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

Author - John Watson ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Gambit Publications was reviewed on 12-Dec-2008.

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1) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. This volume covers the QP openings.

Like Volume 1 it explains the concepts concerning pawn structure and piece placement, rather than give variations to memorize.

If you want to understand WHAT to do in an opening, rather than HOW to do it, these are the books for you.¤

2) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. Very thorough book. I have yet to finish it, but studying the techiniques takes time. If your a chess enthusiast and want to expand your knowledge of chess openings then I would recommend this book.¤

3) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. First, I must confess that I have only read the chapters on the Queen´s Gambit Declined and the King´s Indian Defense.

Queen´s Gambit Declined chapter
He gives detailed descriptions of the major themes of both the classical and exchange variations. I especially liked his discussion of the Tartakower Defense. I found his discussion of move orders to be quite interesting, subtle and useful.

I should mention that the section, "Declining the Gambit; Other Second Moves", provides important information about the Marshall Defense, Baltic Defense, Albin Counter Gambit and Tchigorin Defense. In my view, the entire Queen´s Gambit chapter is a "must read" for anyone who plays this opening or for all players who really wants to deepen their chess knowledge.

King´s Indian Defense chapter

I have played the Strongpoint Variation (page 208) for many years but was not aware of many of the themes in this line. Watson´s clearly describes various strategies that Black has used against 8.Be3, 8.Re1, and 8.d5. Again, a "must read" in my opinion.

To conclude, as always, Watson has a wonderful knack for describing specific strategies of openings and their variations while also providing interesting example games that illustrate these strategies.¤

4) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. Well, I followed my own advice and got this book, even though I haven´t
played 1.d4 in about 20 years. I wasn´t disappointed. Just as in
Volume 1, this book is full of good practical knowledge and deep
insights, tying the 1.d4 openings to fundamental principles, and to
important concrete ideas. Through the theme of "cross-pollination,"
we can see the give and take between different opening systems. As
always with Watson, it is also beautifully written and a pleasure to
read. This book helps me to prepare lessons for my students, and who
knows, maybe I´ll dust off that Queen´s Gambit sometime.
¤

5) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. This is the book I´ve been waiting for. The usual approach to chess openings is to memorize piles and piles of endless variations, and hope to outbook your opponent. But we all realize how futile and unsatifsying that really is. Finally we have a book here that truly explains the ideas behind the moves. It also explains why certain moves are not played. It connects different openings to each other, so that you know what to do when your opponent inevitably veers away from theory. And furthermore, it helps you to handle tricky move-orders, which were always confusing to me before. With this book and his Strategy books, I think I´m starting to understand chess.¤

6) Paperback Book Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 by Gambit Publications. For most chess-players, opening study is sheer hard work. It is hard to know what is important and what is not, and when specific knowledge is vital, or when a more general understanding is sufficient. Tragically often, once the opening is over, a player won´t know what plan to follow, or even understand why his pieces are on the squares on which they sit. John Watson seeks to help chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. In his previous books on chess strategy, he explained vital concepts that had previously been the domain only of top-class players. Here he does likewise for the openings, explaining how flexible thinking and notions such as ´rule-independence´ can apply to the opening too. Watson presents a wide-ranging view of the way in which top-class players really handle the opening, rather than an idealized and simplified model.

This volume, focusing on queen´s pawn openings, is a book that will make chess-players think hard about how they begin their games. It also offers both entertainment and challenging study material in openings such as the Nimzo-Indian, King´s Indian and the entire Queen´s Gambit complex.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 9-Jan-2009, 19046006979781904600695, 131-031-721-921-031-971-8

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