Best books/resources to learn the Black side of the QGD?

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Colin20G

1.d4 e5 !! for the win

Yigor
dannyhume wrote:

or 995.56 used hardcover (maybe it is a gold-plated hardcover autographed by Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, and Kasparov? It doesn't say).

 

It was used by Neil Armstrong in his trip to the Moon (or rather to the Holywood studio where this "trip" was filmed). tongue.pnggrin.png

RussBell
dannyhume wrote:
maybe I should reconsider the Baltic Defence?)

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/baltic-defence-london-system-reversed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuOnetZG3M0

http://www.chesspub.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/Four_lines_in_the_Baltic_Defence.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875682286/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TwoMove
BonTheCat wrote:

7.59 is great value for money!

By the way, in my second-hand copy, the previous owner had left newspaper clippings of topical games in some variations, one of them was from a game Speelman v Short from a Candidates match in the late 80s, when Speelman surprised Short by playing Bxf6 followed up by 0-0-0 and g4 (and won in great style), a much debated variation for a few years.

I thought it was a Bf4 c5 line with 0.0.0 and g4, but yes Kasparov and others took it up.

BonTheCat
TwoMove wrote:
BonTheCat wrote:

7.59 is great value for money!

By the way, in my second-hand copy, the previous owner had left newspaper clippings of topical games in some variations, one of them was from a game Speelman v Short from a Candidates match in the late 80s, when Speelman surprised Short by playing Bxf6 followed up by 0-0-0 and g4 (and won in great style), a much debated variation for a few years.

I thought it was a Bf4 c5 line with 0.0.0 and g4, but yes Kasparov and others took it up.

Yes, I think you're right! I misremembered the line (I didn't take out the book to check)!

 

Cheesecakes93

"Most books on the openings are positively dangerous for the development of the young and aspiring player since they ignore this important fact. What often happens is that your promising young player will memorize a variation that ends with a plus-minus in White’s favor, and then expect the rest of the game to play itself. All the greater his disappointment and surprise when the game refuses to do any such thing ; in no time at all his plus-minus becomes first an equals, then a minus-plus, and finally a dead loss.

 

This is not to imply that a study of the openings is useless - far from it. But it must be undertaken in the awareness that the opening is directly followed by the middle game and that the choice of an opening variation will have an immense influence on ones plan of play in later stages in the game."

The Art of the Middle Game - Keres & Kotov

SmyslovFan

I have a soft spot in my heart for Kotov's books.

I know, they get a bum rap these days. But Kotov taught me how to think systematically about chess. And no, I didn't think like a tree or bush. I knew he oversimplified how chess players really think, but I also knew that coming up with a list of candidate moves and analyzing them in an organized manner helps most players. 

kindaspongey
Cheesecakes93 wrote:

"Most books on the openings are positively dangerous for the development of the young and aspiring player since they ignore this important fact. What often happens is that your promising young player will memorize a variation that ends with a plus-minus in White’s favor, and then expect the rest of the game to play itself. All the greater his disappointment and surprise when the game refuses to do any such thing ; in no time at all his plus-minus becomes first an equals, then a minus-plus, and finally a dead loss. ..."

The Art of the Middle Game - Keres & Kotov

In the decades since that was written, has there been a change in the philosophy behind opening book pulication? Perhaps it is worth noting that, even back then, it seemed appropriate to write "most" instead of "all".
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf

"... This is not to imply that a study of the openings is useless - far from it. But it must be undertaken in the awareness that the opening is directly followed by the middle game and that the choice of an opening variation will have an immense influence on one’s plan of play in later stages in the game." - The Art of the Middle Game - Keres & Kotov

kindaspongey

Unusual Queen's Gambit Declined by Chris Ward (2002)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627133548/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen36.pdf

dannyhume
Here is the list of books (the ones that I know of) that that cover the Baltic Defence ...

1. The Liberated Bishop Defence (2014) by Bezgodov

2. Unusual Queen’s Gambit Declined (2002) by Ward

3. The Baltic Defense to the Queen’s Gambit (1993) by Soltis

Avrukh gives White’s responses to Bezgodov’s suggestions in his 1.d4 Queen’s Gambit book (Quality Chess)

As an interesting aside, while the engine’s don’t like the Baltic Defence, a master told me that it seemed to him that Houdini is slightly more favorable to the Baltic than is Stockfish, at least at first glance with the engines running for a short time (I only have Stockfish on my computer). He speculated that Stockfish might be a little more biased in favor of having the bishop pair.
BonTheCat
SmyslovFan wrote:

I have a soft spot in my heart for Kotov's books.

