I have watched some of the comments on this post with some interest and it seems there is some resistance to The Sniper which is hardly surprising as there are several members with an agenda against
The Sniper fueling this post. I am curious as to why they have not referenced many of the excellent reviews such as from G
M Keene in The Times, & Spectator or from
Sean Marsh at Marsh Towers, both iconic in their journalistic field.
How they have not mentioned that
The Sniper is a fantastic modern opening idea that produces some highly original and creative sound ideas, all checked with
Rybka. It is clear in this post that when rationale was put toward
The Sniper argument the hidden agenda boys came out with pedantic and almost 'bullying' views. I am new to openings publishing and as this is my début authoring book, but I have seen already posts that are designed to dissuade readers from purchasing the book and trying to sway them to another and in some cases being rude and cheeky - I find all this all a bit sinister and I expect better from the Chess Community, I hope readers are not influenced by those comments, or if they have they have been to integrate some balance with the following from The Sniper Author;
The Sniper
took 4 years of research and then
14 Months to write and is packed full of amazing contributions to opening theory - To be concerned that I didn't cover all 5 openings that can be transposed to is a stupid critique that devalues that persons post in my humble view. If players or rival companies need to get there mates to do this then that should tell you how good
The Sniper really is. Of course not all lines are covered - but a lot of people have wished to be 'spoon fed' on some of the variations (Or have a sinister reason?)
I have omitted - specifically the poor h4 idea which is so sub standard and a poor hackers move I decided to save paper but I'l publish it at the end of this post. As many of the players here still don't fully understand advanced opening principles (Not Masterly Principles) I 'will spoon feed you'. I do have a Sniper Monthly Update Site which looks at all of the new issues in The Sniper, and by the way when say a book on the French came out did that cover every variation and accurately? of course not all openings are a work in progress - at least mine have been critiqued by Rybka and the excellent staff at EverymanCHESS - honestly some of the comments here are ridiculous and hardly worth a reply, however, I know Chess Publishing is an excellent and respected site and it is important balance is brought to the honest majority on here so they can make an informed opinion on how excellent
The Sniper is rather than a doctored one from sinister sources.
Out of respect to Chess Publishing I will not post my Sniper Monthly Update site, although I would be open to offers to becoming a Chess Publishing Author if they were to approach me. I'm about to show you why the White h4 advance is so poor to show you that its omission was completely justified despite whatever my rivals may have said!
Okay - before the h4 bust explanation; here's some credible reviews from highly credible sources - not just from the guy who has a hidden agenda against the most incredible opening discovery of the 20th Century - The Sniper.
The Times 26th Feb 2011 by GM Ray Keene:
I have been impressed by a recently published book (The Sniper by Charlie Storey (EverymanChess). This provides a powerful Black counter attacking repertoire based on the moves 1…g6 2…Bg7 3…c5 against almost any White set-up. I was particularly impressed with the author’s extensive experience in the variation,his chatty tone which undoubtedly assists the educational process and the fact that the critical variations have been checked in depth by the Rybka computer program. Here is one of the author’s wins with his pet defence.”Arguably, the most important review in the UK for any chess book - surely carrying more weight than a non professional?
http://marshtowers.blogspot.com/ if you would like to see the diagrams with the article.
Posted by
Sean Marsh Tuesday, 1 March 2011
The Sniper Revisited
As a companion piece to my review of ‘The Sniper’, I present a short interview with the book’s author – FIDE Master Charlie Storey.
When did you first get the idea of turning your Sniper experiences into a book?
I have played g6 systems my entire life – that is since falling in love with chess at 14 years old. The book idea did not materialise until 2008 where I simply collected my thoughts into a ChessBase printout and used it to try and remember the positions and also try and understand the labyrinth of ECO Codes that make up The Sniper System.
At that point I did not want to turn it into a book as I knew it would help me to win Swiss events as the surprise value did – and still does – reap a high amount of points with Black – crucial to win Swiss events.
Incidentaly, ‘The National Chess Syllabus’ was my first book and I self published it through Trafford. I upgrade it every two years. It has now been used by many schools in The UK and the Bandana Exams are available to take online (and are used in many schools).
Go to
http://www.wcoengland.com/tncs/ if you would like to try a Bandana Online Test with Automatic certificate release if you pass! I mention it because if any publisher would like me to take its next evolution and future evolution I would be open to any good offers.
