>. Much better are the kinds of comments after 8. Nge4 with a paragraph with some good prose and a smattering of analysis.
In game 2, compare his short but consice analysis after 9. Qb3 Bc5! to the monstrosity after 11. O-O. I really want to see a lot more stuff like the former. Two simple sentences tell me that the f-file is the key element here and it's worth a random pawn. The later is one of these "alternatively, line a), line b)" with little talk. Blech.
Comparitively, Pinski's analysis is better than most in this genre, which isn't saying much. B+. I honestly don't know why chess authors have such a hard time here. What I want is Irving Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move, where instead he has analyzed only games that start with my opening.
As far as the quality of coverage, 66 games is a pretty good amount: more than most. Yet, paradoxically, the book feels thin at a petite 160 pages. I guess you buy a book like this on a narrow opening topic because you want to get a really deep understanding, so I kind of expect it to feel weighty. On the line that I actually play (chapters 6 and 7), there were 11 games. Among the 11 there was at least one game on all the major variations, but on many it was just that: exactly one game. In terms of who played the games, there are a lot of players I'd never heard of, and I have no idea if these are strong IM's or just some boob. Give the ELO. Always. Also tell me which strong players know the opening well.
In summary, if you play the Two Knights you need this book, but it's not going to wow you. It's solid but not inspired.
A good introduction to the Two Knights Defence .......2005-09-05
Suppose you have Black in a chess game and the contest begins with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6. Now you are all prepared for Black side of a Ruy Lopez. But your opponent comes up with 3 Bc4. What do you play?
You could play 3...Be7, as a surprise in case you know the Hungarian Defence much better than your opponent. And if you have reason to believe that your opponent wants to play, say, a Moeller Attack and not an Evans Gambit, you probably ought to try 3...Bc5. Otherwise, I think 3...Nf6 is a good choice. And this book will teach you about it.
According to this book, White has three basic moves after 3...Nf6, namely 4 Ng5, 4 d4, and 4 d3. Statistically, none of them are all that good for White.
After 4 Ng5, the main line is 4...d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Be2 h6 9 Nf3 e4 10 Ne5 Bd6 11 d4 exd3 12 Nxd3 Bc7 13 b3. And we see a game in this line, as well as several games in various sidelines.
Still, I think the most interesting of the divergences is for Black to play 4...Bc5. This is the infamous Traxler or Wilkes-Barre Variation, and Pinski gives it a 26-page chapter in this book. There are also books by Williams, by Estrin, and by Palkovi just on this move, by the way. It's wild. Statistically, Black does very well, but of the Grandmasters, Beliavsky is one of the few to play it.
I tried the Wilkes-Barre a couple of times. Here's an example where I won quickly: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 Bc5 5 Nxf7 (5 Bxf7 is better) 5...Bxf2+ 6 Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7 Ke3 (7 Kg1 is probably better) 7...Qh4 8 Qf3 (8 g3 is much better) 8...Ng5 9 Nxg5 Qxg5+ 10 Kd3 Rf8 11 Qe2 Qf5+ 12 Kc3 e4 (I'm threatening mate!) 13 a3 (rats, he saw it) 13...d5 14 Bb5 d4+ 15 Kb3 Be6+ 16 Ka4 d3! (Winning the Queen, since I'm threatening mate again!) 17 Qe3 (overlooking the mate) 17...Qxb5+ 18 White Resigns.
Of course, White does not have to play 4 Ng5. There are three chapters covering 4 d4 exd4. White gets nowhere with 5 0-0, so her best chance is 5 e5, but we see that Black is still fine after 5...d5.
The final chapter deals with another White alternative, 4 d3. And with the Black reply 4...Be7. I do not recommend this line for Black (look over the game where Ivanchuk, with Black, loses to Macieja, and you may agree with me). I think it is better to play 4...Bc5 and transpose into a Giuoco Pianissimo, which Pinski calls (in his book on the Italian Game and Evans Gambit), "The Italian Regretted."
Actually, White can try other moves. To prove it, I'll give one more game where I won quickly with Black:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 0-0 (this move looks dubious, and it is not mentioned in this book) 4...Nxe4 (4...Bc5 may be better) 5 Re1 (5 Nc3 is better) 5...d5 6 Bb5 Bc5 7 Rf1 Bg4 8 Bxc6+ bxc6 9 d3 Qf6 (moving my Knight might make more sense) 10 dxe4 dxe4 11 h3 Bh5 12 g4 exf3 13 gxh5 (finally winning a piece, but things definitely look black for White) 13...Rd8 14 Qe1 Qf5 15 Qc3 0-0 16 Kh2 e4 17 Rg1 Bd6+ (this forces mate) 18 White Resigns.
