Sounds like a christmaspresent is in the bag !

You will certainly enjoy it! The book really makes one understand what a huge importance Nielsen has. He sure has been involved in winning many World Championships with Anand and Carlsen, and is a very central person in Abeln's book, which is full of anecdotes.

The one time when Nielsen and Anand disagreed was apparently after Anand had won the third game against Kramnik. Nielsen advised against repeating the same opening, Anand had done it one game too many against Kasparov in 1995, when leading.

Initially everyone agreed that repeating was too dangerous, Kramnik's team would surely have something prepared now, but eventually Anand changed his mind and risked it.

On the morning of the last game he was just shaking from caffeine and tension. As soon as the game started he went to sleep but Nielsen woke him up after the game and match were over.

I can also see how the book has giving you many fritfull and tense hours.

I am really looking forward to it.

Concur on: Fischer 60, Nunn's Understanding, Simple Chess. Not so sure on Pawn Power tho it is a classic.

I did a double-take when I first saw the advert for this book. Carsten Hansen writing a book on 1 .b4?!

The Dedication at the beginning of the book explains it – his father was a 1. b4 aficionado.

Hansen refers to it as the Orangutan, from Tartakower. It is more commonly known as Sokolsky’s Opening, sometimes the Polish Opening or simply 1. b4. This is all covered in a very excellent and thorough history and overview of the Orangutan worth the price of admission ($18.95). That chapter also relates the author’s games and experiences with the opening.

The book covers the opening based on Black setups – QG, King’s Indian, Dutch, etc. He gives considerable space to 1. …e5 as this is the most common reply to 1. b4. The 'Exchange Variation' (1 b4, e5; 2 Bb2, Bb4; 3. Be5) also covers Carlson’s ‘The Magnus Method’ with 4. c3. I used to play a similar line with 4. Nc3 and had some success.

I very much like the organization of variations and themes and found it helpful.

Clearly Hansen has done his research! Every variation comes packed with game references and fresh analysis. If there is a flaw in the book it is the formatting. Large blocks of game moves and analysis separated only by a1,a2, b1 type notation, parentheses, no indention. My diagrams were all OK though they are somewhat dark.

Definitely a fresh look at 1.b4!

A basic 1. b4 library along with this book:

Levy – b4 Sokolsky’s Opening. This is a translation of Sokolsky’s original Russian book with some updates. There is an earlier work by Schiffler but it is in German.

Lapshun – Play b4! A bit optimistic but a good book nonetheless.

Konikowsky – 1.b4 Theory and Practice.

There is ‘Marek’s b4 Database’ available online for a donation to his website. It also offers a very complete bibliography for 1. b4.

I played the Sokolsky for several years online and had decent results with it and enjoyed the offbeat positions which often occurred. Two thoughts:

1) Very easy for White to get underdeveloped on the kingside, 2) a3 is sometimes better than the aggressive b5 when the b4 pawn is attacked, something of a St. George in reverse. Hansen does look at this idea more than in other 1. b4 books I have in my library.

I received my copy of the latest edition (3rd, 2021 -1st 1998, 2nd 2004) of the Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games. This tome has 125 annotated games! It has kept me good company whilst I recover from a nasty fall.

I mean, how fat can a book get and how small can the print get. 😊 Annotated by a ‘team of British experts with over 1000 diagrams’ says the Amazon pitch. Of course, they mean GMs – the book is not annotated by 2000 ELO Brits.

Question: If you were stranded on the proverbial desert Island, what five chess books would you want to have with you? And…why?

<Shangri La> Sure I can help.

Here is a youtube video about how to assess your problem on kibitz restrictions:

I saw someone with a similar avatar which got me thinking of him - he's been off <CG> since June.

And the same to you. All the best.

* * * * *

PS- My desert island book choice?

If I had to pick just one title, it might have to be Polgar's <Chess: 5334 Problems>:

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-5334-P...

My rationale?

Since I'd be alone, without internet or computer, it seems that book might hold the largest hours of chess entertainment.

If I follow you around on this site and post some 'nonsensical ' comments to annoy you , would you mind (those 'nonsensical ' comments would not violate posting guidelines )?

Ha ha - good one!

<For a single tome it would be difficult to select between it and the Mammoth 125 Games...>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAt...

Around 1970, I began playing the Peilikan/Sveshnikov (see NOTE). Impressed with the game Robatsch-Larsen, Halle 1961, I began to look at other possible …e5 Sicilians. The O’Kelly, 2. …a6, caught my eye, and I played it with reasonable success given my limited skill at the game.

There is sort of an ‘open secret’ about the reply 3. d4 by White to the O’Kelly. Some label it a mistake. It isn’t! It simply gives Black an easy Pelikan/Sveshnikov since White’s strongest retort Nb5 is no longer possible. As you can see from any database 3. d4 is still very popular. Some play it not knowing better; some play it perfectly happy with the kinds of positions which arise. To take advantage Black often must play an early …d5 which does open up the position…

Obviously, 2. …a6 is a hypermodernist move. “We want Information” said No. 2 to the Prisoner – and so does Black before he commits central pawns.

O’Kelly Sicilian Books:

The only pure O’Kelly tome has been The O’Kelly Sicilian by Lutes ……. This is an MCO column style book and a must have if you are serious about this defense because of the many older game references. As Fischer once recommended about MCO: “Play over every line…then play them over again!”

There are references to a book by Richard Verber on the O’Kelly, but I have never seen a copy. I asked some other collectors who should know, and they’ve never seen it, either. If my pal Ed Labate hasn’t seen it, well…

Up to the present, otherwise, players had to get their O’Kelly kicks from general sources on the Sicilian perhaps most notably Dangerous Weapons: Sicilian.