CHESSBOOK REVIEWS

Latest book reviews of 1 October 2023

Wilhelminalaan 33 

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The Netherlands.
           John Elburg


 
Chess DVD's

Master Class Vol.16 - Judit Polgar
by  Dorian Rogozenco, Dr. Karsten Müller, Mihail Marin and Oliver Reeh
ChessBase
 http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Euro 34.90
System requirements:Windows 7 or higher
Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet access for program activation.
MacOSX  only available as download! Minimum: MacOS "Yosemite" 10.10 


At last I would say this Master Class DVD on the legendary Queen of chess Grandmaster Judit Polgar.
This exceptional DVD is the beginning of a unique project where we can follow one of the greatest chess player of all time.
This superb made DVD from Dorian Rogozenco, Dr.Karsten Müller, Mihail Marin and Oliver Reeh is good for a Video running time of  9 hours(English)
Included with Interactive tactics test with video feedback plus
Polgar Powerbooks”: Polgar’s opening repertoire as a variation tree.
But first to the introduction:
Short biography
Opening
Repertoire
Sicilian (White)
Sicilian (Black)
King's Indian Defence
Novelties
Strategy
Introduction
Rogers-Polgar, 1991
Polgar-Istratescu, 2002
Xie-Polgar, 1988
Shirov-Polgar, Buenos Aires 1994
Polgar-Huebner, 1991
Shirov-Polgar, Madrid 1994
Polgar-Van der Sterren, 1998
Karpov-Polgar, 2000
Polgar-Short, 1994
Tactics 1-10
Tisdall-Polgar 1988
Polgar-Arkell 1988
Polgar-Chilingirova 1988
Chernin-Polgar 1990
Polgar-Knaak 1990
Polgar-Gdanski 1993
Ruban-Polgar 1993
Polgar-Shirov 1994
Polgar-Topalov 1994
Polgar-Ivanchuk 1995
Tactics 11-20
Polgar-Shirov 1995
Illescas-Polgar 1997
Polgar-Anand 1998
Polgar-Fressinet 2000
Motylev-Polgar 2002
Polgar-Mamedyarov 2002
Polgar-Timman 2003
Kortschnoj-Polgar 2003
Polgar-Berkes 2003
Polgar-Fernandez 2003
Tactics 21-24
Polgar-Karpov 2003
Polgar-Bareev 2007
Polgar-Yilmaz 2014
Guerrero-Polgar 2014
Endgames 1-12
Intro
Tricky Knight
Outfoxing Karpov
Stalemate Trick
Stalemate Joke
Knight endings are like pawn endings 1
Knight endings are like pawn endings 2
Mating Attacks
Mate out of the Blue
Mate or stalemate?
Opposite coloured bishops have two faces.
Fortress or House of Cards?
Drawing resource 1
Drawing resource 2
With rooks, opposite coloured bishops favour the attacker 1
With rooks, opposite coloured bishops favour the attacker 2
Endgames 13-19
Rook vs Bishop
Deep rook's-pawn problems
A storm of pawns 1
A storm of pawns 2
Technical Endgames
Knight endgames are like pawn endgames
The breakthrough
It is all about coordination
Duel of nerves
Bonus
All Games
Training Questions
Polgar book with White
Polgar book with Black
The database with all games and analyses can be opened directly.
Games can be easily added to the opening reference.
Direct evaluation with game reference, games can be replayed on the analysis board
Your own variations are saved and can be added to the own repertoire
Replay training
LiveBook active
All engines installed in ChessBase can be started for the analysis
Assisted Analysis
Print notation and diagrams (for worksheets)
In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so, breaking the record previously held by former world champion Bobby Fischer. She was the youngest player ever to break into the FIDE top 100 players rating list, ranking No. 55 in the January 1989 rating list, at the age of 12.
Polgár is the only woman to have been a serious candidate for the World Chess Championship, in which she participated in 2005; she had previously participated in large, 100-player-plus knockout tournaments for the world championship. She is also the only woman to have surpassed 2700 Elo, reaching a peak world ranking of No. 8 in 2004 and peak rating of 2735 in 2005.[3][4] She is the only woman to be ranked in the top ten of all chess players, first reaching that ranking in 1996. She was the No. 1 rated woman in the world from January 1989 until her retirement on 13 August 2014.Wikipedia.
Conclusion: Highly recommended!

