Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 1

List Price: $29.95 Discount Price: $18.65

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative [Posted on 2007-11-02]
From fromt to back, this book improved my game drastically. Openings are simplified and explained thoroughly. Watson breaks it down move by move and tells the reader the why's and hows and backs it up with plentiful examples of real life games. Highly recommended!

for under 1800 [Posted on 2008-02-03]
I have examined 2/5ths of volume 1 and roughly another fifth in volume 2: my impression is, if you have a good grounding in general opening theory, you will find this material merely repetitive. It does not educate an advanced palate except coincidentally. Of course, it will here and there add an insight to your learning, but that's as any text will do that has been seriously written. The level of the material is, in general, elementary and, of course, in a work of this size, far from encyclopedic. A player above ~1800 will not be well served, unless he wishes to fill gaps in his overall knowledge of the openings. You will not be able to play any of the openings covered in a competitive setting: it simply covers too much ground to provide the player with anything approaching an adequate preparation. Moreover, since opening theory is largely concrete (this is the gist of Watson's Modern Chess Strategy as well), even in this respect Mastering the Openings is apt to be as dangerous as it is beneficial.

A student can obtain this material in less expensive, less verbose presentations; and studying the great masters will absolutely advance your understanding of opening play far more concretely and with greater sophistication than do these volumes. Someone once asked Bobby Fischer how best he could improve his chess play; Fischer directed him to study a comprehensive opening manual (like Nunn's). After completing his assignment some time later, the student returned to Fischer with the same query. Fischer directed him to go read it again. With openings, that's about the sorry best of it, I am afraid.

Still, for the uneducated, as an opening primer it IS adequate, albeit, since it is published in two volumes, time consuming and, again, unduly expensive. If you wish to pay over much for insufficient material, this is your baby. Otherwise, avoid it. I can unequivocally state, I am very disappointed in the purchase.

tlt

Best opening book for the amateur player [Posted on 2008-03-11]
Watson has succeeded in producing a great book that introduces the opening and the correct approach to developing an understanding of the various openings. He first gives three chapters on the elements underlying the openings for the weaker player. Then follows the openings themselves; they are fully explained with words and not just analysis (as is contained in reference works such as Modern Chess Openings). The analysis follows the ideas and does not just substitute for it. There are many complete games to show how the ideas work out to their logical conclusion.
The book does not cover all the openings, but it does cover all the main openings used in current top level chess. Watson concentrates on sound openings that will give the player good competitive chances. He avoids the marginally sound and bizarre openings that some players use in an attempt to confuse an opponent. Such tactics usually end in the player of those openings getting a disadvantage.
By concentrating on ideas, analysis, and games Watson shows how to prepare for using an opening in competition and how to continue adding to and improving the opening for future use.
This book puts the old Ideas Behind the Chess Openings by Fine to shame. Before he died Fine had the chance to update his book; instead, he choose to leave it a half-century out of date and woefully incomplete.
Players should applaud Watson for finally providing the work needed to really understand and master the opening.

Good opening overview [Posted on 2008-05-18]
This volume covers the KP openings.

Like Volume 2 it explains the concepts concerning pawn structure and piece placement, rather than give variations to memorize.

If you want to understand WHAT to do in an opening, rather than HOW to do it, these are the books for you.

Difficult to follow [Posted on 2008-08-01]
I have two problems with this book, first, the author flies from one topic to another, sometimes in mid sentence. There are frequent digressions into tedium, such as "This is all theory, that is, published knowledge. The centre has been cleared out and there's no way to make a simple assessment. Only a lot of brainpower, computer analysis and correspondence chess can solve this sort of thing; in fact, only those things got chess researchers this far!" At one point the author gives a brief history of openings that would challenge an advanced player, but at other times he puts forward the most elementary concepts, such as the slight advantage of a bishop over a knight, or the importance of not developing the queen prematurely. The second problem is not with the author, but with the notational printing. The moves are not separated visually and white piece symbols are used to denote even black's moves. The experience is akin to reading James Joyce, and I gave up in frustration in the middle of the second chapter.

Click here for more details and discount information...