|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Chessville
Advertise to Single insert:
|
Win with the London System Reviewed by Rick Kennedy
Now I have Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovacevic’s Win with the London System, which bids to take shelf space alongside Andrew Soltis’ earlier The London System (1993) and Tim Harding’s even earlier London, Colle and Blackmar-Diemer Systems (1979). What is it about their presentation of a set-up with pawns on d4, e3 and (usually) c3; Bishop on f4; and Knight (usually) on f3 that inspires confidence in the London and makes the reader feel like a real winner? Simply this: it is a well-researched, well-thought-out, well-organized and well-written book on an opening that has generally been popular for requiring less opening study than many others. (Winning way #1 – know more about what you’re playing than your opponent, especially if he still thinks there’s less to know than there actually is.)
Win with the London System starts off with a Bibliography (!) That is something I’ve always found useful (and too frequently absent) in a chess book. It is good to know what resources have been looked at, and by inference, what others have not. It is also a good source for further reading or purchases, to develop a broader knowledge of the topic at hand. (The authors, in fact, tip their hat to Soltis, for his earlier, if “[n]ow obviously outdated,” The London System, and to Lane for his coverage of the London in Ideas Behind the Modern Chess Openings.)
In the Preface, Johnsen – an FIDE-rated but untitled player – explains how the two authors split their duties. He gathered, organized and checked out the illustrative games, adding prose and producing a very preliminary draft. Kovačević, who has analyzed and played the London System for many years, then sliced and diced, added and subtracted – reworking everything with a Grandmaster’s flair, from positional nuances to strategic plans to resulting endgames; looking for improvements for both Black and White. (Yes, Virginia, there are still many things that grandmasters do better than computers.) There is much new here!
It is in their organization of Win with the London System, as well, that Johnsen and Kovačević show off some of their hard work. The text is more like two books: an Illustrated Games section of 30 games to introduce newcomers to the London (and remind practitioners why they play the line) and get them up to speed; and an Analytical Section with twice as many pages, that lays out important move orders, critical lines and important ideas.
The Introduction sets the stage:
What the authors do is take this collection of lines (something other than the Queen’s Gambit, something against the Queen’s Indian, something against the King’s Indian, etc.) and weave them together into a broad opening system, starting with their preferred move-order 1.d4 and 2.Bf4. They are clear, this “isn’t an attempt to extract the ‘maximum advantage’ from White’s extra move" – they want to give you steady and familiar grounds to campaign on:
The organization of Win with the London System is reflected in the contents of the two parts:
Part 1: Illustrative Games Double d-Pawn Defences The Chigorin Set-up The Grünfeld Set-up King’s Indian Defence Queen’s Indian Defence Anti-Benoni Lines Dutch and Various Others Part 2: Analytical Section 1. Introduction and 2…c5 2. TheTarrasch Approach 2…e6 3. Pseudo-Chigorin and Minor Lines 4. 2…Nf6: Introduction and 3…c5 5. Common Ground 3…e6 6. The Slav Approach: 2…c6 and 3…c6 7. Symmetrical: 2…Bf5 and 3…Bf5 8. The Grünfeld Formation 9. The King’s Indian formation 10. The Pseudo Old Indian 11. The Queen’s Indian Formation: 2…b6 or 3…b6 12. Anti-Benoni: 2…c5 13. 1…e6 and the Dutch Connection 14.Early Divergences
Each illustrative game is deeply analyzed and is followed by a short list of “lessons to be learned.” The authors are clearly familiar with what has been played, and have firm recommendations on what should have been played. Analytical sections end with a short “conclusion” about the line, which often has suggestions for improvements. The Index of Illustrative Games and Index of Variations help the reader find his way around, as well.
Those who want to take the white pieces and immediately dance on an opening’s knife-edge, or those who have spare pieces to throw away willy-nilly, will surely want to avoid Win with the London System – although they might still want to be prepared, lest the opening be tossed at them by some sly opponent. Those put off by the horrible possibility of one day transposing into an Exchange Slav or Exchange Caro-Kann Defense – and who don’t trust a GM’s suggestions for middlegame play once they get there – might also look elsewhere.
However, the club player looking for something solid to play should find much to enjoy in Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovacevic’s work. White reaches Hort’s desirable “playable middlegame” with either a tactical, positional, or knowledge-based (and familiarity-based) edge. And it is there that Londoners typically make their moves and really outplay their opponents.
|
The
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
