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Logical Chernev

I've just come across two splendid swipes at Irving Chernev.

Here is John Nunn, in the introduction to his Grandmaster Chess, Move by Move. He quotes a very illuminating annotation by Alekhin, and then goes on to say:

"Lesser annotators are often fond of propounding grand general principles, but these are often totally misleading. A typical example occurs in Logical Chess, Move by Move (Simon and Schuster, 1957) by Irving Chernev (I have converted the descriptive notation to algebraic). His Game 3 ...

    Authors and Openings Books

    Ah, so easily done: the unobserved transposition.

    Angus Dunnington's Winning with Unorthodox Openings [Everyman] gives on page 11 the line 1.b4 e5 2. Bb2 f6 3. b5 d5 4.e3 with the comment:

    "Black must decide what his ambitions are in the centre"
    ...and gives 4...c5 and 4...Be6 as Black's main choices.

    Then on page 23 the line 1.b4 d5 2. Bb2 f6 3. e3 e5 is given, where our guide remarks:

    Review: Modern Chess Miniatures - Neil MacDonald

    Modern Chess Miniatures by Neil MacDonald


    ISBN 1 85744-166-4 Cadogan ?[[sterling]]9.99. 150pp inc. openings index

    This is a most enjoyable little book. Miniatures are the most tempting of chess fare, tasty without being too rich, and MacDonald's collection includes a splendid variety. I imagine, in this database age, it's quite easy to collect and scan through umpteen miniatures, the added value coming only in the selection and commentary. Here MacDonald shines: he is keen to enthuse about

    Book review: Taimanov's Selected Games - Mark Taimanov

    [This review first appeared in Westward Ho!]

    Book review: Taimanov's Selected Games

    by Mark Taimanov (tr. Ken Neat) Cadogan 1995 ([[sterling]]?.??) viii+198pp.

    Among the cream of chess literature have always been game collections: those of Alekhin, Fischer and our own John Nunn are among my (and surely others') favourites. There can be few more pleasurable experiences than reading well-annotated GM games. Mark

    Review: Winning with the Nimzo-Indian - Keene

    Book review: Winning with the Nimzo-Indian by Raymond Keene. Batsford. 1991, 79+xv.

      I think I've bought my last book by Keene. The title that has prompted this decision is the subject of this review. It exemplified perfectly Phil Crocker's criticism of chess publishing in Kingpin No.22, to which Batsford, for some reason, felt the need to respond in No.23. As I remember, Phil's main gripes were:

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