Kosten explains how
White should handle such pawn formations. He recommends
taking on f5 (15 exf5!), followed by d3-d4, and if Black plays
...Bxf5, and f3-f4, should Black recapture on f5 with a pawn.
This is illustrated with well-chosen examples, which provide
valuable guidelines for the reader. There are more examples
like this in the book. Kosten is obviously not keen on spending
endless hours on studying opening theory and does not want his
reader to do so. Thus, he recommends rather rare lines, which
are sound nonetheless. For example, after 1 c4 c5 2 g3 Nf6 3
Bg2 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Nc3 Nc7 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 0-0 e5 (See
Diagram):
Here, instead of going into the most fashionable line 8 d3 Be7 9
Nd2, Kosten analyses the less common 8 Ne1, with the idea of
taking on c6, with the knight coming into play via d3. Good
explanations of White's ideas and the availability of rather off-
beat lines, which still contain some poison, are the strong points
of this book.
Yet, there are drawbacks too. Sometimes Kosten cuts off
discussion of lines very early - for example, on page 65 after 1
c4 e5 2 g3 f5 3 Bg2 Nf6 4 d4 Bb4+ 5 Bd2 Bxd2+ 6 Qxd2 d6 7
Nc3 0-0 8 e3 c6 he writes "with chances of equality." This may
not be enough information for some readers. I also feel that the
lines with 1...e6 and 1...c6 are not covered as well, as the
systems with 1...e5 or 1...c5. Kosten also occasionally remarks
that he does not understand why those who do not play 1 e4 are
happy to play 1...e5 after 1 c4. To me this is strange, as such an
experienced GM as Kosten should know about strange souls
(like yours truly!) who do not play the King's Indian, Grnfeld,
Nimzo-Indian or Hedgehog with Black, preferring to grab a
pawn after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4. When we see 1 c4, we feel
tricked and decide to 'punish' it with 1...e5 - it as simple as that!
On page 66 after 1 c4 e5 2 g3 d5 Kosten writes: "This is not
quite as silly as it seems and has been played by Maliutin a few
times..." If you know who Maliutin is, this makes perfect sense,
but what if you don't? Is he a GM or NM? I have met him at
some tournaments, but cannot be sure whether he is a GM or
IM. There is also a problem with the pagination, (at least in my
review copy!) for which the typesetter is probably responsible -
pages 11 and 13 are reversed in the book. So, you finish reading
page 11 and... then you may wonder for a few minutes what has
happened and what you are missing. Finally, a remark that has
nothing to do with opening theory - on page 6 Kosten writes:
"...played on a regular basis, by the English (unofficial) World
Champion, Howard Staunton." Perhaps I am splitting hairs, but
personally I fear that this way we may make many new World
Champions en passant - it may be more appropriate to put it
like this: "(unofficial World Champion), Howard Staunton". At
any rate, all in all, this is a very useful book, if you play certain
lines of the English Opening with White and/or you are looking
for some new ideas to try.
My assessment of this book: ***.

'Guide to the Bogo-Indian' by IM Steffen Pedersen. 1998
Gambit Publications, Softcover, Figurine Algebraic Notation,
160pp., $19.95 
After I read this book, the phrase 'as good as it gets' came to my
mind - I think that this work is as good as an opening guide can
get! IM Pedersen did a very good job, explaining the various
points of the Bogo-Indian and providing valuable information
for those who would like to start playing it as well as those who
play it already. I like Gambit's 'Quick Summary' system very
much, which is great for digesting the information. Each
chapter starts with a 'Typical Pawn Structures' section (sounds
like music to my ears!), where the author introduces a pawn
skeleton, most typical for the line analyzed later. Then (in
'Planning for White' and 'Planning for Black' sections) he
explains how such pawn formations should be handled. Only
then is the reader given 'The Theory of...' section, where there is
enough information to chose from. This is more of a 'Complete
Bogo-Indian' than 'An Easy Guide to Bogo-Indian', so prepare
to see some 'c322)' signs in the book, but Pedersen does not
over-kill.
The book is written mainly for Black, but the author remains
objective and does not claim that your life will be all milk and
honey as soon as you give that check on b4! Many lines finish
with the words 'White's slightly better', which is only fair. The
author goes deep into the examined lines; here is a typical
example (from page 95; See Diagram):
This position occurred in the game Karpov-Nikolic, Skelleftea
1989, after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2 Qe7 5 g3 0-0 6
Bg2 Bxd2+ 7 Qxd2 d6 8 Nc3 e5 9 0-0 Re8 10 e4 Bg4 11 d5
Bxf3 12 Bxf3 c5 13 Rae1 a6 14 b3 Nbd7 15 Bg2 Rab8 16 a4
Qd8 17 Qd1 Re7 18 Re3 Qa5 19 Rfe1 Kh8 20 Bh3. Here
Pedersen concludes the variation with "White has a small but
quite clear advantage." This objectivity means that the book
would be of interest also for those who may face this opening
as White.
There is also a very good balance in the coverage of Black's
systems, for example, after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2
Pedersen gives 4...Bxd2+, 4...a5, 4...c5 and 4...Qe7 with
discussion of each line in proportion to which each line
deserves. Perhaps 4...Be7 should be covered in the section
dealing with 3 g3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2, but this is minor. People don't
often give a check on b4 just to move the bishop back to e7,
while after 3 g3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2, the move 4...Be7 makes more
sense, as Black wants a particular line of the Catalan. The
Catalan Bogo (3 g3 Bb4+) is also well covered in the book.
Another strong point of the guide is that Pedersen covers one
line of the Nimzo-Indian that may arise by transposition,
namely 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Nc3 b6. This means that you don't have
to buy a separate book to learn how to deal with 4 Nc3.
To conclude this review, I can only recommend this book - it's
comprehensive, objective and well-written. The reader will
certainly find it to be an excellent guide to this both solid and
dynamic opening.
My assessment of this book: *****.