I've got no idea why the state doesn't make copyright-expired books freely available in a digital format - probably just a lot of work and a drain on dwindling resources.

<Eminent Victorian Chess Players: Ten Biographies (2012)>

is quite, quite good.

Not exactly the same, but a good bit of overlap.

https://www.amazon.com/Eminent-Vict... (amazon)

http://www.chessmail.com/timsite/em... (Harding's site w/ reviews)

http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/book-... (MacFarland)

(I guess this one was never published in hardcover.)

* * * * *

PS- I think I was mistaken about <A Century of British Chess> being in public domain. Given that Sergeant died in 1952 it goes out of copyright only in 2022 in Britain.

On the other hand, it may be in PD in the US:

<1923 through 1963 --
Published with notice but copyright was not renewed -- None. -- In the public domain due to copyright expiration>

No, at least by <N0B0DY>'s standards.

Glenn Flear's 'Ruy Lopez main Line' is pretty good. I think it's a very good book on the closed defense of the Ruy Lopez. In discussing the closed Ruy, Flear actually starts with the Chigorin since it's one of the main lines of the closed defense, and he from there works back to less common, including some rather offbeat, variations.

The Elshad System - Igor Nemtsev

A system for black based on the moves ...d6, ...c6, ...Nd7, ...h6, ...g5. Yeah, you need to be a pioneer to play this one – you’re bound to get a few arrows in your back. But for playing down and rapid it could be useful. Nemtsev has a nice writing style and the games are quite entertaining and do open up some ideas.

No Passion for Chess Fashion – Raetsky & Chetvirik

Covers offbeat ideas in several openings: King’s Gambit, Petrov, Ruy Lopez, Scandinavian, Alekhine, French, St George, Sicilian, Albin Counter Gambit, Chigorin and English. If you have seen the old SOS series, this is somewhat similar. The sections on the St. George and the Albin are quite long – about 50pp each. I think both of those, perhaps especially the Albin are quite playable. It is well organized and very readable.

The Czech Benoni in Action – Hoffman and Keener

Lots of ideas and motifs of the Czech Benoni. I certainly wouldn’t play it without studying this book. Actually, I wouldn’t play it, period. I’ve never been able to make any of the Benonis work for me.

The Modernized Reti – Adrien Demuth

For me, this is a 5-star tome! It is 429 pp and packed with ideas (new and old), motifs, and move orders in the Reti. He attempts to breathe some new life for white in the Advance Variation where black plays …d4. I recommend this book!

The Hippo System

Those <SOS-type books> are always a bit mind-bending. You'd certainly want to study the theory quite seriously, including all possible offshoots, before summoning the courage to roll them out. One outlandish move I saw recently was to recapture in the Exchange French with the Queen. I might start with that, as it will at least shock those guys who want to bore you to death. But heaven knows if the tiny bit of theory I have is any good.

I'm intrigued by the <Elshad System>. I've noticed some of the top guys playing this kind of stuff in their rapid and blitz. I already play the Black Lion, for which there would be transposition possibilities, undoubtedly.

That <Reti book> sounds very promising. One for the wish list, so thanks for the recommendation.

I've always liked hypermodern and unusual openings. Under 2200 I think if you have studied an opening and understand it well they are safe to play. Plus they are fun!

If you like the Elshad you'll definitely want the Krazy Kat if you don't now have it.

Thanks for checking in; I'd like to see this forum be more active.

<Count Wedgemore> Oops, good spot! Eric Briffoz and it is the 3rd eddy:

Well..there has to be a reason the top players don't essay them. :) Still, Carlsen played the North Sea against Adams. He lost, but certainly not because of the opening.

The Modern Reti: An Anti-Slav Repertoire – Alexander Delchev

I would be remiss not to mention this book; it gets excellent reviews. It is a little more ‘workmanlike’ than the Modernized Reti but doesn’t (for me) read as well nor does it explain ideas as well. Delchev also takes a stab at rehabilitating the Reversed-Benoni for white.

