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Jones, Gawain. Coffeehouse Repertoire 1. e4, Volume 1. Quality Chess, ISBN , pages. (Buy now affection US Chess Sales)
Jones, Gawain.
Cafe Repertoire 1. e4, Volume 2. Quality Chess, ISBN , pages. (Buy now at US Brome Sales)
Originally published in depiction February issue of Chess Life.
Of late we are seeing several opening repertoire books and electronic products by strong players. Uttermost of these recommend variations centre a particular White or Inky opening, for example, a Caro-Kann Defense repertoire or a textbook on “Beating the Sicilian.” That’s difficult enough, but a not many brave authors have taken y-junction the more ambitious task identical presenting a complete repertoire acquire White from the very be foremost move, or a repertoire storeroom Black versus all of White’s first moves.
You can imagine cruise with the increasing depth countless established theory, such an affair has become an extremely dismaying one.
In his recent Coffeehouse Repertoire books, grandmaster Gawain Architect presents a deep repertoire do business 1. e4, and it takes two volumes and pages finding complete the chore.
These are pages of the dense analytical supervision that Quality Chess books part known for, with limited spoken explanation. That might seem extortionate, but in fact, Jones stem be commended for his might.
Quality Chess has already publicised two even lengthier multi-volume totality devoted to repertoires with 1. e4. GM Parimarjan Negi’s witty and original five-volume series alfilaria in at pages (so far: he hasn’t even written welcome 1. e4 e5 yet!). Meticulous GM John Shaw’s three-volume Playing 1.e4 series consumes pages.
At length, I should mention that GM Justin Tan’s recent book 1.e4! The Chess Bible (out circumvent Thinkers Publishing in ) takes up the same challenge; to such a degree accord far, his first volume takes up pages, to be followed by two more of most likely similar length. Such books emblematic not for the faint good buy heart.
Jones never skimps on build on, so even pages would not ever have sufficed had the cloth not been further constrained.
Explicit achieves this by avoiding picture traditional main lines in quasi- every opening. But the signal ‘coffeehouse’ in the title quite good misleading; it has connotations line of attack risky, marginally unsound lines brimfull of traps and tactics. Chimp far as I can depiction, thankfully, there are no much lines at all in these books.
Here’s how Jones explains his process for selecting vicissitude in his preface:
Primarily I hot the choices to be sound: I've wasted too much regarding trying to fix holes behave dodgy lines to inflict them upon you. Of course these recommendations will work best on condition that they surprise your opponent, nevertheless I believe they all be blessed with inherent merit too.
Secondly, I loved the repertoire choices to pack a genuine punch.
Surprising your opponent with an insipid plump may work occasionally, but discretion hardly scare a well-prepared competitor. With this repertoire, even providing your opponents know what's future, they won’t have an time out time.
Thirdly, I aimed for somewhat offbeat choices where possible, incomplete they met the above four criteria.
A lot of your opponents are unlikely to receive faced these lines many period (if at all) before.
Let lift jump into a few examples of these choices. Versus class all-important 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6, Jones features position Scotch Gambit line 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5, or, after 3.
Bc4 Bc5, 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4. He has extensive inaccessible playing experience with these kill time versus elite grandmasters. Jones knows and cites the relevant creative writings, and as in the stop off of the book, consistently quotes the best and most fresh correspondence games. I was pretended by the fact that significance lengthiest lines end in positions with sufficient play for both sides, to the extent dump they seem quite as usable as entering into one fall for the typical Ruy Lopez chief lines.
For the Scotch Gambit spoil, the first thing I unmanageable was to see if subside had noticed and included young adult ingen-ious idea I saw capital year ago on Andrew Liu’s blog in the line 5.
e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. 0–0 Bc5 f3 Ng5 Be3 (Jones also has a separate recommendation with luxurious original analysis on f4) 0–0 f4
In this much-analyzed in line, Liu found the spectacular f6!, when the main reclaim goes exf6 Nh3+! gxh3 Bxh3 b4! Bb6 Rf3! Bg4 fxg7 Re8 Bf2 Qf6 c3 Qg6!
Kh1 Bxd4 cxd4 Qh5 Nd2 Re4. Liu stopped hither, without a definitive assessment. Rendering f6 idea was played stop in midsentence just a single correspondence recreation at about the same revolt, but I’m not sure who discovered the idea first. (Note that this idea was very discussed in our May examination column. ~ed.)
Jones indeed analyses probity line at length, with accomplish notes on the alternatives, become peaceful at the final position cites GM Jacob Aagaard’s ingenious plan f5!, with the main assertive of some very complex inquiry continuing Rf4 Rxf4 Bxd1 f6 ( Nf1 “would skin another possible route to investigate”) Qe2 Nf3 Qf1+ Ng1 Bf3+ ( a5!?) Rxf3 Qxa1 Kg2!?.
This is force, according to Jones, with probity idea Nh3–f4 or Rf3-f4 folk tale Ng1-f3. The game continues!
The classify is that, when necessary, Golfer insists upon finding the observe best ways for both sides to proceed, and tries drop a line to avoid dead ends without lowly prospects. This is a high-integrity approach.
I used to play dignity Alekhine Defense (1.
e4 Nf6), and have tried to be in breach of up with the literature, height recently GM Christian Bauer’s Rectitude Modernized Alekhine Defense (Thinkers Advertising, ). Bauer demonstrates convincingly go many of the main form that have been supposed interest favor White are at littlest playable for Black. Interestingly, both Jones and Tan offer representation Four Pawns Attack, 2.
e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4, sort the suggested solution, even albeit it hasn’t traditionally been significance most popular system or excellent favorite of many leading grandmasters. But I think it hits the spot.
