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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) C20-C59: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms (Read 45760 times)
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Re: C20-C59: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #46 - 01/15/12 at 22:03:24
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I like the book and the repertoire. Despite the admitted lack of aggression of 2 Bc4 and 3 d3, the repertoire generally leads to  positions similar to a d3 Ruy Lopez -- in fewer moves, and therefore without having to deal with various and practiced Lopez defenses from Black or the gains of space Black often obtains in the Lopez. 

GM Emms presents White with two plans depending on how Black plays (page 10). Plan A “holds the centre, keeps things as blocked as possible and slowly builds up an attack on the kingside.”  This may not be what more aggressive 1 e4 players are looking for, but it certainly suits my style and I am very happy to play it.

Plan B (usually in response to a ...d5 advance) “exchanges pawns on d5, castles kingside, pressures Blacks centre and searches for dynamic piece play” - which plan I am also happy to play.  I have been winning following these plans, so the proof (for me at least) is in the pudding. 

The book should certainly find a niche for players like me who enjoy the solidity of the d3 positions, familiar positions and the general plans laid out by GM Emms.
  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #45 - 11/27/11 at 15:03:13
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IMJohnCox wrote on 05/21/10 at 08:06:13:
Given that John's the head editor at Everyman I'm sure he did have something to do with the title, but so what? There's more ways than one of beating 1...e5 and if the Italian's good enough for a number of 2600 players (and John) on a semi-regular basis I'm sure it's good enough for us.

As for Gary Lane having done books on the opening previously, I'm assuming you've never read of GL's books, then? The fact he's covered an opening recently is generally an argument for another book rather than against, I should have thought.


I have read some Gary Lane books and while they are a good introduction to an opening they do have a bias towards the opening being covered to the point that it seems to be the "be all and end all."

I looked at Emms' book recently and it does seem to have some meat to it, delaying castling on the White side and anticipating a K-side attack. The reality is that it is hard to find any 1. e4 e5 opening, if handled well by Black, that will give more than a small, lingering plus for White.
  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #44 - 12/29/10 at 21:04:38
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MNb wrote on 12/29/10 at 17:18:27:
16...Bc8 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5 Nf8 can be met again with 19.Bxh6, but 17...exd4 looks better: 18.Bxh6 Bxf5 19.exf5 Rxe1+ 20.Nxe1 gxh6 21.Qxh6 (21.fxg6 Kg7) dxc3 22.bxc3 d5


Fllg wrote on 12/29/10 at 18:49:29:
Continuing with 23.fxg6 may lead to: Qg3 24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Nf3 intending Ng5 with clear advantage.

You seem to be right. I relied on 24...Qxf2 but with 25.gxf7+ Kxf7 26.Bg6+ Kg8 27.Nd3 White develops a winning attack.
Adams missed a place in the hall of fame.  Cheesy
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #43 - 12/29/10 at 18:49:29
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Emms does mention Adams-Kramnik and suggests indeed 17.Nf5 as an improvement without further analysis. Well, a book cannot answer every question. Wink

You may well be right that the complications lead to equality but looking at your line a) after 22.bxc3 d5 the position isn´t an instant draw. Continuing with 23.fxg6 may lead to:

a) 23... Qg3 24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Nf3 intending Ng5 with clear advantage.
b) 23... fxg6 24.Qxg6+ and White is a pawn up which may not be much worth while the Black King also has no shelter anymore.


  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #42 - 12/29/10 at 17:18:27
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The reason I asked is that White can avoid this with 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nc3 and 5.f4. This leads ironically to the variation advocated in Emms' Bishop's Opening repertoire in "Attacking with 1.e4".

Does Emms mention Adams-Kramnik, Dortmund 1999?
16...Bc8 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5 Nf8 can be met again with 19.Bxh6, but 17...exd4 looks better:
a) 18.Bxh6 Bxf5 19.exf5 Rxe1+ 20.Nxe1 gxh6 21.Qxh6 (21.fxg6 Kg7) dxc3 22.bxc3 d5.
b) 18.cxd4 Bxf5 19.exf5 Ne7 20.Bxh6 gxh6 21.Qxh6 Ned5.
c) 18.N3xd4 c5 19.Nxg7 Kxg7 20.Bxh6+ Kh7.

