CHESS INFORMANT’S 139th ADVENTURE
EVERLASTING
CONTENTS:
MAGNUS' MAGNIFICENT SEVEN GM Danilo Milanović
THE GIBRALTAR CHESS FESTIVAL WGM Aleksandra Dimitrijević
THE ENGLISH OPENING, SYMMETRICAL VARIATION in the spirit of the Réti Opening GM Ferenc Berkes
CARLSEN’S CHOICE OF THE SICILIAN DEFENCE GM Ivan Ivanišević
FIREWORKS IN THE BERLIN? GM Shyam Sundar Mohanraj
RICHTER-RAUZER REVISITED GM Miloš Perunović
FREEZING THE SCANDINAVIAN – Repertoire for White GM Aleksander Delchev
THE KNIGHT ENDGAMES EXTRAVAGANZA GM Mihail Marin
THE METHOD OF COMPARISON GM Rafael Leitão
THE KING'S INDIAN EXCHANGE STRUCTURE GM Michael Prusikin
THE BEST OF CHESS INFORMANT – Ian Nepomniachtchi
Traditional sections: games, combinations, endings, correspondence chess, endgame blunders, the best game from the preceding volume and the most important theoretical novelty from the preceding volume.
The periodical that pros use with pleasure is at the same time a must have publication for all serious chess students!
Alexander Münninghoff tells the unforgettable tale of the fifth World Chess Champion. Filling a gap in the literature of chess, he shows that Euwes world title was the result of his iron will, his methodical drive and his energetic handling of all aspects of the game. By bringing his world title under the aegis of the world chess federation FIDE, Euwe profoundly changed the history of chess, and it was Euwes diplomatic determination as President of FIDE that saved the Match of the Century in 1972 between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. This gripping story is illuminated by numerous photos and fifty games with the original annotations by Max Euwe.
Almost as fascinating as chess is the community of chess players. In every major city in the world, you are guaranteed to meet interesting people when you walk into a local chess club or chess cafe. This book pays tribute to one of those characters who gave colour to the chess world, the Russian grandmaster Alexey Vyzhmanavin.
The best chance to bump into Vyzhmanavin in the 1980s and early 1990s was in Sokolniki park in Moscow, playing blitz. You could meet him at the 1992 Chess Olympiad as a member of the winning Russian team. Or in the finals of the PCA rapid events of the 1990s, frequently outplaying his illustrious opponents with his fluent and enterprising style. In Moscow in 1994, he reached the semi-final, narrowly losing out to Vladimir Kramnik, having already beaten Alexei Shirov and Viktor Korchnoi. Commentating at a PCA event, Maurice Ashley described Vyzhmanavin in predatory terms: ‘He’s a dangerous one, looking like a cat, ready to pounce.
For this book, grandmaster Dmitry Kryakvin has talked to dozens of people, enabling him to give a complete picture of Vyzhmanavin’s life. The result is a mix of fascinating chess, wonderful anecdotes, and some heartbreaking episodes. The stories are complemented by the memories of Vyzmanavin’s ex-wife Lyudmila. They revive his successes but also reveal the dark side of this forgotten chess genius who battled with depression and the ‘green serpent’, a Russian euphemism for alcoholism. He died in January 2000 at the age of forty, in circumstances that remain unclear. The stories and games in this book are his legacy.
Dmitry Kryakvin is an International Grandmaster from Russia and an experienced chess trainer and author. For New In Chess he wrote Attacking with g2-g4: The Modern Way to Get the Upper Hand in Chess.
Please keep in mind that the same stories are also featured in The Essential Sosonko.
‘At the time Botvinnik was the personification of chess in the Soviet Union – river: Volga,
poet: Mayakovsky, goalkeeper: Yashin, chess player: Botvinnik. And suddenly – a kid with a name as short as a gunshot: Tal!’
Genna Sosonko’s riveting portrait of Mikhail Tal, the Magician from Riga who to this day mesmerizes chess fans all over the world, bears all the hallmarks of the author’s inimitable writing.
Few – if any – knew ‘Misha’ as well as his good friend and training partner. Here you see the real Tal: nonchalant genius, charming wit, womanizer, cult hero and drug addict. Mikhail Tal is only one of the chess greats that Sosonko brings to life in this collection of his best writings on World Champions.
Two of them lived before his time: his story of Alexander Alekhine is based on fresh research; his intriguing portrait of José Raúl Capablanca followed unforgettable encounters with Capa’s widow Olga.
