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The Sniper accessible:
by Charlie Storey

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

by Christoph Scheerer

Wojo's Weapons:
Winning With White, Vol. 2
Checkpoint by Jonathan Hilton & Dean Ippolito

The Complete Hedgehog, Vol. 2

Carsten Hansen by Sergey Shipov
The Alterman Gambit Guide
Chess Informant, Vol. 111
by Branko Tadic (ed.) Black Gambits 1
by Boris Alterman

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Good and Bad Weapons

This month we look at a fairly wide variety of openings. There is the solid and
efficient Fianchetto Variation against the King's Indian Defense; the dynamic
Hedgehog Variation that can be used after all sorts move orders in all sorts of
openings; and the rather unusual Sniper, which is based on a set-up by Black
where he plays 1…g6, 2…Bg7 and then an immediate counterstrike with 3…
c5. This can take the game in all sorts of directions. For fans of sharp, dubious
gambits, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit has been a favorite. In a recent book it
gets a fresh treatment by a German international master. Lastly, we take a Chess Evolution 1:
look at the progress of opening theory in the latest volume of Chess Informant. The Fundamentals
by Artur Yusupov
Rating Chart The Sniper by Charlie Storey, Everyman Chess 2011, Figurine Algebraic
Notation, Paperback, 175pp. $26.95 (ChessCafe Price $22.95)
Awful –

Poor – I had never heard of a name for this opening before,

but this new book by FIDE Master and chess coach
Uneven – Charlie Storey offers a more structured system, albeit
with countless transpositions into other openings.
Good –

Great – The material is divided as follows:

Excellent – ● Acknowledgements (1 page)

● Bibliography (1 page)
The Ruy Lopez: Move by Move
● Introduction (9 pages)
by Neil McDonald
● Main Line 1: Queenside Knight – 3 Nc3 c5!
(54 pages)
● Main Line 2: Kingside Knight – 3 Nf3 c5! (21 pages)
● White Plays 3 c3 – The Deferred Sniper (8 pages)
● White Grabs the Centre with 3 f4 (9 pages)
● Other 1 e4 Lines for White (21 pages)
● White Plays d4 and c4 (32 pages)
● Miscellaneous Lines (8 pages)
● Conclusion (2 pages)
● Index of Variations (3 pages)
● Index of Complete Games (2 pages)

The first couple of chapters are of primary importance to this opening system,
but there are several ways for White to steer the game into more familiar
opening lines. For instance, using the move order in chapter one, it is not
unusual to enter the Sicilian Dragon. However, Storey is prepared with the
Sniper Dragon, the Sniper Sacrifice, and Magnus Carlsen's Dragons. These
versions are interesting, challenging, and fun. Some of them will force both
you and your opponent to get creative right from the beginning of the game:

1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c5 4 dxc5 Bxc3+ 5 bxc3 Qa5

[FEN "rnb1k1nr/pp1ppp1p/6p1/q1P5/4P3/
2P5/P1P2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 6"]

1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c5 4 Nf3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nc6 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Bc4 d6 8 f3

Qb6

[FEN "r1b1k2r/pp2ppbp/1qnp1np1/8/2BNP3/
2N1BP2/PPP3PP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 9"]

1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nf3 c5 4 c4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nc6 6 Be3 Qb6

[FEN "r1b1k1nr/pp1pppbp/1qn3p1/8/2PNP3/
4B3/PP3PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 0 7"]

Aside from the options to transpose to standard lines, there are also
opportunities to take the game in entirely different directions, and Storey has
had considerable success doing so in his own games.

As with many other books on unusual openings that are written by their main
adherent, this book is full of the author's own phrases and exotic ideas. Many
of them are perfectly valid, some of them are decidedly bizarre, but they have
been vetted by the author himself, who is a strong player in his own right, and
by strong grandmasters in some cases.
At times the coverage is a little random; for example, it endorses lines that
transpose into the sharpest lines of the Sicilian Dragon, but these are not
analyzed in detail. It offers lines that transpose into the Schmid Benoni, but
this is very sparsely covered. In fact, there is only one game, which does not
include the main lines. This is just odd, especially considering how easy it is
for White to transpose into those lines after 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c5 4 d5
d6.

As a complete repertoire book, this falls short, even if the back cover blurb
claims that it offers "a repertoire for Black against 1 e4 and 1 d4." However,
as a compendium of semi-unusual ideas for Black, it works reasonably well.
The games in the book are decently, if inconsistently annotated, some games
are covered well with a good balance of analysis and prose, but in some cases,
the annotations are chatty and other times they are almost non-existent.