The Keymer Variation - 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3
by  Leon Mendonca
http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
2023
 Price Euro 32.90
Windows 7 or higher
Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet access for program activation.
MacOSX  only available as download! Minimum: MacOS "Yosemite" 10.10



Grandmaster Luke Leon Mendonca from India provides the user with a detailed coverage of the Keymer Variation that runs with the simple moves 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 but if you want to win with these simple moves just invest the six hours of video time and I can insure you some smashing wins with it!
But first the Introduction
Early Deviations
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3
2nd move deviations
c6 systems
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3
Early Bf5 and Bg4
4...e6
4...Nbd7
4...a6
c5 systems
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 c5 3.b3
3rd move deviations
4th move deviatons
3...Nf6
e6 systems
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3
4...b6
4...c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
4...c5 5.cxd5 exd5
4...Be7
4...dxc4
The Keymer Variation allows white to avoid mainstream theory, offering multiple possibilities for each move and that makes it all the perfect life time opening!
Conclusion: A truly grandmasters view!

ChessBase Magazine issue 215
September/October 2023
ChessBase
 http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Euro 19.95
System requirements:
Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows Vista, XP (Service Pack 3), DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 12/Fritz 13 or included Reader and internet connection for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better

The main file of ChessBase 215 is good for 426 entries and where a small 17 of them are more than excellent analysed.A fine example of play is:
Caruana,Fabiano (2764) - Carlsen,Magnus (2853) [C11]
Norway Chess 11th Stavanger (1), 30.05.2023
[Giri,Anish]
1.e4 e6 French has become a part of Carlsen's ever growing opening repertoire. Nonetheless, the choice must have been a surprise for Fabiano, as in most of their recent encounters, Carlsen has chosen the solid Marshall opening. Französisch ist ein Teil von Carlsens stetig wachsendem Eröffnungsrepertoire geworden. Nichtsdestotrotz muss die Wahl für Fabiano eine Überraschung gewesen sein, da Carlsen in den meisten ihrer letzten Begegnungen die solide Marshall-Eröffnung gewählt hat. 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Main-line French so far. I recommended the Winawer 3...Bb4 in my French chessable course, but the Classical System with 3...Nf6 has a fine reputation as well. FranzÃsisch-Hauptvariante bis jetzt. Ich habe Winawer-3...Lb4 in meinem FranzÃsisch-Kurs empfohlen, aber auch das Klassische System mit 3...Sf6 hat einen guten Ruf. 7...a6 [Later in the same tournament Fabiano himself (playing the French!?) went for the trendy Später im selben Turnier entschied sich Fabiano selbst (FranzÃsisch-spielend!?) für das trendige 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 against Alireza. What a time for the French fans. Yuck. gegen Alireza. FranzÃsisch-Fans. Igitt.] The move in the game is less forcing and more strategic in nature. Black is preparing a queenside expansion. Der Zug in der Partie ist weniger forciert und eher strategischer Natur. Schwarz bereitet eine Erweiterung am Damenflügel vor. 8.Ne2 This was trendy at some point. White anticipating the queenside expansion withdraws the knight in advance. The knight reinforces the key d4 square, while the blocked f1 bishop can develop itself via g2 or h3. Das war irgendwann einmal in Mode. Weiß antizipiert die Expansion am Damenflügel und zieht den Springer im Voraus zurück. Der Springer verstärkt das Schlüsselfeld d4, während der blockierte Läufer f1 sich über g2 oder h3 entwickeln kann. 8...Qb6 Applying pressure on the center is the modern way to go here. There have been quite some high level games here already. Druck auf das Zentrum auszuüben ist der moderne Weg, der hier eingeschlagen wird. Hier gab es schon einige Partien auf hohem Niveau. 9.Qc1 Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.g3 [Another trendy direction here is Eine weitere Trendrichtung ist hier 11.h4 f6] 11...f6 A thematic idea here, trying to apply more pressure on the center. Ein thematischer Gedanke hier, ein Versuch, mehr Druck auf das Zentrum auszuüben. [The computer suggests the creative Der Computer ist für das kreative 11...a5!? , which has been played by Nepo in 2021. , was im Jahr 2021 von Nepo gespielt wurde.] 