FLEAR - Starting out: open games

With this work, the author aims to illustrate the modern ideas of the Italian Opening to players at a medium level. It deals with positions based on White's slow plan, i.e. if he chooses a calm approach characterized by positional ideas. The author does not attempt to offer the reader a complete repertoire, but rather to explain the ideas of the emerging middlegame positions. The material primarily includes the systems 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 h6 6.0-0 d6 7.Re1 a6 8.a4 Ba7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.h3 and 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 d6 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3 h6 8.Re1 a5, where especially the latter has gained enormous popularity in current practice

Cela faisait longtemps qu'on avait plus rien vu sur la partie des 4 cavaliers, mais il est vrai que les nouveautés ne se bousculent pas dans une ouverture qui reste surtout une arme de secours pour journée de flemme ou le temps de réparer une espagnole ébréchée... Neanmoins, si l'envie vous prend de tâter de la symétrie intégral, voci le livre qu'il vous faut.

Et vlan, encore un titre absurde chez Gambit : la Marshall, c'est pas à comprendre - c'est à connaître sur le bout des doigts jusqu'au 28ème coup, c'est tout Quoi qu'il en soit, le précédent traité sur le sujet (The Marshall Attack de Lalic) remontant à 2003 (ce qui est un peu vieux sur un pareil thème), on pourra recommander ce nouvel opus (qui cause aussi des anti-Marshall 8.a4 et 8.h3, comme il se doit) pour une nécessaire mise à jour.

The Scotch Game is a solid opening that has been tried and tested in practice by some of the strongest chessplayers in the world for more than two centuries. The idea behind the Scotch Game is simple and easily understandable. White eliminates – in a purely mechanical fashion – Black’s e5-pawn which initially impedes his ambition to dominate in the center.

This is very appealing for White, as he controls the direction of the struggle’s development, while Black can only try to keep pace. Furthermore, there are relatively simple schemes in the white repertoire in which it is enough to remember the main plans of both sides and typical maneuvers.

This is the second edition of Vladimir Barsky’s book that first appeared in 2009. The new edition consists of seven chapters dealing with the core ideas and variations of the Scotch, supplemented by 79 Illustrative Games. The authors not only present detailed analysis of all lines but are also careful to discuss the ideas behind the opening. If you already play the Scotch, you need this book. If you don’t, find out what you have been missing. 224 pages