68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
An underrevised revision, May 6, 2008
This review is from: Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition (Paperback)
Regrettably, MCO 15 is not what it should be. First, like MCO 14, there are countless typographical errors. Experienced players will no doubt suffer through this, but the editors are the ones who should have suffered so that readers do not have to. Secondly, most of the material is in lifted from MCO 14. Mr. De Firmian has his favorite openings and updates those better, but for non-topical lines developments go unmentioned. Thirdly, in spite of the claim that variations have been checked by computers, I have found serval cases where computer evaluations refute those given. So while computers must have been involved in the production of the volume, it would be interesting to know what percentage of the lines were actually checked. For an author who is sensitive enough to never fail to use the he/she convention, perhaps more thought could have been given to the environmental impact that this book would have given its limited use. More could be said, but I think that this suffices for those who are looking to spend thier money wisely.
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I agree with Gina Kruml - this book is sloppy, May 16, 2008
This review is from: Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition (Paperback)
The review by Gina Kruml is right on. I had waited for years for the new edition....what a disappointment. The number of typographical errors is staggering. It's hard to find an opening free of typos. In a chessbook, this is particularly bad and I tend to fault De Firmian, the author. Doesn't he have any responsibility to read his own work? Kruml blames the editors, but I think Kruml is too kind.
The book also does a poor job on providing the names of the more obscure openings. Although they may be covered, no names are attached and they are not indexed. How does this help the chess student? Blame the editors, but it seems as if De Firmian detached himself from any supervision. As for the number of he/she's puffing up the text (and slowing down the reader), well Kruml did nicely mention the environmental impact. This must be the fault of the knee-jerk editors.
Of course any decent chessplayer has to buy this book...it's a classic. But it's so sad to see chess computers getting better and MCO editions getting worse.
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49 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
(Nearly) Exhaustive Encyclopedia of Openings, April 14, 2008
This review is from: Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition (Paperback)
As advertised, this book is for the serious chess player at intermediate level and above. It contains extensive tables for all the main and most commonly played lines in openings played at higher level competition.
The introductions for each opening are informative and interesting. It is easy (for advanced players) to then follow the tables to learn the main lines and the major variations of the openings. I'm sure that MCO will continue to be a great resource for intermediate and higher level players who need to have a reference book handy to look up an opening that is new to them, or to study a variation.
A word of caution: This book may have very limited value for low level players, and virtually none for beginners. I think the back cover is very misleading, saying "Whether you are a beginner interested in learning the fundamentals, an intermediate player ready to elevate your game, or an International Grandmaster who wants to stay on top of all recent chess innovations..." That is completely dishonest. This book has NO instruction on rules of the game for beginners, zero information on basic strategy and tactics for novices, and very little analysis on why certain moves are better or worse than others. Do NOT buy this book for novices.
And this book does not address openings commonly encountered at lower levels of competition. For example, there is no section on the Smith-Morra Gambit (I recommend Bob Ciaffone's book
Smith-Morra Gambit Finegold Defense), and nothing that I can find on the many-named opening 1.e4,e5 2.qh5!? which can terrorize less experienced players on the black side of the board. I'm sure there are many other openings common at lower levels of play that are not included here.
There are also very few diagrams to go with the tables detailing the openings covered. Low to mid-level players must have a chess board set up and work through physically moving pieces on the board. It is just going to be tough slogging for anyone not very familiar with algebraic notation, or without the knowledge and experience that comes with playing
many thousands of games.
Finally, how can a book published every eight or ten years "reflect all the latest changes in the game, including recent tournament matches and important works on theory" as advertised. I doubt top level players will trust this book to have the latest theory, when they have access to information on line that is cutting edge.
So for you 1300-2000 rated folks who need a handy reference book to look up opening lines, this is probably a great book for you. But for the beginners and lower-rated, player/buyer beware!
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