Customer Reviews

Grandmaster Repertoire 3 - The English Opening vol. 1

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Despite Marin's formidable reputation as a chess writer, this is my first book by this author. I can now say that his fame is well-deserved. Marin writes with great clarity and thoroughness, and his understanding of the subject is terrific. I give this book my highest recommendation, but read on to see if this masterpiece is appropriate for you.

Let me start with some notes about the opening system that is the focus of Marin's book. I play the English with g3 regularly, and I am quite satisfied with this opening. This approach to the English is rather positional, with most lines achieving small but long-term pressure on the Black position. In general, there is a lack of early contact, which avoids simplification and results in rich middlegames where both sides have a wide range of possible plans. Given the lack of tactical melee in the opening, the play normally relies on understanding typical structures, avoiding the memorization of variations to a large degree. This same claim is often made by the authors of opening manuals to lure club players, but I can guarantee that it is true in this case. My main source for this opening so far has been Kosten's The Dynamic English : The aggresive player's guide to a traditional chess opening, which has aged remarkably well.

It is also critical to point out that the English with g3 as interpreted by Kosten and Marin is a strategically ambitious system, that strives to achieve a significant positional advantage against every Black reply. As a result, the White player must master a large number of pawn structures and associated plans, with plenty of examples of subtle play and hypermodern counterattacks against the Black center. To be frank, I have found this difficult to digest, despite some hard work looking for related games and multiple readings Kosten's book. I cannot recommend the English with g3 as a quick fix of your repertoire with White, as Black has many choices and White has to avoid many positional pitfalls to reach a good position. I learnt to play the Colle/Stonewall Attack much faster for example, and I sometimes miss all those rapid King side attacks against unprepared opponents.

Here is where Marin's book reveals itself as a phenomenal contribution. There are two things that really shine in Marin's writing. First, he bothers to explain with words many moves that are difficult to understand for the average club player. Second, he often examines every legal (and sensible) reply by Black, which gives me great confidence in his choices and makes it very clear how to utilize the general ideas to obtain a concrete advantage. Given the subject matter, such a presentation is priceless. My heavy use in the last two weeks since I received this volume has lead me to many new insights in difficult variations that I could never understand from Kosten alone.

To go over the contents more in detail, this volume focuses on 1...e5. It is divided in 8 main parts and 33 chapters. The first two parts explore the early Bishop developments Bc5 and Bb4. In the former, I was pleasantly surprised by the delay of e3 and a3, which I never found fully convincing in Kosten's. Marin's d3 favors faster development and it is probably easier to play. The next part focuses on the Botvinnik, and Marin does an excellent job explaining this system. The Botvinnik is the cornerstone of the repertoire, being the primary way to tackle King's Indian structures with e5, and it is far more difficult to play than most players think. Next comes the Reserve Sicilian, where Marin chooses 5. Nc3. My results with Kosten's Nf3 are so good that I haven't examined this part yet. The remaining material looks at the Keres, the accelerated Keres and some minor lines. I was eagerly waiting for Marin's take on the accelerated Keres, which featured as a refutation of the English with g3 in Palliser's Dangerous Weapons: Flank Openings: Dazzle Your Opponents!. Marin's logical and incredibly thorough analysis of these lines is well worth the price of the whole book.

I also would like to mention the production qualities of this outstanding book. It is simply a pleasure to stare at the pages, which employ a very readable two-column layout in a pleasant serif font. Main lines and variations are always easy to distinguish, and no page feels crammed or underutilized. Almost every page has two or three diagrams, and the use of slightly smaller variation diagrams is a very nice touch. Overall, Quality Chess fully honors its own name with this edition.

The Grandmaster Reportoire series hold arguably the best opening books ever written. Tony Kosten, Jeremy Silman, and John Donaldson all confirm this. The 2nd Volume ( of both The English and 1. d4 works) will be released Jan. 27 2010.