12.Bg2 The engine proposes the sharper 12.Bh3!?, but Fabiano understandably chooses stability. Die Engine schlägt das schärfere 12.Lh3!? vor, aber Fabiano entscheidet sich verständlicherweise für Stabilität. [12.Bh3!?] 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Qa5+ Trying to drum up some counterplay on the queenside, as White's center is quite stable here. The computer suggests a much more clever idea - 13...Qb4+!. Now 14.Nc3? fails to the standard fxe fxe Rxf3! and Nxd4 exchange sac, while after 14.Bd2 Qb5! Black has misplaced White's bishop somewhat and White needs to waste time trying to castle. Versucht, etwas Gegenspiel am Damenflügel zu entwickeln, da das Zentrum von WeiÃY hier ziemlich stabil ist. Der Computer schlägt eine viel klügere Idee vor - 13...Db4+! Jetzt scheitert 14.Sc3? am standardmäÃYigen Qualitätsopfer fxe fxe Txf3! und Sxd4, während nach 14.Ld2 Db5! Schwarz den weiÃYen Läufer etwas deplatziert hat und WeiÃY Zeit verschwenden muss, um zu rochieren. [13...Qb4+! 14.Bd2 (14.Nc3? fxe5 15.fxe5 Rxf3! 16.Bxf3 Nxd4) 14...Qb5!] 14.Nc3 Nb6 Black gives up hope of challenging the White's center and instead just intends to finish the development with Bd7 and Rac8. Schwarz gibt die Hoffnung auf, das weiÃYe Zentrum anzugreifen und will stattdessen die Entwicklung mit Ld7 und Tac8 beenden. 15.exf6! An excellent moment to release the tension, now that Black can't recapture with the knight on f6. Ein hervorragender Moment, um die Spannung zu lÃsen, da Schwarz nicht mehr mit dem Springer auf f6 zurückschlagen kann. 15...Bxf6 16.b3! Pointing out the awkward placement of the b6 knight. Betont die ungünstige Stellung des Springers b6. 16...Bd7 17.0-0 Rac8 18.Qd2 Natural, but just a little soft. Natürlich, aber ein bisschen weich. [Very strong was the more cunning Sehr stark war das listigere 18.Qe1! intending to meet in der Absicht, 18...Be7 with mit 19.Bd2! taking the sting out of the Bb4 pin. zu begegnen, um der Fesselung Lb4 den Stachel zu ziehen.] 18...Be7 19.Ne2 Fabiano is going for a pleasant endgame. Fabiano strebt ein angenehmes Endspiel an. 19...Qxd2 20.Bxd2 I saw this position and even though White obviously has control of the center and somewhat better pieces, I wouldn't expect Carlsen to lose this endgame in a classical game. Ich habe diese Stellung gesehen und obwohl Weiß offensichtlich die Kontrolle über das Zentrum und etwas bessere Figuren hat, würde ich nicht erwarten, dass Carlsen dieses Endspiel in einer klassischen Partie verliert. 20...Rc7?! A tactical oversight essentially. C-file is the only open file, so doubling there is sensible, but Carlsen, likely still rusty in the first round, misses a nasty shot down the line. Im Grunde ein taktisches Versehen. Die c-Linie ist die einzige offene Linie, also ist es sinnvoll, dort zu verdoppeln, aber Carlsen, der in der ersten Runde wahrscheinlich noch eingerostet ist, verpasst einen bÃsen Schlag in der Variante. 21.Rac1 Rfc8 It was still not too late to spot the trick and play something like Es war noch nicht zu spät, den Trick zu erkennen und etwas zu spielen wie [21...Bd6 intending 22...Nc8-N8e7 pretending it is all part of the plan. mit der Absicht, 22...Sc8-S8e7 zu spielen und so zu tun, als ob das alles Teil des Plans wäre.] 22.f5! A nasty shot. Bf4 is looming. Ein bÃser Schlag. Lf4 droht. 22...Ba3! Carlsen recomposes himself and starts defending excellently for quite a while. Carlsen fängt sich wieder und verteidigt sich eine ganze Weile lang hervorragend. 23.Rce1 Bb4 White is obviously having all the fun here, with the pieces jumping forward, but at least without the dark squared bishop there is no more Bf4 ideas. WeiÃY hat hier offensichtlich den ganzen SpaÃY mit den vorwärts springenden Figuren, aber zumindest gibt es ohne den schwarzfeldrigen Läufer keine Lf4-Ideen mehr. 24.Bxb4 Nxb4 25.fxe6 Bxe6 26.Nf4 Bf5 Best defense by Carlsen. Black is ready to give up a pawn with a well timed Be4! idea. Beste Verteidigung von Carlsen. Schwarz ist bereit, mit der gut getimten Idee Le4! einen Bauern zu opfern. 27.Ne5 g6! Strong move, stabilizing the bishop and giving the king some air Starker Zug, der den Läufer stabilisiert und dem König etwas Luft verschafft [Immediate Unmittelbar 27...Be4 was not even an option because of war nicht einmal eine Option wegen 28.Bh3!] 