The Ultimate Colle

Rating:
Summary: The Colle is a Classic Opening
Review: I have been playing the Colle off and on for years with mixed results. With some years experience I thought I knew a lot but was delighted to find out new tricks and plans. Gary Lane presents new games but does not forget the lessons of the old masters. My results have been improved and that is the ultimate test. An easy opening to learn and the prefect way to seek a win.

Rating:
Summary: A good and solid option
Review: i'm really glad to see a book like this, it has good explanation and a very good research of lines and sidelines, it is very honest giving the best moves for white and black, and you can bet whit confidence using the Colle; the book take you by 2 interesting lines 5. c3 and 5. b3, the general opinion after reading both lines is that the use of one or other is a cuestion of taste; the book is at last in theory. A really valuable book

Rating:
Summary: A good book on a simple solid opening
Review: Lane does a good job covering most possibilities in the Colle System. The book has a good mix between analysis and general themes in the opening. This is good for me because all I am going to remember is the general themes. He covers most of the Black options you are going to see if you play the Colle. Mind you, the Colle is not perfect in every aspect. You will most likely want to find another reply to the King's Indian. However, that has little to do with the quality of Lane's book. What I like about the Colle system is that it is playable against most Black systems, making White's job of opening preparation fairly simple. I would say the book is usefull for those under 2200 USCF.

Rating:
Summary: Not quite useful enough for the price
Review: Lane gives a lot of variations, but he does not give much explanation to guide the player. Furthermore, there is really no need to include both Colle systems in a book on The Colle.

The Koltanowski system and the Zukertort system are so different, and likely to be useful to different players, that including both in a single book is like including the Najdorf AND Dragon in the same book.

I recommend _A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire_ by Aaron Summerscale instead. If you absolutely canoot get that book, then Lane's may be worth getting depending on your needs. If you can get Summerscale's book, then Lane's book isn't worth getting for the vast majority of people.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Really fun book, I enjoyed working through it more than even Christiansen's book. It's fun to learn, easy to master, great games and annotations. Yet don't think the colle will win against everything. Against the king's indian it's a mess and the colle player can find himself hanging on for dear life. It's also a mess against a Dutch formation. Yet there are many wins here for the student who studies the book.
Good luck!!

Rating:
Summary: A Simple Opening
Review: Some years ago my most cherished book was Koltanowski's book on the Colle. It helped me win many games but as the years passed it faded from my play. Mr Lane has made me feel young again because he has gathered together a fine colection of games and more importantly explains how to play the position. I have noticed lots of improvements on my Koltanowsi treasure which is to be expected after all these years.
A new treasure has been discovered for either color!

Rating:
Summary: A Simple Opening
Review: The Colle has been my 1st choice for years. This book has managed to point me in the right direction on some of the lines I had previously been having problems with. Lane has done an excellent job of using the latest games and making it simple to understand. I think this is easily the best book on the opening that I have and I probably have them all! By the way I do use it against strong players and my results have been positive , which I think is more to do with the soundness of the opening than me.
A good investment for players of either color.

Rating:
Summary: Tricky opening- beware
Review: The Colle is a decent opening with some sting, but I have found that you can get into some serious trouble with this opening. With this opening, you can trick the average player, but when it comes down to playing the good players, you find yourself playing the same moves and you will get "Smashed!" Finally, it is a little expensive for the book, but if you can find a used copy, get it for reference.

Rating:
Summary: Winning Quickly with White
Review: The Ultimate Colle is an introduction into a simple but dangerous opening. Well, it has been good to me and a score of 70% against good players. All the games are explained and while not all are perfect for White the idea is to learn the basic plans. There are lots of attacking opportunities and it is a safe line to play.
This book is a real help if you want to win with White. I like it.