Customer Reviews

Play 1e4 e5: A Complete Repertoire for Black in the Open Games (Everyman Chess)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Grandmaster Nigel Davies recommends a complete black-repertoire based on the move 1 ...e5! in reply to 1 e4. What immediately caught my eye was the fact that the book is dedicated "For the Memory of Paul Keres", one of the greatest experts in the open games and, in my opinion, one of the most venerable Grandmasters of all time.

Lets have a short look at the content:

- against the Kings Gambit 2 ...Bc5 is recommended

- against the Scotch it is also 4 ...Bc5

- against the Scotch Fourknights its 5 ...Bb4

- against the Fourknights with 5 Bb5 its also 5 ...Bb4

- scottish and similar gambits with c3 are countered by ...d7-d5

- Ponziani 3 ...Nf6

- Two Knights e4 e5, Nf3 Nc6, Bc4 Nf6, Ng5 d5, ed5 Na5, Bb5+ c6, dc6 bc6 or 4 d4 ed4, e5 Ne4 or 4 d4 ed4, O-O Ne4

- Vienna and Bishops Opening with 2 ... Nf6 and a possible transposition to the Two Knights

- in the Ruy Lopez, Davies recommends the Keres variation e4 e5, Nf3 Nc6, Bb5 a6, Ba4 Nf6, O-O Be7, Re1 b5, Bb3 d6, c3 O-O, h3 Na5, Bc2 c5, d4 Nd7!? and all kinds of very good recommendations to possible sidelines in the Ruy Lopez (such as e.g. 5 ...Qf6!? as reply to the Exchange variation).

I really am delightened about this book! Sometimes even sidelines are covered with two or three games (!) and this really makes you feel safe, to have a weapon against everything White may throw at you - and thats great! I believe it was mentioned by Top-reviewer Jill Malter that Davies only fails to cover the Alapin with 2 Ne2 and I suppose this must have been a

simple (and minor?) oversight.

Davies writes that Grandmaster Psakhis once told him that every ambitious player should have a good education in the open games if he or she aims at improving further - this book for sure is a very good "exam" then! Besides: John Emms' book "Play the Open Games as Black" still is a very good addition to this work of Davies' though Emms did not cover the Ruy Lopez. Both books succeed in inspiring for the magical world of the Open

Games!

Go and buy this book - it is great! Play 1 e4 e5! like Keres, Alekhine and many others. Enjoy and win with it!

In this excellent chess book, the author advises defending against 1 e4 with 1...e5. And so do I. Although I often answer 1 e4 with 1...d5, my other defence is 1...e5, and I play the Berlin Defence to the Ruy.

Davies, however, recommends playing the Chigorin, and he has a good reason: the line he recommends, 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4 Nd7 12 Nbd2 exd4 13 cxd4 Nc6 14 d5 Nce5 15 Nxe5 Nxe5 16 f4 (White can also try 16 a4 Rb8 17 axb5 axb5 18 f4 Ng6 19 Nf3 Bh4 20 Rf1 Bg3 21 f5 Ne5 22 Ng5 Nd7) 16...Ng6 17 Nf3 Bh4 18 Nxh4 Qxh4 19 f5 Ne5 20 Rf1 Bd7 21 f6 Bxh3 22 gxh3 Qg3+ gives Black a draw (he does show ways for Black to play for more in this defence). Not only that, White's attempts to win in this line tend to be risky.

Well, that is fair. I think this line is certainly worth trying. Davies also has some good recommendations for other White tries on moves 12 and 9. In addition, Davies does not try to spook White by playing 7...0-0 and 8...d6 (reversing the order of moves 7 and 8 to see if White will panic and play an anti-Marshall). That's a good idea too, given that Black would simply have to learn a couple of anti-Marshalls.

Of course, Black also has to learn how to defend against the Worral attack (6 Qe2), as well as Exchange Variations on moves 4 and 6. But the book has plenty of good material to help one do just that. Of course, since I play the Berlin, I don't have to worry about this. But I do need to know all the stuff that follows, with White variations on moves 2 and 3.

