Chess Openings for White, Explained: Winning with 1. E4 (Alburt's Opening Guide, Book 1)

Chess Openings for White, Explained: Winning with 1. E4 (Alburt's Opening Guide, Book 1)
Average customer rating:

Great Openings for Tactical Play

Good Easy Read

Openings For White

Covers a "narrow" opening system - okay for those looking for new openings or a first system

Good, but not for beginners

Chess Openings for White, Explained: Winning with 1. E4 (Alburt's Opening Guide, Book 1)
Lev Alburt , Roman Dzindzichashvili , and Eugene Perelshteyn
Manufacturer: Chess Information and Research Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Chess Openings for Black, Explained (A Complete Repertoire)

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Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 1

Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2

How to Calculate Chess Tactics

ASIN: 188932311X

Book Description

This series shows you how to start your chess games as dynamically and accurately as the greatest grandmasters in the world.

Three-time US Champion Champion Lev Alburt, famous for his ability to turn aspiring players into masters, teams up with two-time U.S. Champion Roman Dzindzichashvili and young international star Eugene Perelshteyn to give you a complete repertoire of opening play-as well as a review of all openings and an explanation of the principles of playing this crucial stage of the game. And although these books concentrate on the first 20 moves or so of a chess game, they never leave you hanging without a plan. The authors make sure you know the themes and ideas so that you can follow up your great opening play with winning strategies.

Chess Openings for White, Explained covers the game from the white side. You'll learn how to play and follow up the first move Bobby Fischer called "best by test." Fully illustrated with two-color chess diagrams throughout.

Customer Reviews:

Great Openings for Tactical Play.......2007-09-05

I bought the book because my current opening repertoire was somewhat slow and boring. I wanted something with a little bite and fire.Well, I got it in this book. The openings are fun to play, often creating very dynamic positions where your "combinative vision" gets exercised.

Things I like:
- The resulting positions are generally open and fun to play - if you like sharp tactical positions
- They have TONS of position diagrams - this is very helpful when they go off on side line positions. Instead of rattling off 10 moves and leave it for you to poke them out on a chessboard they give you the diagrams as you go.
- Their comments are easy to understand.
- I liked the heavy treatment of the French. It's actually alot of fun to play against as white for me using their suggestions. I used to dread it because I used to play the King's Indian attack against it. Snoozer if you aren't bobby fischer!
- I've enjoyed playing their recommendations for the Sicilian Grand Prix.

Things I don't like:
- Some of the prose is silly. It sounds like something you'd hear out of a used car salesman. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

One final word: This book is for the COMMON, AVERAGE chess player. If you are a IM or GM then you should look somewhere else. And if you are a IM or GM and review this book..keep in mind maybe it doesn't provide all YOU need to compete at your level..and maybe some of the lines AT YOUR LEVEL aren't sufficient....but at my level it is FANTASTIC and exactly what I need.

Good Easy Read.......2007-03-21

This book is great because you can read it without a board. This makes the material easy to absorb and you can fly through the book compared to some others where you have to go back and reconstruct a position after going through a long tedious variation. The openings choice was very nice and the book will give you a complete response to the black relpies without any major holes. The openings are easy to learn but you can feel free to substitute in your own lines for the ones that you are not comfortable with or if you would like to press for more in the opening. I would estimate that this book is suitable for under 2000. Above that you should work harder to get more out of the opening. My only gripe is that the cover fell off the first day but I can overlook this with the great content.

Openings For White.......2006-11-17

This book is good for beginers who need a quick start to opening play from the white side. It is not intended to be comprehensive in all areas but, to direct one's play to a repertoire under 1.e4 as white's first move. This book does a good job at this.

Covers a "narrow" opening system - okay for those looking for new openings or a first system.......2006-11-16

If you are just beyond being a beginning and are in search of what openings might be right for you then this book will be helpful. It does a good job of telling you about the limited opening system it covers. I doubt that every opening suggested in the system will fit most people. But with that in mind, you can pick and select parts of things and add from other books (such as a general book that covers openings and ideas like "Understanding the Chess Openings). You will need to look around and should listen to what well known authors have to say about different openings. But that is what makes learning an opening fun. I also suggest to learn the ideas in the openings get a couple of good books on opening chess traps. This will help you understand the ideas and tactics in the openings (there are a lot of choices for chess opening trap books). Understanding the pawn structures in your openings would come next.

