If someone wanted to "study" the Modern, to work through its inner wirings (not just moves and latest theory & games), how does the Fernandez book compare with Tiger's second venture? Is there a lot of explanation and discussion of thematic positions and ideas?

Straggler wrote on 07/02/20 at 19:01:29:


I know exactly what he was planning to recommend just over a year ago and we exchanged files. Suffice it to say that one line was dangerous enough that I had to sidestep it entirely! Of course, he may have had different/second thoughts by the time his book gets published. 

Regarding the timing of that, I suspect as an academic at Stanford he now finds himself with considerably less free time than in 2014 

fjd wrote on 07/02/20 at 19:09:51:

Hi.

In the Sniper book by Charlie Storey (that I don't have any more) this was covered under 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Be3 c5 4.Nc3 if I recall correctly. He went for 4...Qa5 I think. Was not interested in the line myself.
Edit: Also Tiger doesn't like the line afaik. he went for 3...d5 in his second modern book (2014) instead of 3...c5 from the 2005 book and wrote something like he made an oversight with that specific recommendation and so changed it.

If 4..Qa5 is indeed best then yea sure maybe 4.Be3 is kinda good. Also 4...cxd4 doesn't look overly inspiring. Maybe 5.Bxd4 Nf6 6.e5 Ng8!? when white probably should play for e6 at some point with some imbalances at least.

Have a nice day.

It wouldn't bother me if Tiger and Marin were not cited: why should the author of a Black repertoire book be expected to mention what other authors recommend for Black? What does bother me is that some recent repertoires for White are omitted, particularly Shaw. But Fernandez is a conscientious author and of course it's possible that he deals with the lines given by others even if he doesn't name them. On the other hand I have more than once found that an author omitted to deal with a crucial line given in another book, despite citing that book in the bibliography!

Interesting that he includes Negi in the acknowledgements. I wonder if he knows what Negi will recommend, if and when he gets round to the Modern.

I like Frenandez work on the Caro, but I am a bit concerned that a book about the modern doesn't reference Tiger's Modern or the Marin book on the Pirc?

Now announced for July 15 th !


Table of Contents
Key to Symbols & Bibliography ......................................................................4 
Introduction to the Modernized Modern ...........................................................7

PART I – Illustrative games........................................................................13 

PART II – Pirc Transpositions
Chapter 1 – System with 4.Be3..................................................................... 43
Chapter 2 – Austrian Pirc without 6.Bb5+ ..................................................... 71
Chapter 3 – Austrian Pirc with Bxd7 ............................................................. 95 
Chapter 4 – Austrian Pirc with 8.e6 .............................................................. 117 
Chapter 5 – Classical Pirc with 7.Bf4 and 7.Bg5 .............................................. 135 
Chapter 6 – Classical Pirc Other 7th moves.................................................... 159

PART III – Systems Chess
Chapter 1 – The 4.Bc4 Variation ................................................................. 179 
Chapter 2 – Other bishop-move systems...................................................... 199 
Chapter 3 – Systems with a preventative 5.a4.............................................. 219 
Chapter 4 – Systems with 3.c4 or 4.c4........................................................ 237 
Chapter 5 – Systems Chess links for Black .................................................. 257

PART IV – Theoretical Pure Moderns
Chapter 1 – Four Piece Systems ................................................................. 279 
Chapter 2 – Austrian Modern without the early Be3 ...................................... 301 
Chapter 3 – 150 Attack without 6.f3............................................................ 325 
Chapter 4 – 150 Attack with 6.f3................................................................ 355

tracke 

The b-pawn lights the fuse. in time, g7 explodes, killing all surrounding including the king. I see it like cbt below. 

Colourful, which is nice. I dig the bright lime green, like those early 80s luminous socks.