One reason many folks don't play the Black side of the Ruy is that they're afraid they'll get 3 Bc4, or 3 d4, or 3 Nc3, or 3 c3, or 2 f4, or 2 d4, or 2 Nc3, or 2 Bc4. These are the Italian, the Scotch, the Four Knights, the Ponziani, the King's Gambit, the Danish Gambit, the Vienna, and the Bishop's Opening, respectively. And some of these may transpose into other openings. All this may seem like too much to learn!

Davies has some good practical advice here. Versus 3 Bc4, he recommends the Two Knights Defence (which is what I play). By the way, that lets him recommend a good line against the Bishop's Opening which can transpose into a Two Knights. And he supplies some solid lines against the rest of these openings as well. In general, he turns down gambits (2...Bc5 versus the King's Gambit, and ...d5 against the Scotch Gambit and the Danish Gambit). I prefer to accept these gambits, but it takes more work to learn how to do so safely. The author's approach is less scary.

I do have a very minor criticism. You see, there is, unfortunately, a, um, White opening this book fails to cover, namely the Alapin. Yes, White can play 1 e4 e5 2 Ne2. The idea is pretty obvious, namely to get in f4, with the f-pawn defended by the Knight. There may later be possibilities to play Nf4 or Nxf4, with the Knight now covering d5 as well as threatening to open the f-file just by moving. While Black should be okay after 2...Nf6 3 f4, I think some discussion of this opening would be in order in this book. Of course, Black can also try to transpose into a Sicilian after 2...c5 or into a Scotch after 2...Bc5. Here's a casual game I played for those who are interested in this opening:

1 e4 e5 2 Ne2 Bc5 3 c3 Nf6 4 d4 Bb6 5 Ng3 exd4 6 cxd4 d5 7 e5 Ne4 8 Nxe4 dxe4 9 Be3 0-0 10 Bb5 a6 11 Ba4 Bf5 12 Nc3 Kh8 13 f3 Ba5 14 0-0 Bxc3 15 bxc3 Bg6 16 fxe4 Bxe4 17 Qg4 Bg6 18 Bg5 Qc8 19 Qxc8 Rxc8 20 e6 (after getting such a nice center, am I simply hanging my e-pawn?) 20...fxe6 21 Rae1 Bf5 22 Bb3 Nd7 23 Bxe6 (looks like I'm getting that pawn back) 23...Bxe6 24 Rxe6 h6 25 Bh4 Rf8 26 Re7 Rxf1+ 27 Kxf1 Rd8 28 Ke2 c5 29 Rxg7 Kxg7 30 Bxd8 cxd4 31 cxd4 and White eventually won.

In spite of this minor omission, I strongly recommend this book.

I own several repertoire books, both for white and black, but I find that this book always seems to appear in my car, or by my bed, or by my board. The reasons I return to it over and over is that the lines advocated are a great mix of simple and strong. Many repertoire books advocate lines that are universal, but no necessarily the strongest. Davies does an excellent job of picking lines that are relatively easy to learn but still playable at any level of chess. The fact that he advocates both a mainline closed lopez and the two knights shows that he is concerned that players play only strong lines, but his choices of Bc5 in the scoth and king's gambit show a reconigition that not all of us have unlimited time to study. By using the strongest and most complicated lines with the most common openings (lopez, italian) and simpler but still solid lines for the less common, Davies really helps to economize your preparation. This book gave me the confidence to play ...e5, which I had normally eschewed before as giving white too many options. White does have a lot of options, but all of them can be well met, and Davies provides the means to do so. I have found this to be an extremely valuable book.

