Chess can be brutal. It seems that at any given moment your position can go from playable (or even winning) to completely lost. I am sure it hasn't happened to you, but I have certainly found myself in this uncomfortable situation many times. Even the most experienced players fall victim to this every now and then. This is but a small consolation for the suffering amateur. But the true upside is that there is something to be learned here. This is especially true when a player loses right out of the opening due to an incorrect plan or other mistakes. Danish/American trainer and author Carsten Hansen has collected a number of games in this category and put them together in no less than ten books. I have had the opportunity to read one of them and would like to share my thoughts on it with you.
Now, you may think that these are only run-of-the-mill masters that nobody has heard of, but that is not the case. Among the victims, you will find some of the most prominent heavyweights of the chessboard, such as Yasser Seirawan, Alexei Shirov, Jacob Aagaard, and the World champion's wingman Peter Heine Nielsen. So if they play the occasional blunder, we shouldn't feel too bad about our own.
Hansen has collected a large number of games based on these criteria, sorted them by opening and published nine different books. Wait, the introduction says ten books, and now it's nine? Yes and no. The nine first volumes contains miniature games played in the same "families" of openings.
As you may have realized from my previous reviews, I prefer chess books that contain a fair bit of prose. I find it much more interesting and entertaining to read the author's thoughts about the game as a whole as well as individual moves. For a patzer like myself, a bit of explanation is usually necessary in order to get a full grasp of the intricacies of the game at hand.
In this particular book (and most likely the rest of the books in the series), the prose is quite scarce. Usually, Hansen provides some comments at the critical points of each game, but apart from that he mostly just gives variations. In some cases, there are even multiple variations that can also be quite long. This will be a big plus for some readers, but personally, I like it when the author serves me the best bits on a platter. (Ok, I'm lazy. There, I said it!)
You can read more about Carsten Hansen and his books on his website. There, you can also register to get a free copy (e-book) of the first volume of the "catastrophe and tactics" series. So this may be a good option if you want to form your own opinion about these books.
What can you expect from this book?
A chess miniature is a chess game that ends quickly. This is perhaps a somewhat simplistic definition, but it is probably as close to a "true" definition as one can come. The exact number of moves and nature of the game is subject to discussion. Some books set a limit around 20-25 moves. However, in Carsten Hansen's ten volume series on catastrophes and tactics in the opening, the games are very short (as indicated by the title) - 15 moves or less! Interestingly, the games are all at master level, which means the mistakes are far from trivial.Now, you may think that these are only run-of-the-mill masters that nobody has heard of, but that is not the case. Among the victims, you will find some of the most prominent heavyweights of the chessboard, such as Yasser Seirawan, Alexei Shirov, Jacob Aagaard, and the World champion's wingman Peter Heine Nielsen. So if they play the occasional blunder, we shouldn't feel too bad about our own.
Hansen has collected a large number of games based on these criteria, sorted them by opening and published nine different books. Wait, the introduction says ten books, and now it's nine? Yes and no. The nine first volumes contains miniature games played in the same "families" of openings.
- Vol 1: Indian defenses
- Vol 2: 1.d4 d5 openings
- Vol 3: Flank openings
- Vol 4: Dutch, Benonis & d-pawn "specials"
- Vol 5: Anti-Sicilians
- Vol 6: Open Sicilians
- Vol 7: Minor Semi-Open Games
- Vol 8: 1.e4 e5
- Vol 9: Caro-Kann & French
This book is a representation of the previous nine volumes, picking something of the best from each chapter in the preceding volumes, to give you an opportunity to look through the window and see if those other books are something for you.The selection of games in this volume has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, the large variety of openings gives the reader a lot of different examples of how things can go wrong in the early stages of the game. However, to paraphrase Bilbo Baggins, this variety of openings can feel like butter scraped over too much bread. The reader will get a lot of examples from different openings, but will not get an overview of the most common mistakes in specific openings. Luckily there is a remedy, namely the original nine volumes. So, for instance, if you are a Sicilian player - go get volume 6 and possibly even number 5. Then you will have a ton of examples from "your" openings and probably get a better understanding of the mistakes and traps to avoid.
As you may have realized from my previous reviews, I prefer chess books that contain a fair bit of prose. I find it much more interesting and entertaining to read the author's thoughts about the game as a whole as well as individual moves. For a patzer like myself, a bit of explanation is usually necessary in order to get a full grasp of the intricacies of the game at hand.
In this particular book (and most likely the rest of the books in the series), the prose is quite scarce. Usually, Hansen provides some comments at the critical points of each game, but apart from that he mostly just gives variations. In some cases, there are even multiple variations that can also be quite long. This will be a big plus for some readers, but personally, I like it when the author serves me the best bits on a platter. (Ok, I'm lazy. There, I said it!)
You can read more about Carsten Hansen and his books on his website. There, you can also register to get a free copy (e-book) of the first volume of the "catastrophe and tactics" series. So this may be a good option if you want to form your own opinion about these books.
Who should read this book?
Miniature games is often presented as a good option for beginners to study chess. In many cases, this may be true, but in this particular case, I think that the games are a bit too advanced and the explanations too limited for beginners. Therefore, I would say that this series is probably best for intermediate and advanced players. Personally, I would recommend getting one of the books that are specific to your openings. But you should be prepared to put in some work to get the most out of the books.About this book
| Author: | Carsten Hansen |
| Title: | Catastrophes and tactics in the chess opening |
| Type of book: | Tactics |
| Level: | Intermediate/Advanced |
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