Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 [Paperback]

John Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2007

For many chess-players, opening study is sheer hard work. It is difficult to know what is important and what is not, and when specific knowledge is vital, or when a more general understanding is sufficient. Tragically often, once the opening is over, a player won't know what plan to follow, or even understand why his pieces are on the squares on which they sit. John Watson seeks to help chess-players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings. In his previous books on chess strategy, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy and Chess Strategy in Action, he explained vital concepts that had previously been the domain only of top-class players. Moreover, he did so in ways that have enabled them to enter the general chess consciousness of club players. Here he does likewise for the openings, explaining how flexible thinking and notions such as 'rule-independence' can apply to the opening.

In this major four-volume work, Watson presents a wide-ranging view of the way in which top-class players really handle the opening, rather than an idealized and simplified model. This volume, focusing on king's pawn openings, is a book that will make chess-players think hard about how they begin their games, while offering both entertainment and challenging material for study in openings such as the Sicilian and Ruy Lopez.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

International Master John Watson is one of the world's most respected writers on chess. His groundbreaking four-volume work on the English firmly established his reputation in the 1980s, and he has produced a string of top-quality works since. In 1999, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, Watson's first book for Gambit, won the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award and the United States Chess Federation Fred Cramer Award for Best Book. His former pupils include the 1997 World Junior Champion, Tal Shaked.

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Gambit Publications (May 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904600697
• ISBN-13: 978-1904600695
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, July 18, 2007

By 

R. Miller (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 (Paperback)

This is the book I've been waiting for. The usual approach to chess openings is to memorize piles and piles of endless variations, and hope to outbook your opponent. But we all realize how futile and unsatifsying that really is. Finally we have a book here that truly explains the ideas behind the moves. It also explains why certain moves are not played. It connects different openings to each other, so that you know what to do when your opponent inevitably veers away from theory. And furthermore, it helps you to handle tricky move-orders, which were always confusing to me before. With this book and his Strategy books, I think I'm starting to understand chess.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Excellent Work!!, July 20, 2007

By 

K. J. Case (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 (Paperback)

First, I must confess that I have only read the chapters on the Queen's Gambit Declined and the King's Indian Defense.

Queen's Gambit Declined chapter
He gives detailed descriptions of the major themes of both the classical and exchange variations. I especially liked his discussion of the Tartakower Defense. I found his discussion of move orders to be quite interesting, subtle and useful.

I should mention that the section, "Declining the Gambit; Other Second Moves", provides important information about the Marshall Defense, Baltic Defense, Albin Counter Gambit and Tchigorin Defense. In my view, the entire Queen's Gambit chapter is a "must read" for anyone who plays this opening or for all players who really wants to deepen their chess knowledge.

King's Indian Defense chapter

I have played the Strongpoint Variation (page 208) for many years but was not aware of many of the themes in this line. Watson's clearly describes various strategies that Black has used against 8.Be3, 8.Re1, and 8.d5. Again, a "must read" in my opinion.

To conclude, as always, Watson has a wonderful knack for describing specific strategies of openings and their variations while also providing interesting example games that illustrate these strategies.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful, July 19, 2007

By 

j clark (bethesda, md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 2 (Paperback)

Well, I followed my own advice and got this book, even though I haven't
played 1.d4 in about 20 years. I wasn't disappointed. Just as in
Volume 1, this book is full of good practical knowledge and deep
insights, tying the 1.d4 openings to fundamental principles, and to
important concrete ideas. Through the theme of "cross-pollination,"
we can see the give and take between different opening systems. As
always with Watson, it is also beautifully written and a pleasure to
read. This book helps me to prepare lessons for my students, and who
knows, maybe I'll dust off that Queen's Gambit sometime.