Karpov's Caro Kann: Panov's Attack (Batsford Chess Books) [Paperback]

Anatoly Karpov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006 | Series: Batsford Chess Books

The great Anatoly Karpov, considered the best positional player in chess history, has been a major force in the chess world through the greater part of three decades. Now he shares his profound opening knowledge in an indispensable pair of authoritative books devoted to the Caro Kann. In this volume, Karpov, a lifelong adherent of the Caro Kann, shows how Black can not only survive White’s aggression in the open lines of the Panov, but counterpunch and dominate the opening. He selects and analyzes the many lines which provide Black not only with security but also with active play.
 

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About the Author

Anatoly Karpov is a living legend of the chess; he has dominated the world of the chess for over a decade as the world chess champion between 1975 and 1985. Garry Kasparov, the current champion, dethroned him and the two ideologically opposed Russians have had a bitter rivalry ever since. Anatoly Karpov is also the winner of the largest number of tournaments in the history of the chess, with more than 160 due tournaments. He is considered the best positional player of history of chess and is the author of several other books on chess theory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Batsford (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071349011X
• ISBN-13: 978-0713490114
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment, maybe useful for specialists, March 17, 2007

By 

Jon Strohbehn "Strawlegs" (portland or) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Karpov's Caro Kann: Panov's Attack (Batsford Chess Books) (Paperback)

I very much liked the first volume in this series, but by comparison to the volume on the advance and gambit lines, this book is a huge disapointment. When I opened the book, i looked for comments on the lines I play most as black, and discovered they weren't covered. This was amazing, since I play the main lines!

In all likelihood, Mikhail Podgaets is the principal author; his name appears on the cover under Karpov's. When Karpov co-authored The Caro-Kann in Black and White with Beliavsky, the first thing he covered under the Panov was a transposition into "The Karpov Variation" of the Nimzo. The transposition isn't even mentioned in this book. How likely is it, if Karpov were the primary author, that he would ignore the Karpov variation, especially as it's his preferred choice against the Panov? (Incidentally, it's well covered in Hansen's book on the Rubenstein)

In the preface the author(s) state(s) that variations characteristic of other openings would not be covered. What's really poor is that the transposition points aren't even identified, and the Panov is largely about the transpositions.

There are other gigantic gaps: in the good but fairly limited repertoire book "Easy Guide to the Panov" Agaard gives two chapters on what he identifies as the most popular lines in the Panov, (linew in the B-b4 Panov where black captures on c4 and castles. Thess lines, used by Karpov, go unmentioned. In the Steiner, the line where white takes twice on d5 and black recaptures with the queen is given, a less popular line, popular in the former USSR, but not used by Karpov, and one which is essentially a QGA. But the much more popular knight recapture is ignored.

Lots of the stuff in the book is high quality,( hence the two stars rather than one) and it will probably be useful to those who specialize in the Caro-Kann,(for instance the Steiner queen capture line has better coverage here than in anything else I've seen) but as an overall guide it's totally inadequate, and someone taking up the opening - particularly as white- would be better served by almost anything else.