This book is a nice one to buy for anyone wishing to travel down the mainline of the Ruy Lopez. It is not aimed for those wishing to play the Marshall Attack. As someone who plays the Open defense, I would have liked more extensive coverage of white's fifth move options, yet what is presented is quite good. As an Open Spanish player, I can attest to the number of times I have had to face 5 d3. 5 Bxc6 is not covered, but, since the black dark bishop is not committed to e7, black has the option of putting it on d6, which I think is better. I am amazed how often Keres and Spassky played the move 5 Nc3. 5 Qe2 seems less effective than when played on move six. I dislike facing the Center Attack 5 d4, this is something that simply must be learnt.I like the plan of declining the Kings Gambit with 2..Bc5. This move is scorned in most KG books, yet it has a solid foundation. It also saves a lot of time, and avoids some very sharp theory. I like the move 4..Bc5 against the Scotch. The other mainline move, 4..Nf6 sucks one into a deep pool of complicated theory. The move suggested, Bc5, is easier, gives black an active position with certain structural problems. It is a good line to learn. The Two Knights Defense is a more controversial choice, but one I like. I think that 3..Bc5 also incurs the risk of facing a sharp line like the Evans or Moller attack. An advanced player facing the Two Knights often choses the closed variation anyway. I like Davies choice of 5..Ne4 against 5 e5, since the mainline move 5..d5 has a long(but sound)theory trail. The Anti-Max Lange with Nxe4 is sound, but needs to be carefully learned or one can fall into a nasty pin along the way. 4 Ng5 is main reason players are reticent about playing the Two Knights. However, the knowledge base required by white is fairly steep just to play the move. All in all, I think black is ok, he has a couple of lines he can try. Against 8 Qf3, I think h6 is likely the best move, although I think the play is complex. Against 9 Nh3 the move g5 seems to give black strong play. The Nf3 mainline is trickier. Davies recommends 9..Bc5. I think theory here is not fully worked out. Obviously 9 Nf3 is the critical move. Personally, I think black can play 6..Bd7 and avoid all of this. Nevertheless, I think all of this is worth a player's investment of time. Being comfortable in the Two Knights makes playing 1..e5 much less of a roll of the dice. The Spanish Four Knights with 4..Bb4 is dull, but the soundest way to play. 4..Nd4 is far more involved. The Scotch Four Knights is also annoying. Davies recommends going straight down the main lines. I think this is probably best too. The line with Qe7+ is interesting, but riskier. As is 5..Bc5. The gambits, such as the Danish and Goring, are best defanged with the Capablanca defense. Trying to refute these gambits will get you more points, but will take more investment of time and stress. The Ponziani is an irritant, as the attempt at refutation is with 3..d5, but that move is very tricky to remember with all the tactics involved. The move 3..Nf6 is what is chosen here. I do not particulary like it, and it can transpose into Goring gambit declined lines. But with some study, I think one will be ok. The Ponziani is not seen too often nowadays anyway. The Glek fianchetto lines in the Four Knights and Vienna are a pain. They have to be studied, because if one just tries to "wing" them, one will get into a hell of a mess right out of the opening. It is best to know two lines, since the Vienna move order should allow black to play 3..c6. The Vienna is another line that has to be learnt, but the gambit f4 lines do not look so bad, and the Bishop/Vienna line with 4..Na5 seems easier to play than 4..Bb4. The Exchange Spanish is a tricky line. The good thing is there are a number of lines to try. I used to study the complex 5..Bg4 line. This one still has some murky waters. Davies suggests an unusual line with 5..Qf6. This is an offbeat choice, I will have to test it before I conclude anything. The 5..f6 line is complex, and seems to give white a nagging edge. The Exchange is something every Spanish player needs to come to terms with. The reward to all of this is, of course, the fact that 1..e5 is a wonderfully solid defense. It has vast depth, so one will never get bored. There are multiple choices. One is never forced down a narrow path. And this volume does not really expose one to the vast panorama that is the Spanish Game. There is plenty here to hook a black player's interest. I recommend this book. Davies choices are perfectly tailored to one just starting to play 1..e5.

As a USCF low class B player, I'm arguably a bit too low rated for this book. Tactics and end games, right? But I've always played 1..e5 and was struggling in the opening. Davies' book covers a large enough chunk of repertoire to make it worthwhile, and complete games are always nice (some of which merit study regardless of openings).

I actually started with the back of the book, saving the closed Ruy for last. This is probably the opposite of what many will do. Davies doesn't dodge anything, but also doesn't give the same old lines. For example, he recommends Qf6 in the exchange Ruy and the 10..Bc5 in the Two Knights rather than 10...Bd6. The lines seem good, and I haven't been surprised by an opponent yet.

65 games total and lots more in the notes. This isn't a Starting Out book, however, so the explanations are mostly through showing games/variations rather than talking you through the reasons for moves. In this respect, it's aimed at a slightly higher grade of player.

It's not easy covering the entire 1e4 e5 opening for black, but the author succeeds. The book is both complete and succinct. Nigel Davies has great insight as he selects variations for black. Some lines are tried and true. They are the lines that you expect Davies to recommend. But some lines are rare and surprising. Either way, the reader can learn these lines with confidence that he is going down the right track. I have recently looked at all answers to the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez and have found none better than the uncommon line advanced in this book. The same applies for playing the black pieces against the King's gambit.