Comparing the reviews of both the 1. c4 and 1. d4 reportires, I noticed one big difference. Grandmaster Reportire 1. d4 Vol. 1 seemed to clearly be written for players 1900+ which is fine, the target audience for this series is definitely for advanced players and Boris (the author of Grandmaster Reportoire 1. d4) assumes one has been playing 1. d4 or skilled enough to know what to do in the positions. Not a whole lot of plan discussions in that book. BTW the 1. d4 book is excellent. It has totally revolutionized 1. d4 theory and has given the black side maximum difficulties to work out. You just can't beat superb anaylisis of a super theoretical opening. Now on to Marin's book Grandmaster Reportoire 1. c4 Vol. 1 (AKA The English Opening).

This book is unfathomable. Marin's anaylisis is completely new and original, he has also busted theoretical variations that were previously thought to have been good for black. Do you want an example that will give you chills? Take a look at this:

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nf3 d6 6. d3 0-0 7. 0-0 a6 8. a3 Ba7 9. b4 Bg4

ok so far this is standard theory, its called the Karpov Variation for black... the tactics that follow will require the use of a chess board, unless you can do it in your head (yeah right!)

10. Bg5!- a theoretical novelty the author discovered, the old move was 10. h3
10...h6 11. Bh4 Nd4 12. Ne4 g5 13. Nfxg5!! (a queen sacrifice!)

I don't want to spoil the rest of the analysis for you but white will build a devastating attack. And there's fresh, original, and bone chilling analysis like that all over the book. The analysis in here has not only shattered concepts about the english opening, but completely redefined its theory.
Not only that but the author takes his time to deeply explain the position, including plans, tactics, issues, key maneuvers, and imbalances. The author also states why a psoiton is +/= or vice versa. This is a godsend to the average club player.

All in all, what more can you ask for? A Grandmaster's reportire has been made available to us mere mortals. A deep study of this book while not only improve your rating, but your understanding of chess will skyrocket.

Reccommended for players 1500 all the way to GM

The 1. d4 reportoire is on equal grounds with this book but with a little less emphasis on explanations.
Cannot wait for Vol. 2 which will include everything except 1...e5 which is the subject of Vol. 1

Please rate if this review was helpful.

This book as with every Marin book I've read(4 total) is absolutely exceptional. If anybody exemplifies the publisher's(Quality Chess) name it is Marin.

This is not your typical book full of computer lines and tons and tons and tons of games that just want to help you memorize lines book. This book helps you LEARN the ideas and thus the lines. You can tell Marin put a lot of hard work and thought into this book, it just shows. The explanations are lucid and clear(1530 USCF). He rarely if ever leaves you hanging with a variation with simply "White is better", he tells you WHY White or Black is better even if it is a simple comment.

As I read through the book I kept having questions like "Yeah, but what if they do X" and then a few paragraphs, pages, or maybe a chapter later he covered it!! Everytime. This is a true repertoire book, he covers it all, but it is not over-whelming. I loved reading this book, feel my knowledge of the English and just chess in general improved because of it and I absolutely can't wait for the next two volumes to complete the repertoire. I guarantee when all three volumes are out, this will be the absolute definitive collection on the English opening for a very long time. BUY THIS BOOK.

This review is to provide the information that the Amazon description does not accurately describe the contents of the book. The book is on the English opening, but it is part I of a two part series on the English by the author. The first book is strictly on the response 1.c4 e5 and nothing else. The description does not include this very important information. In addition, the picture on the Amazon ommitted the words Part 1 under the title.

Why is this important?

First, I'm most interested in transpositions from openings starting with 1.Nf3. Basically, in this situation, the response e5 is no longer a consideration. Now, Marin in his foreward starts to make an argument that 1.Nf3 is flawed because of the response 1...d5 followed by a slav type of setup. He's not providing the hard evidence for that opinion until part 2 of the book. Second, I thought I was purchasing an entire volume and feel a bit cheated that now I need to buy a whole additional volume to get full coverage. At lease after reading this review, you (the potential buyer) can decide for yourself whether you want to do that.

