Opening

This book is intended for light entertainment, not for instruction. I cannot see how anyone could benefit from more than 20% of the lines in here, because they are from various openings and sometimes require very cooperative play from the opponent.

Basically I saw this book as a collection of more or less amusing opening traps. If I play an opening, I usually buy a specialized book on it, and those books usually include all the lines that you find in this book, and tons more.

I read this book through in half an hour, and found little reason to return to it later. But it is not badly written. If your local library has it, why not borrow it for a train trip.

Not enough variety to make it a general opening book (Winning Chess Openings by Yasser Seirawan), nor a book specifically focused on one repertoire (The King's Indian Attack by Eric Schilling). The Openings discussed are somewhat in random order and therefore there is no real focus. Though a good book, very instructive and well written, I would not consider it a necessity for players. If you want to cram on a few popular themes then this book will fit your needs. All levels can read this book, but intermediate players (1200-1600) may utilize this book best.

'He's (or she's) playing chess by the book'is very often a disdainful remark. But every chessplayer, sooner or later, wants to increase his knowledge of chess. He won't be able to do it on his own. He will need help, help from '101 Chess Opening Surprises', say. This book is very userfriendly. It has only 128 pages but the most important openings are discussed. The notation uses co-ordinates (the easiest way it seems to me) Moreover, on every page are three diagrams to illustrate the moves that are discussed. A must!

This is a highly recommended book to one of the most frequently encountered openings, so I bought it. It takes two weeks to read five pages and the profuse variations strain my brain. This is not a book for a beginner. Be forewarned. If you are an elite player or exceptionally gifted (over 1800), disregard this.

For those of you that want to beat those pesky Sicilianites, this is the book for you!!! Nunn and Gallagher do an excellent job of providing White with good variations of the Open Sicilian. Prior to reading this book, when I was trying out the Closed Sicilian and King's Indian Attack against it, I went winless in 7 games with only 1 draw. Since cracking this book open, and playing 3.d4 instead of those Anti-Sicilian systems that just don't work, to the date of this review, I have yet to be beat in a tournament game playing the open variation as White. For those of you that play the Sicilian as Black (which I absolutely refuse to do), hold on to your hats. You'll be in for a beating if your opponent has read this book!!

This book is a great way to achieve positions of at least equality. It is easy to find variations with the index. Very exciting moves to exploit opponents' mistakes. Stepping into the wealth of theory involved with the Sicilian requires a guide, this is a must. You won't regret buying this book.

I bougnt this book with the intention to understand the Benoni.
Woof... just a foot beside the bull's eye!
In fact, this book is a serious review of all the lines with short evaluations and up-to-date infos. But I believe it is not for the under Expert level and it surely is of no help if you don't already know the opening.

This is a great book to study the Benoni. I love playing black, and I do believe that this defence is one the black's best. However, it's very easy for white to disrupt before black even sets it up. If black plays c5, expecting white to advance his pawn to d5, white can simply dxc5. Classical theory is against white's decision, since you aren't supposed to exchange center pawns for side pawns. But with one move, white has completely destroyed any chances for black to set up the Benoni. I play a modified version of the Benoni that is also similar to the King's Indian Defence. Instead of focusing on closing the c and d files, I try to close the d and e files. I only play e6 and d6 first, then wait for white to advance, then close the center. But to me, e5 is the most important square on the board to control, so fight for that square! If black can control that square, he can launch a kingside attack much easier than white can.

Go over to the review on The Complete Dragon/Edward Gufeld by the reader from LA and you have an exact review of this book also. I bought both based on the reviews. Lev Psakhis' advice in the opening of The Complete Benoni is that Black has the Sicilian Defense against PK4 openings, but little defense against PQ4, other than the lines of this system. With that out of the way, he proceeds with rare moves for white after 1 D4 Nf6, 2 C4 C5, 3 D5 E6, labeling them as other than Nc3. The variations are many and exquisitely detailed. His commentary is brief and cryptic, letting the variations (and the reader's understanding of positional play) speak for themselves in terms of analysis, as it should be for a complete understanding of the aesthetic of chess. The book was initially frustrating for me as an intermediate level player, but the more time I spend with it the more I learn.