1e4 e5 is not simple for black, but it may be the most satisfying reply in the end. Black can get his fair share of chances in a game that is logical and understandable. With this book, you have an excellent chance of facing your opponent, having a real game, and even winning the full point.

Though the book is written from the black side, any white player who varies, or who might vary, his play in the double king pawn opening should enjoy this book. There is more to 1e4 e5 than the Ruy Lopez. If you enjoy chess, you will surely enjoy looking at some of the alternatives covered in this book.

I have had Play e4 e5! in hand for about three months and it has become one of my favorite chess books. I have periodically replied to 1. e4 with e5 in my 30 years of serious chess, but the vast majority of my games as black against 1. e4 have been Center-Counter (aka Scandinavian) (1. e4 d5), Sicilian (1. e4 c5) or Pirc/Modern (1. e4 d6). My reasoning has always been that 1. e4 e5 is "giving White what he wants," that is at my below-Master level a chance to play a sharp gambit. I just never felt comfortable playing against the celebrated King's Gambit, and it seemed that other gambits also required a lot more study time than I wanted to use to meet them. Of course, the Ruy Lopez is an enormous complex unto itself.

Since I like and respect Grandmaster Nigel Davies for his "Power Chess" books and his fine Chess Improver blog [...] I thought I would give this book a go, partly based on the other, positive reviews. I am very glad I did.

Play 1. e4 e5! is a complete repertoire against 1. e4, with the exception (as others have noted) of Alapin's Opening (1. e4 e5 2. Ne2). I don't consider this much of an omission, since it probably gets played in about .1% of e4 e5 games. To be completely thorough, also not covered here are unusual second moves for white like 2. a3, g3 and c4. These do get trotted out occasionally, mostly at below-master level, and it's not a bad idea to have replies prepared for these rare moves. Some coverage can be found at the beginning of John Emms' Play The Open Games As Black which I think is a good book, but not as directly useful for me as the Davies. Emms' book, published in 2000, is in the bibliography of Play 1. e4 e5! and is cited in the text as well, but the repertoire there is more complicated (e.g. King's Gambit Accepted) and it doesn't touch on the Ruy. You have to get a whole different book for that.

The final difference is one referenced in my title for this review. A great strength of Davies' book is that it has 65 main, annotated COMPLETE games (plus more in the notes), and the annotations don't end after the opening. The author comments on various turning points throughout the games (in 14 of which he was the player of the black pieces) and close study of these games can improve your play in all phases. This is what puts Play 1. e4 e5! a cut above many other good opening books.

One of the many controversies in chess is : which is better, to be an e4 player or a d4 player? This is something that we can't choose; nature has done so for us. But anyway, answers vary. Fischer, a "notorious" e4 player said that e4 was "best by test." I beg to differ, Mr. Fischer. Check your results at the 1959 Candidates. You lost 0-4 to Tal and 0.5-3.5 to Petrosian. I'm sure your results would have been ameliorated if you were a d4 player. Kasparov, another "notorious" e4 player lost the title to Kramnik. On the other hand, Petrosian, a "notorious" d4 player virtually eliminated defeat from his games, but were there enough wins? The answer to the question above is clear: neither player is necessarily better than the other. An e4 player wins more but loses more; a d4 player wins less but loses less. However, there is one aspect of chess in which being a d4 player is an advantage: the selection of a repertoire. A d4 player can select ONLY one answer to 1.e4 and if he's smart he'll select a semi-open game. Thus he'll study only ONE semi-open game and can discard the whole shooting match of open games. But if you're an e4 player and answer 1.e4 with 1...e5, you'll have to study no fewer than 10 different games. Don't assume that you'll be playing a Ruy every time, especially at club level. Be prepared for:
Vienna game, King's gambit, center game, bishop's opening, Scotch, 3 or 4 Kts, Italian or Hungarian or 2 Kts, Alapin, Ponziani, and finally the Ruy.
Taking into consideration that you're not a professional and have a life, that's a lot of hard work ahead of you. But remember that you can't choose. So if you're an e4 player and are prepared to embark on this laborious task, buy this good book and be my guest. See you at the club in five years' time.