Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4: v. 4

It took joining a local chess club and repeatedly getting clobbered right out of the opening to realize that in order to stand much of a chance I needed to invest more time in the study of opening theory. I already have a copy of MCO but it is heavy on spewing out moves, light on explanation and has more than a few typos that sometimes make following the variations difficult. I researched books on opening theory and finally settled on Watson's Mastering the Chess Openings series. This is a somewhat more costly resource than many of the others available (four volumes instead of a single book) but it's a worthwhile investment. Volume 4 of the series covers a lot of odd openings that did not fit into the other three volumes, some of which are not often seen in higher levels of play but are very useful for the surprise factor. Of the four volumes, this one is the one I use and appreciate most. It covers the following openings and systems: - Reti: Open and Closed Variations - Reti: Slav Variations - Modern Kingside Fianchetto - Modern Queenside Fianchetto - Gambits - f-Pawns and Reversed Openings (this includes the Dutch and Bird Openings) - Symmetry and its Descendants (Petroff, Four Knights and two variations on the English Opening) It also includes a couple of chapters that suggest how to select openings for study and also try to predict the trends in opening theory. I was especially interested in the Dutch Defense and this volume really helped me to understand the themes behind it. I have been successful with it though I still have more to learn. Watson does a great job of explaining all of these opening systems (or opening defenses as appropriate). That is, rather than give a summary blurb about the opening and then just prattling on with move after move, he walks the reader through the opening, explaining the purpose behind each move. Then, once finished with the main sequence of moves, he includes one or more instructive games with relevant analysis and variations. This is so much more helpful than a cold and clinical presentation of silent moves. Watson's writing style is very clear and approachable. He neither talks down to his readership nor does he assume that everyone has a doctorate in chess. This is a superb series on chess openings which will leave the reader with a much clearer understanding of not just the moves involved in the openings but also an understanding of the purpose and goals of any given opening and variation covered. Although the cost of the series is more than that of a single volume it is well worth it.

Parfait

Não é muito detalhista, mas descreve bem os conceitos de cada linha. Pra mim atendeu muito bem. E se você não é muito chegado ao inglês, é só traduzir os mais longos em espanhol ou português Portugal mesmo. Pena que o Kiddle não encontrei o português Brasil.

Ottimo libro, peccato non sia stato tradotto in italiano come i tre precedenti

This is the last volume in IM Watson's excellent opening series. This is a unique series in more than one way. Firstly, it is neither a repertoire, nor is it a comprehensive survey of openings. Rather, Watson has selected various openings for their instructive value, especially for the typical player. He treats openings as an organic whole, and ties them together, finding similarites in openings that you would normally think should be considered totally separately. Another unique feature is simply that Watson is one of the world's leading opening experts, and a very experienced instructor of average players. So the material in this series is of unusually high quality. This vol. focuses on 'odds and ends' openings not covered in the first 3 vols. In particular, Watson looks at the Reti Opening, symmetrical openings like the Petroff, gambits (including 'primitive' old fashioned gambits, and modern sophisticated gambits like the Benko), Reversed Openings, Double Fianchettoes, and irregular openings like Owen's Def, Larsen's Op. and even rare oddities like 1.g4. A special feature of this Vol. is a section on how to select your openings, which is in several sections aimed at players of various strengths. This could be THE most important section of the whole series for the developing player who has taken the typical haphazard trial and error approach that most of us seem to take. There is something in this series for players of a wide range of strengths, from serious post-beginners all the way up to masters and even beyond. I think that for anyone who has not already reached a rather high level of opening expertise, a series like this, which is based on understanding key opening principles, is of more value than picking up a monograph on the latest hot opening and memorizing reams of lines. Yes, if you want to be a titled player, you have to memorize a lot, but for us non-masters, we would be better off learning the 'nuts and bolts' strategic and tactical principles that underlie all openings first. This series is a great place to get that education. Highly recommended, along with the other three volumes in the series.