In all three lines White has nothing more than a draw. This was to be expected as Black has as many pieces in the defence as White in the attack.
The course of the game Adams-Kramnik was very dull though.
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #41 - 12/29/10 at 10:24:11
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MNb wrote on 12/29/10 at 09:16:45:
Including the symmetrical 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nf3 d6 ?


Yes, this is covered too. He analyzes the game Shaposhnikov-Lastin, Moscow 1999 and considers White to be slightly better after move 13. He also mentions Karjakin-Smeets, Nice (rapid) 2010 up to move 14 without giving an evaluation.

All in all Emms is very honest in his evaluations and doesn´t pretend Black isn´t able to equalize in this opening. Fortunately the equal positions are rarely dull and offer enough scope for interesting games.
  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #40 - 12/29/10 at 09:16:45
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dfan wrote on 12/29/10 at 01:14:32:
and the coverage of the various possibilities (Black has a lot of them) is very complete.


Including the symmetrical 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nf3 d6 ?
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #39 - 12/29/10 at 01:21:00
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By the way:

kylemeister wrote on 05/19/10 at 20:42:49:
Offhand one might wonder what Emms' book has to say about the line in which he lost in 28 moves earlier this month ...

He does spend a page on this game (Emms-Collins), and suggests 13.Be3 as an improvement on his play, amongst other discussion.
  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #38 - 12/29/10 at 01:14:32
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Stigma is correct. He has a couple of Italian plans, one in which White attempts to carry out the Nb1-d2-f1-g3 maneuver before castling and one in which he castles first. He indeed also covers the 4.d3 Two Knights, as well as pretty much all of Black's possibilities after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 (he goes into the Italian via the Bishop's Opening move order to avoid the Petroff).

I like the book very much (I'm 1800 FWIW). I've been using it for my 1.e4 e5 repertoire the last few months, having "graduated" to it from, ironically, Emms' Bishop's Opening repertoire in "Attacking with 1 e4" (which is Nc3/f4-based, rather than c3/Nf3-based). His explanations are excellent and the coverage of the various possibilities (Black has a lot of them) is very complete. I just had a nice win last weekend over someone rated 150 points higher largely because I understood why his ...Bg4 was misguided and he didn't.
  
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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #37 - 12/29/10 at 00:29:49
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MNb wrote on 12/29/10 at 00:21:10:
Main line against what? Emms tackles everything but the Ruy Lopez. Against the Italian Emms recommends 3...Nf6.


That would be Emms' older "Play the Open Games as Black".

The book under discussion here is "Beating 1.e4 e5", published this year, a repertoire for White built around the slow Italian with d3 and c3. Probably the 4.d3 Two Knights is covered too.

@Ender: If you want more details there's got to be an excerpt (with intro and contents) for download at the Everyman Chess homepage! This is true for all Everyman books in print and shortly upcoming. Have you looked at it before asking here?

Alias even took the trouble to link to the excerpt earlier in the thread.
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #36 - 12/29/10 at 00:21:10
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Main line against what? Emms tackles everything but the Ruy Lopez. Against the Italian Emms recommends 3...Nf6.

PS: I stand corrected in the next post.
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #35 - 12/28/10 at 19:39:52
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Can someone tell what is the main line in this book? Is this the same line that on GM. Davies DVD on Italian?
  

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #34 - 07/15/10 at 20:14:23
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One could compare the quality of analysis and then I would prefer Emms.
  

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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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #33 - 07/15/10 at 14:53:05
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thibdb13 wrote on 07/15/10 at 10:57:19:
Compared to Pinski's books on the 2 Knights Defense and the Italian/Evans Gambit, how does Emms' book perform?


There is no comparison, Pinski's books are reference works while Emms' is a repertoire book.

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Re: Beating 1.e4 e5 by Emms
Reply #32 - 07/15/10 at 10:57:19
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Compared to Pinski's books on the 2 Knights Defense and the Italian/Evans Gambit, how does Emms' book perform?
  

Yusupov once said that “The problem with the Dutch Defence is that later in many positions the best move would be ...f5-f7” but he is surely wrong.
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