Few other notes .... I've really just begun reading the book, but I can already tell that the volume is written in Marin's same high quality, clear style with emphasis on education rather than what I'll call "variation regurgitation". I am a bit suspicious on how exhaustive the book is but I'll update my review when I complete the read. One thing that I'm sure of is that I'll understand the English Opening considerably better than I do now. Also, the book is presented variation based (instead of emphasis on illustrative games). I don't take a hard position like others on this topic because I have a tendency to understand openings better from complete games. This is true because you can actually see how opening ideas manifest themselves in middlegame plans and result in endgame consequences. The main drawback is that not all variations are exhaustively covered and very problematic if you're trying to play correspondence chess or prepare for a high caliber opponent.

If you look at my other reviews, I rarely can enough good things about Marin as an author. This book is slightly different in that he does not provide as much critical and in-depth analysis on legitimate alternatives to mainstream responses. This in my opinion is the difference between a book targeted for the middle of the road club player and someone aiming for the master level skill level.

UPDATE April2011: I now own all three of Marin's book and very much look forward to putting his analyses to the test. As noted by one of the comments to this review, there are in fact THREE volumes to this set devoted to the English Opening. The volumes in general do not overlap with responses to 1.c4 e5 in volume one as already noted in this review. The second volume handles most other responses but primarily addresses 1.c4 Nf6 leading to a variety of setups such as King's Indian, Queen's Indian, Reti/English setups (amongst others). It should be noted that the response to the Dutch is rather light with references to Volume 1 as a transposition. The third and final volume deals with the symmetrical English. In my opinion, this is the toughest material because it's so difficult to gain any appreciable advantage as white in the symmetrical English. Players that know what they're doing, understand the nuances well, but going over the material, it's safe to say that the finesses required a lot of work and probably an advanced understanding of chess. In general, Marin is not afraid of the exchange sacrifice leading to an advantage. Understanding the benefits and potential of the exchange sacrifice is highly advanced for two reasons: first, often the advantage is temporal and requires excellent skill in piece coordination (not basic by any means), second, for situations where the advantage is structural requires a great skill in technique. What this illustrates is that Marin is attempting to reach an audience from advanced club player to GM. Overall, the books are excellent and require a great deal of attention to understand the nuances of the opening. One observation that I've made is that Marin is so talented at providing narrative assessment of the positions that the sections are highly readable (mostly without the use of a chess set because Analysis diagrams are frequent). The one problem with the material (and not the author) is that the subtle difference between the play really requires expert/master understanding of the positional transitions. Finally, Marin definitely prefers the English (c4) over a Reti (Nf3) on the first move because Nf3 doesn't allow the Botvinnik setup against the King's Indian (type setups). I can appreciate this problem because the alternative if you play Nf3 is to either accept quick equality or play something like the Classical King's Indian as white. I can say that playing the classical KI as white against strong players is tough because the King side attack for black can be aggressive and difficult to defend.

I could not wait to receive Volumes 2 and 3 of Marin's English so I ordered them directly from the publisher. If there were 6 stars to assign books than Marin's opus would receice. Anyone who thinks that chess books are passe with databases and the internet would realize how wrong they are after reading Marin.

His books have analysis of specific lines that are very challenging. Marin's clear explanations of the openings and middlegames that ensue means that these books offer provide a repertoire for the English and a coherent approach that will guide the player out of the opening. I seek in an opening to know and understand the lines and to be comfortable playing those line. Marin's books provide a tremendous assist in that venture. His explanations are so good and understandable that is as if he is doing a chess video and a book together.

I studied Volume 1 that focuses on the King's English, e5 vs the English. I understood the Botvinik formation and how to play it in the middlegames and it resulted in several tournament successes.

I am now working on Volume 2 and I am finally starting to really grasp the Reti, due to Marin's explanations. Volume 3 is the Symmetrical or as Marin terms it, the Double English. He discusses ways to avoid the Hedgehog (or Ron Jeremy) variations of the Double English. I have not finished 2 and only scanned 3.

All three volumes are obviousy a labor of love for Marin and it shows throughout the nearly 1200 pages of all three books. Combined with Marin's trademark outstanding writing and explanations result in an instant chess classic.