Genna Sosonko got to know the other champions described here through his extensive travels as a chess pro. Countless hours of private conversation form the basis of his unique portraits of Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik,Vasily Smyslov and Tigran Petrosian.
Genna Sosonko was born in Leningrad,where he was a leading chess trainer. Following his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1972 he settled in The Netherlands, later becoming a world class player. After his active career, he discovered a passion for writing that resulted in widely acclaimed books in which he masterfully combines an insider’s nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer.
Garry Kasparov:
‘Sosonko brings genuine delight even to the most demanding readers, from professionals to amateurs or even non-players who are simply interested in chess history as a part of general human culture.’
Daniel King:
'Sosonko's portrait of Tal is no hagiography and is all the better for that. Beautifully written, heartfelt and moving.'
Jeremy Silman:
"If you love chess history, or history in general, or if you simply want to know more about some of your chess heroes, this book is a must buy. Beautifully written and rich with amazing content, I give Sosonko’s 'The World Champions I Knew' my highest recommendation."
Dominic Lawson, Standpoint Magazine:
"Sosonko's remiscences of [Mikhail Tal,] the self-destructive, alcoholic, womanising 'half angel - half devil' form the pulsing heart of his latest memoir."
Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"A wonderful insight to the lives of the World Champions."
Max Euwe Center, Amsterdam:
"An important addition to what we know about the the lives of the world champions. This is chess literature at its very best."
John D. Warth, Chess Club of Southern Indiana:
"Sosonko writes with uncommon grace. His free-form stories speak from the heart, and frame each subject within the context of the times. There is wisdom in his open and honest assessments, and each world champion's story has been told with unusual warmth, insight, and compassion."
Ian Nepomniachtchi, challenger to Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship title in 2021, is an outstanding chess talent. “Nepo” as he is universally known is a fascinating player and this book assesses his career and analyses his original and creative style in great depth with numerous deeply annotated games.
Nepo is one of the very few players in the world to hold (at least prior to the match) a plus score (four wins to one with six draws) against Carlsen in classical chess. Nepo and Carlsen are peers and first started playing each other in the Under-12 category of the World Youth Championship in 2002. In that event, Nepo edged out Carlsen on tie-break. At that time he out-rated Carlsen by 100 points and was generally considered to be the more promising of the two prodigies.
Nepo is a fascinating player who loves open and irrational positions and excels when on the attack. Unsurprisingly, he cites Mikhail Tal as his all-time favorite player and says Tal is the player who has exerted the greatest influence on him. As with that great Latvian genius, Nepo thrives on anarchy and chaos and has frequently got the better of Carlsen in games with mind-boggling complications. He is also lethal when he has the initiative.
Nepo has steadily climbed the world rankings and his finest achievement was his victory in the 2020/2021 Candidates’ tournament with 8½/14 points (+5-2=7) which gave him the right to challenge Carlsen for the world title.
Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master, a former National Open and American Open Champion, and a six-time State Champion. He has been teaching chess for over 40 years, and coaches some of the top junior players in the U.S.
Si estás leyendo esto, es probable que ya conozcas la sensación: esa mezcla de tensión y solidez que se siente al mover 1...e6. He jugado la Defensa Francesa toda mi vida. Ha sido mi trinchera, mi arma de contraataque y, a veces, mi salvavidas en posiciones donde otros habrían colapsado. La conozco íntimamente, no porque haya memorizado mil variantes de una base de datos, sino porque he sufrido y disfrutado sus estructuras en el tablero, con el reloj corriendo y la adrenalina a tope.
Y aquí es donde quiero ser brutalmente honesto contigo: memorizar variantes no te hará un mejor jugador de Francesa. Veo a demasiados estudiantes (y a muchos maestros) caer en la trampa de la "teoría moderna". Se aprenden de memoria 25 jugadas de una línea recomendada por el motor, pero en cuanto el rival hace una jugada "humana" que no estaba en el archivo, se quedan en blanco. Saben la jugada, pero no entienden la posición. Este libro no está diseñado para que memorices; está diseñado para que absorbas patrones.
¿Por qué el estudio de "Partidas Modelo"? El ajedrez se juega por analogía. Cuando estás en la jugada 30, con apuros de tiempo, tu cerebro no calcula variantes infinitas; tu cerebro busca en su archivo interno y dice: "Esto se parece a aquella partida de Radjabov. Aquí el plan es romper con f6". Las 20 partidas que he seleccionado aquí no son aleatorias. Son la "crema y nata" de la práctica magistral de 2025. Son batallas vivas donde la teoría de la Variante Tarrasch (3.Cd2) se puso a prueba al máximo nivel.