Apparently a Move-by-Move volume on the Reti is due out later this year, also. Ugh.

I need to update my Reti Opening list…

HIPPO

The Wiki on the Hippo has quite a few references including this on the WaybackMachine site: http://hippopotamuschess.hit.bg/

Diagrams are missing, pretty standard for the Wayback.

I still have never seen a copy of J.C. Thompson’s little book(let) on the Hippo. A copy was listed on ABE a few months ago but I couldn’t quite stomach the price - $180.00 (!) Apparently someone could; it is no longer listed.

Probably something in these on the Hippos: http://www.asigc.it/teoria/uon/uon....

GENERAL
Bellin -Winning with the Dutch
Martin -Trends in the Dutch 1988
McDonald - Starting Out: Dutch Defense
McDonald -Dutch Defense
Minev & Donaldson Dutch Defense: New and Forgotten Ideas Moravian Press - Dutch Defence 81#1
Moskalenko - The Diamond Dutch
Palliser & Williams - Dangerous Weapons: The Dutch

Pedersen- Dutch for the Attacking Player [primarily Leningrad] Rendle - Play the Dutch
Schwarz -Hollandisch (Band #12)
T Christiansen & Silman - The Dutch Defense
Taimanov - Damengambit bis Hollandisch [Early ‘bis’ 1970]

Taimanov - Hollandisch bis Bird Eroffnung [Late ‘bis’ 1983]

Wienigk – System Theorie aus aller Welt, Band 1: Hollandisch A80-A99

CLASSICAL
Bellin -The Classical Dutch
The Dutch Defence - Pinski
Williams -Play the Classical Dutch
Williams -The Killer Dutch

STONEWALL
Aagaard -Dutch Stonewall
Johnsen & Bern - Win with the Dutch Stonewall

Lalic - Trends in the Classical and Stonewall Dutch 2

McNab - Trends in the Classical and Stonewall Dutch 1

Moskalenko - Revolutionize Your Chess
Rudel - Dismantle the Dutch Defense
Sawyer -Dutch Stonewall Playbook
Schiller -Modern Dutch Stonewall (1990, 2012)

LENINGRAD
Beim -Understanding the Leningrad Dutch
Chess Digest/Hall -Leningrad Dutch
Chess Digest/Spiro -Leningrad Dutch
DeVault -The Leningrad Dutch Kindermann
Echecs International – Dutch Defence Leningrad System

Elvest - The Leningrad Dutch
Gurevich - Dutch Defence, Leningrad
Harding - The Leningrad Dutch
Lucciani -Dutch Defence Leningrad Variation
Malaniuk & Marusenko - The Leningrad Dutch
McDonald - Dutch Leningrad
McDonald - Play the Dutch (Leningrad)
Moravian A81 #1
Moravian -Dutch A86-87 #1
Moravian -Dutch A89
Olomouc - Complete Encyclopedia of Chess Openings: Dutch A88, A89

Soltis - Winning with the Dutch Leningrad 7…Qe8

Tisdall - Trends in the Leningrad Dutch

ANTI-DUTCH
DeVault & Hickman – Play the Dutch against 1. c4 and 1. Nf3

Gillam – Staunton Gambit
Lonsdale -Dutch Defence: Balogh 1 d4 f5; 2 e4, d6

Martin - Contemporary Ani-Dutch
Schiller/Colias – How to Play Black Against the Staunton Gambit Watson (Alan) -The Anti-Dutch Spike: g4!

