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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Fun,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Killer Grob (Pergamon Chess Series) (Paperback)
Published in 1991, this 170 page book has more entertainment value than actual solid positional play. IM Michael Basman has won a number of Master games with it, so regardless of Raymond Keene's opinion on this being a horrible opening, The Grob is not without logic. If you're looking for something different, this is definately it, as 1.g4 or as Black 1.e4 g5 (1.d4 h6, 2.e4 g5) can be a great 'shock value' opening for the intermediate and club player. I have won with this opening many times, but i will admit, i can't see it being a major part of my opening repertoire. It would be nice if Basman wrote a follow-up to this book for more current treaments, as well as the Gambit line of 1.g4 d5, 2.Bg7 Bxg4 which is not addressed here. This book will not appeal to all, but i am the type of player that loves to throw 'odd' lines at my opponent. There's also a small section of 3 games touching on the 'Global Opening' which deals with 1.h3 and 1.a3 or 1.h6 and 1.a6 for Black. I would like to see Basman write a book with more detailed analysis of this as well. In closing, i have to give this book 5 stars, partially because it's not as bad (at least at the intermediate level) as most people think, and it's extremely entertaining. Many people i have faced comment on how much they hate facing the Grob quite simply because they are unsure how to play against it. Most people are not 'serious' chess players, so why not go for a little gusto now and then?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Grobs the Attention,
By
This review is from: The Killer Grob (Pergamon Chess Series) (Paperback)
Basman's Grob book is a fun read, with real-life wins so bizarre they seem to come from a fantasy chess game. One leaves this book convinced that one should add the Grob to one's blitz repertoire. Although Basman spends a fair bit of time trying to explain the theory, the "ideas behind the opening" sections of the book just don't hold up as well--but is this Basman's fault, the reader's lack of subtlety (I'm only a B player), or the simple that fact that the Grob, while immense fun, does not really line up as a good old fashioned linear opening? I'm not sure.I love unorthodox openings, and I cannot deny the fun this book injects into chess with the Grob. But I think I'll stick to the Lengfellner System, and leave the Grobmaniacs to their party!
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The gross Grob -- defending the indefensible,
By
This review is from: The Killer Grob (Pergamon Chess Series) (Paperback)
None other than three-times world champ Botvinnik had a high opinion of the young Basman in the 60s, saying that he reminded him of Simagin.Now Basman is achieved notoriety by advocating the antipositional Grob. A cynic might claim that this gives him a win-win situation -- if he wins, the game is heralded, while if he loses it's put down to his choice of opening (I think a GM has made this point but I can't recall who). Indeed, Basman is an International Master so is a strong player, so is bound to have netted some scalps. In the 1992 New Zealand Championship, the defending champion played the Grob (or reversed Grob) in every game. He was clearly strong enough to extricate himself sometimes from a number of the messes he got himself into. But still he scored only 50% although he would clearly have been one of the favorites, and this was flattering for the opening. In a review of the opening in Spectator some years ago, Grandmaster Raymond Keene claimed that the Grob had to about the worst first move on the board, except maybe h4. It does nothing for development or the center, commits more time to be lost by h3 in Basman's line, and weakens the K-side. And Keene backed up his judgement by a severe thrashing of Basman, which he noted was unlikely to appear in pro-Grob books ... I couldn't give a book only one star, when it has such entertainment value, and might even help a few club players net some points. But be warned: the novelty will wear off, and it will be necessary to learn a proper opening. When I see the opening used in 2600+ events, then I might revise my opinion. I really doubt that I'll need to change my mind.
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