In conclusion: I recommend as a first book to learn openings getting a good book that covers understanding of the ideas and gives you a general guide. This book doesn't do that. But, I would suggested it as a second or third book when investigating which opening might be best for you.

Good, but not for beginners.......2006-11-10

I'd had high hopes for this book, and they were mostly fulfilled. While this is a repertoire book, it's incredibly thorough. Based around playing 1. e4 and aiming for the Scotch Gambit (a fun opening and an old favorite of mine), it provides extensive data on how to play almost any defense Black can throw at you. There are recommended lines for major openings such as the Sicilian and the French, and minor ones such as the Philidor Defense and Latvian Gambit. Many lines contain theoretical novelties devised by co-author Roman Dzindzichashvili. The is also probably the most heavily illustrated chess book I've ever come across, with many, many diagrams not only for the main lines, but also the variations and analyses. The diagrams are clear and easy to read, and even a weak player such as I can follow along without a chessboard.

My one criticism, and I think it's important enough to cost the book one star, is that variations end without giving the reader any hint of what to do next, what plan to follow. For stronger players, this isn't a problem. But, for those new to Chess (or just those openings), a paragraph or two at the end of at least the major variations to point out likely plans would have been very handy. The book is already huge at 448 pages, so I would have preferred cutting out one of the first two chapters in favor adding text on likely plans.

Overall, however, I recommend this as a modern reference work to a large number of King-pawn openings, particularly the more obscure.

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Strategic Chess quiz
A treasure as well as a bargain

Winning Chess Explained
Zenon Franco
Manufacturer: Gambit Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 1
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ASIN: 1904600468

Book Description

Zenon Franco has regularly annotated top-level games for more than a quarter of a century. He has drawn upon this vast experience to present 50 hugely instructive games illustrating a wide variety of chess ideas. Key themes are illustrated by several games, so that we gain a well-rounded appreciation of the relevant ideas, and develop foresight that will enable us to make the right decisions at the board by anticipating problems before they arise. Topics include: Pawn Sacrifice, Exchange Sacrifice, The Art of Maneuvering, The Second Weakness, Permanent vs. Temporary Advantages, Regrouping, `Strange' Exchanges, Denying the Opponent Squares, and The Central Breakthrough.

Customer Reviews:

Strategic Chess quiz.......2007-05-25

This book consists of four main sections.

Art Of Sacrifice
The Pawn Sacrifice - Describes how to sacrifice a pawn to gain the initative. Games 1-6 discuss this concept
The Exchange Sacrifice - Describes how to sacrifice the rook or exchange to gain the initiative. Games 7-13 discuss this concept.
Exercises at the end of the section to quiz what you have learned.

Manuvering Play
The Art of Manuvering - Holding the structure and manuevring until its beneficial to change the structure by getting your pieces to their optimal attack positions. Games 14-17 discuss this concept.
The 2nd Weakness - discusses exploting or creating a second weakness when having the advantage to break the opponents defences. Game 18 discusses this concept.
Permanent vs Temporary Advantages - This talks about static vs dynamic advantages and how the two compete to win the game. Game 19 discusses this concept.
Regrouping - Moving your pieces and manuvering them to their best squares. Games 20-23 discuss this concept.
The Kings destination - Castling late or postponing castling for the sake of development. Deciding where to castle. Games 24-29 discuss this concept.

