http://www.newinchess.com/The_Chess...

English Chess Federation BOOK of the YEAR 2010: http://www.englishchess.org.uk/?p=6...

Chesscafe <Review by Derek Grimmell>

<Attacking Manual 1 (Second Edition), by Jacob Aagaard, 2010 Quality Chess, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 260pp. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95>

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/revie...

I thought it was quite good at the time, but I have n't looked at it in years.

Here are two reviews from Amazon:

1. <GM Lev Polugaevsky, twice a candidate for the world title in the 1970s, was considered perhaps the world's authority on a variation of the Sicilian called, not surprisingly, the Polugaevsky Variation. This book is literally a personal history on how the author developed and refined this variation. Originally published in 1977 and translated from the original Russian by Ken Neat, the Russian title should actually be translated as "Birth of a Variation" (Rozhdeniye Varianta). Exhaustively showing the reader how he researched the variation, Polugaevsky also treats the reader to how a hard-working Soviet chessplayer in the 1950s and 60s practiced his craft and how many other chessplayers contributed to the Variation by playing against Polugaevsky as he tried out various move trees. While it may seem extremely dry on casual reading, it becomes fascinating and absorbing if you take the time to follow the author as he navigates the Sicilian Defense, one of the more complex openings in chess. However, this is not the whole of the book. In other sections, Polugaevsky treats the reader to researches he did during adjourned games (a practice no longer acceptable since the advent of computers) as well as how he prepared to play many leading GMs and World Champions during his career.

In his introduction, GM Mikhail Tal wrote: "The book which you, dear reader, are about to open is rather different from a biography. It is not a ceremonial speech by a grandmaster, but an invitation to enter into the private study of one of strongest players in the world... In his material on this variation, the author does not give us the information that in such-and-such a game such-and-such was played, but instead creates something of a monograph-cum-biography. In it there is no mention of results in tournaments, but of searchings and disappointments, and of the paths to this or that idea."

It is unfortunate that the book is out-of-print. It is as original as Reti's "Modern Ideas in Chess", Nimzovich's "My System", and Vukovich's "Art of Attack". Not necessarily suitable for beginning players, dedicated intermediates (above say 1500) can get a lot out of it (I should know: I'm barely above 1500 myself). Polugaevsky also wrote "Grandmaster Performance", a collection of 64 of his best tournament games as well as a rigorous series of books on the Sicilian Defense itself.>

2. <Polugayevsky weaves a fascinating tale of the life of a world-class grandmaster, his struggle to keep finding new (sub)variations in the Sicilian Defense, and to test them in battle against some of the world's best players. The book is quite accessible even for the intermediate level player who carefully works through it. A candid look inside the thinking of a grandmaster.

Lessons with a Grandmaster by Boris Gulko & Joel Sneed

<Lessons with a Grandmaster: Enhance your chess strategy and psychology with Boris Gulko

Paperback, 256 pages

Imagine you are a club player who has been given the opportunity to talk at length with a famous grandmaster. How would you make the most of this opportunity?

Club players are unaware of the subtleties that exist in grandmaster chess. Grandmasters can analyse chess at a depth that is unfathomable to amateurs. Moreover, they have extensive knowledge of chess history and opening theory, as well extraordinary endgame technique and tactical vision. However, having reached such a high level can make it difficult to understand what is lacking in the mind of the amateur.

Lessons with a Grandmaster bridges this gap between grandmaster and amateur through a series of conversations between teacher, the renowned Grandmaster Boris Gulko, and student Dr. Joel R. Sneed, a professor of psychology and amateur chess player. The lessons are based on Gulko's own battles against fellow grandmasters, and there is particular focus on strategy, tactics and the role of psychology in chess competition.

+ Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov, Part 1: 1973-1985

Is Kalinichenko a good writer/commentator ?
When was this book published ?
They indicate 518 games : how many commented ? Deeply or superficially ?

1 "Emanuel Lasker: All Games - Two Volumes Set (English / Russian Edition)" Segey Solovyov; Hardcover; $60.00

and sent away for it.

- GM Peter Svidler (when asked for the book that had a profound influence on him)

David Levy's book: http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Gligori...

Gligo's autobiography: http://www.amazon.com/Play-Against-...

However, if you want lots of <Gligo> games annotated by the man himself, go for his autobiography "I Play Pieces".

<Pal Benko's> autobiography may be the best I've read, rivaling even <Tal's>. This is because <Benko> annotates TONS of his own games, and also includes TONS of details about his most interesting life, like about the time he tried to defect and his pals pulled the old "dine and dash" on him, leaving him holding the bag in front of the East German police.

<parisattack: Books on the Robatsch Also quite a lot of material in: 1) Myers’ Opening Bulletins, 2) Rand Springer magazine and 3) Kaissiber magazine. Five of the little ‘Trends’ booklets on the ‘Modern’ Defence. No particular order:

Tiger’s Modern – Persson
Modern Defence – Speelman/McDonald
The Hippopotamus Rises – Martin
Black to Play and Win with 1. …g6 by Soltis
Winning with the Modern by Norwood
The Modern Defence by Hort
The Modern Defense by Smith/Hall
The Modern Defence by Keene/Botterill
The Modern Defense by Chess Digest
The North Sea Variation by Bickford
Averbakh system by Thomas
Modern Defense Averbakh Lines by Schiller
New Ideas in the Rat by Schiller
Die Robatsch Verteidigung by Warzecha
Die Eidechse 1. …g6 und gewinnt, 3 volumes.
Konigs-Fianchetto - Schwarz
Sniper - Story

The Robatsch has always been my favorite black defense. If anyone can add to this list, it would be appreciated!>

<parisattack: Can anyone add to my list of Polish/Sokolsky/Orangutan/1. b4 books - Polish Opening Books

1) The Moravian Series (1-4)
2) Play 1. b2-b4 by Lapshun
3) Orangutan by Wall
4) 1. b2-b4 by Sokolsky
5) Orang-Utan by Schiffler
6) Theory and Practise of the Sokolsky by Konikowsky

7) Orangutan by Ivanov
8) Sokolsky’s Opening by Levy
9) 1. P-QN4 by Soltis
10) Winning with Unorthodox Openings by Dunnington (section on 1. b4)

This appears to be the 'forgotten' hypermodern partie - although the Lapshun and Konikowsky books are recent publications. I think it has a lot of unmined/uncharted territory. 1. ...e5 appears strongest for black. In the main line with 2. Bb2, Bb4: 3. Be5: he gets a quick lead in development and white's central pawn majority is very difficult to mobilize.

Sokolsky's 1. b2-b4 was one of the first books I purchased from Al Buschke. I translated it with the help of my high school Russian teacher. Levy's book is also a translation of this work with some new analysis and games from Levy.

A couple of nice websites on it - Marek's 1. b2-b4 the best and he offers a database of over 60k games for a donation.>