Al estudiar estas partidas completas, desde la apertura hasta el final, lograrás algo que el estudio de variantes sueltas no puede darte:
– Entenderás las transiciones: ¿Cuándo cambiar el "alfil malo"? ¿Cuándo aceptar un Peón Aislado a cambio de actividad?
– Aprenderás a defender: La Francesa requiere nervios de acero. Verás cómo los GM de élite aguantan la presión y esperan el momento exacto para el contragolpe.
– Detectarás los finales típicos: Muchos de estos duelos se deciden en finales de torres o caballos que se repiten una y otra vez.
Una Nota sobre la Tecnología (Stockfish y Leela)
Para escribir este análisis, he utilizado la tecnología más avanzada disponible. He consultado los oráculos de silicio (Stockfish 16 y Leela Chess Zero) para asegurar la precisión táctica. No hay nada peor que un libro con errores de cálculo. Sin embargo, el motor es solo una herramienta de control de calidad, no el autor. El motor te dirá que una posición es "+0.45". Eso, para un humano, no significa nada. Mi trabajo aquí ha sido traducir ese número a lenguaje humano: explicarte por qué el blanco está mejor (espacio, casillas débiles) o por qué esa ventaja es ilusoria si el negro logra activar su alfil de casillas blancas. He mantenido las ideas humanas por encima de las líneas de computadora incomprensibles. Quiero que entiendas el plan, no que memorices el código binario.
Cómo usar este libro
No leas esto como una novela. Si tienes un tablero físico, úsalo. Si usas la pantalla de ForwardChess, detente en los momentos críticos. Intenta adivinar la jugada del Maestro antes de verla. Pregúntate: "¿Por qué rechazó el cambio de damas?" o "¿Por qué regaló ese peón?". Estas 20 partidas son un mapa del tesoro de la Francesa moderna. Si las estudias con profundidad, la próxima vez que te jueguen 3.Cd2, no estarás recordando líneas; estarás jugando con la experiencia prestada de los mejores del mundo. Bienvenido a la trinchera. Empecemos.
Chebanenko's move 4.a6 in the Slav Defence has grown into one of the main systems for Black as it is an extremely flexible and almost universal weapon against the Queen's Gambit. The Chebanenko Slav is very popular among top chess players, and club and internet players like it as well, because it offers Black solidity and active counterplay in all lines. Victor Bologan is a world-class chess player, writes in a very accessible style and has included many tips, tests and tools.
Edición en castellano que mejora la edición de 2006 en inglés y cubre el hueco sobre uno de los más grandes jugadores de la historia del ajedrez. Según chessmetrics.com fue el mejor jugador mundial durante 5 años y solo el estallido de la primera guerra mundial le impidió luchar contra Lasker por la corona.
Está hecho con el formato «jugada a jugada», referido a que tiene continuas preguntas y ejercicios, (aunque no todas las jugadas están comentadas, sería superfluo). Esta modalidad sirve tanto para entrenar y aprender como para enseñar.
Hein Donner (1927-1988) was a Dutch Grandmaster and one the greatest writers on chess of all time. He was born into a prominent Calvinistic family of lawyers in The Hague. His father, who had been the Minister of Justice and later became President of the Dutch Supreme Court, detected a keen legal talent in his son. But Hein opted for a bohemian lifestyle as a chess professional and journalist. He scored several excellent tournament victories but never quite fulfilled the promise of his chess talent. Hein Donner developed from a chess player-writer into a writer-chess player. His provocative writings and his colourful persona made him a national celebrity during the roaring sixties. His book ‘The King’, a fascinating and often hilarious anthology spanning 30 years of chess writing, is a world-wide bestseller and features on many people’s list of favourite chess books. The author Harry Mulisch, his best friend, immortalized Hein Donner in his magnum opus The Discovery of Heaven. In 2001 the book was adapted for film, with Stephen Fry playing the part that was based on Donner. Included in Hein Donner is the interview in which Harry Mulisch tells about his friendship with Donner. After suffering a stroke at the age of 56, Donner lived his final years in a nursing home. He continued writing however, typing with one finger, and won one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious literary awards. Alexander Münninghoff has written a captivating biography of a controversial man and the turbulent time and age he lived in.
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