Mr. Lee never bothers to explain why the Cramner version is so but simply assumes readers should agree with him. (I don't necessarily disagree with Prayer Book reform efforts, but don't find a compelling rationale here.) Our church book group was very disappointed in this book. It did not live up to the title.

Much of this book seems to be a set-up for the last chapter in which Lee predicts that the 1979 Book of Common Prayer will most likely be the LAST revision of this classic of the Anglican worship tradition. He assures us that the influence of the BCP will continue to mold that tradition, but that the tradition will continue to expand, embracing multicultural influences, new views on sexuality, and the evolving dominance of nonprint media. Lee refutes charges that Epicopalians' reliance on their Book limits their expression of faith and spends several chapters helpfully explicating its various liturgies. Along the way, he provides a brief (too brief, by my accounting) history of how the BCP/1979 came to be, including discussion of the influence of the Scottish prayer books of 1637 and 1764, early efforts to reintroduce ancient forms of worship based on scholarly research on the liturgy. In the end, Lee eloquently affirms, "We ask the liturgy to bear an enormous weight of meaning. Good ritual that is capable of bearing such weight depends on a certain familiarity so that the forms, actions, and texts can become vehicles for the meaning they embody. If members of the assembly have to wonder what is going to happen THIS Sunday morning, it can lessen their ability to worship. If they have to worry about getting the words right...they may be less free to encounter the Mystery of Christ in those words" (p. 164).

This book is just one of thirteen titles in The New Church's Teaching Series, a series that sets out to explain key Episcopalian positions on the practices, beliefs, and role of the church. Intended primarily for Episcopalians, I think Lutherans and Catholics will relate to many of the opinions expressed in these books. I strongly recommend the ones on the Bible: Opening the Bible by Roger Ferlo and Engaging the Word by Michael Johnston.

This is a very reader friendly book concerning one of the most essential parts of the Episcopal Church, and that is the Book of Common Prayer. As an Episcopalian, this book has refreshed my knowledge on the prayer book and has taught me things I either forgot or didn't know. Common prayer is something we cherish as Episcopalians. It is something that unites us all and at the same time, it shows our commitment as followers of Christ by actively participaing in prayer and the liturgies. We have studied this book in our adult Sunday school class and I have enjoyed every minute of it. A must read for any Episcopalian or anyone interested in the prayer book and the Episcopal Church.

This book is *awful.* It's full of unconnected dribble.
Can the author carry a thought through? What is she
doing writing at all, let alone writing about writing?
She has a PH.d. in what?? Better to do some searching
in the deja archives about getting ideas for writing.
The author seems to float in and out of dreamland. That
might be ok for the process of thinking up fiction, but
not for writing about writing. Now if she was going to
show me how to float in and out of dreamland, and how to
make that dreamland actually interesting, that would be
another thing. Her dreamland was boring.

I have read several of this "creative writing books", and believe me, a lot of them are not worth the plastic they come wrapped in. This is definitely NOT the case.

The author instructs you in simple yet effective techniques to set your creative genius on the loose. After you read the book and apply some of the ideas in it you will start to see that there is a potential story in almost every event, object or person that you encounter, just need to add a little imagination and you have your story.

The best part is that the author has quite some experience on teaching and educating aspiring writers, so the book is structured in a very didactic, simple and solid way. You can even read it orderly or just concentrating on the parts that you're interested, and still get the whole idea of each chapter.

Among other things she shows you how to get a story from everyday objects, how to get a story from events, how to help shape your character through action rather than pure description, etc.

As I told you before, I have lost quite a load of money on useless creative writing books, and I can tell you: THIS IS A MUST HAVE, perfect for us writing newbies that keep looking around for the perfect story to tell.

I picked this book up and flipped it open at random, then started chuckling at how corny the ideas were. How could anybody write a story based on a fairy tale? Based on the Bible? Hasn't it all been done?

But then the ideas started flooding into my mind. I literally cannot read this book on the subway anymore because I can't get my notebook out in time to record all the story concepts this book triggers one after another.