My overall impression is a rather uneven book, that, while interesting, it is

hardly a must buy. Still, the ideas offered in the book do merit closer
examination. This title is also available as an The Sniper (Ebook).

My assessment of this book:

Order The Sniper

by Charlie Storey

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit by Christoph Scheerer, Everyman Chess 2011,

Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 336pp. $27.95 (ChessCafe Price
$23.95)

In the present volume, German international master

Christoph Scheerer takes a very thorough look at the
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: 1 d4 d5 2 e4 dxe4 3 Nc3.
So excessively thorough, in fact, it borders on the
ridiculous (336 pages!). Scheerer examines all the
key lines and most of the minor ones in painstaking
detail, often quoting games of rather dubious quality,
Internet games by unknown players, featuring
countless bad moves and blunders. Sure, these games
serve to illustrate how to punish tactical mistakes, but
too many of these games are quoted at length and
often to their conclusion, even when much of the
remaining moves are irrelevant to understanding the tactical motif. Other
times, moves that lead to an advantage for the opposite side are given a
question mark or dubious symbol, but no alternative is offered. This makes
some of the examples look like database dump, which I don't think was the
intention.

The material is divided as follows:

● Bibliography (3 pages)
● Preface (4 pages)
● Lemberger Counter-Gambit (3…e5) (37 pages)
● Minor 3rd moves for Black (19 pages)
● Minor 4th Moves for Black (15 pages)
● Langeheinicke Defence (4…e3) (12 pages)
● O'Kelly Defence (4…c6) (7 pages)
● Vienna Defence (4…Bf5) (28 pages)
● Minor 5th Move for Black (9 pages)
● Euwe Defence (5…e6) (29 pages)
● Bogoljubow Defence (5…g6) (37 pages)
● Gunderam Defence (5…Bf5) (27 pages)
● Teichmann Defence (5…Bg4) ( 43 pages)
● Ziegler Defence (5…c6) (25 pages)
● The Indian Systems: The Hübsch Gambit (30 pages)
● Index of Variations (6 pages)
Scheerer has assembled an amazing amount of material; however, the main
problem for White lies in the Ziegler Defence: 3…Nf6 4 f3 exf3 5 Nxf3 c6.
This is perfectly playable for Black and, as Scheerer tells us, recommended in
several books as the answer for Black to the BDG. Scheerer attempts to make
it work for White, with plenty of analysis and a little bit of bias, but it still
appears as if Black is doing rather well, even if he hides the critical line in a
comment and presents the main line as OK for White.

So, despite all the smoke and mirrors, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit still isn't
viable beyond club-level or rapid-play games. Yet for those purposes it does
represent a fun and entertaining opening that will offer White some chances
without being completely sound, mainly because the level of opposition will
hardly have sufficient time on the clock or understanding on the board to be
able to punish White for his indiscretion.

While this book is far too long, it is just perfect for Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
enthusiasts. Black players, however, have little to fear from this opening, and
that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

My assessment of this book:

Order The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

by Christoph Scheerer

Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Vol. 2 by Jonathan Hilton & Dean
Ippolito, Mongoose Press 2011, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback,
320pp. $29.95 (ChessCafe Price $24.95)

Grandmaster Alexander Wojkiewicz was one of the

most successful players on the U.S. Grand Prix
circuit. The second volume in this series devoted to
his repertoire covers the Fianchetto King's Indian. As
white in this opening, Wojtkiewicz was brutally
efficient, scoring no less than 80.3%. This is very
impressive, particularly considering that Black is fine
in theory. From my own experience, on both sides of
the board, I have found that the difficulty for Black in
the Fianchetto Variation is that Black, because of the
positional nature of the opening, finds himself
floundering once he runs out of natural moves, where
the pressure of defending carefully in a slightly worse position can be
frustrating.

