John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993 (Openings) [Paperback]

John Nunn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Openings | Publication Date: February 1995

John Nunn has an unparalleled reputation as a chess theoretician and writer of the highest class. In this book, for the first time since the best-selling Secrets of Grandmaster Play, he focusses his attention on his own games.

Includes victories over Short, Tal, Korchnoi, Anand, Gelfand, Christiansen and many other top players. Features in-depth analysis of topical opening variations. All the analysis has been computer-checked. A manual of attacking chess, from one of the world's best tacticians. This books is far more than a collection of superbly analysed games, however. The author has brought the games to life with anecdotes from the events, and provides many practical tips which will be of benefit to aspiring chess players of all levels of ability. 320 pages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Owl Books (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080503899X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805038996
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 40 games from one of the greatest attacking players ever, February 12, 2005

By 

T. D. Welsh (Basingstoke, Hampshire UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993 (Openings) (Paperback)

This book follows on from "Secrets of Grandmaster Play", which John Nunn previously co-authored with PC Griffiths, so it begins in 1985 when Nunn was already a world-class grandmaster. As he points out, the style is slightly different from the earlier book in being rather more personal and giving more psychological insights and anecdotes. The effect is to make it a more enjoyable read, if slightly less intense.

I have always thought of Nunn as a classical chess player, in that he studies the opening profoundly, seeks to gain advantage (or equalize) in orthodox - though vigorous - fashion, and also has great strength in the endgame. This combination of erudition and straightforwardness makes him a particularly good subject to emulate. These 40 games are annotated really deeply, although the opening analysis needs to be checked for new discoveries in the ten years since publication.

Perhaps the high point of this collection is Nunn's 25-move victory over Sokolov of the USSR at the Dubai Olympiad, 1986. Wiping a top Soviet player off the board so unceremoniously was something that British players hardly ever did until Nunn and Tony Miles came along. (They were usually happy to draw).

The openings reflect Nunn's fairly stable repertoire - assorted Black defences to his 1. e4, with quite a few Sicilians, and a high proportion of King's Indians as black. Unfortunately the book lacks an index, and the brief table of contents does not say what opening was played in each game. So there is nothing for it but to read methodically through from start to finish. Thanks to Nunn's exciting style and painstaking, literate notes - spiced up by the occasional amusing story - this is no sacrifice at all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of games, February 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993 (Openings) (Paperback)

This book contains 314 pages pure chess. A selection of John Nunns best games with in-depth analysis of each stage (opening, middlegame, endgame). And instead of just giving variations, you will find variations AND written comments showing the strategy and explaining the decisions. It is great to learn every stage of chess playing and chess psychology.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Nunn, March 17, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993 (Openings) (Paperback)

[...]I go to. I especially like that it includes victories over many top player, it features in-depth analysis of topical opening variations, all the analysis has been computer-checked and that it is also a manual of attacking chess, from one of the world's best authors.