Simlification
Strange Exchanges - discusses simplfying to quicken the win. Game 30
The Queen Exchange - Dicusses when to exchange queens. Game 31

Pawns the sole of Chess
Surrendering strong squares to the opponent
You gotta give squars to win squares" as Bobby Fischer used to say. Games 32-41 discuss this concept
Kasparovs pawn center
Discusses the Kasparov pawn center with pawns on e4 and d4. Games 42-45 discuss this concept.
The French pawn center -
Discusses the structures that arise out of the French. Game 46 discuess this concept.
A Special center -
Discusses the exchange Grunfeld structure. Games 47-48 discusses this concept
The Central Break through -
Discusses blasting through in the center. Games 49-50 discuss this concept.

The games are well annontated explaining the thought behind each move.

A treasure as well as a bargain.......2006-10-30

This splendid collection of 50 annotated games is organized into four chapters, then further sub-divided into a total of 14 sections by theme. These themes include, for example, the exchange sacrifice, regrouping, the queen exchange, and the central breakthrough. Each section then features a number of top level games illustrating its theme. The four chapters each include a set of exercises, comprising a dozen or so positions apiece. In most cases the reader's task is to identify the best move (and justify it with analysis!), but there are a few problems in which the task is to evaluate the position or a specified line. Complete solutions are given at the back of the book. On average each solution occupies about one half-page of text, diagram and analysis, to give you an idea of the level of difficulty.

The games themselves are interesting, well-contested battles featuring mostly recognizable super-GMs of recent times. As with his earlier book, "Chess Self-Improvement," Franco demonstrates a supreme gift for communicating chess ideas. In fact, I would place him alongside Nunn, Watson, Stohl, and Giddins for the clarity and quality of their writing (in this case, some credit is due to the translator). The annotations are in themselves highly instructive, but there is much added value in grouping the games by theme. In many cases there is an illuminating progression of ideas within a section. Insights derived from one game are developed further in the next, for example. Or first the advantages of a certain structure are illustrated in one game, then the disadvantages in another. The exercises, too, tie closely to ideas explored in the games. The depth and cogency of this book truly amplify its instructive potential. A decent club player cannot help but improve by working through it diligently.

A straight collection of these games would already have been a great value; adding the exercises makes it doubly attractive. The editorial and physical qualities of this book meet the usual high standards of Gambit.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Old Money: The Mythology of Wealth in America

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poor little rich boy
Old Money
How Many Ways Can You Say "Invidious?"
Deluded Proselytizing and Detachment from Reality
You must be kidding me.

Old Money: The Mythology of Wealth in America
Nelson Aldrich
Manufacturer: Allworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Class: A Guide Through the American Status System
The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide
The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America
Snobbery: The American Version
The Official Preppy Handbook

ASIN: 1880559641

Customer Reviews:

poor little rich boy.......2007-04-14

The author of this book makes no excuses for his own wealth, nor for what he's done with his life of privilage. His ancestor who generated his inherited wealth was, basically, a crooked politician. His own achievements with his life of privilage have been pretty humble. He does give a spirited defence of an american WASP upper class which probably no longer really exists; it's hard to see the three character building trials (trial by school, the outdoors and combat) in modern wealthy folks. It's also hard to see the upper class having the privilages it used to: the NYT society section is hardly filled with the exploits of the Knickerbockers and Morgans any longer. It used to be, people like Mr. Aldrich ran the nation from the top; protecting their class interests in ways which are unimaginable today. Think, "robber barons;" -men in top hats who would give baksheesh to wastrels who would wait for them to drive by at the gates to their imperial factories or skyscrapers. Oh, his wealthy descendents still exist, but they simply are not important any more. More important are the class that makes up billionaires today; mostly new money and entertainers.

People should realize, he is talking about a very american group of people; the upper classes of other countries have nothing in common with them. I don't care if you're a Marxist or whatever; the american upper classes are different than Mexican or French ones. In fact, that's why you often find them in political alignment with the working classes (aka George Bush and the NASCAR set); they share a fundamental nationalism which the upper middle classes will never understand. America has in fact been very lucky with its plutocracy. They may start out pretty bad, but they mellow and work for the betterment of the nation after a few generations. Compare to the Russian upper classes at any point in history (or even the patricians of ancient Rome), and you'll see my point. One of the great fortunes of america has been that our upper classes are largely benign. It is a shame the folkways of this american social class have decayed with its confidence. The world could use another Teddy Roosevelt.