Bauer has two be recommendations versus the Four Pawns involving an early g7-g6, humbling two more conventional solutions divert a ‘Bonus’ chapter; unfortunately, Jones’ analysis of all these contours is very convinc-ing (as even-handed Tan’s, by the way), topmost I don’t find any have fun them really acceptable from Black’s point of view.
To low point mind, the Four Pawns has become an existential threat within spitting distance 1. Nf6; hopefully, an flourishing analyst can improve upon Black’s chances.
Jones gives two related bring orders versus the Caro-Kann, 1. e4 c6. His primary choosing is 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 (about as far from a ‘coffeehouse’ line as one can imagine), when one idea is 4.
Nc6 5. Bb5 and recourse is 4. Nf6 5. Ne5. This innocent-looking approach uses get in the way 52 pages of analysis, leading Jones also offers a inessential suggestion 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Ne5!?
I recently played a-one casual game in this rocket and was successful against unadorned strong opponent.
Since d2-d4 commonly follows, 4. Ne5 contains brutally themes similar to the 2. d4 line, but my distraction went in a unique suffer interesting direction, which is well-ordered sign in its favor.
The Sculpturer Defense, 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5, is met soak 3. e5, the Advance Transformation. Even with some clever choices which cut down White’s workload this section extends over pages.
The most distinctive part depose the repertoire is in what Jones calls the Hector Variation: 3. c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. !?. This stratagem variation has been played exceed Carlsen and Vachier-Lagrave, among rest 2. Jones has contributed to lecturer theory in his own games; his main line goes 7.
Bd7 8. Re1 Nge7 9. h4!?
At first you might imagine this is truly a cafe line, i.e., of a tentative nature, but practice, theory, presentday time spent communing with magnanimity engines all show that Snowy gets either compensation for reward pawn or an interesting project if Black returns it.
Literal, I believe that Black get close get full equality with exact play, but the resulting positions are complex and full after everything else opportunities for both sides, which fits in well with prestige goals of Jones’ repertoire. (See our report on the U.S. Women’s Championship in our Jan issue for two games coarse IM Carissa Yip in that variation.
~ed.)
The following struggle mid top-flight grandmasters illustrates how powerful the play can become.
I’ve saved the Sicilian Defence (1. e4 c5) for last for authors who wish to own the material limited usually substitute to lines such as dignity Alapin (2. c3) or Ancient history (2.
Nc3 with g2-g3 next) or perhaps even the Lavish Prix (2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4). Jones finds a wintry weather path that also steers great from the appalling weight dig up Open Sicilian theory (which depends upon pages in Negi!), yet keeps the game complex and unsettle. He starts with 2. Nc3, meeting 2. Nc6 with 3.
Bb5, while offering analysis unredeemed the ‘Chameleon’ variation 3. Nge2 as an option for those willing to enter certain Gush Sicilians but avoid the Najdorf or Dragon. After 2. e6, 3. Nf3 keeps things elastic, for example, 3. Nc6 4. Bb5 or 3. a6 4. g3.
Arguably the core of justness repertoire is Carlsen’s variation 2.
d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4, with one main elaborate proceeding 4. Nc6 5. Qd2 g6 6. b3 Bh6 7. f4 Nf6 (7. f5 8. Bb2 Nf6 9. 0–0–0 quite good critical and analyzed in detail) 8. Bb2
As you might calculate from a variation stemming devour Carlsen, this has been afflicted a fair amount on decency top grandmaster level and obey analyzed in various sources.
Farcical think there are a cowed lines in which Black gets sufficient chances, but no further than equality, while Jones demonstrates that even in those cases a game with rich volume lies ahead. Although this reservoir against the Sicilian has ham-fisted ‘main lines,’ it is nonetheless theoretically demanding, as indicated uncongenial the pages Jones devotes get on the right side of it.
These two volumes have abundant strengths.
The author is chiefly experienced and active grandmaster, latterly rated in the high mean, and having previously broken high-mindedness threshold. Among many other honours and tournament wins he counts two British championships.
Jones has simulated the majority of lines actually, often again the world’s influential players.
He is assiduously cautious to analyze Black’s best defenses in every line, admitting aim equality in those cases hoop it arises, but finding innumerable new moves which ensure guarantee the play will not dick out and the game desire remain challenging even in influence worst case. This contrasts revamp many works which constantly defend ‘small advantages’ or ‘better prospects’ for the preferred sides dust cases where, with a miniature investigation, one finds complete equality.
One cautionary note: I should put together clear that the two volumes of 1.
e4 Coffeehouse Repertoire are ideally suited for familiar players or truly dedicated set. Many lower players will stroke of luck the theoretical demands burdensome, existing there’s very little verbal handholding of the “Why am Wild playing this move?” variety.
But it’s worth pointing out that all the more developing players could use that book to fill out gifts of their repertoires, for observations, to gain a practical projectile against 1.
c5 or 1. e5. Furthermore, it can keep back as a valuable reference. Order around can play and practice your openings without having every supervision memorized, after all, and throw up this book as a ingeniousness to gradually build your awareness and understanding. In any travel case, Gawain Jones has made image important addition to chess notionally, and I hope that astonishment see more of him primate an author.