Dutch Defense Videos

Chess Central - The Stonewall Dutch
Chess Lecture -Studies in the Dutch Defense #106

Davies - The Stonewall Dutch
Foxy #32 - Leningrad Dutch
Foxy #48 - The Stonewall Dutch
Foxy #9 - Beating the Anti-Dutch Systems
Foxy #93 -The Modern Stonewall Dutch
Fritz Training – Leningrad System
Lilov -The Dutch Stonewall
Martin - ABC of the Anti-Dutch
Martin - ABC of the Leningrad Dutch
Williams - Killer Dutch

T Christiansen & Silman - The Dutch Defense>

The Modern French – Antic & Maksimovic
The Modern Bogo 1. d4 e6 – Antic & Maksimovic
e3 Poison - Smith

I’ve been fascinated by chess openings from the time I first learned the game during Christmas break, 1966. I recall being thoroughly enchanted as I worked through Modern Chess Openings, 10th edition by Larry Evans.

Fifty-two years later I am still looking for a repertoire – even though I haven’t played tournament chess since 1973. I have somewhat circle back to where I began. As T.S. Elliot pens in Little Giddings, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

There have been quite a few repertoire books, mostly for Black but also several for White, beginning with the British Invasion of the 1970s. Many seek to find a single first-move for Black against any White first move.

There are possible repertoires with 1. …c6, 1. …d6, 1. …Nc6 and 1. …e6. Previously in this forum I have listed books for the latter three moves. Some, such as Larsen’s Zoom, seek similar structures against 1. e4 and 1. e4.

Reviewed here are three books offering a repertoire for both Black and White based on 1. …e6 and 1. d4 and 2. e3. The only other White/Black repertoire books I can think of at the moment are the Sniper (g3, c4, Qa4 & g6, c5, Qa5), White and Black Lion and the Hippo. I do see now a book promoting 1. Nc3 and 1. …Nc6.

1. …e6 for Black is certainly the most flexible of the single first move variety repertoires. e4, e6 2. d4 offers Black a French, an English/Owens, Hippo and with 2. …c5 possibilities for a Sicilian or a Franco-Benoni. d4, e6 2. c4 offers Black a Nimzo/Bogo/Queens/Catalan, a Dutch, an English or a Benoni.

The Modern French – Antic& Maksimovic

My latest count shows 133 books on the French. This tome is certainly one of my favorites. Others – Watson’s Play the French, Uhlmann’s Winning with the French, McDonald/Harley Mastering the French and Moskalenko’s books - Wonderful Winawer and [Even More] Flexible French.

This is an excellent repertoire tome. Two things make it stand out: 1) The recommendation of the MacCutcheon variation instead of a Winawer or Classical. Of course, often you will get a Steinitz from white and the book covers that variation in great detail, 2) The layout makes it relatively easy to follow variations, sub-variations and sub-sub variations. I say ‘relatively’ as there may be an even better way to accomplish that task…

I’ve tried opting out of the French with 2. …c5 to get a Franco-Benoni but most of the time I wind up with a Kan Sicilian or something similar.

The Modern Bogo 1. d4 e6 – Antic & Maksimovic

This is the companion volume to The Modern French, completing a full repertoire with 1. …e6. It is a bit of a strange book insofar as the non-Nimzo-Indian sidelines can get somewhat quirky. The basic idea is to opt out of 2. …Nf3 after 2. c4 with 2….Bb4. Sometimes, as the authors note, it is best to just revert to the Nimzo-Indian. Still, the flexibility of 2. …Bb4 does offer some interesting ideas, not the least of which is punting to a Dutch or at least having …f5 in reserve.

e3 Poison - Smith

When I purchased this book I thought it would be mostly about 1. e3; but not. It is really about ‘quiet’ variations of a QP game with the QB inside the pawn structure. It also discusses 1. Nf3, d5; 2. e3 and 1. c3, e5 2. e3. The authors do offer some interesting new ideas and the book is very readable, easy-to-follow.

The only 1. e3 line covered is the Exchange French and there are quite a few good tips on how to play it as white. It definitely does come with a ‘drop of poison.’ The author also notes some definite ‘do’s and ‘don’ts for White in that line.

Books of/about Paul Keres from my electronic books collection can be downloaded from my Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lpe9xjc7...

Free memorial e-book about an outstanding character in chess:

Johan Wilhelm van Hulst - <Een leven lang schaak als sublieme bijzaak>