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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Two books principle (Read 5112 times)
MNb
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #13 - 08/22/09 at 19:20:02
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Even if you did not intend it that way (but you did write not reliable) you applied it by placing Schwarz in the same category as Schiller etc., namely the unreliable ones. Indeed, pity about that review section still missing. I would love to favourably review a couple of Schwarz books. I would explain why even these days Schwarz on the Göring Gambit is of more use for junior players than Müller/Voigt!
  

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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nyoke
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #12 - 08/20/09 at 13:00:38
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In that case it is easy to maintain your two books principle - just rank every book on every opening or by any author you dislike for whatever reason in that same category.


Partly agree. But I did not intend it that way. Some books by Schiller for instance I've found to be reliable. 

Pity we haven't got our reviews section yet...
  
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TN
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #11 - 08/16/09 at 01:51:12
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There is also the Informant principle for players wishing to avoid the most fashionable lines to reduce their workload: Avoid any opening variation that has 4 or more pages' coverage in the latest Informant.

I think this is a slight exaggeration but the idea is quite clever since by doing this you avoid variations which the opponent has a lot of experience with, e.g. Najdorf, Marshall Attack, Semi-Slav, Queen's Indian, etc.
  

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Daniel
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #10 - 08/15/09 at 23:12:16
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Lapshun's book on the Orangutan is terrible.

About the principle, did that mean the Caro-Kann was unplayable prior to the recent flood of books (Houska, Wells, Karpov)?
  
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Markovich
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #9 - 08/13/09 at 18:30:13
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Well I'm very happy to know that Alekhine's is a reliable defense (Davies, Cox).  Or if not Cox, which is merely a Starting Out book, then at least by this coming November there will be Bogdanov.

Oh joy!
  

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Willempie
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #8 - 08/13/09 at 17:53:41
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Maybe the two games principle. Openings are only worth looking into when a tournament winner has played it twice in that tournament.
  

If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
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SWJediknight
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #7 - 08/12/09 at 21:00:18
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What level of play does the two books principle apply to though?  I imagine that the Goring and Morra would potentially be worth looking into for many players at sub-IM level at least.

The Morra currently has two reliable books out on it btw: one by Palkovi, which was subsequently eclipsed by Langrock's "The Modern Morra Gambit".

As for the most "marginal" openings, as of 2001 there were two reliable books on the Latvian Gambit (both by Tony Kosten), and as of 1989 there were two reliable books on the Englund Gambit (Henri Grob, 1968, Stefan Bucker, 1988). 

In the meantime I'm pretty sure there have been phases when there were no reliable books out on the Italian/Max Lange Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 and 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4, which have recently been shown to be quite playable) and even the Two Knights Defence.

I don't think this two-book principle really works...
  
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MNb
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #6 - 08/12/09 at 20:45:27
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nyoke wrote on 08/12/09 at 13:37:38:
MNB, in my book that Schwarz is ranked with Schiller, Smith&Hall, ...not under the heading 'reliable'.


In that case it is easy to maintain your two books principle - just rank every book on every opening or by any author you dislike for whatever reason in that same category.
  

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.
GC Lichtenberg
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Matemax
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #5 - 08/12/09 at 15:00:08
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nyoke wrote on 08/12/09 at 13:37:38:
MNB, in my book that Schwarz is ranked with Schiller, Smith&Hall, ...not under the heading 'reliable'.

I also used the Schwarz book ages ago - and it was reliable then (as MNb wrote). There were no comp analysis...
  
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nyoke
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #4 - 08/12/09 at 13:37:38
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MNB, in my book that Schwarz is ranked with Schiller, Smith&Hall, ...not under the heading 'reliable'.
  
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TalJechin
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #3 - 08/12/09 at 07:57:15
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If it's any comfort you could add "2 or more reliable books *within the last five years*" - still, with today's publishing tempo any playable idea may be covered by at least both the SOS and DW.
  
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MNb
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #2 - 08/12/09 at 03:43:12
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Either it's you or back in 1981 you thought both the Göring Gambit (Schwarz and Smit) and the Morra Gambit (Schwarz and Flesch) worth a look. All four were reliable back then.
  

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.
GC Lichtenberg
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JEH
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Re: Two books principle
Reply #1 - 08/11/09 at 21:08:37
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Times changed ages ago. It seems you got left behind  Wink
  

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nyoke
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Two books principle
08/11/09 at 21:04:11
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Is it me, or are the times a-changing. I'v always held as a principle that no opening was worth looking into, if there weren't two (more or less reliable) books on it.
So this now seems to be the case for the Sokolsky (Konikowski's and Lapshuns book), the Larsen (Tait's and Odessky's), the Bird (Taylor and the Vigus mini-repertoire in DW: Flank Openings) and so on and on...
  
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