28.g4 Be4! Giving up the pawn is the only way to keep fighting. Die Aufgabe des Bauern ist die einzige Möglichkeit, weiter zu kämpfen. 29.Bxe4 [In fact the computer suggests Tatsächlich schlägt der Computer vor 29.g5!? here or on the next move, weaving some sort of a mating net around the black king. hier oder im nächsten Zug vor, um eine Art Mattnetz um den schwarzen KÃnig weben.] 29...dxe4 30.a3 Fabi plays it simple. Fabi macht es sich einfach. 30...N4d5 Carlsen starts stumbling again. Carlsen beginnt wieder zu stolpern. [The computer points out Der Computer zeigt an 30...Nc2! 31.Rxe4 and now und jetzt 31...Re7! controlling all the key squares and intending Nxd4!?. Black is actually holding there completely. , was alle Schlüsselfelder kontrolliert und Sxd4!? beabsichtigt. Schwarz hält dort tatsächlich vollständig.] 31.Rxe4 Rc3? Blundering another tactic, this time a fatal one. A shame, as Carlsen got back into the game after a long string of excellent defensive moves! Ein weiterer taktischer Fehler, dieses Mal ein fataler. Eine Schande, denn Carlsen kam nach einer langen Reihe ausgezeichneter Verteidigungszüge wieder ins Spiel! [31...Nxf4 Would diffuse some tension. Black is still a pawn down, but it is actually within the drawing margin, still. Das würde etwas Spannung abbauen. Schwarz hat immer noch einen Bauern weniger, aber es ist immer noch innerhalb der Remisbreite. 32.Rexf4 Nd5 33.R4f3 Rc3 The computer is optimistic about Black's defensive chances, though of course it is an uphill struggle. Der Computer ist optimistisch, was die Verteidigungschancen von Schwarz angeht, auch wenn es natürlich ein harter Kampf ist.] 32.Nd7! That's a K.O. It is never fun when the knights are coming to fork you. Das ist ein K.O. Es ist nie lustig, wenn die Springer kommen, um dich zu gabeln. 32...Rxb3 33.Nxd5 Nxd5 34.Re5! The final touch, dislodging the unstable d5 knight. With Nf6 incoming, the mating net is obvious. Der letzte Schliff, der den instabilen d5-Springer verdrängt. Mit Sf6 im Anmarsch, ist das Mattnetz offensichtlich. 34...Nc3 35.Nf6+ Black's position is collapsing. There is relatively few pieces left on the board, but given their placement, Black's king is under a massive attack. Black's coordination in the meantime is awful with rook on b3 and knight on c3 being so helpless here. Die Stellung von Schwarz bricht zusammen. Es sind nur noch relativ wenige Figuren auf dem Brett, aber angesichts ihrer Platzierung ist Schwarz' KÃnig einem massiven Angriff ausgesetzt. Die schwarze Koordination ist in der Zwischenzeit schrecklich, da der Turm auf b3 und der Springer auf c3 hier so hilflos sind. 1-0.
But there is more:As over 7 hours of video playing time with players as  Ivan Sokolov, Daniel King, Jan Markos, Mihail Marin, Oliver Reeh etc.
Opening videos: Ivan Sokolov: Semi-Tarrasch
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0–0 11.h4!? Robert Ris: Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Qf3,Daniel King: Rossolimo Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5.There are also 11 opening surveys:
Grigorians: Alekhine Defence 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4
Postny: Caro-Kann Fantasy Variation 3.f3 Qb6
Braun: Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
Quintiliano: Najdorf Poisoned Pawn Variation II
Papp: French Winawer 5.Bd2 (Part II)
Ris: Two Knights Defence 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 d5!?
Szabo: Vienna Game 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4
Hera: Petroff 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.c4
Kuzmin: Slav Defence 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4
Schandorff: Tarrasch Defence with 5.e3 and 7.g3
Edouard: Nimzo Indian 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3
Interesting to mention is the one from Rainer Knaak who presents eight traps from tournament practice - from the Caro-Kann to the King's Indian. You can see three of them demonstrated in the video!
Dorian Rogozenco presents the sixth game of the 1972 World Championship match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in Reykjavik - a "very impressive game, especially the way Fischer outplayed his opponent!"
Our special covers the great Hikaru Nakamura,And  Dr Karsten Mueller provides a contribution with endgame highlights by Hikaru Nakamura (video introduction + analyses).
This is a superb contribution! And more! Much more!
Two language booklet is included!
Conclusion: This is must have material!