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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) is there a good book on the petroff? (Read 26329 times)
zoo
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #7 - 11/25/09 at 10:37:24
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The Petroff and Berlin are unique in the sense that they allow White a straightforward draw in the way, so you can't play them everytime. People playing these openings certainly know it, but I wonder if it's properly stated in the reference books? of course, one who can beat everyone with White doesn't care about the draw, but for most of us...

@ BlkSabb : for the Shirov DVD with 6...Bd6, do you mean 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6, or 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Bd6 avoiding 5...Nd7 with either 6.Nxf7, 6.Nxd7 or 6.Qe2 to follow? What does Shirov recommend in the 3.d4 variation, if I may ask?   
  
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BlkSabb
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #6 - 11/25/09 at 00:23:50
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You can probably learn a lot from Beating the Petroff even though it's intended for the white side.  It's a great book using the main lines.  Har Zvi has some videos called New Ideas in the Petroff that he did for Chess.FM that might be useful.  I think you should just stick with the Kasimdzhanov DVD and print out the material if you want a hard copy.

The Shirov DVD is also pretty entertaining and he recommends the 6...Bd6 variation for a more exciting game with Black.  I played it some and I never got draws.

For a book source for Black I think Raetsky and Chetverik is your only choice.  Fortunately it's a pretty decent book.

What will you do on 2 Bc4 though?  How will you prepare for it?
  
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BPaulsen
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #5 - 11/24/09 at 21:52:17
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@zoo

Forced draws in certain openings aren't that big of a deal.

White players need to win in tournaments, too, and I doubt they're going to be salivating over a chance to draw you by perpetual check.
  

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slates
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #4 - 11/24/09 at 19:04:30
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I recently started using the Petroff (very low level, lots of online blitz) and I haven't drawn with it yet. I used to get more drawish positions with the Caro. 
Raetsky's Petroff book is good, in my opinion. I also have the Yusupov 'bible' on the opening which I bought a used copy of - intimidating, perhaps, but with plenty of useful exercises/sample games you can just dip into to learn from his annotations.  The more recent Yusupov book (Build up your Chess vol2) introduced me to the defence properly (with its repertoire building chapter on it) before I bought anything specifically 'Petroff'.  
I certainly get to play more Petroffs than Berlin Walls (one of my other opening experiments of recent years) which is encouraging. But there are also plenty of Four Knights games, of course....
  
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MartinC
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #3 - 11/24/09 at 17:07:26
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Bluntly it really isn't  your problem if your opponents want to force draws as white. There are pretty well forced draws vs a lot of openings you know Smiley

I guess no books as it has the reputation of being terribly dull. A bit unfair that really. Seems an entirely acceptable way to get a tactically interesting game to me. A tiny bit strategically limited maybe.
  
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kylemeister
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #2 - 11/24/09 at 16:59:25
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I dare say that business about a forced draw is overstated.  If you were to say "in order to avoid the draw (I suppose you mean 3...Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qh5+ etc., though it isn't exactly perpetual check), Black would need to choose one of a number of lines which should probably lead to +=", I suspect it would be correct.  I certainly don't think this sort of consideration should preclude something like a Starting Out book (there have been books on the Petroff accessible to "club players" in the past).
« Last Edit: 11/24/09 at 18:12:37 by kylemeister »  
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zoo
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Re: is there a good book on the petroff?
Reply #1 - 11/24/09 at 16:33:04
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to your last question : the petroff may be playable in the 2700's flying circus because a draw with black is considered a good result there, so they don't mind allowing the forced draw that comes in the 3.d4 variation. At lower levels, things are very different and the draw practically rules out the petroff as a weapon in tournaments if you are the stronger player.  It is not "equal" or "drawish", which are relative assessments, but "draw by perpetual check". The Berlin Wall is similar because it also allows a forced draw (the variation with a4), but if you get to the phase when you need to hold a draw with Black against GMs, then the Berlin Wall is much more suitable because you can defend in all variations (perhaps this is what John Cox tried to do with his book). So the market for petroff books shouldn't be very large despite its use by 2700's for specific reasons.
  
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endali
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is there a good book on the petroff?
11/24/09 at 13:20:43
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i'm working on putting together a new repertoire, and i'm including the petroff as black. if you're interested, i've discussed my reasons for playing the petroff here -

http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1258593205

so this petroff thing is the bane of 1.e4 at the top level, has a long history going back to pillsbury and marshall, totally sound and imho good for a beginner to learn because it has lots of open lines and 2-3 move tactics.

so imagine my surprise when i look on amazon to see if there's a book on the petroff, and i find that there's only a handful, all outdated, and all with rather mixed reviews. WHERE'S THE BEEF, MAN? the frenchies and the sicilians get peppered with endless literature, "starting out" books, books on sub-sub-sub variations, dozens and dozens of choices, heck, pirc and scandinavian have more literature than the petroff. how on earth has no one written "Starting Out: The Petroff" yet?

furthermore, here in the 1.e4 e5 section there is almost no discussion of the petroff whatsoever! the double muzio and the traxler and the frankenstein-dracula get more love than the petroff!  Wink 

so i have two questions, i suppose.

1.) is there a good book available that i can use to learn to play the petroff? i got a hold of kasimdhanov's DVD, and it's very good, but i can't scribble notes to myself in the margins on a DVD, i like books a lot better.

2.) why have chess book authors ignored this defense? i don't understand it - all the big boys stopped playing 1.e4, and it ain't because they're scared of the pirc or the scandinavian, it's the marshall and the petroff and the sicilian, right? so why all the books on these other not-so-solid openings and none on one of the most important? 





  
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