Old Money.......2007-01-10

The book was just what I expected. I had done some prior research on the topic, and the book confirmed my research efforts.

How Many Ways Can You Say "Invidious?".......2006-08-06

Hint: you can skim the first and last two chapters and learn all you could ever want to know about the OLD RICH.

In a golden nutshell;

Old Money likes old schools, old clubs and old stuff.
Old Money likes other Old Money.
Old Money REALLY likes MONEY.
Old Money is bigoted (for the most part.)
Old Money is tradition and duty bound to serve the greater good, except when it's not.
Nelson Aldrich REALLY likes the word "invidious."

I'd only advise buying this book if you are SERIOUSLY interested in the subject. It's not a breezy, humorous read like (outsider) Paul Fussell's "Class." Aldrich doesn't write about what Old Money wears or what kind of cars it drives; he takes a microscope to what drives Old Money, while never betraying his class by revealing anything terribly unflattering that we didn't already know. And, he wants us to KNOW that he's no lightweight rich guy dilettante! Allors! M. Aldrich parle le Francais, ou bien, il a une bonne dictionnaire Francaise! Qu'importe? In English or in French, this is navel gazing at its most erudite.

The book is particularly enjoyable when he writes about recognizable figures; J.P. Morgan, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, JFK, Tommy Hitchcock, etc. Curiously, women do not figure prominently in Aldrich's Old Money enclave. Aldrich does eventually acknowledge Eleanor Roosevelt (quite well done), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Doris Duke.

The last two chapters are the best. "The Prince and the People" and "Hemingway's Curse" sum things up nicely, explaining exactly why Old Money has painted itself into a jewel encrusted corner.

One complaint: the index could have been more concise. For example, Aldrich draws a clear distinction between patricians and aristocrats, two words often thought of as synonymous. Because of this, his definitions should appear in the index, yet Alrich's index is made up exclusively of proper names. This is odd for a esoteric book that puts forth so many hypotheses.

PS: After reading this, DO read Michael Gross' 740 Park. Gross tells Old Rich tales that Aldrich wouldn't touch. Reading 740 Park is like gobbling a gooey ice cream sundae after dutifully nibbling Alrich's hollandaise covered spinach.

Deluded Proselytizing and Detachment from Reality.......2006-06-29

This entirely absurd treatise on the "nobility of old wealth" is the most ludicrous piece ever written by a fully deluded and perverse individual. He attempts to convince us that "Old Money" is somehow tied in with the betterment and refinement of culture, of artistic values and family mores and a sense of "community values". I scoff at the very idea that the "wealthy" are any more perceptive or beneficial than those he calls the "rabble" at the bottom rung, their sole difference is that they are insular, arrogant, unsound and can effectively manipulate the corrupt system in place in the social world. They live in a world of delusion, segregated from the perception of the common man and of their own finality.

Entirely avoiding any attachment with reality or historical manifestations, the author rambles on, endorsing us with his vision of the world as a "better place with wealth". He avoids the mitigation of corruption, political scheming, murderous exploitation of workers, and unethical urgency in the characteristics of the wealthy. Don't waste your time with this unless you want to laugh, pick up Karl Marx again, its a more enriching read. Long live the proletarian!

You must be kidding me........2006-05-08

Please don't fool yourself. While I'm sure the guilt Mr. Aldrich feels for being born rich has been somewhat sated by his charming litte tome (might I mention the little known publishing house? I don't think the big boys would come anywhere near this book), I don't think it does much to change anything. I refuse to give credit to this man for "gracefully failing." If he were truly so civicly minded, I must ask, why has he not donated a vast majority of his fortune to charity? Why did he spend his career in publishing, and not in the non-profit area? He's the editor of a magazine on charity, for god's sake. Is there any more useless postion in the world? If this man were anyone else, this book would simply not have been published.

I have nothing against wealth. Who does? But the pure hubris that drips from parts of this book is just sickening. I do not like hypocrites. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

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