<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: This is how opening books should be written
Review: Aside from being a strong opening in itself, the Trompowsky lets White avoid Black's pet Indian defenses and can be frustrating. In this book, Wells covers all of the main lines of the Trompowsky with just enough detail. Against the two critical lines, 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5!? and 3. ..d5 there, he offers a "Solid" move and an "Attacking" move, with one chapter devoted to each. Here are the chapters of the book, for the curious:[1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5]
1) 2. ...Ne4 Introduction and Minor Lines
2) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. d5 (Attacking)
3) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nd2 (Solid)
4) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 - Introduction and Attacking Repertoire with 4. f3
5) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3!? (Solid)
6) 2. ...c5 - Introduction and the Solid Repertoire with 3. Bxf6
7) 2. ...c5 - The Attacking Repertoire with 3. d5!?
8) 2. ...e6 3. e4!?
9) 2. ...d5 - Introduction and 3. Bxf6
10) 2. ...g6 and other Minor 2nd Moves
11) Index of Main Variations
12) Index of Games The book follows master-level Trompowsky games and Wells annotates them in a very instructive fashion. I learned to play the Trompowsky with confidence after just one reading of this book. There is one pseudo-Trompowsky line that this book does NOT cover: 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5!? If you really want to play this line, you'll have to look elsewhere to learn it.
Rating:
Summary: This is how opening books should be written
Review: Aside from being a strong opening in itself, the Trompowsky lets White avoid Black's pet Indian defenses and can be frustrating. In this book, Wells covers all of the main lines of the Trompowsky with just enough detail. Against the two critical lines, 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5!? and 3. ..d5 there, he offers a "Solid" move and an "Attacking" move, with one chapter devoted to each. Here are the chapters of the book, for the curious: [1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5]
1) 2. ...Ne4 Introduction and Minor Lines
2) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. d5 (Attacking)
3) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nd2 (Solid)
4) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 - Introduction and Attacking Repertoire with 4. f3
5) 2. ...Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3!? (Solid)
6) 2. ...c5 - Introduction and the Solid Repertoire with 3. Bxf6
7) 2. ...c5 - The Attacking Repertoire with 3. d5!?
8) 2. ...e6 3. e4!?
9) 2. ...d5 - Introduction and 3. Bxf6
10) 2. ...g6 and other Minor 2nd Moves
11) Index of Main Variations
12) Index of Games The book follows master-level Trompowsky games and Wells annotates them in a very instructive fashion. I learned to play the Trompowsky with confidence after just one reading of this book. There is one pseudo-Trompowsky line that this book does NOT cover: 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5!? If you really want to play this line, you'll have to look elsewhere to learn it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book, Bad Opening
Review: This is an excellent book, but it ignores the fact that the trompowsky isn't fun for white after 2...d5 or the various other lines in which white plays bishop takes knight and black takes back with the g pawn. The dark squares and bishop pair will usually give black a position in which he is anything but worse. Then there's also the problem with what to play against moves like 1...d5, 1...f5, 1...e6, and 1...c6. In the latter two you could transpose to e4 openings, but then why are you playing d4? And in the first two, what do you play? Either the main lines, which you're trying to avoid by playing the trompowsky, or some system like the London or Stonewall in which your opponent can just copy your moves and draw. I don't even recommend this opening as a secondary weapon, because you must have knowledge of benoni, open sicilian, and french advance structures to play the Tromp, and that's a lot of work for a surprise opening that isn't even that good.
Rating:
Summary: Best? opening book
Review: This is the bible of the opening made popular by Julian Hodgson and other young British GMs. In his hands, it fits with his slashing, attacking style. The book's 240 pages are chockful of original analysis and reveal the author's passion for this opening. There's a lot of clear explanations for lower-rated players as well as enough innovative lines that even GMs will need this book to tackle the Tromp. In fact, Jeremy Silman has called this work "magnificent" and described it as simply the best opening text he's ever seen. A question for me remains why the opening is so under-represented in MCO 14. It's covered in about three pages. By the way, look at Wells' other opening books too: The Complete Semi-Slave and The Complete Richter-Rauzer. According to Mr. Silman, they set the standard for those openings as well.
Rating:
Summary: Best? opening book
Review: This is the bible of the opening made popular by Julian Hodgson and other young British GMs. In his hands, it fits with his slashing, attacking style. The book's 240 pages are chockful of original analysis and reveal the author's passion for this opening. There's a lot of clear explanations for lower-rated players as well as enough innovative lines that even GMs will need this book to tackle the Tromp. In fact, Jeremy Silman has called this work "magnificent" and described it as simply the best opening text he's ever seen. A question for me remains why the opening is so under-represented in MCO 14. It's covered in about three pages. By the way, look at Wells' other opening books too: The Complete Semi-Slave and The Complete Richter-Rauzer. According to Mr. Silman, they set the standard for those openings as well.
<< 1 >>
| 