I am a big fan of Quality Chess' publications. The grandmaster's passion for the subject matter literally jumps off the pages. The editing is first rate, so that it is clear these are not cut and paste database dumps that other publishers package as books. Even the paper quality and binding are superior to other publishers. The quality of the analysis (much of it original) and explanations keep the chess book alive and in many respect better than ever. Just as a high quality car holds its value, so do Quality books. 2 or 5 years from now, they still cost $15-$25. They do not end up costing $1.99 or $4.99 and in the shelves of Half Price Books or another large used book or overstock retailer.

If you have any interest in the English and are over 1800, save up if you must, but buy these books.

Marin has written a superb opening repertoire book for White here. The lines he recommends are almost the same as those in Kosten's "Dynamic English" (an excellent book in its own right), but Marin updates the analysis, and adds more depth. He is really good at explaining clearly why a variation is good and why another one is inferior. Sometimes the difference is quite subtle and he gives the reader a great chess education. The writing is superb; you would never know English is not his first language. The book is arranged in a tree format, with each variation illustrated through the middle game at least. Even if you don't play the English opening, you will learn a whole lot about chess. Highly recommended for players above 1600 all the way up to GMs.

Mihail Marin's three-volume series on the English is incredibly deep and thorough, so much so that unless you are master strength, it may just overwhelm you. The set is basically an opening repertoire for White, i.e., it could have been called something like "White to play and win with the English."

The depth of the analysis is staggering, presenting the reader with a very real practical problem: how to best make use and take command of the 1000+ pages contained in the three volumes. This is no mean task, as Marin, a superb author and analyst by any standard, clearly has done a tremendous amount of work and research to produce what surely will be regarded as his opus magnum.

Having three or for variations appearing around move 20 or so is more the norm than the exception. Marin spares no effort to probe the secrets of every line and thematic concept. He complements the presentation with original analysis and suggestions. But how a player interested in using these books for actually playing the English should proceed is not in this case a frivolous question.

This practical problem is further exacerbated by an unfortunate omission by the author to offer any guidelines about how to use the books. Acknowledging the complexity and challenge the densely packed material present by including several pages in each volume explaining author's recommended use of the material would have gone a long way to help and guide the reader. As it stands now, the reader, especially the less experienced or weaker (under ELO 2000) player, runs the risk of being so completely overwhelmed by the tsunami of information that the decision might be made to move on to other, more easily grasped material.

To some degree, that would be a shame, for Marin has done five-star work with these books. But extracting meaningful interaction from them may certainly pose a daunting dilemma for many readers. In addition to presenting a practical, meaningful road map for these books, the author (or perhaps more accurately the publisher) could have made these books much more user-friendly by repeating all the introductory moves before setting out material for yet another sub-variation. By this I mean, for example, that the reader is faced with many variations and sub-sets that occur after the 10th or 15th move of a given line. The variation in question is headed just by the move itself.

Let's say after White's 17th move, there are four possible responses by Black that the author presents. It would have extremely helpful before each of the possible black replies on the 17th move, if the all moves from the very beginning were given. The way it stands now, one has to flip back searching for the moves that lead up to the move discussed. That sounds simple, but in fact when you are on move 17 and there have been four major variations each with four choices, it can become quite a chore. True, not many opening books use this technique, bit with material this complicated and confusingly similar, it should have been done here.

Finally, two of the three volumes that I own are already falling apart. The pages are simply falling out. This tends to be happening toward the back of the book, but of course it should not be happening at all. I should also mention that I have encountered this problem -- some form of poor or flawed binding -- with other books by this publisher.

So, we have five stars for the content, three for the presentation and one for the production...overall, three stars.

Parker R.

I am not going to repeat what has already been written about this book other than to say it is one of the finest written chess books I have ever read. If volume 2, which is supposed to cover all the responses to C4 other than E5, is written with the same clarity and detail as the prose in this book, one will have the best grounding in the English opening short of taking lessons from the author.

This is just amazing book!!!!! I begin recently to play c4 and know some of the ideas, but for certain lines I was not sure why is played that way because couldn't find good and understanbale explanation. Marin is also known for his high quality endgame technique which makes him ideal writer for this book. It is really rare to find book with such "clean" language. I have to recommend it to anybody who is willing to play English. Just can't wait for volume 2 which will complete whole repertoire with c4.