Some of you might remember my comments about a recent chess book called The Dogs of War, about the Colle System, written by a 1600 player and his wife, about 1200 USCF. Well, i went back to see reviews by readers. There were three. Here's the last:
Reviewer:JD "jen" (Bedminster, NJ) - See all my reviews
Absolutely Brilliant!
Brings to the table new and unusual perspectives. An excellent point of reference. Takes the challenging game of chess to a whole new level. Highly recommended for chess enthusiasts!
Now, does that sound like somebody who doesn't even play the game? The authors live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania (an adjacent state). I checked the other two reviews and didn't get a name from either. All were lauditory. Normally people who write reviews on chess books, write many reviews. None of these people had any other reviews about anything. I have a feeling that somebody has been stuffing the ballot box. Or maybe i'm just suspicious by nature. Any of you "chess enthusiasts" out there of the same mind. Or are you afraid of "new and unusual perpectives?"I mean how easy is it to ask your friends to write a review of a book you want to sell at Amazon?
I really can't comment on book, Mip. I've never read it. I just found it unusual that someone 1600 should write a book on a chess opening. From the extracts in Amazon, the authors made it clear that it's not a "how to" book, but a compilation of games and lines from grandmasters down to lower level players. From that standpoint, especially if you play the Colle, it might be interesting and educational. It might actually help your game. Personally, I have the Ultimate Colle by Gary Lane, which i think is quite good. One of my criticisms of opening books is that they practically ignore the non-edgy replies you often get in lower rated games. By that i mean the bland, developmental moves which arent' on the cutting edge of opening theory. Most opening books call them "miscelanious replies" or something like that and give a sentence or line to each. From that standpoint i think Dogs of War might be good. Also, it's not ex pensive. I want someone to buy it and give an honest review in RHP. I don't think the Amazon reviews are honest, to tell the truth.