Gambit Publications Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1

La colección de 4 tomos es de gran calidad trécnica ajedrecista y buen precio. Estudia muy pedagójicamente las aperturas.

Je suis très satisfait de ce livre car je peux progresser et analyser mieux mes parties d'échecs et comprendre dès premiers la stratégie de mes opposants.

It took joining a local chess club and repeatedly getting clobbered right out of the opening to realize that in order to stand much of a chance I needed to invest more time in the study of opening theory. I already have a copy of MCO but it is heavy on spewing out moves, light on explanation and has more than a few typos that sometimes make following the variations difficult. I researched books on opening theory and finally settled on Watson's Mastering the Chess Openings series. This is a somewhat more costly resource than many of the others available (four volumes instead of a single book) but it's a worthwhile investment.Volume 1 of the series deals with the majority of king pawn openings, 1. e4. It is certainly not exhaustive in that it does not cover every single variation of every king's pawn opening, but it has the large majority of what most chess players will encounter over the board. The openings covered include:- Giuoco Piano- Two Knights Defense- Philidor's Defense- Ruy Lopez- King's Gambit- Sicilian Defense- Caro-Kann Defense- French Defense- Pirc DefenseWatson does a great job of explaining all of these opening systems (or opening defenses as appropriate). That is, rather than give a summary blurb about the opening and then just prattling on with move after move, he walks the reader through the opening, explaining the purpose behind each move. Then, once finished with the main sequence of moves, he includes one or more instructive games with relevant analysis and variations. This is so much more helpful than a cold and clinical presentation of silent moves.Watson's writing style is very clear and approachable. He neither talks down to his readership nor does he assume that everyone has a doctorate in chess.This is a superb series on chess openings which will leave the reader with a much clearer understanding of not just the moves involved in the openings but also an understanding of the purpose and goals of any given opening and variation covered. Although the cost of the series is more than that of a single volume it is well worth it.

This is an openings manual, but with a difference. John Watson provides coverage of many of the top King's Pawn opening variations, but more than this, he provides details of the strategies connected with each line. The first third or so of the book is devoted to strategic ideas, and it is this feature which makes this book so worthwhile. The market has no shortage of openings manuals, some better than others, but most have little or no coverage of strategy, which means that the reader is given little idea of why he is playing the moves in the book. Watson's aim is to tie in the recommended moves with the strategies behind the openings, and the explanation is detailed but clear and very easy to follow. This is the openings book that many of us have been waiting for. Watson has written accounts of strategy before, so he really knows what he's talking about, and I really can't recommend this book enough. I'm eagerly awaiting the second volume.

Already a few pages in and definitely worth the purchase! Unbelievably informative. I'm playing at about 1200 and I'm managing to get loads from this book! ♟💪🏻