I know, they get a bum rap these days. But Kotov taught me how to think systematically about chess. And no, I didn't think like a tree or bush. I knew he oversimplified how chess players really think, but I also knew that coming up with a list of candidate moves and analyzing them in an organized manner helps most players. 

To be honest, I think a lot of the criticism of Kotov's method is misguided. If we look at his books, he teaches us the importance of pattern recognition, of studying endgame strategy, key middlegame positions/opening tabiyas, analyzing your own games etc., but also the importance of realizing that each position is unique and that there may be concrete exceptions.

His thinking technique, and I'm sure most of his critics actually realize this, is applicable but in a different context than before each move made in a game: First of all, during a game, if you get stuck in a position where you feel there's a strong continuation to be found, or when you feel that you've reached a critical juncture in a game, and you need to take proper stock of the situation. Secondly, in the analysis of adjourned games (hardly relevant anymore). Finally, when you analyse your own games (and there as well, not before every move played). In other words, situations where you have more time at your disposal. Such use of his thinking technique is bound to improve pattern recognition, strategical understanding, endgame play etc.

This reminds me of something two young Swedish IMs who went to play a series of tournaments in Russia and Ukraine about 10-12 years ago. Two things which stood out in their impressions were how incredibly quickly most of their opponents played in general, and that very often when the Swedes took time over moves, their opponents in the post-mortem just commented 'Normal position'. Quite simply, their pattern recognition was much broader, which saved them valuable thinking time.

dannyhume

Update:  I have now read through the following books on the QGD ...

First Steps: The Queen's Gambit by IM Martin

The Queen's Gambit Declined by GM Sadler

Starting Out: The Queen's Gambit Declined by GM McDonald

All of the QGD section of Collins' Understanding the Chess Openings

Some of FCO's coverage of the QGD

Some of Ntrilis' Introductory Chapters on his QGD lines in his book Playing 1.d4 d5

I will say that Sadler's book is the best and McDonald's book is a strong second (thanks for recommending McDonald's book to me, RussBell!)  ... Sadler's book is a tough act to follow, but McDonald performed well.  If I ever return to chess one day (I plan on quitting soon to learn the endgame), I will re-read both of these, but in parallel, reading their similarly titled chapters one after the other this time around.  

The Martin book is okay, maybe just under 50% covers the QGD (it is a QG book technically).  He gives good explanations.  One thing I don't like is when authors just throw an entire game score without any commentary, especially when the game is played by IM's or GM's ... what could someone reading a "First Steps" book get out of this?   Now Sadler's book does give lots of games with little commentary, but this is only after giving thoroughly exhaustive move-by-move explanations of the variations and their nuances with respect to previously covered variations in the Socratic format.  Therefore, those games and his fewer comments come across more as "bonus" learning material, rather than "filler." 

FCO and Collins' Understanding the Chess Openings give good introductory prose in their respective chapters, but then it feels more like listing of lines/moves, rather than instructional, unlike the Sadler and McDonald books, which skillfully combine both.  

I know nothing of Rizzitano's or Davies' Move by Move QGD books. 

Marovic's book comes highly recommended in this thread (and I find him, even at my patzer level, a very talented chess author), but since his older book is not in e-book format, I will not be able to read it for a while.

Ntrilis' book is a more advanced repertoire book, but he does give introductory chapters before each of his theoretical chapters that explain the strategic themes of his recommended lines. These chapters are fairly easier to read after reading the McDonald and Sadler books, but not worth it for the lower level player like myself. 

Overall, I really really enjoyed Sadler's and McDonald's books on the QGD.  I would love to read Marovic since I loved his "Secrets of Positional Chess", but Gambit has responded to my email that they won't be putting his Dynamic Pawn Play and Secrets of Transformation books in e-book format because of not enough sales, so I doubt they would put his QG book from a generation ago in the e-book format.

Sadler's and McDonald's books on the QGD (like Emms' First Steps: 1.e4 e5 on the king pawn side) are just what the lower level amateur need in terms of quality introductory prose on an opening that one plans to play in OTB tournaments without getting bogged down in theory.  The other books lack the balance of those books, and this experience makes me realize that these one-volume opening surveys are too superficial to really teach, while the repertoire books are too deep for the lower level player who needs to work more on simpler technical tasks, more general strategic themes, and thinking method in his/her OTB chess.  These 3 books (Sadler QGD, McDonald QGD, and Emms First Steps 1.e4 e5) are currently the only opening books that I will keep, even after I soon quit chess finally to renew my interest in an old hobby of systematically learning the endgame.  

kindaspongey
dannyhume wrote:

... I know nothing of ... Davies' Move by Move QGD ...

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7743.pdf

SmyslovFan

Of those books, and I seriously question the need of most players below ~1600 to buy a single book on the opening, I strongly recommend Sadler's excellent work.

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