The Scandinavian [Paperback]

John Emms (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chess Press Opening Guides | Publication Date: March 28, 1997

A new title aimed at club and tournament chess players which explains how to play the Scandinavian Defence. Draws upon model games for both sides to outline core theoretical issues, practical strategies and tactics used.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this excellent book fills a clear gap in the market."--British Chess Magazine

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

In recent years, the Scandinavian Defense (1 c4 d5) has become increasingly popular both at club and grandmaster level. Indeed, it was even used by Viswanathan Anand in his World Championship match against Garry Kasparov! In this book for club and tournament players, Grandmaster John Emms explains the strategy and tactics of this dynamic and fashionable opening. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas so players can quickly and confidently start to use the Scandinavian in their own games.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Chess; 1st edition (March 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1901259021
• ISBN-13: 978-1901259025
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,423,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A GOOD BOOK, September 20, 2000

By 

Abolaji Ogunshola "Realism exponent" (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scandinavian (Paperback)

I had to write this review after seeing what had been written below by other reviewers.

The Scandinavian is one of the few lines were understanding piece placement and typical themes can get you thru most of the lines. OF course, some lines are sharp, but that is why you get an opening book - to have an idea what the typical GM plans/moves are.

The line that people have given with Ne4 is not close to a test of the Scandinavian - no GM would seriously play it against a peer.

THe key to learning an opening like the Scandi is to know the typical ideas that are common within the pawn structure and with specific piece placements. GM Emms does this very well - I learned some tactical patterns after repeated use and study of the Icelandic Gambit and the attacking themes in it. He also explains the key idea of the Scandi - light square domination - and stresses it wherever it occurs.

I think the book is theoretically correct in the mainlines. Some of the sidelines are not as well explained or analyzed - but I think that will be a failing in any book where a GM has to look thru many games. Emms does recommend new moves on occasion, though since I'm not a chess magazine subscriber, I'm unsure how much of his material is new or original.

However, for anyone who wants to understand the Scandinavian, you can do much worse than buy this book. Just playing over all the games in a chapter gives you an idea of what goes on in that line. A lot of credit goes to the opening and its simple (if you can say that about chess) nature, but credit must also be given to the writer for his selection of games and his explanations of thematic ideas.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How useful this book is depends on the side you play it from, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scandinavian (Paperback)

This book is hard to rate. I would have given it 5 stars from the White side, 3 stars (if that) from the Black side. I have played this line from both sides, and the main problem with the book is, as mentioned in a previous review, it lacks a lot of the deviations white can play. In order to master the White side of the Scandinavian, one doesn't have to know all the deviations, just needs a sound system to play against it. Black, however, must know what to do if a player deviates, such as that 6.Ne4 mentioned in a previous review, or in my case, I used to play the scandinavian with 2...Nf6, and 3.Nc3 isn't even mentioned, though played constantly. If it's going to cover the caro-kann panov, it should also cover the Scandinavian/Alekhine hybrid. What is good that is he isn't biased toward one side, like many opening books are. Definitely worth getting if you need something to beat that annoying Center-Counter, but if you are looking to play it as black, it's not a "bad" book, but it's far from complete, and you would need another source to fill all the gaps.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview on the Scandinavian, July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scandinavian (Paperback)

Like the other books of this series, the book provides a far from complete coverage of the opening. Especially the Scandinavian gambits require a much deeper analysis. However, the book consists of a large number of well commented games from recent tournaments. The fundamental ideas behind the Scandinavian are explained quite nicely and each chapter is concluded with a useful summary. This book is a good basis for those who want to start playing the Scandinavian.