Were Everyman keen on the project from the start or were you required to take a ‘hard sell’ approach?
When I approached Everyman, GM John Emms was quite enthused with the idea, I had been given a role as England Under 16 Olympiad Coach and had just defeated GM Keith Arkell (with
The Sniper) at the 2009 ECF National Championships. This was just enough leverage to get the seal for The Sniper Project.
How long did the book take to write?
I already had the ChessBase printouts but if I could use an analogy that was simply the Bones of the Human Being, I had no idea the Nervous System, Muscular System, The Brain, The Soul and The Spirit were going to take 14 long hard months after that! I had imagined it would have taken four months maximum when I signed the contract in November 2009.
The reason the book is as good as its (in my humble opinion) is mainly down to John Emms critiquing it from every vector, although I found this extremely frustrating I had decided to take the approach of ‘whatever John says goes – so fix it!’ In simple hours I would say approximately ten hours per week x 60 weeks =
600 hours. It took so long because I checked every line – many 10-15 moves deep with Rybka/Fritz. The many variations that aren’t in the book took up a considerable amount of time too.
There can be a temptation for to keep back a few secrets when writing about one’s favourite chess opening. How did you resist such a temptation, knowing that to reveal all of your secrets could lead to trouble over the board?
I wanted
The Sniper to be able to stand ‘The Test of Time’ in the critical evaluation sense – there was no getting around it as many of the creative solutions were simply necessary to circumvent White from getting an edge and when I tried to hold back GM John Emms sensed it and immediately told me to find better solutions to the variations! There’s no getting past John – we could do with him in goal for Arsenal!
You make reference to your private Sniper database in the bibliography. How many Sniper games have you played?
I have played over 3000 Sniper Games – mainly at ICC Speed chess and long games – my 4/4 at The National Champs in 2009 was the moment I knew I had something very special – I often play 2nd Class variations of The Sniper to enable its camouflage for when I play real games, although I still critique them professionally at my Monthly Sniper Update site
http://www.wcoengland.com/wp-login.php?action=registerAre you still developing The Sniper or have you moved on since the completion of the book?
The Sniper Monthly Update gets updated on the first of every month and is £20 for a year – I maintain, develop and add all content myself putting my Computer Graduate skills to good use. There will be analysis of all main Sniper games, analysis of my own and members’ experiences with The Sniper, video training, a free Sniper email chess server and 1-1 Sniper training facility. Users can also post their comments and I will be adding much more content as we develop new technologies – including a Sniper Mind Map!
I enjoy the simuls that I do across the country, it gives me a chance to meet real chess enthusiasts and sign a few books, to spice things up I offer a my fee challenge. It works like this: £50 is paid to my travel expenses, then my fee of £150 is shared amongst all winners in The Sniper Simul. Its good for organisers who can easily get 20 players to pay £12. This pays for my fees, motivates all players to ‘Take Out The Sniper’ and puts a few quid in the organisers pocket. Its a great event and I do them on Sundays 1pm-6pm. I prefer to do them at good venues – typically at football stadiums such as the one I did at Hull City F.C. which was organised excellently by Mike Butt and the Yorkshire Chess Federation.
If there were two Charlie Storeys who played each other at chess and the game featured
the Sniper, would you back White or Black to win?
THE h4 BUST.1. It neglects the centre and passes the central initiative to Black.
2. When it does comes to h5 Black is more than happy to trade Rooks.
3. If Black prefers to wedge it on h6 - Black will take on c3 with the Sniper Bishop and play a quick ...d5 Both Rybka and myself strongly prefer Black in this situation.
In Summary WHITE broke an initial fundamental principle (He who breaks first basic principle will suffer a disadvantage - you just have to search for it.) and was punished through 'becoming Black' in the central struggle and Black 'became White' in the central struggle - The only justification for that is if the 'h' Pawn advance gains something useful - Yes it wedges a Pawn at h6 - but I'm off to the Queen - Side with the King with and the lions share of the centre and whole host of weakened g file squares to utilise later.
My
Sniper Rybka analysis transcends many popular moves that I could have included as past Masters have sometimes played very weak opening moves due to not fully understanding advanced and beyond advanced principles which Rybka et al can give us - although it still requires a Master at the wheel.
F.M. Charlie Storey