so i'm thinking of getting a grunfeld book to be able to take on d4 openings rather than the kings indian which isn't too fun for me. i see two books that might be good on the grunfeld but want a second opinion. the first books is understanding the grunfeld by Jonathan Rowson and the second one is the grunfeld defense by Nigel Davies i'm a bit skeptical about this book because the last book i bought by from this publisher turned out to be a book that just bored the hell out of me.
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Originally posted by kmac27I've got both books, and reckon they were both quite good at the time that they were originally published. The problem is that the Rowson book came out in 1999, but was written in 1998. So it's 9 years old. The Grunfeld is a heavily theoretical, often razor sharp opening, so any book written on it that is nearly 10 years old is going to be hopelessly out of date. The book is a well written, inspirational read, but I stopped using it as a reference guide several years ago.
so i'm thinking of getting a grunfeld book to be able to take on d4 openings rather than the kings indian which isn't too fun for me. i see two books that might be good on the grunfeld but want a second opinion. the first books is understanding the grunfeld by Jonathan Rowson and the second one is the grunfeld defense by Nigel Davies i'm a bit skeptical about ...[text shortened]... k i bought by from this publisher turned out to be a book that just bored the hell out of me.
The Davies book came out in 2002. So it's 5 years old. I still use this for reference, but mainly rely on my database. Compared to Rowson's book, Davies work is fairly boring, but does a reasonable job at covering the most important lines. But it doesn't cover everything and I wouldn't dream of using it without also looking up the latest theory.
It's about time that someone brought out a new book on the Gruenfeld.
i've made up my mind to get this one. although i think i'm going to put it on my wishlist or at least tuck money away so i don't buy it right away. i'd stop reading the english book i just got by tony koston and that wouldn't be too good. his english book is great too. but i don't think i'll buy something from everyman chess for a while. way too boorinnnnggg
Dont worry about the Rowson's book being old. First of all, if your playing OTB people cant hoook up their little data bases and search for the "best opening move". I swear at your level in OTB even 2200 down. Very Few (if any) can remember the thousands of line in the grunfeld. You might get worried looking at the GMS game where Karpov- Kasparove duke it out and one makes an opening erron on move 22. Don't sweat it. People in OTB tourneys know less about it than the KID. In CC if you have a question just grab an opening book (like everyone else).
The grunfeld is an awesome opening. 🙂
with the computers coming out with great opening databases and infinite analysis i'm sure that opening books will soon be set from opening theory to opening rule ;-) i may get the book anyway just to get an idea on how blacks middle game is gone about anyways i can always find a better move ;-)
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I've just discovered that there's a more recent book on the Gruenfeld that received a very good review by Carsten Hansen on the Chess Cafe website.
Starting Out: The Grünfeld by Jacob Aagaard, 2003 Everyman Chess, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 174 pp
Here's what Hansen says:-
"Within the last couple of years, Danish IM Aagaard has written several excellent books on a great variety of topics and his Excelling at Chess was a recent winner of the ChessCafe.com Book of the Year Award. This is his first book in the Starting Out…series, which has produced several of the best introductory books on specific openings that I have seen. Aagaard is a good author for this type of work because his ability to explain complex topics in simple, understandable ways is unmatched these days.
In the Preface he writes:
“This book on the Grünfeld Defence is part of the Starting Out series books by Everyman Chess. These books were originally meant to target beginners and less experienced club players who wanted to obtain some kind of overview of the opening, but it has turned out that even very strong players have found this series beneficial. We all need a well-explained and guided introduction when we begin to study a new opening, and seasoned
professionals can be on the international tournament circuit for years without finding the time to delve deeply into the basics of a particular opening. A main reason for this is that many players now prepare a new opening for each game with the hope of catching their opponents off guard. In this way true depth is seldom obtained.”
And he continues:
“What this book is trying to do is to give you a good introduction to what the Grünfeld Defence is all about, what lines there are and how they have been played. This is not a standard theoretical work as much as it is an introduction, both historically and theoretically. In the choice of games a great emphasis has been paid to the instructive and entertainment value rather than whether the actual line is completely critical. The reason for these choices are simple: theory will continue to move fast and evaluations change from year to year, but the typical concepts of the opening change more slowly and the glory of brilliant games will never fade. The idea is that this book will also make sense in five years time.”
It sounds like a very noble cause, so let’s see how he has divided the material:
Bibliography (1 page)
Preface (2 pages)
Introdcution (8 pages)
1 Classical Exchange: Main Lines (31 pages)
2 Classical Exchange: Minor Lines (25 pages)
3 Modern Exchange Variation: 8 Rb1 (19 pages)
4 Modern Exchange Variation: Other Lines (21 pages)
5 The Russian System (26 pages)
6 Bf4 and Bg5 Systems (18 pages)
7 Other White Systems (18 pages)
Index of Variations (2 pages)
Index of Complete Games (2 pages)
I was somewhat surprised that the Fianchetto variation didn’t have a chapter of its own, but it receives due attention in chapter seven. Overall, Aagaard has done extremely well, the material was well-chosen and conveys what needs to be known. I also found the balance between explanations and variations very pleasant and conducive to learning and understanding. This book comes as a blessing; for you actually learn something new on every page.
I highly recommend this book. It is, as promised, a guide for all levels of players and is not oversaturated with theory. In fact it often seems like he is trying to sneak in some theoretical coverage, but it is so sparse that you feel obligated to memorize everything, one line after another."
Originally posted by David TebbThere is a new book being published by Everyman within next few months called Play the Grunfeld...however it is a repertiore book rather than giving the all the possible lines!!
I've got both books, and reckon they were both quite good at the time that they were originally published. The problem is that the Rowson book came out in 1999, but was written in 1998. So it's 9 years old. The Grunfeld is a heavily theoretical, often razor sharp opening, so any book written on it that is nearly 10 years old is going to be hopelessly out ...[text shortened]... latest theory.
It's about time that someone brought out a new book on the Gruenfeld.