wolfsblut wrote on 04/04/10 at 14:53:16:


I was just browsing the forum and came across this question. In the future if you have specific questions for me to answer personally, then a private message would be a better way to make sure I read it. But anyway, the answer is that yes the book is still in the pipeline. Although I am working at QC now, I agreed to honour my previous commitment with Everyman. The only trouble is it is taking a while since most of my time is taken up by the day job. I'll post a notification here when the book is done.

Thanks lg - good points & entirely agreed.

Knowing that a line is recommended as part of a new White repertoire book should allow focus on an antidote to that line - that's (one of the many features) I like about the Pirc in Black and White (where that work is done for Black).

Similarly, having seen 1.e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nc3 .. recommended in Gambiteer I, I re-visited that line (I remembered vaguely Burgess being quite complimentary about it) and was pleased (as opposed to nervous!) when it subsequently came up in a club game. 

spam fritter

I think that a bokk for White is as helpgull for as it is for Black.
See the Alekhine Starting Out by J. Cox. It is a good book from
the two points of view since suggesting good lines for Black, helps
to White to stay tuned and guess what are the lines Black may play.

So, any recommendation for White against the Alekhine and others,
might also help the Black side since Black now knows that there is a
book suggesing such a line.

There are many reportoire books for White suggesting the exchange
for the Alekhine whuich suggest the "dreaded" Voroznev for White.
Looking at this it seems Black is doing OK.

Note also that the book by Khalifman on White against some 1.e4
defences is also quite usefull for Black.

Anyway, it is not clear to me what is going to be the suggestion against
the Alekhine. Anything which is not the Modern 4.Nf3 should be considered only as side line that may help White gain as a surprise.

Ha, the Goldman variation. Did not know it is under a cloud, and I very much doubt it is, really. Fans (mostly 1.Nc3-players) always refer to a correspondence game Negele-Melson, which is an example of the d4-gambit.

I do not know the  book you are looking for.

I hope the following is useful:
1) I would recommend Harald Keilhack's "Knight to the Left" if you want to surprise your opponent. This book covers almost everything after 1.Sc3.

Maybe you are interested in some of these lines: 
Caro-Kann
1. e4 c6 2.Sc3 d5 3.Df3!? (not even mentioned in the recent book of Wells)
                         3.d3  or 3.g3 (a very low-theoretical approach indeed) 
                         3.f4 (Van Geet)
                         3.Sf3
                         3. De2

Aljekhine
1.e4 Sf6  2.Sc3 (detailed coverage)
Of course black can transpose to the Vienna, but this happens seldom below expert level.
If black does not transpose, then white scores very well (look at Hector's games).

Center Counter
1.e4 d5 2.Sc3
but according to Wahls black has
2...dxe4 3.Sxe4 Dd5; 
now white's best is 4.Sc3
and we are back in the main line of the center counter.
Many black players know this move-order trick.

Pirc
White could build up with Sc3, Lc4, f4, Sf3, d3; 
but I have to admit that I lost an important game in this
variation as white.

2) If you want a mainstream repertoire,
then Kaufman's "The Chess advantage for Black and White"
looks interesting.
Kaufman recommends against
Pirc : 150 Attack
Modern: Play in Lopez style (e4, d4 Ld3, Sf3, c3, 0-0,...)
Caro-Cann: Short system (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Lf5 4.Sf3)
Aljekhine: Exchange variation
Center Counter: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Dxd5 3.Sf3!? 
(white wants a pawn duo at d4 and c4)

3) In a recent SOS-book they covered 1.e4 c6 2.Se2 (White wants
to get some kind of Caro Kann advance variation. )


 

                 

Dear Andrew

On

"You may be interested to know that I will soon be starting work on Beating Unusual Chess Defences: 1.e4, to be published by Everyman some time in 2009. It will provide a White repertoire against everything other than the Sicilian, 1...e5, French and Caro."

I wonder what kind of book will you write. Will you suggest offbeat
lines or will you suggest (even at the risk of being far from complete)
normal lines??

For instance, with respect to the Alekhine, I have seen repertoire
books advocating 2. Nc3, 3Nc3, exchange (and even the 4PA if you
consider older books). But in all of these books, the authors seem to claim that 4 Nf3 is stronger (which I agree). However, either i) for reasons of space, or that ii) White does not waste time knowing lots of lines for a defence seldom played. they skip 4 Nf3.

When could we know what you will suggest for White?