The material is divided as follows:

● Bibliography (1 page)
● Introduction (4 pages)
● Part I: The Classical Fianchetto King's Indian with …Nbd7 (1
page)
● The Zürich 1953 Defense – Black Plays …Nb8-d7, …e7-e5xd4, and …
a7-a5 (27 pages)
● White's d4-d5 Push (23 pages)
● The Gallagher Variation (20 pages)
● Black's …b7-b5 Strike (14 pages)
● Putting It All Together (13 pages)
● Part II: The Fianchetto King's Indian in Modern Times: Black
Develops with …Nb8-c6 (1 page)
● Meeting Black's …e7-e5 with an Early c4-c5 (33 pages)
● Meeting Black's …e7-e5 with 9 e4 (24 pages)
● The Panno Variation with 8 b3 (35 pages)
● The Simagin and Spassky Variations (11 pages)
● Part III: Black's Other Systems (1 page)
● The Anti-Yugoslav with 6…c5 7 dxc5 dxc5 8 Ne5!? (24 pages)
● Black's Queen Development with 6…c6 and 7…Qa5 (18 pages)
● Black Controls e4 with 6…c6 and 7…Bf5 (11 pages)
 ● Other Black Tries with …c7-c6, 7…a6 and 7…Qb6 (16 pages)
● Miscellaneous Tries for Black (15 pages)
● Index of Recommended Lines (9 pages)
● Index of Players (2 pages)

As you can see, all the important lines are covered. The presentation is largely
built around Wojtkiewicz's games, such as the following against one of the
strongest French grandmasters:

Alexander Wojtkiewicz – Christian Bauer

Metz 1997

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.e4 c6
9.Rb1 exd4 10.Nxd4 Re8 11.h3 Nc5 12.Re1 a5 13.b3 Nfd7 14.Be3 Nf6 15.
Qc2 Qe7 16.Rbd1 Bd7 17.Bf4 Rad8

[FEN "3rr1k1/1p1bqpbp/2pp1np1/p1n5/
2PNPB2/1PN3PP/P1Q2PB1/3RR1K1 w - - 0 18"]

18.Ndb5!

A thematic strike that wins material.

18…cxb5 19.Bxd6 Qe6 20.Bxc5 Rc8 21.Bd4 bxc4 22.e5 cxb3 23.Qd2! Nh5
24.g4! Bc6 25.axb3 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Rxc3 27.Bxc3 Qc6+ 28.Kg1 Nf4 29.
Qxf4 Qxc3 30.e6 fxe6 31.Rxe6 Rf8 32.Qe3 Qxe3 33.fxe3 b5 34.Rd5 Rb8 35.
Ra6 Bc3 36.Rad6 Kf7 37.Rd8 Rb6 38.R5d6 1–0

The game can be found with more detailed annotations on page sixteen of the
book.

Wojo made the most of his chances against the King's Indian Defense with
the Fianchetto Variation, and anyone who invests the time in studying the
games and variations offered in this volume should have similar results. The
authors make a compelling case for such detailed coverage of Wojo's
repertoire. Prospective players of this line will learn a lot about the pawn
structures, how to handle the King's Indian, and typical strategic and
positional ideas. Overall, this is a very good book that many players will be
able to benefit from studying. The target audience is players rated from 1800
and upwards.

My assessment of this book:

Order Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Vol. 2

by Dean Ippolito & Jonathan Hilton

The Complete Hedgehog, Vol. 2 by Sergey Shipov, Mongoose Press 2011,

Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 584pp. $29.95 (ChessCafe Price
$25.95)

This is the second volume in Shipov's frighteningly

detailed coverage of the Hedgehog Variation. We
reviewed Volume One back in our January 2010
column. The first volume only dealt with the
Hedgehog arising from the English Opening. This
volume covers the lines that arise from other
openings, mainly the Sicilian Defense, but certainly
not exclusively so.

The material is roughly divided as follows:

● Introduction to Volume 2 (2 pages)

● Part 1 – The Hedgehog with a Pawn on f3 (1 page)
● Section 1 – Black's Main Ideas (4 chapters – 167 pages)
● Section 2 – Active Plans for White (4 chapters – 192 pages)
● Part 2 – The Hedgehog with a Bishop on the b1-h7 Diagonal (2
chapters – 150 pages)
● Part 3 – The Queen's Indian Hedgehog. Opposite-Side Castling (1
chapter – 57 pages)
● Conclusion (7 pages)
● Index of Players (4 pages)

As you can see, some of the chapters are incredibly long. A lot is analyzed in
detail and explained in detail, so Shipov clearly felt that he had plenty to share
with his readers. Certainly his knowledge in these structures is second to
none, but I feel he overindulged quite a bit in his coverage. However, for the
target audience of this book, players rated 2100-2300+, this is a goldmine of
information and tutelage in Hedgehog structures. Studying the mountain of
material will leave you with an understanding of these structures like few
others. For example, who without studying this book, would have felt
comfortable playing like Polugaevsky as black in the following game:

Mikhail Tal – Lev Polugaevsky

Candidates (Alma-Ata) 1980

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3
Be7 9.Be2 0–0 10.0–0 b6 11.Be3 Ne5 12.f3 Bb7 13.Qe1 Re8 14.Qf2 Ned7
15.Rfd1 Qc7 16.Rac1 Rac8 17.Kh1 Qb8 18.g4 h6 19.h4

[FEN "1qr1r1k1/1b1nbpp1/pp1ppn1p/8/
2P1P1PP/N1N1BP2/PP2BQ2/2RR3K b - - 0 19"]

Here Shipov writes, "Imagine the situation. You're playing in a Candidates

Match, and you're facing the great Tal himself! The reputation for violent
play, the blazing eyes of the genius for whom chess was what water is to a
fish. He threatens to play g4-g5. How would you have played here?"

19...Nh7

According to Shipov, this is the typical reply, but instead he advocates the
thematic 19...d5! and analyzes it in some detail.

20.Bf4 g5! 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.Bg3 Nhf8! 23.Qh2 Ne5 24.Qh6! Nfg6 25.Kg2
Qc7! 26.Rh1 Bf6! 27.Nc2 Qe7 28.Ne3 Nh4+! 29.Kf2 Neg6! 30.Rcd1 Bg7!
31.Qh5 Be5!
 [FEN "2r1r1k1/1b2qp2/pp1pp1n1/4b1pQ/
2P1P1Pn/2N1NPB1/PP2BK2/3R3R w - - 0 32"]

32.Bxh4? gxh4! 33.Ng2 Bg3+ ½–½

Black is winning in the final position, but a draw was all Polugaevsky needed
to win the match. To illustrate how thorough Shipov is in his coverage, he
invested no less than five pages to analyze the above game, offering plenty of
analysis and explanatory prose.

This book is for specialists of this opening and those who truly want or need
to understand these pawn structures from both sides of the board. Having
played the lines in this book on both sides of the board, and most enjoyably as
black, I found this book very interesting and quite an absorbing read, though it
most definitely isn't for everyone. For the target audience, it is a five star
book, but it is far too complicated and lofty for players below 2100.

My assessment of this book:

Order The Complete Hedgehog, Vol. 2

by Sergey Shipov

Chess Informant, Vol. 111 by Branko Tadic (ed.), Sahovski Informator 2011,
Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 328pp. $35.95 (ChessCafe Price:
$31.95)

It is truly wonderful and refreshing to see this series

of yearbooks improve under the management of the
new Chess Informant director and editor. With the
last few volumes, we have seen a transformation
towards something better than we had in the
previous twenty volumes.

The material is divided as follows:

● Contributors (2 pages)
● The Ten Best Games of the Preceding
Volume (2 pages)
● The Ten Most Important Theoretical Novelties of the Preceding
Volume (6 pages)
● System of Signs (3 pages)
● Opening Classification (4 pages)
● Games A (23 pages)
● Games B (47 pages)
● Games C (33 pages)
● Games D (48 pages)
● Games E (47 pages)
● Index of Players (8 pages)
● Index of Commentators (2 pages)
● Combinations (4 pages)
● Excellent Moves (3 pages)
● Endings (5 pages)
● Chess Problems (5 pages)
 ● Studies (3 pages)
● Tournaments (14 pages)
● Chess Informant Labs (26 pages)
● Chess History (8 pages)
● Women and Chess (4 pages)
● The Best of Chess Informant – Alexander Grischuk (27 pages)

Compared to Volume 110, the chapter on "Modern Chess Theory" is absent.

Instead, we have chapters on chess history (covering Capablanca and his
debut in Europe in 1911) and on Women and Chess (a short portrait of Maia
Chiburdanidze, who turns fifty this year). In regards to the sections of games,
the D & E portions are the largest segments; whereas they were significantly
shorter in previous volumes, an interesting development.

The new feature "Chess Informant Labs" continues to impress and is an added
benefit to the overall product. The section called "Excellent Moves" remains a
good idea, but it could be implemented better. There are so many good and
excellent moves that can be found throughout the volume, and only few are to
be found in this section.

Of the annotated games, we find games by most of the top players, but we
don't see annotations by any top twenty player other than Anand, so there is
still some room for improvement here. All things considered, Chess Informant
is a tool that ambitious players can use to collect tons of material for training
purposes and keep themselves abreast with the latest developments in theory.

My assessment of this book:

Order Chess Informant 111

by Branko Tadic (ed.)

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is
available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

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