bulgroz wrote on 07/15/08 at 08:39:35:



I also thought it got only one star...

The coverage of the 9.h4 Panno is one of the bright spots of the book.  As with most of the book, many of the game citations are dated, but there are some places where the coverage updates Gallagher's old book and also some correspondence games that I hadn't seen before.

There are two main games on the 9.h4 Panno.  The first game is a 1992 Karpov-Kindermann game, but the authors cover in the notes what some currently consider to be the critical test of the Panno.  I'm talking about the line 9..h5 10.Nc1 e5 11.d5 Nd4 12.Nb3 c5 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.Nxd4 exd4 15.Bxd4 Re8 16.Be2 d5 and now 17.exd5!  The coverage of this line seems pretty good and includes what appears to be some original analysis.

The other main game covers 9..h5 10.0-0-0.  Its a correspondence game from 1992, which improves on an old Rivas Pastor-Mestel game.  The critical line seems to be 10..b5 11.Bh6 e5 12.Bxg7 Bxg7 13.dxe5 (the authors show why 13.d5 isn't as good; the key is 14..b4! which was not considered by Gallagher) 13..Nxe5 14.cxb5 axb5 15.Nf4 b4 16.Ncd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 c5 18.f4 and now 18..Ng4.  Again, the coverage here is good, and the authors comment on most of the principal alternatives along the way.

Hope this helps.  

Perhaps you can post the lines they give since I too would be surprised if this is any good given that not lot seems to have happened in this line for so long and that Gallagher thought this line was pretty poor.

I found a review on this book: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.freechess.info&langpair=de|en... (the original review was in German, but here is a translation to English). 

Judging from this review, I find it strange that the book attempts to be comprehensive, when judging from this review, it seems to be set more as an introduction.

I would agree that the Controversial Samsich is much better both in terms of an introductory course in the Samisch and in playing the opening at the international level (ironically I haven't bought the book...). 

After reading all the reviews of this book, my conclusion is that the book is not a complete waste of money for players newer to tournaments (on another note, I think this book should have been in a Starting Out format), but the previous books on this system are much more useful. As far as tournament/international players are concerned, you would learn a lot more playing through 50 deeply annotated games in the Samisch from Mega Database.

Ender wrote on 02/22/08 at 21:03:22:


Very subtle Ender!

Can you post some of their recommendations in the 6.Be3 c5 without 7.d5 chapter? I would be interested to see whether they give any game references after 2003.

If it helps, I can rewrite the chapter and post it . Only joking...

Well, I went ahead and bought this book.  I haven't gotten that far into yet, but it's not as bad as some of its reviews.  It's basically a top-line survey of the Saemisch.  It is not a repertoire book; it covers the opening from both sides of the board and appears, so far, to be objective.  The authors make an effort to comment on most of the moves.  

The problem with the book is that it doesn't add much to Gallagher's book, which was published in 1995.  To be fair, the theory on the Saemisch hasn't advanced much since then, and where it has, the authors do note it.  (For example, they note the Lautier-Smirin game thought to be critical for the Panno.)  But, thus far, I have been disappointed in that I haven't learned anything new from this book.  The authors certainly aren't giving away any of their own secrets here!  

The comparison to Ward's book is more difficult.  I liked Ward's book better than this one, but Ward's book is closer to a repertoire book and does not cover all the lines I play (he gives short shrift to the Bd3/0-0 plan in the Orthodox and he doesn't really look at the h4/h5 plans in the Panno).  If you have Ward's book and like the lines he offers, then you don't need this book.  But if you want coverage of some of the missing lines, then this may be worth getting.

I haven't gotten deep enough into the book to comment on the analysis yet, but many of the games are ones I've seen before and they seem to be presented well enough.  Again, it's not the presentation that is disappointing, it's the lack of anything new.  I will comment more on specific lines as I get deeper into the book or if anyone has a line they'd like to know about.  For now, though, the customary list of contents:

Bibliography --  p4
Introduction -- p5
6.Be3 e5 7.d5 -- p7
6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 -- p24
6.Be3 Nc6 -- p38
6.Be3 c6 and 6..Nbd7 -- p73
6.Be3 c5 -- p107
6.Be3 c5 7.d5 -- p.123
6.Bg5 and 6.Nge2 Benoni positions -- p.136
6.Nge2 and 6.Bg5 other positions -- p.160
Index -- p.174

Silman has already commented on the bibliography.  It lists five books, including Gallagher's, but not Ward's.  And that's it.  It doesn't list any magazines, databases, informants, etc., but its clear enough that the authors have consulted at least some of these sources.  The intro is perfunctory.  