The key, I've found, is not taking Stanek's suggestions literally, but allowing your mind to free-associate. Yes, the ideas may be corny, but they all work. I'm convinced there are trillions of stories in this tiny paperback book, just waiting for you, the author, to let them out.

BCO2 was published in 1989 and the latest references are from the late 1980's. Opening theory has come a long way since then which makes this book of limited usefulness in 1998. Unfortunately, BCO3 and MCO14 are not even rumored yet, leaving an up-to-date single-source reference unavailable to tournament players. If you must have a copy of this book, try not to pay too much for it.

i have not had time to review the book because of school but every kasparov book has lots of information on chess because he is the former world champion if he defeats kramnik next january he will be world champion once again as for the seller the book arrived at my door in 4 days 1 day before scheduled arrival so im pleased the book was in used condition but i was told that before hand so no complaints

Well, I guess this was great by the time, but MCO-13 is better

This book lacked specific details on opening a small brewery. Now that I rexamine the title it states it is only a guide, and I found it to be a cursory overview at best. I wanted a book with start-up costs, equipiment costs and the like. Also costs for bulk malt and yeasts would be helful. I wanted to get a feel for costs I was not thinking about. Better coverage of state specific wholeseller/retail laws would be important. Coverage of state alcohol laws and the process of obtaining permits would be benificial. ...

That first review, dont worry about it. This book is helpful your not going to find any prices in this book on purpose, because prices on things change so much. If thats all your concerned about than this book isnt for you. This book is extreamly helpful and lots of information on how other breweries did it. It also includes a sample business plan. This is well worth the money!

An in-depth look into what it takes to open your own brewery or brewpub. Much more than I had dreamed of, and well worth the 60-odd bucks. It is put together like a text-book, broken into the various chapters/steps in opening. Not a good book for those who want light reading about brewing. I would only recommend it to those who are in or WANT to be in the brewing business. Top Notch.

I am just a club hack that has been playing the Caro-Kann for years. I bought the book because of Schiller's excellent coverage of the Lobron system in the classical Caro-Kann (4...Bf5). Previously I had been playing the Petrosian Smyslov System (4...Nd7). I have not found as thourough a coverage any where else particularly on some of whites more obscure gambit variations. Schiller's reccomendation to avoid alot of theory in the advance variation was tempting (3...Na6). But I am a Caro player because I like a defense that can stand the test of time. I am not sure the "Kavelek?" defense will sustain itself with a forwarned and prepared player. Schiller's line against the Panov-Botvinick attack is not the most secure Karpov-NimzoIndian transposing defense. But then I am no Karpov and it is a bit more exciting of a line. But if I wanted excitment I would be a Sicilian player. In conclusion Eric Schiller is an excellent and entertaining author. He is a gifted teacher. I am glad he wrote the book and glad I purchased it.

I have never played the Caro-Kann before, but after reading this book I began playing it and winning more than I had been. I was able to understand the ideas in the book and began to build a solid position every time I played the Caro-Kann. I was also able to beat an IM rated 2350 due to the understanding of the Caro-Kann that this book gave me. However, Mr. Schiller doesn't cover much in regard to the Advance Variation, but then again you can't have everything just one book. In my amateur opinion, this is an excellent book if one would like to learn the Caro-Kann.

I'm a +2000 USCF rated player who fought to keep his head above water with the Dragon. An expereinced chess coach recommended that I try the Caro-Kann. I never respected the opening because I did not understand it. This book is not comprehensive but it is about understanding. BTW by building a solid position first, I've added 50 points to my rating.

This is an interesting book. It gives you the ideas of the openings, much more so than theory-laden books, and it is also quite small. The detail here is not great, but it's certainly an interesting book.

My problem is what is it useful for. I can only guess based on its physical size that you are intended to take it with you to tournaments to help review your games when they are over, but yet the detail of the game is not really sufficient, and nco or mco seem like they would be better suited for this task.

This is almost a cheat sheet more than a book. Truly a "pocket guide"...you can actually fit this easily in your pocket, this book has all the biggie openings, clearly explained, with lots of diagrams. Obviously it's for moderately-advanced players and doesn't go into great depth, but like Fine's Ideas Behind The Ches Openings, it tells you why each side is making the moves they are and how the attacks will proceed after the opening is played. Great to have at your elbow if you're playing a computer with its preprgrammed book and you need a hint.