By the way, it is nice to know that a book on such a theme will
be written. And by as well (I liked yours on nthe Ruy Lopez)

lg

Quote:


The only book I know of that offers a complete repertoire for White against all 1.e4... variations without providing an entire 1.e4 repertoire is ECO B, 4th edition (2002).

Another added bonus is that you also get coverage of all the Sicilians (B20-B99), and have a reference work if you want to play the Sicilian or one of the 1.e4... variations as Black.

If you already have ECO and are after more of a specialist book on beating these 1.e4... defences, then I recommend combining ECO B with Mega Database 2009 and creating a database of annotated games with your opening variations.

Stigma wrote on 11/21/08 at 13:00:14:


Well, like I said, I'm looking for a bit more material on those less mainstream openings. Usually such repertoire books (including those books you mention) spend 70-80% on the Sicilian, French and 1. e4 e5, and in the other 20% the rest is quickly dealt with. Maybe they require less knowledge, but you can't get a great position out of the opening when you're playing a Caro-Kann expert, while you yourself are only using the 10 pages of one book for your opening knowledge.

Stigma wrote on 11/21/08 at 13:00:14:


Well yes, I could print it out, but I'd have all those loose pages... I know, I'm probably having too high demands, but if it is possible, I would really prefer a book And well, I'm not saying it should be precisely between 50 and 100 pages long, but I'm just saying it should be more than the 10 pages most repertoire books spend on one opening, and less than a whole book spent on the opening. Maybe that's still too difficult.

Stigma wrote on 11/21/08 at 13:00:14:


Maybe, instead of getting one repertoire book, since that's almost impossible, I should get some seperate books for each opening. Beating the Petroff sounds like a white point of view book; any suggestions for other openings then? Pirc, Modern, Caro, Alekhine? I saw "The Pirc in Black and White" had good reviews, and had a reduced price at a local bookstore.

Oh by the way, I'd like to add the Petroff to that list of annoying 1. e4 openings I only occasionally run into all those openings (Caro, Alekhine, Petroff) but they always cause me trouble

Quote:

I think you are wrong indeed. The main lines of the Caro-Kann (3.Nc3) and Pirc (Austrian) go 20 moves deep easily, with many deviations underway.

Quote:

Of course this is possible. If you can read Dutch I can scan a few pages of Merijn's Schaaknieuws repertoire for you - the sections on the Caro-Kann, Pirc and Modern in total do not exceed 20 pages.

Thanks for the reply. However, like you said, the 3rd book has 300 pages devoted to the Caro-Kann. Of course I'd like to play well against the Caro-Kann, but I'd prefer a slightly more comprehensive explanation than 300 pages for an opening I don't run into that often. And I'd still be buying the book almost only for the Caro-Kann, so I'd need at least one other book for the other black openings.

The same goes for the 4th book; if it only contains two of the 1. e4 openings, that means I'd still need other books. So then I could almost just as well buy a Caro-Kann book, a Pirc book, and a Modern book...

Maybe I'm wrong, but aren't openings like the Modern, Pirc and Caro-Kann less theoretical (for white) than, say, the Najdorf, Sveshnikov and Dragon? If there are single books devoted to the whole Sicilian, like Experts vs. the Sicilian, then shouldn't it also be possible to devote one book to all annoying 1. e4 openings?

If there was a (good) book with about 50-100 pages for the Caro-Kann, Pirc, Modern and Scandinavian (and perhaps some others) I would definetely want it. But I can't find such a book...

Hi all,

Lately I've been working on my white repertoire, with 1. e4 as the basis and basically "playing the main lines" against most openings. For playing against the Sicilian, I purchased "Experts vs. the Sicilian" which I really liked, since it basically covers all of black's Sicilian openings, but also chooses variations that could very well turn out in white's favor. Against the French I'm currently happy with the Advance French, and against 1. e4 I sometimes play the Ruy Lopez main lines, and sometimes the Ruy Lopez Exchange.

However, against the Caro-Kann, Pirc, Modern and some variations of the Scandinavian, I don't really know how to play as white. I'm looking for some sort of repertoire against those openings where white has good chances for an advantage from the opening, but without having to study the "whole" Caro, Pirc, Modern and having to purchase three separate books. And that's what my question is about: Does anyone know a good repertoire book against those openings, from the white point of view?

I already have "Attacking with 1. e4" from John Emms, but the 45 pages used for the Caro, Pirc, Modern and Scandinavian just can't be enough to give a complete and good repertoire against those openings.

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!