Each chapter presents a number of complete games in the usual Everyman format, with a brief summary/tree-like index at the end of each chapter.  In total, there are 50 complete games, one of which is an online blitz game (between GMs) and two of which are corr. games.  Rest are mostly high-level OTB games.      

Anyway, these are first impressions only.  If anyone is interested, I will report back later on some of the analysis and specific lines.

-- LeeRoth

Ender wrote on 02/15/08 at 09:51:23:

Me too! 

You know, if Ender is correct (and I'm sure he is), then we would learn more from this thread than we would from the book .

With respect to the Schipkov CD on the Saemisch:

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen95.pdf

Antillian wrote on 02/09/08 at 21:19:43:

The only way that could happen is if he changed his mind and deleted his own message!

I am yet to hear anything good about the book. Silman really trashed it on his site. Funny enough, I am sure I saw a post by one of the authors here some weeks ago defending the book, but the post seems to have disappeared. 

Every comment on this book is welcomed.

We clearly need to know a lot of information on it before deciding to invest some money on it 

ANDREW BRETT wrote on 12/10/07 at 16:22:07:


Thanks for this.  At 175 pages, it was hard to see how the book could be comprehensive.  Now we know, but sounds like its still worth getting.  I know you only had a quick look, but any recommendations on the ..c5 gambit?

The book is out and I have had a quick look at it. It's more of a games explaining themes and some topical theory. What it doesn't do is cover every line in detail. You will need something extra to cover that. Yet there is clearly some original input - get the book and you'll see a few new ideas/suggestions but be warned some of you might find it a bit superficial.............

BCM is claiming it is available right now ... http://www.bcmchess.co.uk/

Just pushed back further.

From Amazon:
Alexander Cherniaev (Author) "The Samisch King's Indian Uncovered" 
     [Paperback]
    Estimated arrival date: 02/11/2008 - 02/12/2008

bulgroz wrote on 12/04/07 at 13:20:47:

Me too 

bulgroz wrote on 12/04/07 at 10:01:22:

The book might be out but when will it be really available?

Looking over my previous post again I think that conviction rather than commitment better conveys what I was trying to get across. Interestingly enough the Saemisch seems to be Gallagher's main choice when facing the King's Indian himself.

Toppy

alumbrado wrote on 11/20/07 at 19:47:52:


I have that book too, and it was well written for its time. Sadly its of little value today, and following that analysis will only get black killed.

The Gallagher book is very good and thorough and even though its quite dated now, although not as dated as Watson's, much of the analysis still holds up.

I do not have the Ward book but would imagine that it mustbe quite useful for White being written by a lifelong successful advocate of the system. I wonder if my loss to him in this line was included, somehow I have the sinking feeling that it might be, ohh well.

Opening books/cd's/dvd's written from both points of view are usually no more than a summary of current and past theory and often lack a certain commitment from the author. This lack of commitment often translates to a mundane and uninspirational final product.

Toppy

Joe Gallagher did a book on the Saemisch back around 1995, about which he later wrote something like "this is perhaps my best book from a technical standpoint, but hardly anybody bought it."

For example, the Hansen review on Chesscafe.
Not bad, but also not so good.
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen68.pdf

Moreover, it is written from white point of view (CW is quoted saying : "However, back to what this text is all about: I’m not here to prove to you why the Sämisch wins for White but as my own interest lies with the first player, it is obviously written with King’s Indian bashing in mind!"), and I wanted a general overview of the system

bulgroz wrote on 11/19/07 at 16:38:55:


What was wrong with Ward's book if you don't mind my asking, especially when one considers that he is big expert in this system and has played nothing else for over two decades.

Toppy

drkodos wrote on 11/19/07 at 15:49:48:


I wanted to post on this topic four or five days ago after reading the blurb and I have forgotten what it was about  

I also hope that further comments on this book will be given on that topic.
I very much wait for a good book on the saëmisch KI, because the book on the same subject by Ward has not been well received by the critics.

Not published yet Blugroz. Is easier to have a look at books after they are published. Patience comrades. Maybe it will be in your christmas stocking.

The answer is there: http://www.everymanchess.com/display.php?id=451
It could be a very good complement to Chris Ward's book. Something as what Vigus' book on the Pirc is for the one written by Chernin and Alburt.