I recommend this book.
Especially for seasoned chess players.......2004-06-08
The Britian-based Everyman Chess is one of the premire publishers of instructional books for chess and very highly respected by anyone who is serious about the game. The Two Knights Defence by International Chess Master Jan Pinski is an extensive and exhaustive dissection of one of the trickiest gambits and counter gambits in the game. Example games with black-and-white diagrams clearly depict the tactics for both Black and White in this expert-level guide especially for seasoned chess players seeking to expand their understanding of the game.
Average customer rating:
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The Two Knights Defence (Batsford Library of Tournament Openings)
Yakov Estrin
Manufacturer: B.T. Batsford Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0713439912 |
Book Description
The Two Knights Defence is the most exciting chess opening known to man and literally brims over with sacrifices and beautiful combinative ideas. Despite intensive invesitagtion by theoreticians it has lost none of its relevance and continues to be played at the highest levels of them odern game.
From the outset Black offers the sacrifice of the pawn, the consequences of which are a matter of heated controversy. White can also choose to play in gambit style if he so wishes or try to hold on to the material by hook or by crook.
Leads to tremendously exciting combinative play
Up to date coverage by two leading experts
Essential reading for anyone who plays open games
Customer Reviews:
Database dump.......2007-05-31
The other reviewer was correct. This is a database dump. Informator symbols and line after line of variations are given with absolutely no verbal explaination. Not worth owning.
Complete pablum........2002-03-15
Beliavsky et al.'s book is one of the worst chess books I have ever seen. The book is so poorly laid out that it is difficult to follow the various variations and subvariations. Otherwise, it is bascially a dump of games and lines that have intrigued the authors, omitting many other lines, and possibilities. Don't expect to find scintilating commentary either because all the notes are in Informator-speak hieroglyphics. I have studied chess for over ten years and own over 50 chess books. This book is one of the worst. Just run a search on the Two Knights in ChessBase and save your money for a nice dinner or trip to the movies.
This is pretty sharp stuff!.......2001-05-03
I was looking for new ways to deal with 3. Bc4 in my ICC blitz repertoire. I'm 1733 USCF over the board, with an ICC blitz rating that can hover anywhere from 1200 to 1600, depending on my mood and the (usually low) quality of my play. I thought the 2 knights might be fun, because I like the quirky defenses like the Keene Defense to the KG and Bird's variation of the Ruy.
Gee, the 2 Knights is one aggressive countergambity, wild opening. Beliavsky does a really good job of making it interesting, but it's pretty wild, even as a blitz weapon.
I'm a timid, second rate player. If you're the sort of person who loves the King's Gambit as white and loves defending the wilder KG variations as black, you'll probably love the Two Knights. Me? I learned that in the rare instances that I play 1 e4, the proper third move for me after black's 3...Nf6 is 4 d3. It's not that the Two Knights is unstoppable--far from it, it's pretty on the edge lots of times. It's just that the whole darn thing is just so....complicated!
But if you're into tactics and you want a new blitz weapon, this is a good purchase!
An excellent monograph.......2000-07-20
A modern look at the most interesting lines of the Two Knights. I found the assessments of many variations are thoughtful and interesting. Playing through the variations and comparing one's own assessments with the authors' takes effort, but it's worth it in this case since there are many fascinating variations in the notes. Not for those who want to skip to the end of the chapter and have the authors tell them what to think. I liked this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone who likes thinking about the Two Knights (I certainly enjoyed it as much as Estrin's revered tome).
Not good!.......2000-03-06
A huge disappointment! Just a database dump of games! If you want to learn this opening find a used copy of Estrin's book and supplement it with the Informant and/or a database.
Book Description
Research has shown that people who enjoy their work are more productive and creative and generally have higher levels of job satisfaction. Fun workplaces report high levels of team spirit and employee morale. And given today's extremely low unemployment rate, companies are under more pressure than ever to foster enjoyable work environments and retain their best employees.
301 More Ways to Have Fun at Work combines thorough research with practical hands-on tools for injecting a spirit of fun into the work environment. Each chapter includes 40 to 60 examples of how organizations have incorporated fun into the normal course of the workday. Sidebars offer humorous and interesting facts and statements about the effects of fun on workplace performance and job satisfaction. Readers also learn about useful sources that can help enhance workplace "funativity".
Customer Reviews:
No star.......2003-07-21
This POS masquerading as a business book should be banned by all. Do the authors realize employers don't need to do anything at all to get workers? This is a book for another era, and a bad one at that.
