This is an unusual book that I found to be very interesting. Regular readers will note that this is one of the very few opening books I have reviewed, but this book is especially interesting to me for two reasons: 1) I actually play the Two Knights as White and know the systems quite well and 2) Jude Acers is an author of one of my all-time favorite chess books Grandmaster Chess the book on Lone Pine 1975.
First off, to all you non-Californians, let me introduce the authors. Jude Acers now lives in New Orleans and plays all comers in the French Quarter. He is lively, entertaining, and opinionated. He also is quite knowledgeable in chess history and slightly off-beat openings, and yes, he is a strong player. George Laven is an amateur chess player who is a ship Captain. He corresponded with Jude about a certain Gambit (The Italian Gambit) and thus provided the genesis for this book.
This book is really two books in one. The first “book” contains 223 pages of the Italian Gambit Systems ( 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4. d4) and various transpositions into the Two Knights Defence and other related lines. The second “book” has 108 pages and covers a fun, slightly off-beat repertoire against replies other than 1…e5. What sets this book apart from all other opening books is the approach the authors take. There are lots of words, anecdotes and historical reminiscences interspersed among the various lines. Acers has a somewhat confrontational style that I find very engaging. Some of the lines have a little too much hype but the authors do a very good job at looking at the relevant monographs and presenting a clear picture of this opening. There really has not been any real good coverage of the Italian Game and its related systems since the early 80’s when Batsford published several books on this opening. Recent books by Gufeld and Pinski fall short as Acers and Laven point out in various lines.
The opening moves are intertwined with flashbacks in history as well as quotes and comments by famous players. Some of the historical data seems a little inaccurate such as on page 22 of book 2, where Acers notes that Capablanca often arrived at games 59 minutes late and just blitzed out using the Caro Kann. Also, many of the quotes are taken out of context. For instance, in the historical game section on page 141(of book 1), game 1 is Mednis-Fischer, and after Black’s 14th move there follows: “White’s only weakness is the pawn structure on the kingside. Mednis has five ‘pawn islands.’-Capablanca.” For some reason, I don’t think Capa even knew who Edmar was! The text is replete with boxes that are used to give details on various interesting historical topics and people. Subjects of the boxes include some lesser-known American masters such as Rossolimo and Jack Collins. Also included in the text are many notes and comments from unusual sources and many are by strong players such as Ken Smith, William Addison and of course, George Koltanowski. The openings covered in detail in book one include the Italian Gambit and the Miami Defence), the Advanced variation of the Two Knights, the Max Lange, the Goring Gambit, and the Italian Game including the Moeller Attack as well as the Petroff and Phildor defences.
Their analysis is heavy on comments and a little light on concrete variations. Occasionally, I found it hard to follow whether I was looking at a main line or a sub-variation as the book tends to wander a little bit. One reviewer mentioned that one important game (Aldrete-Oim included in the file) was omitted changing the evaluation of one whole line. In general, the authors examined many sources (including many long forgotten ones) and have found ideas not covered in modern treatises. Personally, I use this book, along with my data files and some recent opening reference books to check the valuations. It is definitely the best coverage of this opening since the Batsford books and if you enjoy open games, I highly recommend these lines.
The second “book” is written solely by Acers and covers Black responses other than 1…e5. Covering 10-20 pages for each defence, Acers gives a brief overview of the main opening lines and points White in the correct direction, often utilizing slightly lesser known variations. What seems a little strange, is that in many of these lines, the annotator seems to evaluate the position in Black’s favor or at best give the ensuing line as equal. One inconsistency throughout both books is sometimes the !’s and ?’s, as well as the comments, do not seem to be in balance with the final evaluation. To have several ! moves and then find that final position is only equal (or worse) is slightly confusing. This section is really geared for Internet or blitz chess and cannot be relied upon for serious study. While there are some interesting and thought provoking ideas, the reader will have to do more detailed research to correctly use these lines.
This book is well produced, though I would
have preferred slightly tighter editing to make it a little easier to follow.
Another interesting point is that this book is privately published and I
continue to urge fellow chessplayers to support such projects. I highly recommend
this book to all players
1600-2200. Not only is this opening fun to play,
the comments, notes and historical context of this book make it an enjoyable
read. On the other hand, players 2200+ will not find enough concrete analysis
and deep opening preparation for them to get much use out of the book. Perhaps
Larry Kaufman’s The Chess Advantage
in Black and White will better benefit these players.