Pirc Alert!: A Complete Defense Against 1. e4 (Paperback)

by Lev Alburt (Author), Alex Chernin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
[D]oes a fine job at being thematic while offering enough analysis to satisfy anyone... -- Andy Soltis, Chess Grandmaster, New York Post, 3 June 2001

Product Description
Win more games and enjoy chess more as you play and understand it better!

Packed with surprise-weapons, Pirc Alert! gives you everything you need to know to defend against White's most popular way of starting the game. Alburt and Chernin explain both the winning ideas as well as the moves of the Pirc Defense, a dynamic system used by the world's chess elite.

The perfect companion to Alburt's Comprehensive Chess Course, this book makes use of time-tested educational techniques to make it easy for you to read and remember. The most important principles and positions are highlighted in color. Lesson previews and unique "memory markers" lock in what you've learned. Frequent diagrams allow you to study without a board. Pirc Alert! is the first volume of the brand-new three-volume series, Alburt's Chess Openings, which will give you all the opening knowledge essential to playing this phase of the game like a master. Two-color illustrations throughout.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Chess Information & Research Institute; (Chess Information and Research Center) edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889323071
• ISBN-13: 978-1889323077
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #710,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Opening book you have been waiting for., April 12, 2001

By	"ghoulahan" (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best opening books I have ever read. I bought this book to keep up on ideas for white in the Pirc, but now I'm thinking of switching from my favored Sicilian and giving it a try as black.

I own over 600 chess books including a bunch on the Pirc. This one stands out head and shoulders above the rest.

A considerable amount of time is spent on the theory of the opening. At last someone is willing to tell us what it takes years to figure out. What the reasons are behind all of the moves and variations. The reasons are given in plain English with numerous diagrams to point out the various motifs.

Then after an extensive discussion of opening theory, the authors cover the actual moves and variations and include a large number of opening novelties.

This is the way all opening books should be designed. I can hardly wait for their next one

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best opening books I have read..., August 20, 2001

By	David H. Small "[e-mail]" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This is one of the finest opening books I have read. First a warning. The Pirc defence is not for the novice. The defence is complex, subtle, fluid and requires a high degree of positional understanding and defensive skill. It is one of the most complex responses to 1. e4 that Black can play. From this perspective it is amazing that the authors have written such a lucid book. Lev Alburt's didactic approach is enhanced by Alex Chernin's specialist knowledge. The end product is a superb book. I have read hundreds of opening books, but this ranks as one of the best, if not THE best. You will understand the Pirc defence after reading this book. While not every variation is covered, most are covered more than enough for the average club hacker. If you are below FIDE 2200 you will benefit from this book. However, having said that, I am not convinced that the class C to low B player should adopt this opening. But, if you like complex positions with plenty of room for originality and fluctuating pawn structures... go for it. You wont get a better guide than this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best opening book I have ever read, September 27, 2001

By	Roland Arajs (CA USA) - See all my reviews

For context, I'm a class C player with an estimated USCF rating somewhere between 1500 and 1600.

This is a book for the player who wants to understand the ideas behind the opening; not just recommended lines to be remembered by rote. The ideas include white's plans and possible counter-plans for black. It describes good plans and warns about plans to avoid.

The book is split into 3 parts:
1. How to use the book
2. General ideas and plans based on pawn structures that arise in the Pirc, and the role of individual pieces during the execution of those plans
3. Variations that are recommended for black for each of white's major options. This section of the book starts each section with diagrams of important positions to be remembered, and ends with diagrams showing critical positions and the best move for white or black.

The whole presentation of the material makes it obvious that the authors have years of experience in the field of chess training.

So, if I think the book is so good, why did I give it a 4-star rating instead of 5? Minor quibbles really:
1. The subtitle "A complete Defense Against 1. e4" is misleading. It could be the heart of a complete defense but, for one or two lines, the reader is referred to using another defense not covered in the book.
2. The general ideas given in Part 2 could have done with a little more context. In particular, you have to refer forward to Part 3 to find out why black cannot always use the "preferred" pawn structure where black gets the easiest play.