http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Black-According-Karpov-Repertoire/dp/9548782162
Repertoire Book(s) for Black
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Dec 5, 2014
0
#2
Social--These look excellent. Thank you.
Dec 6, 2014
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#5
I highly recommend "The Dark Knight System" by James Schuyler. Of course, it's possible I am somewhat biased.
HAHA. I have it on my list, actually (why do you think I sent you a friend request?). Looks excelent. I read about it on Amazon.
Dec 7, 2014
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#7
CorfitzUlfeldt wrote:
Chicken_Monster wrote:
PLEASE, i beg you, spare me the lectures that I don't need to worry about openings at my level. I've heard them all and I understand that.
No you haven't.
But anyway - you don't really need a single repertoire as black against 1.d4 and 1.e4, because openings against 1.e4 and openings against 1.d4 doesn't transpose that often.
It is not urgently important to think those responses together, and that is why you don't find that many repertoire books on the market that do.
You can insist that they should be, but why should you limit yourself without reason?
Pick something against 1.d4, but make sure to think your responses to 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 into that.
Pick something against 1.e4 independently of what you play against 1.d4
There are plenty of books that do one of these two things, so buy two books (if you must)
Yes...this ^^^^ !
Dec 7, 2014
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#8
Most people will have to consider responses to 1.e4 and 1.d4 separately, but 1.e4 Nc6 and 1.d4 Nc6 (and 1.Nf3 Nc6 and 1.c4 Nc6) often transpose into each other. It is efficient to play them together. That is one reason it was possible to construct a full black repertoire in approximately 100 pages of theory.
Yes, it could be a combination of books..abosulutely. I should have been clear on that. If you have a combination of two or more books in mind, please let me know what you suggest.
I just made an edit to the original post to clear up the confusion that it MUST be a single book. It could be several. Thanks.
CorfitzUlfeldt wrote:
Chicken_Monster wrote:
If you have a combination of two or more books in mind, please let me know what you suggest.
You are on a holiday, staying at a hotel with a HUGE breakfast buffet. They offer almost anything anyone has ever eaten in the morning. And then you ask some stranger to just get you a plate of "food".
Allright, I'll select eggs and sausages.
Play the french against 1.e4. Buy the book "How to play against 1.e4" by Neil McDonald.
Play the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4. You could read the book "Starting Out: The Queen's Gambit Declined" by Neil McDonald as well.
Or get John Cox "Declining the Queen's Gambit" instead, which also mentions the Catalan. (I haven't read that one myself though)
And perhaph John Cox "Dealing with d4 deviations"
Some well-respected authors. You covered responses to 1.e4 (giving me 4 eggs). You covered responses to 1.d4 (giving me a Danish). What about c (I would appreciate some coffee please)? What about b (now I am befuddled as to why he played 1.b3 ot 1.b4)? What about 1.Nf3 and 1.Nc3 (now I want nachtwurst)? What about 1.fx (fried hashbrowns would be nice)? What about g (now I have gastritis)? I think I can handle 1.a (although Carlsen has been known to open with it).
Dec 8, 2014
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#12
Malachi1971 wrote:
Most people will have to consider responses to 1.e4 and 1.d4 separately, but 1.e4 Nc6 and 1.d4 Nc6 (and 1.Nf3 Nc6 and 1.c4 Nc6) often transpose into each other. It is efficient to play them together. That is one reason it was possible to construct a full black repertoire in approximately 100 pages of theory.
Hello there! Sorry didn't make the connection until I saw your name in your profile. I've heard good things about 'The Dark Knight System', and like books where authors come up with something original. Actually, this IS one of the few exceptions to buying several books. I already have Keene and Jacob's "A complete defence for Black" as well as Hugh Meyers' Nimzovitch Defense Book. I ended up ordering TDKS last night to give the kids something to stuff in my stocking for christmas... ;)
In some ways there's a steep learning curve for people just finding their feet in terms of black openings when you decide to play 1. ...Nc6, but steep learning cuves are GREAT if you are at a phase where you really feel like investing some serious time into the game (judging by some of Chicken Monster's other posts he/she's pretty much there right now).
Finding a STYLE of opening that you like is perhaps the most important, then digging into it until you feel comfortable playing it. It turns out I do like a lot fo Nc6 lines (and since I play the Benoni and the Modern a lot, it's a refreshing change to play this 'get-pretty-much-straight-to-grips-with-White' type opening.
If you haven't really settled on an opening, something like 1...Nc6 will always prove to be a good 'go-to' opening in your future no matter what else you end up playing. You local club has a Friday night Blitz tournament, trot Nc6 out and spend the night hacking and slashing with an advantage on the clock! :D
@Inch: Hey. Thanks for the post. Let me know what you think of TDNS. I found the book online, and shortly thereafter coincidentally stumbled upon the author (I noticed the book cover as his avatar and added him as a friend). Strange.
