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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Worst chess books (Read 11397 times)
Jonathan Tait
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #18 - 07/22/06 at 10:40:34
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woofwoof wrote on 07/15/06 at 06:51:06:
[quote author=MNb link=1152714228/0#14 date=1152912498]But his "Who's afraid of the KG?" was utter crap to put it mildly.


there was some crap in that book, yes, but there was also some interesting analysis
it's by no means the worst book ever written
  
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M. Pytel
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #17 - 07/21/06 at 15:25:45
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In spite of being written by the former Russian leading grandmasters the collective work: "The match for the world championship Merano 1981", Moscow 1982 (Macz na pierewieństwo mira Merano 1981) should be considered as a flop. The book epitomises all hatred of some Russian chess circles on which Victor Korchnoi was exposed at that time. All the comments provided by the authors are one - sided and extremely biased against V. Korchnoi.
  
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woofwoof
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #16 - 07/15/06 at 06:51:06
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MNb wrote on 07/14/06 at 21:28:18:

But I also take up Woofwoof's challenge: Schiller's 1983 book on the Catalan is a more than decent introduction to this opening (no co-author!).


OK. Ive not seen the book, but I'll take your word for it & admit defeat! Smiley The Catalan must be part of his own repertoire I suspect. Wink

But his "Who's afraid of the KG?" was utter crap to put it mildly.
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #15 - 07/14/06 at 21:43:07
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MNb wrote on 07/14/06 at 21:28:18:
Indeed we never should let pass an opportunity to bash Schiller. Possobly his worst is the one about the Dracula/Frankenstein Variation: a handful of unannotated games alternated with quotes from Bram Stoker's classic.

Remarkable!  This sounds almost too bad to believe.  I gotta get a look at this one (be almost worth buying just to witness it!).
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #14 - 07/14/06 at 21:28:18
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Indeed we never should let pass an opportunity to bash Schiller. Possobly his worst is the one about the Dracula/Frankenstein Variation: a handful of unannotated games alternated with quotes from Bram Stoker's classic.
But I also take up Woofwoof's challenge: Schiller's 1983 book on the Catalan is a more than decent introduction to this opening (no co-author!).
  
The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
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woofwoof
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #13 - 07/14/06 at 15:52:14
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Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/14/06 at 15:00:14:


Kasparov's Opening Repertoire by Shamkovich and Schiller.  It's the only book I've seen, including all the Khalifman volumes, which shows graphically and conclusively that it represented the repertoire of the Master it claimed to represent.


Ah! But we must remember that Leonid Shamkovich is a very respectable & excellant author here. Ive no doubt that the direction & presentation of the book's contents had a lot to do with Leonid's 'vision' (for the want of a better word, or maybe Smyslov can help me find that word) Apparently whenever Schiller partners someone, the book is very decent or good effort. The whole trouble is that when he goes solo, more often than not, its as Miles put it.

Yes indeed, that Miles review was classic. Thanks Nietzsche, for sharing it!
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #12 - 07/14/06 at 15:19:37
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woofwoof wrote on 07/14/06 at 14:29:03:
Quote:

Tony Miles wrote a review of Eric Schiller's "Unorthodox Chess Openings "

I will give the full text:

"Utter Crap."


I think you wld be most challenged to name me even 1 of his books which wasnt!

Wow! It took two days for one of Schiller's books to be mentioned.  Had there been a betting pool, I would've lost.  Wink

BTW, I thought Schiller did a decent job in a book he wrote on the QGD Tarrasch Defense (entitled Complete Defense to Queen Pawn Openings) and he and John Watson co-authored (seems kinda like combining matter and anti-matter) one or two good books.

But Tony Miles' review is a classic!  And it well applies to too many Schiller books.
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #11 - 07/14/06 at 15:00:14
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woofwoof, I take up that challenge:

Kasparov's Opening Repertoire by Shamkovich and Schiller.  It's the only book I've seen, including all the Khalifman volumes, which shows graphically and conclusively that it represented the repertoire of the Master it claimed to represent.

Remember my early comment about Khalifman's Opening for White According to Kramnik not being representative of Kramnik's games?  And then Kramnik's own comments after a recent tournament? Roll Eyes
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #10 - 07/14/06 at 14:59:33
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There is a book on Spassky game's by some dutch player, called "Grand Strategy". It was quite a good effort to turn Spassky's beautiful games into an appalling book. Got a pretty cover though.
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #9 - 07/14/06 at 14:29:03
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Quote:

Tony Miles wrote a review of Eric Schiller's "Unorthodox Chess Openings "

I will give the full text:

"Utter Crap."


I think you wld be most challenged to name me even 1 of his books which wasnt!
  
"I don't make mistakes. I make prophecies which immediately turn out to be wrong." - Murray Walker
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #8 - 07/14/06 at 08:11:57
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Although I've never read the book, I felt I had to repeat my favorite book review of all time.

Tony Miles wrote a review of Eric Schiller's "Unorthodox Chess Openings "

I will give the full text:

"Utter Crap."


That two-word made me laugh everytime I thought about it for years.  The most succinct book review ever.
I know many of you have read it (or heard about it), but I felt this was a great chance to repeat it for the others.

Tony Miles is missed.
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #7 - 07/12/06 at 21:28:26
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Markovich wrote on 07/12/06 at 19:59:24:
Thank heavens those SI Editrice books are no longer being published.  I never saw one that was worth a dime, though I was foolish enough to keep hoping, and thus bought a few of them.


Luccioni's on the Nc6 Leningrad was a quite good compilation of existing games and theory for that variation and at that time - when databases wasn't everybodies property.
  
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #6 - 07/12/06 at 19:59:24
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Thank heavens those SI Editrice books are no longer being published.  I never saw one that was worth a dime, though I was foolish enough to keep hoping, and thus bought a few of them.
  
The Great Oz has spoken!
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #5 - 07/12/06 at 18:34:46
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Title of worst chess book has got to be close between this

http://www.beginnersgame.com/

or this

http://www.unorthodoxchess.com/

  
Those who want to go by my perverse footsteps play such pawn structure with fuzzy atypical still strategic orientations

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in the middlegame with you
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Re: Worst chess books
Reply #4 - 07/12/06 at 16:58:40
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Plasketts Queens Bishop Attack was pretty poor as well.
Not assisted by the "Revealed!" format which is short hand for
"Hide the lines and analysis".

"The Lion the black secret weapon" cost me a point in my last tournament. 

  
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