FANTASTIC!.......2001-09-03
Can't understand what the others are bellyaching about-I found this to be a quick entertaining read that was full of great ideas and suggestions. Unlike the multitude of other books about fostering fun and creativity in the workplace that try to pretend that they are speaking of a finely-tuned science with complex procedures-this book says it like it is-it's just fun!
If you need an in-depth how-to book to have fun at work, trust me, this is the least of your problems.
I took the suggestions for the "obstacle course race" and we had a fantastic time in my office-everyone came out of their "shells" (cubicles rather) and joined in the fun...there were people there that I didn't even know had a sense of humor...
If you are looking for some long-winded analytical study of the concept of fun at work for the sake of fostering productivity and morale go elsewhere-this is just simple fun, fun to read, fun ideas, and fun to practice...
NICE!
Work Can Still Be Fun.......2001-08-31
I have a small business and we have had to tighten our belts in this economy. The book gave me some good ideas of things to do to keep our team together and to maintain our productivity. We have already started implementing a lot of the things mentioned. I found the book fun and an easy read, yet ideas like the Hierarchy of Fun concept took me back to some of the basics that I have forgotten during these lean times.
Sequel.......2001-07-25
As with most "sequels", this one falls far short of the original. Perhaps it's due to a lack of creative energy that permeated the first book. And I noticed that Mr. Hemsath had to write one of his own reviews. I guess that says something for the author.
Lists, quotes and anecdotes.......2001-07-13
Lists, quotes and corporate anecdotes pretty much sum up this book. It's light reading and quirky, but I didn't walk away with a single idea to take to my team at work.
Amazon.com
Dave Hemsath and Leslie Yerkes have long believed that work need not be bland and boring, and that a fun workplace is truly more productive than a dull one. To check their theory, they asked successful businesspeople worldwide if fun played a part in their corporate culture--and, if so, how it was actually manifested in everyday life. 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work is their lighthearted compendium of the most useful and creative replies.
Book Description
"Fun at Work" sounds like an oxymoron, but it may be the hottest new trend in business
-- Features ideas generated by companies around the world that have successfully instilled fun into the workplace
-- Written not just for managers, but for anyone who works in an organization
The most successful organizations add a healthy dose of play into their daily or weekly routines. In fact, research has shown that when people actually enjoy their jobs they're more creative, more productive, and more committed to doing their job well. Companies like the Colorado Health Sciences Center and Southwest Airlines attest to the positive effect of fun at work. Both trace increased job satisfaction and decreased employee downtime to concerted efforts to make fun a part of their corporate identity.
With 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work, Dave Hemsath and Leslie Yerkes offer a complete resource anyone can use to create a dynamic workplace that encourages and inspires fun-and-games camaraderie among employees. It combines thorough research with practical hands-on suggestions, and features hundreds of ideas real companies have used to lighten up the workplace.
When the authors surveyed over 1,500 individuals from organizations worldwide, they received enthusiastic responses that yielded a broad range of ways to spice up the workday. People loved to share how they have fun at work. The suggestions in the book include humorous training films, dress-up and dress-down days, silly job titles, awards for people who go "above and beyond the call of duty" when a coworker is on vacation, "ritual dances" at the completion of a project, a fashion show when it's time to choose a new uniform -- even foam dartfights after meetings.
Designed to be read straight through or picked up and browsed for just a few minutes, 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work also features sidebars, fun facts, fun quotes, and fun resources.
Customer Reviews:
Making the Workplace a Fun Place- (also see WorkLaughs).......2006-12-29
OK, admit it. The workplace is not often a fun place. That is why you need this book.
It will show you how others have added joy to the work environment. And, for finding
laughter on the job, check out another book,
WorkLaughs: Quips, Quotes, and Anecdotes about Making a Buck. (also available on Amazon).
301 Ways to Have Fun a Work.......2006-02-25
It has some good suggestions that I have put to use, but expected all suggestions to fit into most work environments.
301 Ways to Have Fun at Work.......2005-10-24
Simple ideas. Was not very useful for my work environment.
I was looking for something that was a little different or unusual that we haven't tried.
Puh-leez!.......2003-07-05
This book is such a fraud - as if these greedy American corporations were going to do anything special to encourage their employees to have fun. Ha! Wake up guys. If they're arranging for Fun Day it's just hours away from Pink Slip Day.
A book of ideas!.......2002-12-29
This is a great book and has a lot of ideas to make work fun! I highly recommend it and have purchased books for my supervisors in the past. Every office should have this book available for reference!
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