Thanks very much to everyone for for their input so far. Looking forward to more.
"Black Defensive System for the Rest of Your Chess Career" by Andrew Soltis - pretty much self-explanatory. This is a system which is very flexible yet easy to learn.
GIex wrote:
"Black Defensive System for the Rest of Your Chess Career" by Andrew Soltis - pretty much self-explanatory. This is a system which is very flexible yet easy to learn.
You mentioned that to me in a thread a long time ago I believe. It was about simplified repertoires...maybe in the DHLC forums...I saved what you wrote....I seem to recall you saying it was easy to learn but wouldn't be the strongest...? Am I accurate in my recollection? It's good to have a book like that too...will take me a while to learn everything so I need something fast as well as something long-term.
The author says it's main strength is that this system "forms an organic whole", and it can be applied against 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 and other openings. He says that top-flight players can of course do well with an armory of completely unrelated openings, but they are, as said, the top part of players and may win even with 1.g4, not to mention they have time, motivation and skills to learn all those variations. Soltis speaks about the "dangers of such a diffuse opening repertoire" otherwise and especially about the difficulty of transposing if the defenses don't form a system, and gives many other arguments for what he proposes.
I've used this system and I find it quite good although I hadn't learned more than, say, 5-10 % of the material. I like very myuch exactly its capacity for transpositions which pretty much takes the opportunity of using "surprising" lines away from White, and Black has pretty much the same pair of positions and plans in all games (with specifics of course, but they're subtle and very logical which makes them easy to grasp). A very nice book if you need to quickly learn a new repertoire or if you don't want to get bogged down with much theory. Of course it's in-depth enough so that you can devote more time to it and have it as a long-term plan. The variations are thoroughly analyzed to equality or to what is White's best bid for advantage so that you can prepare yourself quite well if you want to spare the time.
Thanks. Sounds like it's worth adding the ideas to the mental armory.
Dec 8, 2014
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#18
GIex wrote:
The author says it's main strength is that this system "forms an organic whole", and it can be applied against 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 and other openings. He says that top-flight players can of course do well with an armory of completely unrelated openings, but they are, as said, the top part of players and may win even with 1.g4, not to mention they have time, motivation and skills to learn all those variations. Soltis speaks about the "dangers of such a diffuse opening repertoire" otherwise and especially about the difficulty of transposing if the defenses don't form a system, and gives many other arguments for what he proposes.
I've used this system and I find it quite good although I hadn't learned more than, say, 5-10 % of the material. I like very myuch exactly its capacity for transpositions which pretty much takes the opportunity of using "surprising" lines away from White, and Black has pretty much the same pair of positions and plans in all games (with specifics of course, but they're subtle and very logical which makes them easy to grasp). A very nice book if you need to quickly learn a new repertoire or if you don't want to get bogged down with much theory. Of course it's in-depth enough so that you can devote more time to it and have it as a long-term plan. The variations are thoroughly analyzed to equality or to what is White's best bid for advantage so that you can prepare yourself quite well if you want to spare the time.
If I remember correctly this book recommends a d5/c6 structure..so Carokhan against 1.e4 and Slav against 1.d4. THERE's my main problem with the book right there, not openings that particularly appeal to me. You could just as easily buy two books, one on the KingsIndian or Benoni or Benko and the other on the Modern or the Sicilian Dragon or the Pirc, and you'd find a lot of similar strutures and ideas. That makes an organic whole in just the same way...it's a question of the type of positions you like to play...I've looked at a couple of your games Chicken_Monster, hard to see what you enjoy from the outside.. ;)
@glex: Off topic a little, but just curious, what do you use for White? Also, what are you using now for Black as far as books and openings? I remember you had said you had moved away from what was in the Soltis book.
Can anyone recommend a complete and ADVANCED repertoire for when you are playing Black?
(EDIT: Recommendations for multiple books are welcome too. One covering responding to e4, another for d4, another for c4, etc. It doesn't have to be a single book. Thanks!)
PLEASE, i beg you, spare me the lectures that I don't need to worry about openings at my level. I've heard them all and I understand that. This is for long-term.
What I am looking for is something I can grow into and still use at a very high level, even though I surely won't implement it all now. John Watson has a great opening repertoire book for when you are White and open with 1.d4. I want something on that level, but for when I am black. It would preferable cover responses to 1.d4, 1.e4, and other openings too if possible. It is fine if it includes a repertore for when I am White as well. (I am already familiar with the Kaufman repertoire books.) Thanks in advance. I typically open with 1.d4 when I am White, and sometiems with 1.e4 (I have no idea if that matters since we are talking about Black).
Please, no lectures...just books (or videos or other resources).