My only slight complaint is the book could be even a little longer. Some more modern openings could have been dealt with a little more thoroughly and the English--not a "modern" opening, is rather slighted. Another 30-40 pages wouldn't have made the book much less manageable and would have been useful. My other reservation is the price: a bit high.

This is an excellent book, suitable for people that need an introduction to the major openings, but don't want as yet to invest the amount of time necessary to learn any opening thoroughly.
This book is going to take the place of Znosko-Borovsky's "How to Play the Chess Openings" (which was written in the '30s), and Fine's "The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings" (from the '40s) as a summary overview to all the major chess openings. The advantage of McDonald's book is that it is really up to date (it includes moves from games played up to 2001). Unlike the two older books, Concise Chess Openings does not include a section on the principles behind the chess openings (e.g. develop light pieces before heavy ones, don't move a piece twice in the opening without good reason, etc.); however, since such "principles" are to be found in most beginners' chess books, one does not miss them in McDonald's book. (An excellent feature of the book is that it indicates very clearly what White's and Black's plan are for each opening or major variation.)
The only reason I did not give the book five stars is the price, which is really high for such a small book (smaller than a mass-market paperback).

I own this and Kallai's BCO, which is about moves beginning with 1-e4. The title makes them sound they're for beginners, but I think they fall midway between Seirawan's Openings and books like NCO and MCO, and may lean more towards the latter. MBCO is more thorough than Seirawan and just as recent, but has less text and theory. On the other hand, Kallai explains some moves and traps which would be obvious to the expert, and also gives tips on how to play the middlegame. There are no complete games given, just openings.

There's a good deal of information here for a short book. But a price is paid in terms of layout: there are no neat tables as in NCO. Also, I personally dislike the notation, which is figurine algebraic.

This book fills a niche as a pre-NCO/MCO openings reference guide, but is it a big enough niche to justify $40 (you'll need both volumes)? Maybe you're better off buying MCO if you need a thorough reference book (not everyone does), or going elsehwere if you really need to learn how to play openings. I like Kallai's two books, but am not convinced I should have bought them.

Much like 'Basic Chess Openings' by the same author, this book covers many of the more common 1 d4 and other openings. Queens Gambit, Kings Indian, and a couple of others are covered in-depth with many of the variations discussed. Unlike some books, Grandmaster Kallai really tries to describe what you are trying to achieve with each opening/variation. For basic/intermediate level of play, I really recommend this book. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is because some openings are simply glanced at - almost as if it was a rush finish.

I heartily disagree with the other reviewer who questioned the necessity of having these books (that is, assuming it is necessary to have any chess books at all, which, for the sake of argument, I am assuming that it is). In this age of internet chess, where the VAST majority of games played by people are blitz games, it is more important than ever to get out of the opening in good shape. These two books by Kallai are the absolute best opening books that I have, because not only do they set out variations and plans for all major lines in ALL openings, but they also have odd but frequent second and third moves in all major lines as well. For instance, in the queen's gambit section, you can quickly and easily find the Albin and Chigorin lines dealt with. Far too often, books do not discuss these very common second moves by black. But this book has it all right there. Have you ever seen an opening book explain why white does not play the exchange variation of the queen's gambit immediately on move three? This one does. Kallai tells you succinctly that white wants to wait until black plays Nf6 so that the exchange can be followed up with Bg5. It is all there. I have read Sadler's book on the queen's gambit, and although he has that question-answer dialogue, he does not address many of the practical questions that come up, such as the one above. This Kallai book magically does that. It is the only book that addresses nearly every opening point you can think of. I only have one complaint about these books (I did not play nearly full price, so price is not an issue for me): that is, the bindings are total .... Some Cadogan books were fine, while others fall apart on repeated usage. On my copies, the pages are beginning to fall out. This is inexcusable in a $... book. But, nonetheless, these books are the best. I use them more than Nunn's Chess Openings, more than Fine's Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, and more than all other opening resources that I own.