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Rating:  Summary: Excellent book, though incomplete Review: Lalic does an excellent job on explaining the more modern lines of the Classical Nimzo-Indian. There was a much-needed update in this area. For example...Sokolov's book on the Classical Variation mentions the line 4...d5 5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Qf5 in the notes to a game, and says that it "might" end up changing the assessment of the 4...d5 lines (which Sokolov basically says all 4...d5 lines lead to a significant advantage for White). Lalic gives a complete update on this line, with an entire chapter on 7.Qxf5, and half a chapter to each of 7.Qb3 and 7.Qd1. He also gives excellent coverage the exchange sacrifice line 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 Nc6 8.e3 e5 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Bc4 Qa5+ 11.b4 Nxb4 12.Qxe4 Nc2+ 13.Ke2 Qe1+ 14.Kf3 Nxa1 15.Bb2 0-0 16.Kg3. Here he shows that Black has found an improvement on move 19 to bring the 16...h6 line back to life, since 16...Bd7 is too passive, and 16...Kh8 is basically refuted.Where this book gets its label "Incomplete" is in a couple of the older lines. For example, while after 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 Nc6, White's best move is 8.e3, 8.Nf3 is a perfectly viable line, and it's not even mentioned in the notes anywhere, whereas it deserves at least 1 game. The lines with 5...exd5 I agree with the author of keeping to 1 game. It's an old line with White getting a good version of the Queen's Gambit Declined. Not what a Nimzo-Indian player wants anyway. The 4...c5 line though could use a little more coverage. I have played 4...c5 with 5...Na6 and continuing with the Knight sacrifice on e4. Lalic basically brushes this line off to a draw in the notes of a game. There are too many various ideas for both sides to just declare it a draw. If you play the Nimzo-Indian (Like me) or the Classical Variation against it (Like me), this is a must-have book for your shelf, but don't throw away your old ones if you are playing the Nimzo as Black (Sokolov's book on the Classical, Kosten's 2 books on the Nimzo, "Mastering the Nimzo Indian", and "New Ideas In the Nimzo Indian Defense"), as they will cover some of the older lines that White might throw at you (Like the 8.Nf3 line mentioned above).
Rating:  Summary: Excellent book, though incomplete Review: Lalic does an excellent job on explaining the more modern lines of the Classical Nimzo-Indian. There was a much-needed update in this area. For example...Sokolov's book on the Classical Variation mentions the line 4...d5 5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Qf5 in the notes to a game, and says that it "might" end up changing the assessment of the 4...d5 lines (which Sokolov basically says all 4...d5 lines lead to a significant advantage for White). Lalic gives a complete update on this line, with an entire chapter on 7.Qxf5, and half a chapter to each of 7.Qb3 and 7.Qd1. He also gives excellent coverage the exchange sacrifice line 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 Nc6 8.e3 e5 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Bc4 Qa5+ 11.b4 Nxb4 12.Qxe4 Nc2+ 13.Ke2 Qe1+ 14.Kf3 Nxa1 15.Bb2 0-0 16.Kg3. Here he shows that Black has found an improvement on move 19 to bring the 16...h6 line back to life, since 16...Bd7 is too passive, and 16...Kh8 is basically refuted. Where this book gets its label "Incomplete" is in a couple of the older lines. For example, while after 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 Nc6, White's best move is 8.e3, 8.Nf3 is a perfectly viable line, and it's not even mentioned in the notes anywhere, whereas it deserves at least 1 game. The lines with 5...exd5 I agree with the author of keeping to 1 game. It's an old line with White getting a good version of the Queen's Gambit Declined. Not what a Nimzo-Indian player wants anyway. The 4...c5 line though could use a little more coverage. I have played 4...c5 with 5...Na6 and continuing with the Knight sacrifice on e4. Lalic basically brushes this line off to a draw in the notes of a game. There are too many various ideas for both sides to just declare it a draw. If you play the Nimzo-Indian (Like me) or the Classical Variation against it (Like me), this is a must-have book for your shelf, but don't throw away your old ones if you are playing the Nimzo as Black (Sokolov's book on the Classical, Kosten's 2 books on the Nimzo, "Mastering the Nimzo Indian", and "New Ideas In the Nimzo Indian Defense"), as they will cover some of the older lines that White might throw at you (Like the 8.Nf3 line mentioned above).
Rating:  Summary: Good on the new stuff, poor on the old Review: Lalic in his preface says that due to the restriction of space (to 160 pages) he has "concentrated on the currently fashionable lines." For example, in the line with 4..d5 5 cd5, he gives only one game with ed5 and about 3 pages of brief analysis. The older Nimzo-Indian Defense, Classical Variation by Ivan Sokolov(1995) gave 11 pages on this line. Lalic gives 30 pages on the 5..Qd5: lines. Seven pages are on 6Nf3 Qf5, a relatively new line in 1995, to which Sokolov devoted only a page. The emphasis on new material continues through the book. The games are almost all from the late nineties through 2000 and are annotated in considerable detail with lots of verbal explanation. What the book does not do is provide any real overview of the variation. Lots of information on the trees, little on the forest. He does not compare the main variations against each other, and there are no diagrams with little arrows or any general attempt to explain themes outside of the game annotations. The upshot is that if you want an update of Nimzo material in annotated game format, the book looks really good. If you want a general take on the Classical, it's lacking.
Rating:  Summary: Good on the new stuff, poor on the old Review: Lalic in his preface says that due to the restriction of space (to 160 pages) he has "concentrated on the currently fashionable lines." For example, in the line with 4..d5 5 cd5, he gives only one game with ed5 and about 3 pages of brief analysis. The older Nimzo-Indian Defense, Classical Variation by Ivan Sokolov(1995) gave 11 pages on this line. Lalic gives 30 pages on the 5..Qd5: lines. Seven pages are on 6Nf3 Qf5, a relatively new line in 1995, to which Sokolov devoted only a page. The emphasis on new material continues through the book. The games are almost all from the late nineties through 2000 and are annotated in considerable detail with lots of verbal explanation. What the book does not do is provide any real overview of the variation. Lots of information on the trees, little on the forest. He does not compare the main variations against each other, and there are no diagrams with little arrows or any general attempt to explain themes outside of the game annotations. The upshot is that if you want an update of Nimzo material in annotated game format, the book looks really good. If you want a general take on the Classical, it's lacking.
Rating:  Summary: The analysis is fine, but the coverage isn't. Review: Mr Lalic has nicely analysed lots of games starting with 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 Bb4, 4. Qc2. Unfortunately, too few of the games continue 4. ... c5, (a mere eleven and a half pages worth). He has seriously underestimated the importance of this line. Sokolov's book on the Classical Nimzo-Indian, though a little dated now, is more balanced and provides more illuminating explanations. Besides, Sokolov is a real expert on this opening...
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