Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mating Combinations in Norwegian





Title: Sjakk og matt

Authors: Svetoslav Mihajlov and Sverre Johnsen
Pages: 88
Language: Norwegian
Publishers: Self-published
Pdf extract



In a week or so the booklet 'Sjakk og matt' (Check and Mate) will be available in Norway. It is mainly a collections of mating combinations created by Svetoslav with some supporting prose (in Norwegian) by me. There is also a preface by GM Simen Agdestein, chess responsible in NTG - the Norwegian College of Elite Sport.

The combinations are based on exercizes that Svetoslav created when he a year ago assisted as a chess coach during my chess club's tournaments for kids, (every Monday 18.00-20.00 in Bogstadveien 30 in Majorstuen, Oslo). One of the nice things with mating combinations is that there is no point discussing the solution - a mate is a mate and ends the game.

I hope the book will be a useful addition to Norwegian chess literature which for obvious reasons is not very extensive.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have another idea for your next book project(I am the same anonymous that suggested the Open Ruy Lopez but different from the Petroff suggestor). I am suggesting a repertoire book for Black based on 1...e5 and lines where Black plays ...Bc5. Here are all of the ...Bc5 lines that I know of that could be recommended:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5. There are other ...Bc5 lines against the Ruy Lopez such as 3...Bc5, 3...Nf6 4 0-0 Bc5, and 3...a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Bc5 but current theory favors White in these lines.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 g3 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 f4 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Bc5 (or 3...Nf6 4 d3 Bc5)

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 g3 Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nc6 followed by ...Bc5,

There are also 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Bc5 and 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 f4 Bc5 but current theory favors White in the first line and against 2 Nc3, I think 2...Nf6 is stronger. However, these lines aren't too critical so I don't think it would be a big problem recommending something else here.

Also I don't think there are any respectable ...Bc5 lines against the Ponziani, Center Game, or Goring Gambit/Danish Gambit but these aren't very critical lines so I don't think it would be a big deal to simply recommend something else here.

All of the other 1...e5 repertoire books recommend ...Bc5 only against some of these lines. Recommending them against all of these lines would make the book repertoire more thematic.

Sverre Johnsen said...

Another interesting idea which I will seriously consider in a month or so.

I have mainly met 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 with 3...Nf6 but have for some time planned to add 3...Bc5 to my repertoire. Not really because I am dissatisfied with 3...Nf6 but more because I have a feeling that it is useful for your chess education to play both.

I have also been working a little on a small book in Norwegian on the openings for real beginners. One of my headaches are: what to recommend for Black against the Ruy Lopez. My two main candidates are 3...Bc5 and 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5!?

However, for the moment my main concern is the Killer Chess Opening Repertoire and in particular to find a convincing and consise antidote to the line 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 g5 4.e4 Rh7!?